Ruchi Vasudeva's Blog: Ruchi Vasudeva Author's nook, page 9

Get To Know Sheritha Singh,

Hi everyone, please welcome Sheritha Singh on my blog. Sheritha is a writer of New Adult genre. Today, she'll share with us something of herself and her journey in the writing of her book 'Only Yours'.
1. Tell us something about yourself and how you got into writing?I started writing at the age of twelve.  I loved reading and wondered what it would be like to write my own book.  I got started and haven’t stopped since.
2. What was the experience of writing your first book – easy as pie or as hard as nails?My first “real” book – I say real because I took a writing course last year and identified common writing mistakes – was the most difficult thing ever.  Once I learned the dynamic of plot and writing style book two, which I am querying, became much easier.  I wrote Book one in a year and book two in a month.
3. What motivates you to write?The characters who live in my head.
4. What inspired Only Yours, your manuscript on submission?The sudden interest in New Adult. I wrote a New Adult book years ago and it wasn't well received.  The growth in this genre has been beneficial for me because I am stuck in this growth phase of my life. Lol.
5. Please describe your book briefly.Twenty year old Riley Hart thought she left behind her traumatic past behind her when she settled on South Africa’s east coast two years ago and started over. When she snags a job that helps pay the rent and her college tuition fees Riley believes she’s truly moved on from her dark past. However her romance with her cricket star boss Liam David, is strained when subtle reminders of Riley’s past surface. Riley is forced to choose between Liam’s love and his safety – if she doesn't choose fast she’s risking Liam’s life.


6. Tell us about your main characters in your book?Riley is an orphan, a loner who’s started over after being raised in an orphanage. She’s a part time student and a full time employee. Liam is an international cricket start who’s just taken over the reins of his father’s business.  Liam is instantly attracted to Riley and tells her so. He lives by the philosophy – life is too short to live in slow motions.  Riley’s traumatic past makes her more reserved. I've included memes from the book.


 

7. How do you overcome writer’s block?I watch a lot of Indian movies.
8. Does writing get in your way of life?Not really.  I’d rather write than waste time doing nothing.
9. What’s next in your writing plans?I’m querying Only Yours.  If I don’t garner any requests I will self publish.
10. What is the best thing about writing?Living the characters’ lives for a short while.  I learn a lot while researching my characters.
11.  And here comes our rapid fire round…Favourite Movie?My favourite movie of all time is Avatar. I also love grande Bollywood stories complete with song and dance like Om Shaanti Om and Kabhi Kushi Kabhi Gam. Worst Movie?It based on the book by Stephen King.  I am scared of clowns.Any secret habits?None really.Actor you’d fall for in a heartbeat?Salman KhanFavourite Book?Twilight Fallback Option when the fridge is emptyNandos Portuguese styled grilled chicken.What comforts you when things go bad?My nephewYour most comfortable outfit?Leggings and a long t –shirt.

You can keep up with her latest news at her author page. You can follow her on Twitter @Shersinghzn
Thanks, Sheritha. Best wishes for your book and hope to hear its acceptance buzz soon!
And here's another of her lovely memes



Hope you enjoyed looking at those as much as I did. Thanks everyone! Ciao :)

Cover reveal and Blurb

My book is going to the town (well, out there anyway) and now I finally have the costume ready. And what a dress it is...can't wait for it to step out in this finery. Do have a look and see if you agree!

Oh, what is it I hear? You know nothing about it?  Nobody is fond of blind dates, so I'll tell you something to get you better acquainted with it. Here's the blurb which will give you a look in how it is.


The man of her Bollywood dreams 

Winning the chance to meet the ultimate Bollywood heart-throb, Zaheer Saxena, is just what Vishakha needs to take her mind off her recent humiliation—being jilted the week before her wedding! And when gorgeous Zaheer offers to be her fake fiancé, the chance to save face with her family is just too tempting… 

It’s a deal that benefits them both—Zaheer is warding off any unwanted female attention until his next film is finished—but can Vishakha trust herself not to hope that her dream fiancé for a day will be her forever man?

So are you ready for an evening with my book? It will be near you soon. Hope you'll have a good time! :)



Btw, pop over to my page to keep up with my book updates https://www.facebook.com/RuchiVasudeva

Author interview – Get to know Shoma Narayanan

Today I'm hosting Shoma Narayanan on my blog. Shoma is an author for Harlequin Mills and Boon and also holds the prestigious position of senior vice president in HSBC. She has three books published till now, one under publication, releasing in November and is currently working on her fifth book for Harlequin.Her most recent release is 'Secrets and Saris.' 
Let's get to know more about her and the book through a question and answer session.
Q1. Tell us something about yourself and how you got into writing. I got into writing completely by accident.  I used to write a little in school and college – nothing serious, and I gave it up when I started working.  I saw an ad for a writing competition organized by Harlequin India in a bookstore, and sent in an entry on impulse.  I was one of the contest winners, and got a shot at writing a book for Harlequin.  Then the book got picked up for a global release, and the next thing I knew, I was offered a four book deal with Harlequin….

Q2. What was your experience of writing your first book? Easy as pie or hard as nails? *smile*  Somewhere in the middle!  I loved most of the experience, and my editor was a dream to work with.  But there were still bits of the story I struggled over, and even after I’d re-written those bits, I’d still keep coming back to them, wondering if I could have done a better job!
Q3. What motivates you to write? The high I get from the writing process – and the quiet feeling of satisfaction when I hold the first few printed copies of a book in my hands.
 Q4. What inspired this story?The initial idea was sparked off by a conversation on how lots of people move from small towns to big cities, but very few do the opposite – that made me think of writing a romance novel set in a small town.
Q5. Please give us two lines describing the book.  It’s about two ‘big-city’ people thrown together in a small town. Neil is a TV celebrity, and also a single dad. Shefali was brought up to be the perfect wife and mother  - but after she was jilted on the day of her wedding by the man her parents had chosen for her, she decides to strike out on her own. The book is about the two of them finding happiness with each other (after their due share of fights and misunderstandings!)
Q6. Do share two prominent traits about each of your two main characters in the book.  Neil is half Indian and half British and combines very traditional Indian sensibilities with a fiercely independent outlook to life. He’s a single dad, and is far more mature and responsible than most twenty-eight year olds, but he has a quirky side to him - of course, he’s stunning to look at as well!  Shefali is a little stiff and uptight at the beginning of the book. As the story progresses, she loses a lot of her hang-ups, and comes out as a strong, loving and independent woman who’s not afraid of the depth of her own feelings.
Q7. All writers dread the writer's block. How do you overcome it?I’ve not had a bad case of writer’s block yet (fingers crossed!) but there have been days when I’ve found it tough to write more than a few pages – on those days, I just stop working on the book and go off and do something with my kids.  When I come back to the book after a couple of days, it’s a lot easier to pick up wherever I stopped.
Q8. Does writing get in way of 'life'?No, but my life gets in the way of my writing often enough L
Q9. What's next in your plans?I’ve just signed a contract for another four books with Harlequin – now I need to sit down and actually write those books!
Q 10. What's the best thing about writing – other than it gives you a great excuse to avoid housework? *wink* Well, I don’t do much housework other than cooking the odd meal with my kids…. The best thing about writing romance novels is that they are as much of an escape for the author as for the reader.
Q11. This last is a rapid-fire round. Brace yourself to give some quick responses. Say the very first to come in your mind. Be honest! *gives a stern look*Here goes…
- Most hated movie:Jeepers Creepers – I watched it on a trip to London with a bunch of colleagues – it was so bad, it wasn't even funny
- Your one secret habit no one knows about. (getting tough here?):I tell myself stories every night before I go to bed
- Actor you'd fall for every time (don't worry we won't tell hubby J): Daniel Craig
- Book you would laminate to preserve it:“To Kill a Mockingbird”
- Fallback option when the fridge is empty:Salads from Subway
- What comforts you when things go bad? My kids
-What sounds better? A party or a quiet evening at home?Depends on my mood
- Your most comfortable outfit?Shorts and a well-worn T-shirt
-Which is a better pastime – a book, a movie or a game?Always a book.

Thank you so much, Shoma for the interesting answers. 
Here's the blurb, excerpt and the buy links for the book. Go enjoy! :)
Blurb:Jilted at the altar, Shefali Khanna should be humiliated. Instead she takes the opportunity to start again. Top of the priority list: do not tumble headfirst into another relationship! But even moving from Delhi to a small town can't keep Shefali out of trouble—especially when she catches the eye of TV celeb Neil Mitra. To add to the complications, Neil is divorced and a single dad, and his four-year-old daughter Nina is one of Shefali's students. There is no way she can risk a getting into another relationship. He might be gorgeous, but he's totally off-limits…right?
Excerpt: Please follow this link to the Harlequin website to read the excerpt
Buy links:Harlequin: http://www.hqnindia.com/author/shoma-narayanan
Flipkart:  http://www.flipkart.com/mills-boon-secrets-saris-june-2013/p/itmdhazezsakh6g8?pid=9789351060611&otracker=from-search&srno=t_1&q=shoma+narayanan&ref=6a69ad47-6e1a-4f05-8c44-58215e919b8f
Infibeam: http://www.infibeam.com/Books/secrets-saris-shoma-narayanan/9789351060611.html#variantId=P-M-B-9789351060611
Amazon Kindle:  http://www.amazon.in/Secrets-Saris-ebook/dp/B00D41LVNC/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1373993496&sr=8-4&keywords=shoma+narayanan

Kashmir Trip

A trip that will remain in my memory for ever. Kashmir is rightly called 'A Paradise on Earth'. Everyone who has been there, knows it.Funnily enough it wasn't in our plans at all to go to Kashmir or even anywhere at all for summer break. Suffering from wilting July heat I urged my husband that we should take kids somewhere cool for a short trip. We hadn't planned anything. I thought of Shimla which wouldn't take much time out of my schedule. But a weather check turned out a rainy week prediction. My husband suggested out of the blue we opt for Kashmir.Things moved fast. One day I was talking to DH about going and by evening we had the tickets booked and by next afternoon, excited and breathless we were landing at Srinagar. After checking in, we took off and enjoyed the shikara ride on Dal lake.






Next up was a fifteen minute stop at Chashme shahi.   With beautiful flowers in the garden.

 And refreshing ..brr.. cold water.


The curving road went back and on towards the lake. A cool breeze had started tinged with the scent of flowers. The road wound round the water and we clicked on the lake-marks that the shikara rower and guide had pointed out. Nishat Bagh was our next spot. Imagined the moguls roaming the grounds :) 

Magnolia tree which I had heard praised of but not seen.
Shalimar garden was much smaller but sat and enjoyed the breeze there. Flowers filled all the gardens in profusion. The next day brought an uphill curving road ride to Gulmarg. The slopes were dotted with flowers. White ones looked like snow drops. Delphiniums abounded. Enjoyed the views

During the horse ride, the guide pointed out the sites for movie shots. This is where 'Hum tum ik kamre mein band ho' from film Bobby was shot according to him.
Ksheer Bhawani  amd Jyashta mata temple next on the list.

Pahalgam is not to be missed.  After the ride the day before, we were tired of and allergic to horse rides but the trail would take two hours on foot, our driver told us. Still we were brave enough to set off. However it was so steep and we were unconditioned, so were soon out of breath. Plus we couldn't make out the trail by ourselves. The villagers helped but soon the spot was totally deserted.
So we succumbed to the guide's persuasions and again mounted on ponies.



The trail wound continuously upward. Frightening at places as the edge of the foot wide trail dropped precariously away to running stream below. Too tightly holding on to the horse to click pics so managed only few. At the end of a grueling half an hour we reached the mini Switzerland. Ah, sheer natural loveliness!

However, the way downward was even worse than up - at least for me! Kids told me they enjoyed it. The horses were stepping on dusty slope with steps for horses carved in spots in between the hardened roots of trees. Horses proceeded step by step following each other. Almost vertically downward or so it looked and I closed my eyes when it became too steep and just prayed. The guide brought us out to vista of Kashmir valley. We looked at it from the edge of the out-curving road.

He aimed us to go right down the dropaway edge and I could only say you mean go down where? Here? Here was no place but air. Anyway his implicit faith in the horse and obvious un-maneuverability on foot had me sighing and submitting. Again hung on for dear life. Though if you tore away to glance at the views they were amazing! Tall green trees. The running stream over the stones way down below. The green slopes. The cool still air which can't be described, only felt. The only thing was you couldn't keep from gasping at the steep downward direction. At least I couldn't. My daughter was blithe later. She thoroughly enjoyed it. And son was also pretty cool. So maybe it's just me getting old!Then the horse suddenly seemed to go mad and walk right into the river. While I panicked the guide was insouciant as ever. I realized belatedly the animals needed watering.


Later we had to stop for rafting. Which was really out of this world! So much fun. Here's a short video.
On the way back our driver took us to apple gardens.
He asked us if we had tried kehwa, the Kashmiri tea and we said yes, over at Nehru park in the lake. But he sneered at that and took us to a stall by the numerous dry fruit shops lining the road. It was indeed quite different there, tasting great with the crushed almonds, cardamom, cinnamon, saffron and other spices. We went in the shop and bought dried figs and blackberry. Also saffron which Pampore is famous for.The next morning we went to Shankaryacharya temple. The only pic I have is the sighting we did from Dal Lake as camera wasn't allowed inside.

All in all it was a great trip. Here's some shopping I did. Though I was short of time to do much.

So how did you spend your vacation? Do share.

Ciao!

Exercise?...Gah!

This is an out of way post for me as it has nothing to do with writing but it has everything to do with a topic that's most important to all of us. HEALTH.Health relates to that awful thing : exercise. Which none of us mostly  feel like!But reading this will make you WANT to exercise because this happened to me when I discovered this illuminating fact that I'm about to share. Each one of us knows exercise is important and that it's important to keep moving. But what we don't know is that not moving can be lethal. Or eventually WILL be lethal. How?I found this when I was helping my daughter on a biology lesson. She had asked me what is lymph? I told her the usual answer given in the textbook, that it's a straw coloured fluid which contains lymphocytes which are part of the body’s defense system. It helps to transport substances, it flows through lymph capillaries to lymph vessels and it drains into blood. But she still didn't know what to make of it. Why is it there in our body when there is blood to transport substances? Now, lymph is something which is a mysterious entity to even medical people. We know it is very important in immunity. But the exact role is somewhat vaguely understood.To explain better to my daughter, I read up lymph and was struck at how important its function was and how ignorant I had been about its true significance.To explain briefly, lymph is formed from interstitial fluid, which is the fluid surrounding the cells. It flows in vessels which have valves, much like the hole-less belts which can go forward but not slide back. When it is formed it has composition like tissue fluid but on its way it accumulates lymphocytes from lymph nodes.What has lymph to do with exercise?Our body fluids by the way of lymph get exposed to a rich plethora of immune cells like lymphocytes – which are enough to get rid of most of the heaps of pollutants and toxins we are exposed to in daily life. That is its job. To form from fluid in between tissues, hence contain much of the toxic waste from the cells, and take up immune cells from lymph nodes on the way. But lymph needs help in one thing: circulation. Its circulation is totally dependent on muscles. When muscles contract, lymph is pumped up and the empty vessels are filled up. If the circulation is proper, more amount of body fluids are exposed to the action of immune cells because of better lymph flow. Here’s the crux.If you keep moving, you're doing your body a huge favour. As the immune cells are the ones which have capability of destroying cancer cells and eliminate many disease factors, so exposing body fluids to immune cells works to clean your body from these threats. I'll repeat, the more you move, the more the lymph circulates. Rest and inactivity lead to sluggish flow and accumulation of the debris inside your body. The immune system and lymph still works but it's slowed down considerably and toxins can build. Cells come under stress and can change into cancer cells.  That's why regular exercise is important.Even if it's a brisk daily walk, it will cleanse your system. Lymph circulation is hastened. Boo toxins! Defeat of disease. the health flag unfurls.What more can you do to boost this? *Eat more of fruit and veggies. Fatty and greasy food has more free radicals which are reactive entities, causing damage to your cells, stressing your system and eventually overloading the immune system. *Eat more salads and fast one day a week by eating only fruits to help your lymph clean up the toxins.
Nature has designed your body to heal itself. Help yourself maintain it. GET WALKING NOW! One thing : a fast one day a week eating fruits or even restricting yourself to one meal can help you lose weight and add to the world’s food stores. I fast every Monday, though I keep it for religious purpose and do eat something made of wheat and sugar one time besides fruit. You can make your own version of detoxifying diet, without being too hard on yourself.Do let me know if you got anything out of this post. But if you are going to comment below, take a walk NOW and then come back and tell me about it. Make it your mantra from now on. Exercise. Get rid of your toxins. Stay healthy.
Ciao!

When the words won't come...

A writer is most happy writing. Yet sometimes our jobs, family life or even writing schedules become so humdrum that words are difficult to put down. Even more likely, the words are there but the will to capture and put them down in proper order just isn't. This last happens to me more often than not. I can happily daydream perfect sentences and even scenes in my head but when it comes to putting them on paper or the keyboard, it seems too much like work! There is no FUN that writing is supposed to be. So what do we do when we need to get the words from our head to our fingers? Or even get them forming in our head, when creativity just seems as elusive as rain in an Indian summer.

First is it a block? Or just a pebble you are looking at from very close up?
Are you making too much of a minor problem? Are you just tired ? That's the first thing which dries up the drive to write. A good night's rest or playing hookie from writing if you don't have a deadline looming can do the trick. It's very well to tell ourselves we must be regular but Sunday was made for a reason, you know. New experiences, meeting friends, even cooking a new recipe, trying out a new eating place, can all get you away from dwelling too much on your frustrations. Distract yourself from the problem. It has the scientific basis of freeing our synapses from impulse overload so that transmission can resume without the offending psychological fatigue. The reference of psychological fatigue brings us to the next question,

Are you sick of your work in progress?

This doesn't imply that your work isn't right or not proceeding the right way. It can just mean that the routine  has got overwhelming. You've been 'living' inside the heads of the 'same' characters day in and out. Thinking in their skin. This can get tiring. It does for me because I write emotional stuff and and to write with feeling can be exhausting. You need to replenish the store. Or sometimes the characters can for whatever reason not just talk to you. (you'll either get this or think I'm a lost cause.) Staring at the blank page is just not helping. You can do any of these in such a situation :

i) Take a walk. I read somewhere it was someone's top Writer's Block Curing Tip and it is mine as well. A walk, preferably somewhere you can admire the serenity of nature, will do wonders. Must be why Keats wrote 'Ode to Autumn.' 'Ode to a Nightangle' (cool recital), Robert Frost wrote 'Birches', Wordsworth wrote 'Daffodils'. Nature has the magic spray a whiff of which can cure writer's block and a daily dose serves as a tonic which builds your resistance like Vitamin C building resistance against colds :)

ii) Mull in isolation. This isn't always possible. But even if you're shut up in a room or just not talking to anyone else, it can serve. At a crutch, you can pretend to be reading. If you have music blaring in your ears, it can serve. For me, waiting for something to cook, when family thinks I'm busy in kitchen does the trick ;) Activities which keep your hands busy while not requiring active mental engagement can serve. Washing dishes, cooking, maybe driving for some...you can devise your own. You can feel and think your characters through in those minutes and sometimes get startling ideas. Of course keep your device or pen handy for these times as memory can be very short term. A blink and it is gone!

iii) Read over what you have written. This can provide insights you have missed. But you must read the right way. The 'right' way for me means taking apart every dialogue and thought of the character or characters and see if it really fits them. Have I missed some hidden motivation because I was in too much hurry to pour my thoughts on the keyboard? Or too taken up by the 'beautiful' metaphors my brain had come up with? Language and expression has a way of cloaking your character's real thoughts and motivational twists, I'm still learning this, though it's happening less frequently than when I started. A chance phrase would crop up and I would ignore what my character really would say in a scene just so I could use that phrase which at that time sounded witty. Writing is trickier than driving an obstacle course, I tell you.

Face it, you could just be acting lazy

Yes. Writers are also human beings so why can't we have our weak moments? But too few of these and you get into the habit of shelving your work. It just wouldn't call out to you that alluringly if you start to feel it's a drag. So you have to dredge up enthusiasm when it isn't there and suddenly after you type half a page, you are IN the story and it's there. It's happening. I read in a Reader's Digest article that the motor system of the brain can influence our emotional state. For instance, smile, even when it's a plastic smile and sometime later it can become a real one. Start writing, move those muscles, act like you love it and viola! a minute later, you are! Okay, okay sometimes it takes half an hour. BUT YOU GET SOMETHING DONE. Yes, writing is supposed to be something we love to do, but mothers will remember how sometimes kids can make you feel so unloving, yet you mother them. Same is the way with writing. You have to DO it even when you don't love it. Kick that writer's block by banging your head against it.

Slack off but only in very small doses. Make up in a big way. Write with love or by gritting your teeth but just write.
Which reminds me, I still have to type the scene that came to me yesterday when I was staring out of the bus window :p

So did you get anything out of this post? What are your secret tips on beating writer's block. Do share!

Ciao!

First Chapter Writing Tips

Mills and Boon is hosting medical fast track in which you get rapid feedback in just two weeks! All you have to do is submit the first chapter of your medical romance story. It ends 30th June. Here's the link for details :

http://community.millsandboon.co.uk/content/medical-romance-fast-track-open-now

For those who are thinking of submitting, I'm sharing some writing advice here.They say, well begun is half done. Or in other words, well prepared is target secured.
Any contest is both difficult and rewarding. Difficult as it takes nerves to enter and rewarding because one always learns from experience. Writing contests are no different except that an aspiring writer contestant is especially sensitive to rejection. It's important when you enter a contest to first keep in mind that ANY outcome is possible. Second, to repeat to yourself, 'I'll give it my best shot.' Over and over. If you do, you'll have no reproach for yourself at least, however it ends...and who knows you may be next one shortlisted!From my experience of entering writing contests, and winning two of them, I've compiled some tips. Also I've included the input from all I learnt during the writing of the first chapter of my first book,Bollywood Fiancé for a Day.I've listed them in order of what seems important to me:
Opening scene: The opening scene should draw the reader in. Right into the world you have created. What is your character doing as the story opens? What is she/he feeling? Is your character worried while driving? Does she accidentally miss the turn signal of car in front? What happened then? Create a situation where the readers (or your judges) can't help but read on to find out what happens next. 
Build a problem: Is your heroine (or hero) in trouble? Why? Who could help her? Why wouldn't she take help from him? Always go deep into a character's reasons. Why. That simple word leads to so many possibilities. The late Penny Jordan, romance author extraordinaire once said, the most important of the tips her editor gave her was: always ask why.
Interaction of characters: In romance you have two main characters. Have them in the scene together as soon as possible. That sounds like a tall order for a first chapter. You would say, what about explaining the setting, the situation, the background? But just think, if you don't show them together here, you may not get another chance! First chapter is all you have for putting up in this contest. So have them interacting. Show what the heroine feels for the hero and he for her. How do they happen to be there? Is it planned? Or coincidence? Does she want to avoid him? Will she succeed? Build up the curiosity factor.
Tension: Show the tension between the characters. Awareness. Attraction. Conflict. Does she drop something in her confusion when near him? Most heroes aren't bumbling but a little tug at his necktie would be endearing, don't you think? Tension between Hero/heroine is a must in a Mills and Boon! :)
Sympathy for characters: Have the reader sympathize with your character. If the hero turns heroine's troubled aunt out of her house, it's a very strong conflict between the characters but would the reader sympathize with someone like that? Would you? You'd most likely kick such an insensitive brute. Always keep your character lovable.For more on characters, go here.
Make it read-worthy: Last but not least the grammar. Spell check. Read. Revise. Watch your tenses. Double check your verbs. Make your presentation the best it can be.
Also always follow the specifications given under the contest rules. For genre submission, it's important to follow the guidelines. For more guidelines to know how much 'medical' your story needs to be, click here.  
So do remember, begin with a strong opening scene, build a problem, have your characters interact and show tension between them. Make your characters lovable, always spell check and make your work presentable.Hope I have been able to help. :)Sharing your work can be scary. If you've submitted or made a decision to submit your entry, you're already to be congratulated.If you're reading this to improve it, double congratulations, because you have decided to go after this writing thing and you're already interested in making it better. 

So are you trying your luck? Good luck to all the entrants and remember, if you're pursuing your dream, you're a winner!
Write with love,Ruchi. 

The Sunshine Award

The Sunshine Award is a lovely sunny flower that bloggers give to other “bloggers who positively and creatively inspire others in the blogosphere”.I was tagged for this lovely award by Jennifer Faye, a dear friend and a fabulous author published by HMB. Check out her post here.  Now, for those tagged onward in this post, the rules of the ‘The Sunshine Award’ are as follows. They are really simple:(1)     Thank the person who gave you the award in your blog post.(2)     Do the Q&A below.(3)     Pass on the award to 10 – 12 deserving and inspiring bloggers, inform them and link to their blogs.Rule 1. Many thanks, Jennifer. I'm guilty of being tardy, I must say extremely tardy in putting up this post. Let me just say I have an excuse that I was working to meet the deadline on my second book for HMB and the days just flew past! I'm delighted you thought of me. Rule 2. Q&A

Favourite Colour: 
Peach. It isn't a coincidence that when I first met my husband I was wearing a peach Punjabi suit. I always have one or two outfits in this lovely colour. And just look at this gorgeous peach rose. Also pink and green lavender are also favourites closely following peach :)
Favourite Animal: 
I'm not a pet keeper, though I like goldfishes flitting in their bowls. For just looking, I like the majestic leos. ah, what an inspiration for a shifter :) Favourite Number: 4 and 6. Six because I'm somewhat of a believer in numerology and 4 is a quirk. Rose has four letters and 4 was the sumtotal of my roll number when I topped in Physiology in first year medical, which are reasons of sorts.

Favourite Non-alcoholic Drink:
I'm a tea person. Can't get any task started before stoking up on it :) 
Facebook or Twitter:
I'm maybe slightly inclined towards twitter. It's rather easier for a reserved person like me lol. That said, I do love chatting and meeting new people on both. FB messages are wonderfully convenient in keeping in touch with regard to the time difference across the world.
Your Passion: My family and my writing. Which is why I'm constantly at war which to devote my time to! *grin* but yes both are very fulfilling.

Giving or Getting Presents:
Who doesn't love to get presents? Do I sound greedy? Let me redeem myself by adding I don't go for expensive presents. Just thoughtful ones, even if it is my favourite sweet ras malai brought by hubby.
Giving is wonderful as well especially when I get to see the surprise on kids' faces.

Favourite Day:Wednesday. Surprised? Well, midweek you get into the flow and I think more productive.

Favourite Flower: Roses. Especially peach roses. Chrysanthemums are a close second.
So this is about me and now longing to hear from the people I am passing this award to, who are:

Adite Banerjie

Aimee DuffyCarmen FalconeHema DhawanJennifer DrogellJulia Broadbooks

Maria Perry Mohan

Mary Middleton

Michelle Smart

Samantha Darling

Before You Sign That Book Contract...

No legal advice here! But just to get you on the track of dealing with getting your (grubby? greedy?) hands on the contract . Every writer covets a contract. But when one gets it (take it from me) one is often floored at the hefty sheaf of print outs. So how do you seat belt yourself up and take the ride? Here are some tips from yours truly ;) Here goes :
My first tip : Before even glancing at the pages, buy - and strap on - a safety helmet. Why, you ask? But mon ami, it's paramount! The first thing every writer fixes their beady eyes on is the advance (what else?). And that maybe either too high for your expectations or too low. So either case, when you hit the roof, you'll still save your head! So it's C.S. In the rare case you expect the amount you can always go back and get a refund on the said helmet :)
My second tip : Eat almonds. You'll get a headache trying to decipher where did the beginning of sentence go, which gets lost as you plough your way through the innumerable phrases. For the unbroken, it goes something like "during the term of agreement, abcd will have the right to cdef, and ghij, according to zyxw and tuvw unless abcd have already ijkl in which case pqrs will have the mnop to cdef and abcd will then pqrs or qrst failng which pqrs can....and thus on and on. So must advise the traditional Indian remedy for this is : Grow more brain. Eat almonds. Preferably after overnight soaking.
My third should-do : Meditate. After the effects of struggling through understanding all that, in case you are extremely brave and forego hiring a lawyer,chances are you'll be snapping at everyone and everything in sight. Even the dog is going to hide under the bed at sight of you. So keep calm and count prayer beads. 
What else can you do : Keep two copieshandy. Useful for those "as mentioned before in page x section y" clauses. By the time you go back and find the page you want, you lose the one you were reading originally. So another copy handy will keep you on your page and yourself oriented.
Aping a rubber bath duck won't hurt. No matter what gets you down, whether you're affronted, jumping up high, grinning with relief, aghast or head-achy, bounce back and get normal - or whatever passes as normal for you. Are writers anywhere near other people 'normal'? Umm debatable.
A word about queries being like Hydra: By the time you get clarification back on some point that puzzled you, you have another question. Then another. Like a mythical hydra one question cut off has another two sprouting in its place. Keep calm and be the hydra killer. Have a figurative Taser of brainpower to stun them.



Finally, the momentous occasion when you scribble your unsightly (at least mine are unsightly, yours maybe like Cleo's. Wait, did she have beautiful signature?) Anyway, nothing more satisfactory for an aspiring/debut author that the sight of that crawling-ant-like scrawl inked at the dotted line. Go burst into a song. Dance. Celebrate. Go mad. You earned it!
So, peeps, what are you tips/preventive measures while contract perusal to not freak out?Do share :)
Ciao!  

The Leibster Blog Award Challenge

 I've been nominated for the Leibster Blog Award Challenge by Mary Middleton. The purpose of the challenge is to help bloggers be more popular. I have to tell you eleven little known things about  myself, answer eleven set questions and nominate eleven other bloggers to take the challenge after me.
If you are nominated below, post on your own blog linking back here, with 11 random facts about yourself, answer my 11 questions and nominate 11 new bloggers (and think of 11 questions to ask them - can be anything!)
Here are eleven supposedly interesting facts about me! Some of them are my laments about myself, so do bear with me here.
1. Being a diehard procrastinator, if something can be put off in my day, it will be. I find it terribly difficult to set a given task into motion.
2. I love to store cards. Birthday cards. Anniversary cards, Christmas and Diwali greetings. All are packed up securely. I still have most of my Congrats on Getting Married cards. And of course my kids' birthday cards.
3. Singing relaxes me. I find it soothing, especially singing sad songs. Unfortunately people around me don't find it so…lol!
4. When I'm in the thick of a story, characters start talking in my head. Sometimes the dialogue is so crystal clear and snappy I have to stop whatever I'm doing to note it down.
5. I love pics of flowers. This is a particular hobby of hubby (pun unintended) and I love it.
6. One habit I’d like to get rid of is that of stressing over nearly everything, probably one reason I'm often forgetful. However, sometimes my mind is champion at remembering important things to be done! Wish it would happen more often.
7. I often signal to mothers while travelling on the road to keep their kids' body parts inside the vehicle. You can't believe how often this happens.
8. My favourite colours are pink and green. At one time I had about six sea green outfits including nightwear. I also love peach and red.
9. Have a confession. I'm terrible at remembering faces, though am trying to improve. I’m better than I used to be…I think! :/
10. This one is out of my control. I buy books like they're going out of style. I always have unread piles and now bytes in Kindle but put me in a bookshop and I can't come out empty handed.
11. If kids are sulking I would do zombie dance or something as silly to cheer them up.

The Questions set for me by Mary Middleton

1. What sort of books do you like to read?
    I read anything and everything. But my favourite reads are contemporary romance and murder mysteries.
2. If you were stuck on a desert island who would you like as your Man Friday?
    The cola man? Or the ice-cream man would do too :)
3. When the coffee runs out, what do you like to drink?
    That's easy. Tea!
4. Are you a cat or a dog person?
    A dog person. Though I don’t keep one as I feel it constitutes a big responsibility. 
5. How different is your present partner to your first love?
    My mom told me I used to be a big fan of actor Rishi Kapoor when I was about ten. So I guess not too different if you compared them at the same age. :)
6. Do you prefer sad or happy endings?
    Happy ever after all the way for me!
7. What did you do all day before the internet was invented?
    Reading! Also watched movies. Wrote.
8. Have you ever read a book or seen a film that has heavily influenced your life?
    Penny Jordan’s books. They made me want to write.
9. What is your ideal holiday destination?
    Somewhere cool and green and peaceful. A hill station in summer like Dalhousie or Mussuorie where you can take long walks.
10. Do you like wild, over grown gardens or gardens where the flowers are planted in regimented rows?
     Wild ones. Colourful ones. Though an ordered garden sounds cool too.
11. Do you prefer blogs that offer factual articles, personal information or details of new book releases or giveaways?
     All of the above.

Here are my E leven Qs for my nomine es:
1. What's your favourite movie of all time and in that which was your absolutely favourite scene?
2. Have you ever said I love you and how did you say it?
3. For a sufficient distance would you walk or take the car?
4. Who is your favourite singer?
5. What's your favourite dish to eat or make? Share its recipe if you want to. 
6. What motivates you to write? In other words, what stimulates your muse?
7. Are you a summer person or a winter person?
8. Which sport do you like to play/watch? You can name indoor games as well.
9. While shopping do you buy the first thing you like or keep looking till you've seen everything available and then decide?
10. Thing you wouldn't step out of the house without, excepting phone, credit card and driving license.
11. What makes you cry?

For the Leibster Blog Award Challenge I nominate:Adite Banerjie, Carmen Clavout, Rohinee Rajagopalan. Nominees, please link back to me in your post and also leave your blogpost link in the comments below.
I still require more bloggers. If you would like to join in please let me know in the comments below. 
Thanks for tuning in J