I had more questions than answers when I went on a journey of discovering the author within me, a workshop conducted by bestselling author, filmscript writer, and seeker Megha Bajaj, in collaboration with Queens Brigade. Honestly, I didn't know what was in store for me.

Little did I expect that I would, along with others, explore unique forms of writing - stories, blogs, poetry and whatnot!

Reading through others stories, and forming some of my own was an incredible process of self-discovery.

I went through a myriad of emotions through the workshop - something I definitely wasnt expecting - but the power of words, and a great mentor is such, that it takes you to the core of your being and helps you understand what is going on within.

So many of the people doing the workshop published their work - and I felt incredibly proud of a nine year old whose fiction got published in Outlook, India's best. I was amazed to realize that we limit words to essays at school, or as a tool to make our to-do lists - when words actually can introduce us to ourselves, and to the world.

It's early days for me - and yet, as someone who has always dabbled in words - as a reader, as a blogger and now getting to know myself as a storyteller, I would want to urge each of you in the direction of doing a personalised, customised workshop - like the one I attended, as it reveals a better, more clear, more expressive - and even confident version of yourself.

Queens Brigade is conducting its second batch with Megha Bajaj and seeing how I, and eleven others felt through the journey, I recommend it to you too.

Words are powerful. Ask me, I dwell in them all day long.

Allow them to change your life - and they will.

Allow them to go to your within - and lead to a catharsis, and they will.

Allow them to be your best tool to take you to the world - and they will.

Let's experience the magic called Words, yet again.

Register HERE today.

WoW is indeed grateful to Queens Brigade, for inviting bestselling author Megha Bajaj to conduct online writing workshops for aspiring authors.

These workshops, which require just two hours a week (two hours of your choice) have been gifting people with personal and professional Breakthroughs.

It's been helping people write better messages, mails, start blogs, get published, Express their innermost thoughts and insights and empowering them to inspire the world around them.

Youngsters above age 9, homemakers, professionals, entrepreneurs, CEOs have all come together to experience WoW together and its been a joyride... of expressions, imagination, creativity.

Queensbrigade and WoW invites you to join a never before learning experience. 

Here's a testimonial from batch 1 participant:

We have very limited seats, so register HERE today.

She’s royal. She’s his best friend’s little sister. She hates him!

Princess Lena Heinrickson wants to shed her Party Girl image. Desperately.

So, she runs away from her royal obligations and finds solace in anonymity.

She doesn’t count on the world’s best tracker hunting her down at the request of her Royal Brothers...Shane McRae, the man who destroyed her heart, after a brief fling in Paris.

Now, with her very life on the line, Lena has to pretend she’s not crumbling inside.

All while trying to not fall for the most forbidden and broken man on the planet – her bodyguard.

Former soldier and current billionaire for hire, Shane has too many ghosts haunting his dreams.

The one ghost he can’t forget is Princess Lena – the most famous woman on the planet.

Now all grown up, more guarded than ever, and still as enchanting as she’d been when they first met.

Tasked with protecting her from a terrible danger, Shane knows the smart thing to do would be to keep it strictly professional.

Especially, since his own demons rear their heads to torment him.

But, his desires threaten to overtake his common sense. The path to his certain Ruin lies in Lena’s arms. Most of all, he wants it almost as much as he’s afraid of it…

Book Links:

Goodreads * Amazon.in * Amazon.com

Read an Excerpt from Ruin (Billionaire Bastards #2)

“I stay up nights thinking of ways to tease you.” He was deadpan in delivery but sweetly, sexily earnest.

“You know what?” She went on her toes because she couldn’t stand one more second of not kissing him.

“So do I,” she whispered against his lips.

Their kiss was deep, slow, sugary as honey twined in molasses, their hearts beat as one even as he stooped low to accommodate the differences in their height. His tongue sucked on hers, as if he was tasting a rare sweet delicacy, made just for him and her inside were slick with wet and wanting.

Already anticipating how this night might end…

His eyes opened, lush green and filled with enough fire to melt her in the middle of the small, private park they’d discovered on this midnight picnic. “I think I might love you.”

Lena’s heart stuttered. Then beat faster, surer than it ever had.

She wanted to say, me too. Me first. From the second I saw you. But I’m scared because I lose everyone I love, one way or another and losing you will hurt till the end of time.

She let her fingers wander down to his zipper, found rock-hard evidence of his desire.

She smiled and caressed it while she whispered in his hot ear what exactly she wanted to do to him.

“I think I’ll go down on my knees. The grass is soft, isn’t it? And we’re alone tonight. No useless guards. And you opened that bottle of Krug I hate so I might as well put it to some good fucking use…”

She sucked on his lobe, pulled at the tender bottom with her teeth. Felt his erection leap into her palm. “Would you like to know how champagne and you taste on my tongue?”

Lara Ramsay is no stranger to scandal. As the orphaned daughter of a British colonel and his beloved Indian wife, whispers follow her everywhere. Not even the protection of the formidable Duke of Wolverton, a man she can’t stand, keeps the gossips at bay.
The audacious Lara has driven Tristan Wentworth, The Duke of Wolverton, to distraction since the day his uncle took her in—and he’s quite certain doing so is her favorite pastime. After catching her and his younger sister at a salacious masquerade, he’s had enough scandal and issues a marriage ultimatum: find a husband within six months or one will be chosen for her.
Unfortunately, no one in the ton appeals to her. Except, perhaps, the duke himself. The battle of wills has only just begun, and when Lara kisses him, their fate is sealed.
Sometimes even the most proper duke needs to break the rules to win the heart of the woman he loves...

Book Links:
Goodreads * Amazon.in * Amazon.com

Quotes from Dare to be a Duchess:

“Here, right at this moment, I’m giving you an ultimatum: Find someone from the ton to marry in the next six months or I will choose someone for you.” – Duke of Wolverton

“Well then the plan is simple, ‘Divide and Rule.’” – Lara Ramsay

“You’ll be surprised that a gentleman with the best intentions can behave like a rake when faced with temptation.” – Duke of Wolverton

“I think, Wolf, that you go on and on about my undesirability and my unattractiveness as a way to convince yourself more than me. The fact is that you kissed me because I am desirable and I am very attractive indeed.” – Lara Ramsay.

“You know very well that I’m accepted in the ton, albeit grudgingly, thanks only to you. No man wants to marry me, and I don’t want to marry any of those men.” – Lara Ramsay.

Read an Excerpt from Dare to be a Duchess:

Wolf crossed his arms and glared at Lara. Despite being at fault, she was as unrepentant as ever. Her absolute nonchalance drove him mad, always. 

“It is my concern. Getting into trouble is second nature to you, so I’d be lying if I said that it gave me any pleasure to be the one to help you out.” Wolf scowled at her. “Paxton is not a fool. He only has to think closely as to whose identity I would desperately want to protect and then remember your dark hair and he will come up with your name. You truly have no sense at all.”

“Well then you shouldn’t have bothered coming to my aid,” Lara retorted. “I could have handled the situation perfectly well by myself.” 

Wolf put his hands on his hips. “And how may I ask would you have done that?”

“I’ve heard that a well planted knee on a delicate part of a man’s anatomy would normally do the trick.”

His eyebrows shot up. “You’re crazy to think that you could have deterred Paxton that easily.”

Lara merely stared at him, her head held high, further fueling his temper. 

“What, nothing to say?” he snapped. “Which brings me back to my first question. What in the world are you doing here in this depraved place?” 

Lara continued to watch him with those deep blue eyes, her lips set in a mutinous line. Her lack of response irked him even more. 

“Answer me,” Wolf demanded, his tone sharp.

She met his gaze head on. “We had no inkling this place would be so bad. And nothing untoward has occurred, so stop shouting at me.”

 “Unbelievable,” he growled. “Do you know how bad this place can be for two innocent girls like yourselves? Behind their masks and costumes, the men here have only one thing on their minds when they look at you, and you, as usual, don’t care that you could be completely ruined if discovered, let alone taken advantage of, in this den of vice. You are wild and irresponsible and you give no thought to your actions or the consequences thereof. And you 

brought Anne here? Just because you don’t care about your reputation doesn’t mean you can play fast and loose with hers.”

Lara’s eyes blazed with fury. “Anne is not a child. She is a grown woman who has a mind of her own.” 

“And that is justification for you to come here?” Wolf countered.

“I, too, have a mind of my own,” she shot back. “And I do not appreciate you telling me what I can and cannot do.”

His nostrils flared. He was the Duke of Wolverton, one of the most powerful men in England. No one defied him. And yet this one woman stood against him at every turn. Why couldn’t she understand the potential danger for her or Anne here?

About the Author:
Sapna Bhog is an author from India who writes contemporary and historical romance novels. As a self-proclaimed die-hard romantic, her books are filled with swoon-worthy heroes and feisty heroines who clash all the time, but do get their happy ever after. Sapna has always surrounded herself with books and when she is not writing she is reading. Originally from Dubai, she now lives in Western India with her husband, kids and a Siberian Husky. Sapna gave up a successful IT career and took a foray into writing and has never looked back since. Her favourite pastimes are reading, writing, traveling and shopping—not necessarily in that order. She loves to hear from readers.

Sapna on the Web:
Twitter * Facebook * Instagram

"I didnt know I could write poetry - and today I am the author of an anthology of a poetry book and winner of an award!" Bina Pillai.

Like Bina, so many of us have the closet desire to write, to express, to publish.

To use the power of our words - to heal our lives,

and amplify our voice.

And yet, sometimes we just dont know where to begin.

Or how to go about things... 

Finally, it’s here. A wonderful, customized, group class (where you also get individual email consultation) and get a chance to learn from one of the most loved authors in India - Megha Bajaj, author of several acclaimed and inspiring books including The Breakthrough, published by Rupa. 

Not only will this workshop come to you at a never before, never again investment - but you will also get a chance to relax, learn and gain tremendous insights from an incredible mentor and a fun, like-minded group. 

If using words as a medium of expression, self-discovery and profession has been on your agenda here is your chance to give power to your dreams. 

Since we have  limited seats - request you to sign up by clicking HERE!

The bonds of family are unbreakable.

Read this book:

• If you want to find excitement in the ordinary;
• To realize that you need to keep moving regardless of success or failure;
• To ask yourself: When was the last time you did something for the first time;
• To understand why each human being is a co-creator of his or her own destiny;
• To find out why even the sky is not enough for your imagination;
• To accept the fact that life will keep jumping at you and keep saying, ‘Surprise!’;
• To learn how to get rid of desperation and let everything just happen;
• To realize that results may be delayed, but never denied;
• To discover that the answer to all your troubles lies within you;
• To keep expanding your Life Mantra;
• To keep learning.

The Breakthrough - Song

The Publishing Journey: (Click on the photo to read the article)

Complicated, surly, and sexy, Manav Apte was probably the only photographer who resented his muse. From the day he’d seen her, there had been no other. Unfortunately, she was the one woman he could never have.
Passionate, talented, and gorgeous, Diana Severes refused to give the temperamental ass behind the camera the satisfaction of knowing he got under her skin. It was, however, impossible not to notice him or his glowering disapproval that trailed her everywhere she went.
Their dislike and distrust of each other is legendary in the fashion industry and yet, the sparks that fly when they come together for work are enough to light the sets on fire.
Will the Golden Girl of India’s fashion scene be able to see beyond his hatred to the love he’s desperately trying to mask? And will the country’s most talented photographer realise that his true talent lies not in what he views through his lens but what he sees through the filter of his heart?

Book Links:
Goodreads * Amazon.in * Amazon.com

Read an Excerpt from Twilight's Temptation

We walked along the beach. Me in my shorts and black t-shirt, Diana in a glamorous white beach dress with lace trim. If there was ever a contrast competition, we’d win it hands down.

“Are you okay?” I asked her. 

Diana shrugged. “I guess. That was unpleasant but necessary. I’ll get next steps in place as soon as we get back to Mumbai.” 

“Will your family be okay with this?” 

“My parents don’t get a say in my career decisions. My dad is ex-army and my mom is a teacher. They don’t understand how this world works anyway.” She sidestepped some dog shit on the beach, moving a little closer to me. 

I itched to wrap an arm around her, pull her in for a hug and kiss her. Instead, I clenched my hands in my pockets, Adil’s words still echoing in my head. 

“My brother, who is a typical tech nerd, wouldn’t bother to venture an opinion either. The only other person who would have understood was Andrew, the brother who died. He was the one who encouraged me to get into modelling and pursue my dreams.” Tears glimmered in her eyes, a stray one streaking across one golden hued cheek. 

“And this was your dream? To be a model?” 

She stared back towards the resort in the distance, her mind somewhere I couldn’t follow. 

“I wanted the fame, the glamour and the money. I wanted to be independent. I wanted to be someone. Modeling gave me all of that and when my time ends, and it will end, we all know that, I have a backup plan in place for that too.”

I stared at her, seeing her, truly seeing her for the first time since I’d met her two years ago. She was so much more than that gorgeous face and bubbly personality that people mistook to be the entirety of her.

“I wanted to be a wildlife photographer,” I blurted out with all the finesse of a horny sixteen year old. 

“You can still be one,” she smiled. “Just in addition to what you already do.”

“I work nonstop. I’d never be able to find the time,” I muttered. 

“We can always find the time if it’s important enough to us. We make time when we want to.” She cupped my cheek and pressed a light kiss on to it. 

She was right. We made time and space for what we wanted, for what was important to us. And in that moment, I knew… Diana was desperately important to me. 

“Everything he said was true, you know,” I told her, shoving my hands deeper into my pockets to keep them from reaching for her. 

“Everything I said was true too, Manav,” she smiled, sadly. “But what is your truth?” 

What was my truth? It was buried under so many years of misery, pain, and heartache, would I recognize it even if I found it?

About the Author:

Shilpa Suraj wears many hats - corporate drone, homemaker, mother to a fabulous toddler and author.

An avid reader with an overactive imagination, Shilpa has weaved stories in her head since she was a child. Her previous stints at Google, in an ad agency and as an entrepreneur provide colour to her present day stories, both fiction and non-fiction.

Contact the Author:
Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Newsletter

Hamza Ali is ready to get married, fall in love and live happily ever after. The only problem is, he's about to marry one woman but falls in love with another... So how will he find his happily ever after?

After watching his brother's disastrous love marriage fall to pieces, Hamza decides that the only marriage for him is an arranged one. In Mahrukh, his family finds him the perfect bride. But while Mahrukh may be the perfect bride, it's her divorced aunt Noorain who is the perfect woman for him.
Noorain Alam has never loved or been loved. Until the day her niece gets engaged to a man who is completely out of her reach and yet, he's everything she never knew she wanted.
Blindsided by the strength of emotion they feel for each other, Noorain and Hamza find themselves in a battle for their happiness. But will love win? Or will family and duty stand in its way?

Book Links:
Goodreads * Amazon.in * Amazon.com

Read an Excerpt from Loving You

Ghazal turned to her husband who was driving the car and she smiled at him. ‘I’ve never done this before,’ she said. She’d never had the opportunity to go and ‘see’ a girl, a potential bride and this was a novelty for her.

Hamdaan smiled at her indulgently. ‘You seem more excited than Hamza,’ he remarked. From the back seat, Ammi tittered. 

‘We’re all excited,’ she said. 

‘But why? I’m just baffled,’ Hamdaan said, shrugging. Ghazal caught her mother-in-law’s gaze in the rear-view mirror and smiled. 

‘Well, it’s the start of something new, right?’ she asked Hamdaan. ‘And we all want to see Hamza Bhai happy.’

Hamdaan merely shook his head as he navigated his way through the traffic. Ghazal glanced at him again and felt that deep feeling of contentment whenever she saw him. He looked at her too and smiled again. The special smile that was reserved for her and her heart felt like it was expanding in her chest. 

I love you, she thought softly. And she would never tire of telling him or hearing him declare it to her. She wanted this same happiness for Hamza Bhai as well. No one would take the place of Khalil Bhai for her but Hamza came quite close, in the past six months since she and Hamdaan had got married. 

‘So what happens once you see this girl?’ Hamdaan asked, looking at his mother in the rear-view mirror. 

‘The usual, beta. Engagement and then wedding if we like her,’ Ammi said. 

Hamdaan rolled his eyes but didn’t say anything. Ammi sighed. 

‘All mothers want to see their children happy,’ she said. ‘But sometimes, you children should also think about making us happy, shouldn’t you?’

‘But what do you want me to do?’ Hamdaan asked, frowning. Ghazal looked down at her lap. Surely her mother-in-law wasn’t asking them to have children so soon. She and Hamdaan were just figuring out things with each other and she wanted some more time for them to be on their own. But thankfully, Ammi wasn’t thinking of grandchildren yet. 

‘Nothing. I’m just saying that Hamza is making me very happy by agreeing to this. That’s all.’

‘But he’s not even getting to see the girl,’ Hamdaan commented. 

‘We’ll show her photo to him,’ Ammi said. 

‘And that’s it?’ Hamdaan asked. 

Ghazal looked at her husband and shook her head. ‘If Hamza Bhai wants to meet her…’ she started. After all, she and Hamdaan had met before they got married too and it had been on Hamdaan’s insistence. 

‘Well, he should,’ Hamdaan said. 

‘Let’s just see the girl first,’ Ammi replied. Hamdaan nodded and drove on and finally, when they reached the apartment building, the security guard let them inside. Hamdaan parked the car in the basement, surprised that the security was letting visitors park their cars inside. 

‘But it’s their own apartment building,’ Ghazal reminded him. The girl’s family owned the apartment building and lived there with some of their relatives and tenants.  

‘Oh right,’ Hamdaan said as they got out of the car. Before they had reached the stairs, there was a welcoming committee for them already – a group of women who were dressed as though for a wedding. 

Ghazal looked down at her own clothes and suddenly felt a little self-conscious that she was dressed down. But so was Ammi. They both had worn sober but classy outfits with minimum jewellery. The girl’s family however seemed to think that more the bling, the better it was. 

‘They all look like Christmas trees,’ Hamdaan muttered and Ghazal almost giggled. The girl’s father was waiting for Hamdaan and he met him like they were old friends, with a huge enveloping hug and led him away from there. The women, bedecked and perfumed generously, led Ghazal and Ammi towards the lift. 

‘Come, come,’ a woman said. Ghazal wondered if she was the bride’s mother. She looked quite young herself, but she had the sort of deportment that indicated that she was someone important in the family. 

Ghazal thought back to her own family, her parents as well as Khalil Bhai and Kimmy Bhabhi. None of them were as formal as these smiling women, she thought. And neither were they as formidable. 

Silks rustled and gleamed as they got inside the lift and one of the women leaned forward and pressed the button for the penthouse. She looked at Ghazal critically and Ghazal tried hard not to be affected by all the stares that were directed to them. Ammi was smiling and talking softly to one of the women and she marvelled at how easily everyone seemed to make small talk. She could never do that for some reason. 

The lift stopped and the doors opened into a luxurious carpeted apartment. The women stepped out and Ghazal followed them as they led her to one of the inner rooms and had them sit down on the sofa. She wondered if Hamdaan would be coming up here as well. 

‘So that’s the groom’s twin brother?’ the earlier woman asked her, a bright smile on her face. 

‘Yes,’ Ghazal replied, blushing slightly. ‘My husband.’

‘And the groom looks just like him?’

Ghazal nodded. She wanted to say that the similarities were only physical and that there was simply no one like her husband but she obviously couldn’t say all that. 

‘Ah, he’s so handsome,’ one of the women said with a giggle. 

That he is, Ghazal thought privately, fighting the smile on her face. Ammi looked around the room where they were seated and spoke. 

‘We would like to see the bride,’ she said firmly. 

‘Of course, of course. But first some refreshments. I’m the bride’s mother, Haniya,’ the woman said. Ghazal had been correct in her assessment. Something in her stomach churned when she realised that what they had before them was a huge responsibility. She and her mother in law were going to select a girl for Hamza Bhai, someone who would come and live in their house, become a part of their family. And the only criteria they had to select her was that she should be pretty? What if Hamza Bhai didn’t get along with her at all? 

But that was a risk they had to take, she thought as other women started filing in. She wondered just how many people stayed here, and maybe the thought was apparent on her face. 

‘These are my cousins and relatives,’ Haniya said. ‘They’ve come because it’s a huge day for us obviously.’

Ghazal nodded as some of the women started bringing in trays and snacks and refreshments for them. Her phone beeped and she pulled it out from her bag and looked at it unobtrusively. 

It was a message from Hamza. 

‘So? You saw her?’

‘Not yet’ She typed back and put her phone away. She wondered how pretty Mahrukh was and whether people would start comparing the two of them, once she got married to Hamza Bhai. 

About the Author:

Andaleeb on the Web:
Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Newsletter