Showing posts with label Review Tour. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Review Tour. Show all posts

Monday, 1 May 2017

#TourKickOff :: Thicker than Water (Murray of Letho #10) by Lexie Conyngham

12:00 pm 0 Comments
About the Book:


When young Walter finds a dead body along with the dead fish in his tutor’s fishpond, he knows he should tell his old master, Charles Murray of Letho. The dead man leaves a pretty wife and child and a broken string quartet, but someone must have profited by his death – could it be the avenger from his past as his widow fears, or is it someone from closer at hand? St. Andrews is once again the setting for a murder mystery, and a puzzle that Murray must solve before the murderer strikes again.








Book Links:
Goodreads I Amazon

About the Author:


Lexie Conyngham is a historian living in the shadow of the Highlands. Her Murray of Letho novels are born of a life amidst Scotland’s old cities, ancient universities and hidden-away aristocratic estates, but she has written since the day she found out that people were allowed to do such a thing. Beyond teaching and research, her days are spent with wool, wild allotments and a wee bit of whisky.

Blog






#TourKickOff :: Eating Robots by Stephen Oram

12:00 am 0 Comments
About the Book:
The future is bright…or is it?

Step into a high-tech vision of the future with the author of Quantum Confessions and Fluence, Stephen Oram.
Featuring health-monitoring mirrors, tele-empathic romances and limb-repossessing bailiffs, Eating Robots explores the collision of utopian dreams and twisted realities in a world where humanity and technology are becoming ever more intertwined.
Sometimes funny, often unsettling, and always with a word of warning, these thirty sci-fi shorts will stay with you long after you’ve turned the final page.







About the Author: 

Stephen Oram writes thought provoking stories that mix science fiction with social comment, mainly in a recognisable near-future. He is the Author in Residence at Virtual Futures', once described as the 'Glastonbury of cyberculture'. He has collaborated with scientists and future-tech people to write short stories that create debate about potential futures, most recently with the Human Brain Project and Bristol Robotics Laboratory as part of the Bristol Literature Festival.
As a teenager he was heavily influenced by the ethos of punk. In his early twenties he embraced the squatter scene and was part of a religious cult, briefly. He did some computer stuff in what became London's silicon roundabout and is now a civil servant with a gentle attraction to anarchism.
He has two published novels - Quantum Confessions and Fluence - and several shorter pieces.


Find Stephen Oram on:




Monday, 19 October 2015

#TourKickOff :: Pupils' President Kalam, Edited by Satyam Roychowdhury

12:00 am 0 Comments
About the Book:
The students’ diligent teacher, the nation’s gifted scientist, the humble ‘People’s President’ - an indefinable name he is. Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. A man who dedicated his life and work to the betterment of a nation, and his time and energy to the billions of young minds he wished to ignite. He has left back dreams in everyone, and the undying inspiration to make those dreams come true.

A surfeit of contents has been interwoven to give this book a shape. To read through the pages will mean a journey through his life in entirety. Besides Kalam’s own speeches and quotes, it also contains literary tributes by scientists, academicians and students, the interviews of his family members, and a real-time anecdote of his interment ceremony at Rameswaram.

This isn’t just a tribute, but a world beyond it to be read, explored and discovered.


Buy it from Flipkart

About the Editor:
Satyam Roychowdhury is a man of assorted interests. He is the co-founder and currently the Managing Director of Techno India Group the largest educational conglomerate in Eastern India. He is a prominent member and an active participant of the Art and Cultural milieu of Bengal. He has contributed to the society in multifaceted ways with his unstinted support and persistent patronage. He is one of the top educationalists of the country, but he is voracious reader by passion and a writer by ardour. He has an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, and he draws inspiration from great minds by imbibing their philosophies. 
Roychowdhury is a tireless traveler on the path of creativity, and his journey has come a long way. His “For You” tribute series commenced with Tagore, got enriched with Swami Vivekananda and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose after that, and the latest on has been a literary offering to Thakur Sri Ramakrishna. He owns many other titles to his credit, and his books have time and again inspired hundreds of young minds. He is a firm believer in hard work and sacrifice, and he thinks there is a spark in everyone to create a miracle. 


Monday, 21 July 2014

#TourAnnouncement :: Here Lies Love by Dan Thompson

5:37 pm 0 Comments
Would death be less painful than life?
When she is sold by her father, Abbey discovers that nightmares can occur when you’re awake. Trapped inside a wooden cage, Abbey is forced to listen to the horrors and atrocities above; time ticking down until it is her turn. But Abbey isn’t prepared to become a victim; she will escape.
Although, what Abbey isn’t prepared for, is how harsh and unfair the world can be. With the sun turning its back on humanity long ago, life gives no opportunity. The only thing Abbey can do is learn to survive. To exist. And that means stealing any opportunity that comes her way. Haunted by the unpleasant memories bestowed upon her only nurtures Abbey’s paranoia, until she realises that to truly live in the world, she must confront the person who was responsible for her misfortune – her father.
Here Lies Love is a New Adult tale of actuality, of facing up to the fact that love comes in many guises. Can Abbey find the one glimmer of hope or will she be overcome with the darkness of revenge?

Book Links:

About the Author:
Dan lives in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire (England) with his young daughter and his shabby dog, Skye.
He is the Author of the charity poetry book Life is all but a vast array of Colours and phobia Novella The Caseworker's Memoirs. His first full length novel, A YA Fantasy entitled The Black Petal will be available soon. Here Lies Love is his first foray into the NA and Dystopian genres.
A lover of YA and fantasy fiction, you can often find him writing on his blog, writing book reviews and connecting online with other writer-type people and interviewing authors. Dan grew up reading Enid Blyton's The Famous Five series, secretly coming up with his own inventive adventures, and R.L Stine's The Goosebump series, before turning to the works of Philip Pullman, Eoin Colfer and Marcus Sedgwick and slipping away into alternate realities. He also loves a good Historical Thriller too. Deborah Harkness, Danielle Trussoni and Dianne Gray are some of his favourite authors who write for adults.


Contact the Author:


Fill out this Form To apply to review!

-This has to be the top post for the day.
- Review Stops will be assigned on first come first serve basis.
- Media Kit and Post HTML will be provided to all participants.

Wednesday, 25 June 2014

#TourSchedule :: Bootie and the Beast by Falguni Kothari

1:30 pm 0 Comments
Fairytales don't end with True Love's Kiss, they begin with one...
Diya Mathur (aka Beauty), celebrated supermodel and Party Princess of India, is adored by everyone. She works hard, plays hard, and has the biggest shoe fetish on the planet. But after she purchases one baby bootie, Diya's reputation is in ruins. There's only one place to escape the rumours - Texas, under the protection of her lifelong friend, and secret love, Krish Menon (aka the Beast).
Financial whizz-kid, CFO and entrepreneur, Krish is a brooding workaholic with a charisma that still brings Beauty Mathur to her knees. He has no idea, of course! They've shared a bond since childhood - a special friendship that thrives on sparring, teasing and goading - but with Diya back in his life and under his roof, Krish's latent desire for her explodes. And when he finally admits to the secret that has never allowed him to commit to any woman - especially Diya - everything changes. Krish might finally realise how much he wants his Beauty. But he won't get her until Diya has tamed her Beast.


Book Links:

Falguni Kothari is a non-traditional homemaker who accidently tripped on a misplaced soccer ball and fell down the writer’s rabbit hole. Having no more experience with the whole writing/publishing shebang than being a voracious reader and movie buff, it more than surprised her that she could, in fact, write a full-length novel. 
Now, several manuscripts down, when she is not trying to find a way out of her many domestic duties or cajoling her Latin dance coach to compose a rumba on Bollywood music, she is found embroiled in some or other scandal—sorry, creating stories—on her ever-faithful laptop.
She’s authored Bootie and the Beast, It’s Your Move, Wordfreak! and Scrabbulous Impressions, a short story. She rumbas across a whole smorgasbord of Social Media daily and loves to connect with most living things. 

Contact the Author:

Tour Schedule

01st July - Laura Greenwood - Book Review
02nd July - Niyati Mavinkurve - Book Review
03rd July - Rae Quigley - Guest Post
04th July - Namrata - Interview
04th July - Lynn Thompson - Guest Post
05th July - Nikita - Book Review
05th July - Vishal - Interview
07th July - Anubha Agrawal - Guest Post
07th July - Chantel Rhondeau - Interview
07th July - Linzé Brandon - Book Review
08th July - Sherry Fundin - Guest Post
08th July - Elizabeth McKenna - Interview
09th July - Jenn S - Book Review
09th July - Dee - Interview
10th July - Divya Prata - Book Review
10th July - Parinitha.urs - Book Review
11th July - Mindy Wall - Book Review
11th July - Heena Ahuja - Book Review
12th July - Dr Sanchit Bhandari - Guest Post
12th July - Shree Janani & Dhivya Balaji - Book Review
12th July - Penny Estelle - Guest Post
14th July - Rachelle Ayala - Interview
14th July - Annamaria - Guest Post
14th July - Maria Durst - Book Review
15th July - Paula - Book Review
15th July - AtmikaBook Review

Monday, 26 May 2014

#TourKickoff :: Starcursed by Nandini Bajpai

1:34 pm 0 Comments
In the ancient city of Ujjayani, the planets align to decide the fate of two starcursed lovers. Born under the curse of Mars, brilliant and beautiful Leelavati, daughter of the famed astronomer Bhaskarya Acharya of Ujjayani, knows she can never wed. But when her childhood playmate, the handsome and rich Rahul Nagarseth, returns from sea, their attraction is rekindled under stormy monsoon skies. As Leela, forced by fate to relinquish Rahul, tries to find solace in teaching at her fathers observatory, a fleeting alignment of the stars is discovered that can help overcome her curse. But Rahul is called away on a war to defend his kingdom. Can he return in time or will she lose him forever to the will of the planets?

Set in turbulent twelfth century India, against the backdrop of the savage wars waged by Muhammad of Ghor and his band of Turkis, Starcursed is a sweeping tale of science, romance and adventure that will transport its readers to another world.


An Excerpt:

I didn’t stop running until I reached the lotus tank. The temple shone in the distance, its lights shimmering on the mirror of the water, music and laughter wafting from its crowded halls with every gust of wind. 
The lamp tower soared above me, quiet, inviting, deserted. I pushed open its heavy door and started to climb.
High up in the tower the sounds from the temple faded, leaving only the echo of my footsteps, and the tinkling of my silver anklets as I climbed. The steep, curved staircase could be treacherous in the dark, but tonight every niche in the tower was lit up in honour of the festival. I pushed the door open at the top and walked to the railing. There was someone there.
The clear night sky ablaze with stars framed his lithe form. His face looked serious in the glow of a single flickering lamp. I could see that the tender light of the other day still shone in his eyes—Rahul.
He’d been waiting. 

Buy Links:

About The Author:

Nandini Bajpai grew up in New Delhi, India, one of four sisters and many cousins, in a family that liked to read. Although she dabbled in corporate finance, business analysis, and fostering shelter animals, her first love is writing. Her novel Red Turban White Horse: My Sister's Hurricane Wedding was published in 2013 by Scholastic India.  She lives in the Boston area with her husband, kids, their dog Yogi and cat Rakhan.

Blog I Facebook I Twitter I Pinterest I Goodreads




Tour Schedule

26th May
A'ishah @ Inksugar

27th May
Nicole Hewitt Feed Your Fiction Addiction
Victoria Deal Sharing Aunt

28th May
Stephanie @ 100 Pages a Day
Namrata @ Redpillows
Nimue @ A Lot of Pages

29th May
Maniparna @ Scattered Thoughts

30th May

Thursday, 22 May 2014

#TourAnnouncement :: That Autumn In Awadh by Rachna Singh

2:39 pm 0 Comments
Young, impetuous and drawn to each other like gnats to resin, Samar Solanki and Sara Shergill try, furiously, to avoid falling in love, but, slowly succumb. All hell breaks loose as Samar’s conservative Rajput family swears vendetta, locking Samar away, on the eve of their clandestinely-planned wedding. They vow to eliminate Sara, the audacious girl who has dreamt of sullying their pedigreed lineage, from Samar’s life. Through that lonely autumn in Awadh, bereft of hope, fettered and helpless, the star-crossed lovers cling to the faith they have in each other, as they brave many storms together. This novel about love is peppered, generously, with the author’s characteristic droll wit as it traipses through sensational turns of events that keep you absorbed till the very end.





An Excerpt
 The breeze blew kisses from the window, like little flower-girls, dressed in foamy white flounces.  It ushered her in by showering pale pink flowers that it blew in from the tree-lined Chinhat-Deva road that it sped along.  Her bridesmaids were those beautiful memories trailing her: those tender moments spent with Samar, and the promise of a future full of love. They were holding her up, as she sat in the bus, reminiscing about the day she had first met Samar. They made sure that the bride was poised and, at ease. And, the magnificent bridal march was that sublime intonation of Samar voice, which told her, over and over again,
‘We will make it happen, darling.’
Samar was now, in the tempo, with his baraatis, Jams and Soni, one of whom was perched on the rail. With every bump, Samar worried if Soni would tip overboard and he’d be one witness short! He yelled, above the music,
‘Abe, be careful. Don’t fall off!’
The tempo was quite the bridegroom’s chariot, with its bright red and yellow plastic flowers, a poster of chest-baring Salman Khan, and row of mirrors. A string of sequinned gold trimming was sewn around the edge of the funky orange upholstery, making it look like a throne. Not just the look, the feel was celebratory, too: it was reverberating with loud, filmy music,
‘Pyar karne waale pyar karte hain shaan se.. .’
Mama ji waited for the couple to arrive at the appointed place, the Chandan Juice Centre. He leaned against the stack of sugarcanes, scratching his initials on one of them. Like any self-asserting Indian, he liked to leave his mark wherever he went. The twelve-year-something waiter came to him, asking him if he’d like a glass of juice. Mama ji shooed him away, yelling at him, trying to swat him with a swish of his black coat that was hung across his forearm.
Samar and the boys had reached. They spotted mama ji cleaning his ear with his scooter-keys, and waved to him.
‘Namaste, mama ji.’
‘Namaste, Namaste, Is Sara here?’
‘She will come here directly. She should be here any moment.’
‘I thought you were coming together.’
‘No...’
‘Achcha, have you got your id proof?’
‘Yes, mama ji.’
Sara was on the last leg of her journey to the court, on a rickshaw.
‘Bhaiyya, Chandan Juice Center. Dekhte rahiye, baayeen taraf.’
The rickshaw puller careened dangerously, trying to avoid an open manhole. Sara clutched the back of her seat, looking around for the juice centre. It was a crowded street, dotted with chai-shops, photo-copying shops, and a huddle of typists with a table and chair each, as their establishments.
‘Sara...’ Samar called out, seeing her approach, his heart warming up to see his bride-to-be.
He helped her off the rickshaw, and paid him.
‘Am I late?’
‘No, no.’
The group hurried into the court. The byzantine corridors wove their way towards clusters of small, dingy rooms designated for various matters of the court. Electricity supply must have been scarce and erratic going by how drab and dour the rooms looked. Stacks of dust-collecting files reeked of squalid disdain for timely justice, supported by a stench of urine mixing with that of masticated tobacco that hung around the rooms.
Sara and Samar were nervous. Those men in rumpled black coats did not look very friendly. Mama ji signalled that they wait outside. He went in and discussed something with a man seated there. The man shot curious glances at them, as he spoke. They remained rooted there, dutifully, trying to look nonchalant, despite their churning innards.
‘Come, come..,’ mama ji came out holding some papers.
They trooped in, looking like school-children summoned to the Principal’s office. Sara was, already, preparing apologies in her head: she wanted to be prepared if it came to that. Samar stood as far from Sara, as possible, observing the Awadhi norms of propriety. In this effort, he had broken all norms of preserving personal space with mama ji.
The proceedings were short and lacklustre, with few sharp questions, during which the civil magistrate looked at them suspiciously, from above his glasses. Thankfully, he did not ask any unpleasant questions like why they chose to marry like this. He just stuck to his job, made a few notes and then asked them to come back after an hour to sign on the certificate.
Samar and Sara exchanged a glance: a smile and a ‘I-still-don’t believe-it-yet’ look. 
‘So are you married now?’ Jams whispered.

About the Author:
Rachna Singh writes in the areas of humour, love, and organizational development. She believes in living in the moment, cherishing life as it comes, and reaping the most of every moment.
Born and schooled in Allahabad, Rachna studied at St. Mary’s Convent and, subsequently, at the University of Allahabad. She inherits her wicked humor from her father, Ajit Thakurdas, and her love for writing from her mother, Kamalini Thakurdas, who writes in poetry and prose in Hindi.
Rachna has worked in the area of Learning and Organizational Development for almost two decades. She has worked at Tata Motors, Infosys, Spice Telecom and Dell.
Married to Alok, alumni, IT-BHU(Meta, ’93), and IIM-Lucknow(’98), Rachna has two children, Aisha and Prithviraj.

The author plans to continue writing, across genres, giving her readers something new to relish, each time.

Contact:
Website I Blog I Facebook I Twitter I Goodreads

Buy Links:
Amazon I Flipkart I HomeShop18



Wednesday, 30 April 2014

#TourSchedule :: Starcursed by Nandini Bajpai

12:18 am 0 Comments
In the ancient city of Ujjayani, the planets align to decide the fate of two starcursed lovers. Born under the curse of Mars, brilliant and beautiful Leelavati, daughter of the famed astronomer Bhaskarya Acharya of Ujjayani, knows she can never wed. But when her childhood playmate, the handsome and rich Rahul Nagarseth, returns from sea, their attraction is rekindled under stormy monsoon skies. As Leela, forced by fate to relinquish Rahul, tries to find solace in teaching at her fathers observatory, a fleeting alignment of the stars is discovered that can help overcome her curse. But Rahul is called away on a war to defend his kingdom. Can he return in time or will she lose him forever to the will of the planets?

Set in turbulent twelfth century India, against the backdrop of the savage wars waged by Muhammad of Ghor and his band of Turkis, Starcursed is a sweeping tale of science, romance and adventure that will transport its readers to another world.


An Excerpt:

I didn’t stop running until I reached the lotus tank. The temple shone in the distance, its lights shimmering on the mirror of the water, music and laughter wafting from its crowded halls with every gust of wind. 
The lamp tower soared above me, quiet, inviting, deserted. I pushed open its heavy door and started to climb.
High up in the tower the sounds from the temple faded, leaving only the echo of my footsteps, and the tinkling of my silver anklets as I climbed. The steep, curved staircase could be treacherous in the dark, but tonight every niche in the tower was lit up in honour of the festival. I pushed the door open at the top and walked to the railing. There was someone there.
The clear night sky ablaze with stars framed his lithe form. His face looked serious in the glow of a single flickering lamp. I could see that the tender light of the other day still shone in his eyes—Rahul.
He’d been waiting. 

Buy Links:

About The Author:

Nandini Bajpai grew up in New Delhi, India, one of four sisters and many cousins, in a family that liked to read. Although she dabbled in corporate finance, business analysis, and fostering shelter animals, her first love is writing. Her novel Red Turban White Horse: My Sister's Hurricane Wedding was published in 2013 by Scholastic India.  She lives in the Boston area with her husband, kids, their dog Yogi and cat Rakhan.

Blog I Facebook I Twitter I Pinterest I Goodreads




Tour Schedule

26th May
A'ishah @ Inksugar

27th May
Namrata @ Redpillows
Victoria Deal Sharing Aunt

28th May
Stephanie @ 100 Pages a Day
Nicole Hewitt Feed Your Fiction Addiction

29th May
Maniparna @ Scattered Thoughts

30th May

Monday, 21 April 2014

#TourKickoff :: ProtoStar by Braxton A Cosby

12:00 am 0 Comments
On the brink of Civil War, the Torrian Alliance continues with its mission to obliterate Star-children across the universe in order to suppress an intergalactic evil. Following the recommendations of his Council, King Gregorio Derry has agreed to send his only son William, on a mission to restore honor to his family. What starts out routine, becomes a lot more complicated as an inopportune crash landing delays the assassination. During this time, William begins to form a 'connection' with Sydney that challenges his inner being. But this conflict is the least of his problems, as a conspiracy back on his home planet Fabricius threatens the lives of those he loves and his father's royal legacy. Along with that, he must unravel a hidden threat here on Earth that seeks to secure a vested interest that threatens both his and Sydney's safety. Will William be able to complete his mission or will he choose love, sacrificing everything he stands for?


Find out More at the Website

ProtoStar is the Readers Favorite Book of the Year Award Winner for the Romance: Fantasy-Sci-Fi category.

About the Author

Braxton A. Cosby is a dreamer with a passion for inspiring others to love, in spite of circumstance and convenience. Braxton creates stories in his mind that he desires to put on paper and share with the entire world. His calling to pen a young-adult series that is smart, witty, and thought provoking, has challenged readers to answer the question: What would you choose, love or irrevocable duty? Braxton lives in Atlanta, GA, where he co-hosts a local radio show on WAOK which is a mash-up of current events and health and wellness. He also has a blog where he discusses everything from health and entertainment to spirituality and relationships.


Contact the Author:


Tour Schedule:
26th April - Rae @ Drunk on Pop
26th April - Monica

Giveaway:
~ 1 Signed Copy of ProtoStar by Braxton A. Cosby

Monday, 14 April 2014

#TourSchedule :: ProtoStar by Braxton A.Cosby

2:24 pm 0 Comments
On the brink of Civil War, the Torrian Alliance continues with its mission to obliterate Star-children across the universe in order to suppress an intergalactic evil. Following the recommendations of his Council, King Gregorio Derry has agreed to send his only son William, on a mission to restore honor to his family. What starts out routine, becomes a lot more complicated as an inopportune crash landing delays the assassination. During this time, William begins to form a 'connection' with Sydney that challenges his inner being. But this conflict is the least of his problems, as a conspiracy back on his home planet Fabricius threatens the lives of those he loves and his father's royal legacy. Along with that, he must unravel a hidden threat here on Earth that seeks to secure a vested interest that threatens both his and Sydney's safety. Will William be able to complete his mission or will he choose love, sacrificing everything he stands for?


Find out More at the Website

ProtoStar is the Readers Favorite Book of the Year Award Winner for the Romance: Fantasy-Sci-Fi category.

About the Author

Braxton A. Cosby is a dreamer with a passion for inspiring others to love, in spite of circumstance and convenience. Braxton creates stories in his mind that he desires to put on paper and share with the entire world. His calling to pen a young-adult series that is smart, witty, and thought provoking, has challenged readers to answer the question: What would you choose, love or irrevocable duty? Braxton lives in Atlanta, GA, where he co-hosts a local radio show on WAOK which is a mash-up of current events and health and wellness. He also has a blog where he discusses everything from health and entertainment to spirituality and relationships.


Contact the Author:


Tour Schedule:
26th April - Rae @ Drunk on Pop
26th April - Monica

Giveaway:
~ 1 Signed Copy of ProtoStar by Braxton A. Cosby

Saturday, 12 April 2014

#TourKickOff :: The Crossover Year by Bhargavi Balachandran

7:00 am 0 Comments


About the Book


Meet Sri Anuprabha, aka Anu, a twenty-nine year-old banker who is terrified of entering her thirties. She dreams of quitting her job at the bank, sporting yoga pants and traipsing around the world. Her world turns upside down when things go awry and she is faced with the prospect of spending her days watching Tamil serials. She comes up with a five-point plan for reclaiming her life back before she hits the big 30. But things are never as simple as drawing up a flowchart in real life, are they? Especially with a ghastly recession rearing its ugly head…. Anu bumbles through the corridors of domesticity and travels on a funfilled roller coaster ride in a bid to discover her passion in life.Along the way, she meets new people, experiences crazy new things and learns some hard lessons in marriage, friendship, parenting and life. The Crossover Year is a funny, yet heartwarming story of a woman in search of her identity, and a chronicle of her hilarious quest for discovering her inner mojo. Bring out a platter of cookies and a steaming mug of chai, and join Anu on the ride of her lifetime.


About the Author



I am a part-time writer,a part-time entrepreneur  and a full time mom.

Blog I Facebook I Twitter I Goodreads









Tour Schedule

Giveaway
1 Copy of The Crossover Year by Bhargavi Balachandran. Open to Indian Residents only

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, 7 April 2014

#TourSchedule :: The Crossover Year by Bhargavi Balachandran

3:35 pm 0 Comments
Meet Sri Anuprabha, aka Anu, a twenty-nine year-old banker who is terrified of entering her thirties. She dreams of quitting her job at the bank, sporting yoga pants and traipsing around the world. Her world turns upside down when things go awry and she is faced with the prospect of spending her days watching Tamil serials. She comes up with a five-point plan for reclaiming her life back before she hits the big 30. But things are never as simple as drawing up a flowchart in real life, are they? Especially with a ghastly recession rearing its ugly head…. Anu bumbles through the corridors of domesticity and travels on a funfilled roller coaster ride in a bid to discover her passion in life.Along the way, she meets new people, experiences crazy new things and learns some hard lessons in marriage, friendship, parenting and life. The Crossover Year is a funny, yet heartwarming story of a woman in search of her identity, and a chronicle of her hilarious quest for discovering her inner mojo. Bring out a platter of cookies and a steaming mug of chai, and join Anu on the ride of her lifetime.


I started writing the Crossover year a few months after my twenty eight birthday. In at way it was supposed to be my advance thirtieth birthday gift to myself. Though it is not my story, the premise of the book is very autobiographical: I had just quit my new job of three months as I had hated it thoroughly. It had never occurred to me before that there was life beyond a nine-to-nine job, working for someone else. We are conditioned to live our lives in a certain way – go to school, then college,  get a job, get married , procreate and grow old. In our quest to remain in the rat race, we rarely pause for a minute to figure what we really want. I was exactly in this rut.  

I can’t remember how the germ of the thought that I wanted to write a novel got planted into my head. Writing was not this fashionable back when I started writing. The Chetan Bhagat revolution had just begun, so I don’t think I wanted to jump on the bandwagon mainly because of the novelty of the idea. India has been blessed with a rich crop of talented writers, but writing had been restricted to the literature graduate. With Chetan Bhagat’s popular writing, many first time readers grabbed a book other than their study guides and text books.  Chetan had somehow connected with a generation that was bred on video games and demanded instant gratification. My reasons were extremely selfish: I wrote the book because I felt compelled to. It seemed to me that unless I breathed life into the story that was masticating in my mind, I wouldn’t be left alone. 

I started writing with no idea of how to write a novel. My plan was to just put one word next to another, and discover that one lakh words later, miraculously the book would be done. Or so I thought. The real work only starts after one finishes writing the book. Stephen King , in his tome for writers,  On Writing says,“Kill your darlings , kill your darlings, even if it breaks your egocentric  little scribbler’s hearts. Kill your darlings.”I discovered the truth in these words only when I started on ‘Project re-writing The Crossover Year’. Most of the plot was re-vamped; I chopped off almost fifty thousand words from the novel and spent sleepless nights thinking about the characters in the book. It seemed like I was alternating between intense highs and equally intense lows during the period I was re-writing the book. This is what writing a book, autobiographical or otherwise is for me. It consumes my every waking moment that I feel antsy till I am done. 

It is almost five years since I whimsically typed “The Crossover Year” on a word document without even having thought of the plot .The book is now in print. I am in the process of finishing up my third book that is giving me sleepless nights again, but I can still vividly remember the first time I fell in love with writing, nor can I never forget the bitter fights and cold wars I have had with the manuscript. The Crossover Year will always be my first baby. And every time I see the book sitting on my book shelf, my heart soars and everything in the world seems just fine.  


About the Author



I am a part-time writer,a part-time entrepreneur  and a full time mom.

Blog I Facebook I Twitter I Goodreads









Tour Schedule

Giveaway
1 Copy of The Crossover Year by Bhargavi Balachandran. Open to Indian Residents only