Devika Fernando's Blog, page 61

Tornado Giveaway 2: Book 31: WHAT IF IT'S LOVE by Alix Nichols

Go to Book No. 30 Check all the Books Here




Name of the Book: WHAT IF IT'S LOVE?
Author: Alix Nichols

Read some reviews:

1. Rubina Ramesh
2. Dora Mills
3. Charlotte Lynn

The Story:

Parisian waiter Rob Dumont needs cash to pay for his grad school tuition. When a respected businessman offers him a handsome reward to spy on a foreign heiress - Lena - he accepts, knowing she wouldn't really get hurt.
What Rob doesn't know is that Lena has the sweetest, loveliest smile he's ever seen...
* * *
WHAT IF IT'S LOVE? is Book 1 in the BISTRO LA BOHEME series.
Is the Bistro La Bohème series for you?
If you enjoy contemporary romance novels with smart and strong heroines, sexy heroes and witty dialogue; if you love tender, poignant and steamy stories that keep you up all night -- then give this new series a try!
It will delight you with an unforgettable cast of young men and women who frequent an ordinary yet special Parisian cafe. They fall in love, cope with heartbreak and chase their dreams with a passion that makes them endearing even when in the wrong.
Welcome to the Bistro La Bohème! Take a seat by the window, order your café crème and lose yourself in these deeply romantic tales of love, loss and second chances.
* * *
The books are interconnected, with a recurring setting and characters. But each story is self-contained, and you can read it as a stand-alone.
You can also buy @

About The Author 


Alix Nichols 
Alix Nichols is an avid reader of chick lit, romance and fantasy, caffeine addict and a badge-wearing Mr. Darcy fan. She released her first romance at the age of six. It had six pages stitched together and bound in purple velvet paper. The book was titled “Eliza and Robert” and featured highly creative spelling. Some words were written in mirror image. Unintentionally.

Decades later, she still loves the name Robert and the genre romance. Her books have made the Kindle Top 100 Lists numerous times, climbing as high as #1. She lives and works in Paris, France.

Stalk her @Website | Twitter | Facebook
Go to Book No. 32
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Tornado Giveaway 2: Book 15: FROZEN SUMMER AND COLUMBINA by Geetha Madhuri & Cynthia Vincent

Go to Book No. 14 Check all the Books Here




Name of the Book: FROZEN SUMMER AND COLUMBINA
Author: Geetha Madhuri & Cynthia Vincent

Read some reviews:

1. Mayura Ramesh
2. Shriya
3. Kumar

The Story:

Frozen Summer & Columbina is India's First Ever Double Header book with 2 different stories that fall under the Genre - Psychological Thriller.
Frozen Summer Somewhere in the city of Hyderabad, a young software engineer leaves an interview with broken heart. On her way back home, news of the murder troubles her. The more she learns about the details, the more familiar they seem to her -dangerously familiar. Would she find answers to the several unanswered questions that concern her? Stakes are high, chips are down and curtain rises for an all-out game. Columbina World's most cruel penitentiary - THE ALCATRAZ tells tales of notoriety bundled in the shape of men. Alcatraz holds a dark secret that will arise a few venoms and rekindle viscous forces. After a body is found in a trunk on the island, Martin Herd is hired to solve this unfathomable mystery. Finding the truth will pose a big question before him, Should the secret of the Alcatraz be left buried or should it be brought before the world?
Frozen Summer is a suspense thriller written by Geetha Madhuri (Author of The One and Only Purpose from Time's Lost Atlas)
Columbina is a detective thriller written by Cynthia Vincent Daniel (An enthusiastic blogger who owns the blog - Whispers in the Wind)
You can also buy @

About The Authors 


Geetha Madhuri 
Author of the upcoming novella - "Frozen Summer" published as India's First Ever Double Header - Frozen Summer & Columbina

Previously known for the short story "The One and Only Purpose" published in anthology, Time's Lost Atlas.

An IT Employee by profession and writer by passion.


Cynthia Vincent



About Cynthia in her own words: In the first year of my teens, I had written a poem for my dad on Father's day. I had written it on a white chart paper and stuck a photo of me and my dad alongside it. The poem was an instant hit.

Ever since, I have loved writing. I feel it comes naturally to me. I can express my feeling better when I put them down in words. As a kid, my parents would take me and my brother for a holiday every year. Travelling fascinated me and on every travel I made it a point to pen down small notes about the travel.

During the first year of my life in the Hostel, I started blogging right here at Whispers in the Wind. Blogging gave me the confidence to write a full length novel (Psychological Thriller) which is slated for release on the 7th of February, 2015.

On my blog, you will find me writing Short Stories, Poetry, Travellogues and anything through which I can connect with my reader.

An Author, A positive thinker, Traveller and someone who believes in the power of Acceptance

Stalk her @Website | Twitter | Facebook
Go to Book No. 16
Now for the Rafflecopter: Gather as many points as you want to. The more points you get, the more you have a chance to win it all. Show your love for books.. Tweet, Like and Spread the Word... Thank you for being a Reader... You keep the Authors motivated... This is our way of saying a Thank you :) 
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Tornado Giveaway 2: Book 14: HIDDEN HUSBAND by Shikha Kaul

Go to Book No. 13 Check all the Books Here


Name of the Book : HIDDEN HUSBAND
Author: Shikha Kaul

Read a review:

Tushti Bhatia


The Story:

Aisha is trapped in her own secret which makes her life hell. Her love for Raghav is true. But hailing from two very different cultures is the basis of their continued friction. Aisha is a Punjabi girl from Gurgaon and Raghav a Bihari from Ranchi. Raghav's family will certainly not accept a girl from outside their community. And yet, he continues giving her false hopes through his efforts and promises. And then they take a step which entangles her life further. Will she manage to come out of this quandary or must she continue to live in her self-created web? Explore her journey that makes her realise the atrocities being committed on women in the Indian society and the tough decisions she must take, keeping her most loved ones oblivious to everything happening in her life. About the author Shikha Khanduja Kaul is an Indian author who was born in Amritsar, Punjab. Her family moved to Gurgaon in 1992 and she has seen the city grow from a small town to being the Millennium City of India. She completed her schooling from Gurgaon and later graduated with Honours in Physics from Sri Venkateswara College, Delhi University. She holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration (HR) from Symbiosis Center for Distance Learning. A mother to a beautiful daughter and a wife to the handsomest husband, a daughter to loving parents and a daughter-in-law to the most caring parents-in-law, she works in the Staffing Industry and is passionate about penning her thoughts and creating stories out of thin air. She loves to dance and spend time with her little princess. In short, she can be described as a complete woman who ensures she goes to bed with a content smile every day; someone who manages her 24 hours, balancing both her personal and professional lives, perfectly.

You can also buy @

About The Author 


Shikha Kaul Shikha Khanduja Kaul is an Indian author who was born in Amritsar, Punjab. Her family moved to Gurgaon in 1992 and she has seen the city grow from a small town to being the Millennium City of India. She completed her schooling from Gurgaon and later graduated with Honours in Physics from Sri Venkateswara College, Delhi University. She holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration (HR) from Symbiosis Center for Distance Learning.
A mother to a beautiful daughter and a wife to the handsomest husband, a daughter to loving parents and a daughter-in-law to the most caring parents-in-law, she works in the Staffing Industry and is passionate about penning her thoughts and creating stories out of thin air. She loves to dance and spend time with her little princess. In short, she can be described as a complete woman who ensures she goes to bed with a content smile every day; someone who manages her 24 hours, balancing both her personal and professional lives, perfectly.
She found her passion for writing not too long ago. Her debut fiction novel is a love-story with a touch of the realities prevailing in the Indian society that form the foundation of the biases against women for centuries. She hopes to come up with at least one novel every year for as many years as she can. With the plethora of ideas that the author in her is eager to offer, she wishes her readers ‘Happy Reading’.Stalk her @Twitter | Facebook
Go to Book No. 15
Now for the Rafflecopter: Gather as many points as you want to. The more points you get, the more you have a chance to win it all. Show your love for books.. Tweet, Like and Spread the Word... Thank you for being a Reader... You keep the Authors motivated... This is our way of saying a Thank you :) 
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#FreeDailyRead - When I See Your Face, Part 20

When I See Your Face, Part 20The surprise on his face made her regret her personal question, but Cathy was still eagerly waiting for his reply. Michael looked at her for what felt like a long time and with that intensity that always made her feel so vulnerable yet at the same time so important. Then, in a voice that was thoughtful and somehow tender, he said, “I wasn’t so sure about that before, but now I think I am happy.”

He stressed the ‘now’ and looked at her pointedly.

Immediately, she heard alarm bells going off in her head. Part of her was overjoyed that she made him happy and acknowledged that he in turn made her happy; part of her felt that things were going too fast and that she didn’t need him to complicate her new life like that. Unsure how to react, she unfolded her legs and got up from the chair.

“I don’t think you should connect your happiness to now. To me.”

There it was again, that wounded look that darkened his eyes and brought out the fine lines in his handsome face. She hated to be the cause of this, and hated herself for hating it.

“I’d better be going. I want to write down that cake recipe and my thoughts on it,” she said, turning away because she didn’t want his hurt to touch her and because she had to admit to herself that regret was boiling inside her.

“What, is the inquisition finished with its victim so soon? No more questions?”

He tried to lighten up the mood with the joke, but she could see that his heart was not in it. She offered him a smile, already turning to go.

“There’s always time for that, isn’t it? This is a tiny speck of a village. And I’m sure I have many more cakes I want to try out on you.”

Had she just given herself a reason to visit him again?

Slowly, a smile formed on his face. He brushed past her, their shoulders touching quite deliberately.

“I’m always there if you need me,” he answered, and something made her realize that he didn’t mean only being there for tasting her cakes.

Would he always be there for her in a way she was secretly longing for?
 

Chapter 7  

“This is so unfair!”

Cathy pressed the button to end the call and set her phone down on the coffee table rather roughly. For a moment, she wished she had taken the call from an old-fashioned land line and were able to slam the receiver down in frustration.

 “The bastard!”

She buried her face in her hands and sighed. Lifting her head, she stared at her laptop screen showing her the ugly truth. Her bank account had a stunning balance of 54 Pounds. This morning when she had logged in before making an online purchase of several baking forms and a blender, the low balance had caught her eye. Her monthly instalment from her husband should have been transferred several days ago. With an uneasy feeling in her gut, she had decided to call her lawyer and tell him to check whether Mark might have stopped his habit. Just now, her lawyer had called back to confirm her suspicion, saying that Mr. Nolan would not pay her a single cent until the divorce case was decided with a court order about financial compensation. Apparently, since she had been the one leaving, he had every right to refuse paying for her expenses.

She sighed again. She was so damn naïve. Of course she should have known that he wouldn’t continue to provide her with funds on a monthly basis, now that they were officially separated. After all, what good was she now to him, what duty had he to provide for her when she didn’t wait for him at home, didn’t accompany him to lunches and brunches and didn’t consent to being abused? For a moment, she imagined him giving excuses or having to dish out the truth to all those who would gleefully jump on the opportunity to ask him where his charming wife was. Served him right. Equally it served her right that he had decided to keep her penniless.

What on earth should she do now? It could take months until the case went to court and she needed so much more money to get a head start on her business. There was equipment to buy, she would need all sorts of ingredients for her cakes, and there was money to pay for creating and hosting a website. Apart from that, how should she pay Mrs. Grindle for the room? Sure, she could try to bake some cakes from the few ingredients ready at hand and sell them to the local bakery or some villagers. However, they would have to be sold for a pittance until she had built her reputation and could move on to the more exceptional creations and target customers who were ready to pay a high price.

Slowly, she got up and went into the adjoining bedroom. She cast a look around at the open suitcase on the floor and her belongings on the nightstand. Was there anything she could sell? She thought of the few clothes in the wardrobe and her collection of well-read books and felt like crying.

For the first time, she regretted not having taken any of the expensive jewelry that Mark had always gifted her after incidents of domestic violence. If only she had thought of packing all those gold necklaces, sparkly bracelets and diamond-studded earrings! She could have pawned or sold them and survived on that money for at least some weeks, maybe some months if she reduced her cost of living drastically. She hadn’t taken any of the fancy party dresses with her, only the clothes she had bought herself and felt comfortable wearing. Those were not enough, seeing how in a few weeks the weather would get colder with autumn hitting the countryside.

God, she was so stupid!

She sank down on the bed and stared at her bare feet, one thin silver anklet with a delicate unicorn pendant gleaming defiantly up at her. She hadn’t planned a single thing, had she? She had reacted like any other dumb victim of dominant men, running away blindly without a single thought on the future.

Opening the drawer of the nightstand, she stared at her wedding ring lying all alone inside it. Looking at it brought no sentimental memories, no positive emotions, and no scruples of parting with it. In fact, the faster she got rid of it, the better. The ring was another reminder of her foolishness and of what she should leave behind her. It was a slim gold band with a ribbon of white gold and a tiny diamond in the middle. How much would she be able to get for this?

With a stab of regret, she bent down and untied the anklet, its weight next to nothing in her hand. Some more pounds to keep her stomach filled until a solution was at hand. There was no way she could part with her phone and laptop, but her watch and her leather purse might earn her another few pounds.

Her face set in grim determination, she tied her sneakers and grabbed her handbag. Shutting down her laptop, she mentally steeled herself for the difficult hours ahead and the even more difficult days and weeks to come. She had taken the decision to start a new life. Now it was on her to face that life instead of dreaming or wallowing in self-pity.

(To be continued tomorrow.)

Previous Part
Back to the Beginning

Featured - Samantha and Sara's Scavenger Hunt (Double Book Promo)

Join authors, Samantha Chase and Sara Humphreys , as they celebrate their sizzling new contemporary romance releases. This month long scavenger hunt will be full of fun, prizes, man candy, books, and more! Check in each day to find out what they're looking for...and if you find it you could win!!

Click Here to join the Scavenger Hunt!
 

Made for Us by Samantha Chase Series: The Shaughnessy Brothers, #1Genre: Contemporary RomanceRelease Date: August 4, 2015

Can't make time for love?
The Shaughnessy brothers have spent the years since their mother's untimely death taking care of each other and trying to make their father proud. Oldest son Aidan is hard-working, handsome, successful-and still single. Sure, he'd like to have his own family someday, but who has the time?

She'll show him how to find it
Zoe Dalton, a stunning designer Aidan meets on one of his construction jobs, has the beauty and heart to make Aidan realize how much he could be missing. But it's not easy to break down walls you've spent years building up. Now there's a major storm bearing down on the North Carolina coast, and it could be catalyst enough to force Aidan and Zoe into some major decisions of the heart.





New York Times and USA Today Bestseller/contemporary romance writer Samantha Chase released her debut novel, Jordan's Return, in November 2011. Although she waited until she was in her 40's to publish for the first time, writing has been a lifelong passion. Her motivation to take that step was her students: teaching creative writing to elementary age students all the way up through high school and encouraging those students to follow their writing dreams gave Samantha the confidence to take that step as well.

When she's not working on a new story, she spends her time reading contemporary romances, playing way too many games of Scrabble or Solitaire on Facebook and spending time with her husband of 25 years and their two sons in North Carolina.




Brave the Heat by Sara Humphreys Series: The McGuire Brothers, #1Genre: Contemporary RomanceRelease Date: September 1, 2015

The only fire he can't put out...
Jordan McKenna is back in town, and Fire Chief Gavin Maguire's feelings when he sees her after all these years are as raw as the day she left. Then he was just a kid wearing his heart on his sleeve. Now he spends every day trying to atone for the tragedy he couldn't prevent.

Is the torch he carries for her...
Jordan's life has not exactly worked out the way she expected. A divorced mother of two with a failed acting career, Jordan's biggest concern about coming back to Old Brookfield was seeing her first love. But when a series of suspicious fires breaks out, Jordan and Gavin realize that dealing with the sparks between them may be the least dangerous of their problems.





Sara Humphreys is a graduate of Marist College, with a B.A. Degree in English Literature & Theater. Her initial career path after college was as a professional actress. Some of her television credits include, A&E Biography, Guiding Light, Another World, As the World Turns and Rescue Me.

In 2013 Sara's novel UNTAMED won two PRISM awards--Dark Paranormal and Best of the Best.
She loves writing hot heroes and heroines with moxie but above all, Sara adores a satisfying happily-ever-after. She lives in New York with her husband, their four amazing sons, and two adorable pups. When she's not writing or hanging out with the men in her life, she can be found working out with Shaun T in her living room or chatting with readers on Facebook.

For a full list of Sara's books and reading order, please visit her website.

Tornado Giveaway 2: Book 13: HAIKU And Other Micropoetry by Madhuri Maitra

Go to Book No. 12 Check all the Books Here




Name of the Book : HAIKU AND OTHER MICROPOETRY
Author: Madhuri Maitra


The Story:

"A short poem is a drop of the divine, a brief, brilliant flash. An emotion surges, you create an image, and the jewel is born, plucked out of thought-flow, rubbed and polished to its innate glow.
Haiku is like that. Intrinsically beautiful! Some see the beauty and others do not. Moreover, poetry is a personal experience. There’s no saying what will touch the heart, the senses, the brain, and why.
Haiku and Other Micropoetry would appeal to many people who have had idyllic childhoods in a world less crowded; who have enjoyed simple pleasures, or not; who have loved, lost, laughed, cried, danced, achieved, failed, and done everything that life bid them. They have searched for meaning and known the pain of that search. They have allowed themselves to grow with every experience.
Haiku heals. A short verse brings moments of recognition. A lot more can happen within these pages. Haiku and Other Micropoetry will be read by some with love and some with déjà vu. Some will identify with it, some might just toss it aside, and others might carry it around as a favorite dip-into read."
You can also buy @


About The Author 


Madhuri Maitra 
Always an avid reader, dreaming of delighting her own readers someday, Madhuri published her first two books in 2014. Haiku and other Micropoetry is a collection of short verse on nature and on life; while Equinox is a novel dealing with urban realities. While the former is pithy and thought-provoking, the latter is a simple reflection of modern lives.

Madhuri lives and teaches in Pune. Films are as close to her heart as books are; she teaches Film Appreciation in addition to Creative Writing. She enjoys bringing her favourite authors and films to young minds. She also conducts workshops for children and adults. She has also written and published papers on films and on writing.

She is currently enjoying the monsoon, immersing herself in her personal library and nurturing ideas for her third book.


Stalk her @Website | Twitter | Facebook
Go to Book No. 14
Now for the Rafflecopter: Gather as many points as you want to. The more points you get, the more you have a chance to win it all. Show your love for books.. Tweet, Like and Spread the Word... Thank you for being a Reader... You keep the Authors motivated... This is our way of saying a Thank you :) 

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Tornado Giveaway 2: Book 12: JAYA, An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata by Devdutt Pattanaik

Go to Book No. 11 Check all the Books Here





Name of the Book : JAYA: AN ILLUSTRATED RETELLING OF THE MAHABHARATA
Author: Devdutt Pattanaik

Read some reviews:

1. Tnahsin Garg
2. Abinav Agarwal
3. Dippy

The Story :

High above the sky stands Swarga, paradise, abode of the gods. Still above is Vaikuntha, heaven, abode of God.
The doorkeepers of Vaikuntha are the twins, Jaya and Yijaya, both whose names mean 'victory'. One keeps you in Swarga; the other raises you into Vaikuntha.
In Vaikuntha there is bliss forever, in Swarga there is please for only as long as you deserve. What is the difference between Jaya and Vijaya? Solve this puzzle and you will solve the mystery of the Mahabharata.
In this enthralling retelling of India's greatest epic, the Mahabharata originally known as Jaya, Devdutt Pattanaik seamlessly weaves into a single narrative plots from the Sanskirt classic as well as its many folk and regional varians, including the Pandavani of Chattisgarth, Gondhal of Maharastra, Terukkuttu of Tamil Nade and Yakshagana of Karnataka.
Richly illustrated with over 250 line drawings by the author, the 108 chapters abound with little-known details such as the names of the hundred Kauravas, the worship of Draupadi as a goddess in Tamil Nadu, the stories of Astika, Madhavi, Jaimini, Aravan and Barbareek, the Mahabharata version of the Shakuntalam and the Ramayana, and the dating of the war based on astronomical data.
With clarity and simplicity, the tales in this elegant volume reveal the eternal relevance of the Mahabharata, the complex and disturbing meditation on the human condition that has shaped Indian thought for over 3000 years.
You can also buy @

About The Author 


Devdutt Pattanaik 
Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik (born December 11, 1970) is an Indian physician turned leadership consultant, mythologist and author whose works focus largely on the areas of myth, mythology, and also management. He has written a number of books related to Hindu mythology, including Myth = Mithya: A Handbook of Hindu Mythology, a novel, The Pregnant King, and Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata (2010).

He is the Chief Belief Officer of Future Group, one of India’s largest retailers, bringing the wisdom of Indian mythology into Indian business, especifically in human resource management. He also writes a column for the newspaper MID DAY.

He has also written a novel based on a tale from the Mahabharata titled 'The Pregnant King' published by Penguin Books India.
Stalk him @Website | Twitter | Facebook
Go to Book No. 13
Now for the Rafflecopter: Gather as many points as you want to. The more points you get, the more you have a chance to win it all. Show your love for books.. Tweet, Like and Spread the Word... Thank you for being a Reader... You keep the Authors motivated... This is our way of saying a Thank you :) 
a Rafflecopter giveaway


#TornadoGiveaway is an initiative of The Book Club. Click on the icon to go to the event page of the Tornado .. Lots of fun awaits you :)

Tornado Giveaway 2: Book 11: SOLDIER & SPICE, An Army Wife's Life by Aditi Mathur Kumar

Go to Book No. 10 Check all the Books Here




Name of the Book: SOLDIER & SPICE: AN ARMY WIFE'S LIFE
Author: Aditi Mathur Kumar

Read a review:

Inderpreet Kaur Uppal


The Story :

A hilarious, heart-warming and one-of-it's-kind story of a complete-civilian-turned-Army Wife. This story takes you behind the closed and guarded gates of a military station, giving you a fat-piece of the grand and mysterious life of the Indian Army Wifes.
“An Army wife is probably the only woman in the world who knows and readily accepts that she is the mistress, because, let’s face it, the Army is the wife and the wife gets all the damn attention!”
Pia is a regular, civilian girl with no connection to Army whatsoever. Then she marries Arjun, an Indian Army Officer.
For Pia, regular life is a thing of the past. She is now an Army wife. From ‘just Pia’ to an Aunty, a memsaab and – her favorite words in the whole wide world – Mrs Pia Arjun Mehra.
At twenty six, Pia finds herself having to suddenly be more ‘lady-like’; focus on themed ladies’ meets, high teas and welfare functions; and deal with long (unexpected) separations from her husband, extraordinary challenges, a little heartache, and, well, growing up.
In the mysterious and grand world of Army wives, Pia learns that walking in high heels is okay as long as you don’t trip on combat boots. She learns that ‘civil’ is also a noun, that JCO and GOC are (very!) different, that snacks are ‘shown’ and WTF is better explained as Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. Yes, it really is a new world!
Let this quirky, hilarious story of the first year of Pia’s Army-wife life show you that the spice to a soldier’s life is most definitely his better, very strong, bloody extremely elegant, never-cussing, witty, warm and passionate half, his Army wife.
You can also buy @

About the author 


Aditi Mathur Kumar 
Aditi was born on February 14th and since then it has all been awkward for her.

A book-hoarder, an ex-advertising girl, a once-upon-a-time blogger, a fanatical Army wife and a real-life social person, She has now decided to write more.

So far, so good.
Stalk her @Website | Twitter | Facebook
Go to Book No. 12
Now for the Rafflecopter: Gather as many points as you want to. The more points you get, the more you have a chance to win it all. Show your love for books.. Tweet, Like and Spread the Word... Thank you for being a Reader... You keep the Authors motivated... This is our way of saying a Thank you :) 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

#TornadoGiveaway is an initiative of The Book Club. Click on the icon to go to the event page of the Tornado .. Lots of fun awaits you :)

#Free Daily Read - When I See Your Face, Part 19

When I See Your Face, Part 19In front of Cathy was a wide room that might have once been a bedroom and now held no bed. The wall at the far end was taken up by floor-length windows leading onto a balcony with a white balustrade hung with creeping and climbing plants and flowers of all sorts.

That was not what caught her attention though. Everywhere, standing and lying on the floor, hanging on the walls and leaning against them, were paintings. Almost all of them were brightly colored, big close-ups of flowers and plants with vivid details that made the artwork come to life. Here and there, pencil drawings in smaller sizes were interspersed with the more vibrant art, begging for her to step closer and inspect. Where there were no paintings, there were painting tools of all sorts or newspaper and rags splashed with paint. Close to the French doors leading to the balcony stood an easel with a canvas on it that looked blank from where she was rooted to the spot in the doorway.

Dimly, she remembered that Aunt Grindle had mentioned that Michael was an artist as well as a gardener. Without realizing it, she gave his hand a squeeze before she let go and wandered from picture to picture. Completely oblivious to his presence, she took her time with each work of art, every flower and leaf and tree pulling her in with its unashamed display of color and its depth of detail. The drawings were totally different but just as elaborate, depicting landscapes and the odd house in clear, precise lines.

When she finally turned to face him, he was leaning against the door frame, watching her every step, arms folded across his naked chest. It made the muscles stand out beautifully yet also seemed defensive. The look on his face said he cared for her opinion on his art at least as much as she cared for his opinion on her cakes. If what she felt inside was anything to go by, her face must be showing surprise and admiration.

“You’re an artist!” she blurted out, no better words to sum up her feelings to be found.

He gave an unwilling chuckle.

“Guilty as charged. Now tell me whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing?”

“Good, of course!”

She found herself gesturing wildly at the paintings in the room.

“This is wonderful! They’re all so beautiful, so full of life and energy! I would never have thought you’d be so talented.”

He was beaming, clearly happy about her judgment. Finally entering the room himself and walking toward her, he asked in that joking tone of his that she adored so much, “Why wouldn’t you have thought so? Don’t I look like an artist? “

Caught off guard, she answered, “No, you don’t.”

“Then what do I look like? A gardener?”

There was real curiosity in his voice now.

She wanted to hit herself for her answer. Did he seriously want to know what he looked like to her? There were quite some words she could tell him—tempting, masculine, confident, handsome, charming, younger than he probably was, energetic—but none would do. Before she could prevent the words from stumbling out, a thought from the back of her mind pushed itself to the fore. “You look like someone I know.”

All the expectation and underlying humor went out of his face as though someone had struck him. Although he couldn’t possibly know what being compared to Mark actually meant, he clearly took it as an offense. She wanted to bite her tongue for saying such a stupid thing, for in truth she didn’t think of her husband so much now when she looked at Michael.

After an awkward moment of silence, he drew himself up with a strange kind of determination.

“If you talk like that, you obviously haven’t got to know me enough yet. Go ahead, feel free to nag me with any kind of question coming to your mind. I’m all yours to discover.”

There was a huge temptation in him offering himself up to discovery. Her mind was full of ways in which she could discover him, mostly ways that sent shivers of desire through her, laced with shame and fear. When she shook those thoughts away, she saw that he had opened one of the huge windows and walked out onto the balcony, motioning for her to sit down on the one easy chair standing there among a clutter of blooming plants. He seemed to mean it, and some part of her wanted to jump at the opportunity to indeed get to know him better.

She joined him on the balcony, taking a moment to admire all the flowers there, not knowing a single one by name, and the view she had of the hills and fields stretching out, the house standing at the border of the village and being higher than the few buildings next to it. He was standing with his back leaning against the balcony’s balustrade, arms again folded across his chest, chin jutting out.

“Go ahead, ask. I want you to get to know the real me and stop associating me with somebody else’s image.”

She cringed. She had certainly offended or hurt him with her careless words. And here was her opportunity to find out more about this one man she had ever felt real interest in.

She sat down in the easy chair, drawing her legs up and folding them underneath her.

“Why don’t you introduce yourself to me like you asked me that day?”

“No, it’s not going to work like that. You have to ask me,” he insisted.

Finding all this slightly amusing and more than slightly confusing, she decided to play along.

“Have you always been an artist?”

He shook his head.

“No. I never knew I had it in me to paint and draw. I went through a difficult phase in my life and was striving hard to change or maybe to find myself. Killing time was impossible after I had spent the first 20 years of my life working from morning till evening and thinking of work at night.”

For a moment he stared off into the distance before continuing with his story.

“By chance, I noticed the beauty of the village and its surroundings and one day simply picked up paper and a pencil. I began to sketch and there came a time when I didn’t want to stop and I liked what I drew. And the plants begged for me to color them, to portray them. I had always felt close to plants although I never got a chance to live that side of me. So gardening and painting kind of happened on me at that time. I didn’t choose to be an artist or spend my life with gardening, art and garden work chose me.”

It was fascinating to listen to him, observing the subtle changes in his voice and face when he talked about sad and joyful things in his life. Mark’s face and voice never veered away much from the image he wanted to portray. It was only now while watching Michael that Cathy realized this about her soon to be ex-husband. And she vowed to herself to forget him for a while and focus on Michael.

“What did you do those days? And what do you do now, day in, day out?”

A shadow crossed his face and there was something evasive about him for a moment when he answered, “Oh, you know, one of these dreadful, dreary office jobs at the top of the business sector in one of the country’s many big cities. I’d bore you to hell with descriptions of my past life. And to be truthful, I don’t like to remember it. I prefer the here and now.”

Determination crept back into his voice.

“As for my life at present… As you know, I’m the village gardener. That’s a broad term, actually. I do garden work for anyone here who wants or needs it. I’m also responsible for maintenance work and repairs and stuff like that, for cleaning the roads from snow in winter and for generally making sure that the village looks nice and decent. I do all kinds of odd jobs for the villagers too. Sometimes I help the farmers with the harvest. There’s no high income from that, of course, but I don’t need and want tons of money. Here I am in a big house that I don’t use, without a car or expensive hobby.”

He shrugged, sounding too careless about his situation, maybe torn between not minding it and wondering whether she minded.

Indeed it seemed odd to her that he lived like that now, especially when he made it sound as if he had been as busy and well off as Mark. Again, she wondered what had made him change his life, why he hated his old life and old self. Feeling shy to actually ask about that, she wanted to know something else, something that she wondered about herself in the future if she followed through with her plans.

“Are you happy?”

(To be continued tomorrow.)

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Tornado Giveaway 2: Book 10: RUDRAKSHA, When Gods Came Calling by Readomania

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Name of the Book : RUDRAKSHA: WHEN GODS CAME CALLING
Editor: Sutapa Basu

Read a review:

Sundari Venkatraman


The Anthology:

Rudraksha: When Gods Came Calling is an attempt to bring together tales from across the vast length and breadth of India, a land that is steeped in mythology. It is about gods and goddesses, mythical creatures, ancient folklore and tales that abound in every village.
Some of these are oft-heard stories. Some have seldom gone around. Some are spoofs. Some are parodies. They walk the ancient India or sound the chimes of modern India. From the celestial love of Shiva-Parvati, to the raging avatar of Kalki, from myths and legends of Brahmaputra to the stories of the Mahabharata, Rudraksha has it all.
And there is more. Reading spoofs on present day icons provide high entertainment as do the satirical twists parodying modern issues; all through the perspective of mythology.
This mélange of mythological tales is sure to leave you spellbound with anticipation even as ancient sagas jump out of the pages through modern retelling. They bind the real world with surreal myths and bring to you an anthology that is unique and entertaining.
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About The Publisher 


Readomania 
India has traditionally been the land of storytellers and a lot of us have an inherent skill of creating good plots, good stories and good narrations. With a little encouragement and support, many more authors will be widely read and attain a place in the sun.

This is the essence of Readomania—an initiative that nurtures emerging stars of the literary world. It would not be an exaggeration to say that Readomania is the talent hunt in fiction. It goes a step beyond by not just identifying the talent but also nurturing it and showcasing it to the world. In the process, we have created a powerhouse of content online.

Readomania is a publishing platform, with online and offline presence, for good writing; a place to share stories and poems; a place to explore your creative talent. The web platform is a unique place for people who love reading and writing. As authors, one can register, or login through social media sites and upload their work, which then gets reviewed. The review process includes copy and developmental editing, improving the plot, narration or word choices. If authors are promising but need aids in language enhancement or storytelling capabilities, we work with them to improve their work. This hand-holding and personalised attention is what makes us unique. We stand out in the crowd because we will walk the talk to make an author’s work readable. Finally the work is published on the site. Once published, people can read it for free, share it on social media, email it, rate it, vote for it and even leave their feedback.

This helps the author get critical feedback to improve their writing as well as encouragement to write more. We publish the best of the authors in our anthologies, projects and finally graduate them to the status of solo authors.

The site also has a lot in store for the reader. Since the content is edited and curated, readers get quality reads on a platter. The variety on Readomania is impressively vast; we have romance, emotions, thrills, travel, humour and drama. You will find stories that touch your heart, stories that inspire you, stories that make you laugh and stories that make you cry.

Accessing Readomania makes for a perfect break of fifteen minutes from your daily grind. Read a story and unwind. Take a break, read something nice, write something beautiful.
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