#Spotlight : LOVE.EXE by Manju Nambiar

LOVE.EXE: 
A Sweet Romantic Comedy Making You Fall in Love 
by 
Manju Nambiar

Blurb

If you are looking for a feel-good heartwarming love story with a happy ending, this is your right pick!

Nitya Balakrishnan, a young girl from Kerala had it all planned out. She was going to live the life of her dreams in the United States of America. And she thought she had nailed it when she was accepted into one of the best universities in the world. But the cosmos had other plans and conspired to drop love.exe into her.

He came with a bang and stole her away in a breath. Love was not quite there in her agenda, but her heart wouldn’t hear of it. The human heart has its own little brain with its strange logic that remains elusive to our reasoning. For once, she just let it be, only to realize that there is no undo button.

This coming of age, a beautiful tale of love, relationships, and dreams would prick your soul, bring a smile to you, and tear up your eyes. A must-read!

     

Grab your copy @

Amazon.in | Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk 

About the author

"My work is mostly reflections on the society with a satirical flavor. The characters in my book are people you can easily connect to and have met all your lives. I try to make the read entertaining, light and pleasant. To me, writing is a medium to spread comfort, positivity and good humor.

I have had a racing mind since childhood, which does all kinds of analysis, interpretations and conclusions of everyday mundane events but have always held my tongue tight for fear of sounding politically incorrect. I found writing to be a perfect platform where I got to finally vocalize my thoughts and ideas. 

Manju Nambiar hails from the southern state of Kerala, India. A computer engineer by profession, she now works in one of the leading firms in San Jose, California where she lives with her husband and daughter. Her hobbies include reading, hiking, playing with her daughter and catching up on the latest technologies and trends in the Valley."

You can stalk her @

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram


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#CoverReveal : A Barren Heart by Shilpa Suraj

~ Cover Reveal ~ 

A Barren Heart by Shilpa Suraj

Coming to Your Kindle on 29th May
Pre-Order your copy NOW!

When having it all isn’t enough…

Aman and Rhea seem to have the perfect marriage. They are madly in love - with each other, with their own careers and the home and life they are building in a quiet Mumbai suburb. 

Rhea is a successful interior designer with a thriving business while Aman is a commercial pilot who is at peace with his life, on the ground and in the skies! What could possibly be lacking in their picture-perfect marriage?

A baby. 

Like most women, thirty plus Rhea Chakraborty, wants to hold her own flesh and blood in her arms. And Aman too wants the same. 

Or does he? 

After another unexplained miscarriage that takes a severe emotional, physical, and psychological toll on them, Aman isn't sure if having a baby will complete them or destroy them. 

Suddenly, Rhea and Aman find the fabric of their stable marriage fraying beneath the strain of their failed conceptions. Where once they were a team with a common goal, they now find themselves on opposite sides with shifting goalposts. 

A Barren Heart is set in so-called modern India and is the story of the struggle of an affluent, educated couple who are still fighting the shackles of societal indoctrination and expectations and losing each other in the process.

Coming to Your Kindle on 29th May
Pre-Order yourcopy NOW!

About Shilpa Suraj:

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.

Shilpa on the Web:

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram

#BookReview : The Mothers of Manipur by Teresa Rehman

July 15, 2004, Imphal (Manipur, India): An amazing scene unfolds in front of Kangla Fort, the headquarters of the Assam Rifles, a unit of the Indian army. Soldiers and officers watch aghast as twelve women, all in their sixties and seventies, position themselves in front of the gates and then, one by one, strip themselves naked. The imas, the mothers of Manipur, are in a cold fury, protesting the custodial rape and murder by the army of Thangjam Manorama, a 32-year-old woman suspected of being a militant. The women hold aloft banners and shout, “Indian Army Rape Us” and “Take Our Flesh.” Never has this happened before and the army is appalled. Very soon, news of the protest goes viral. People around the country are shocked. Can this be possible? A naked protest in India by mothers? 
In this unusual book, journalist Teresa Rehman tells the story of these twelve women, the momentous decision they took, and how they carried it out with precision and care. In doing so she connects the reader to the broader history of conflict-torn Manipur and the courage and resistance of its people—in particular its women.

The Mothers of Manipur is a collection of interviews & story of a historic protest which took place in Imphal on 15th July, 2004. It has been written by Teresa Rehman, the author is an award-winning journalist based in Northeast India. She had worked with India Today, The Telegraph and Tehelka magazine. In her new role as a media entrepreneur, she now edits her own webzine.  

In 2004 a girl named Manorama was picked up by the army as she was accused of being a member of a banned outfit, later her body was found brutalized. This led to a great uproar within the community & on that fateful day, 12 women gathered at the gate of the Assam Rifles’ headquarter & stripped to protest against the killing. They carried a banner which said “Indian Army Rape Us” which was meant to shame the personnel inviting them to rape these elderly 12 women & leave the young ones alone. This book interviews the same women who decided to do this courageous protest & hear their stories. Get this book here,

Stories & narratives from the North Eastern states have been one of the least explored ones in terms of Indian literature. Its history has been equally neglected but luckily there are some books which indeed have depicted its ground realities. This book also deals with the lived realities of locals who have been suffering since a long time. This book laid bare the pain & anguish of the locals through different interviews. I can’t recommend it enough. Please do read.

#CoverReveal : Love, Marriage, and Other Disasters by Shilpa Suraj

~ Cover Reveal ~
Love, Marriage, and Other Disasters
by Shilpa Suraj

About the Book:

She believes in love, family and…squiggles!

Alisha Rana is not your typical single desi girl. For one, she is on the wrong side of 30.  For another, she is divorced. And last but definitely not least, she is still, gasp, a virgin!

Alisha doesn’t want much. But what she does want is that elusive thing all women search for – A man who gets her…but a man who gets her hot! She calls it “feeling the squiggle.”

Enter Dr. Vivaan Kapoor, cute, hot, squiggle-worthy. The younger brother of her cousin's prospective groom, he’s got the squiggle factor in spades. The only catch? He's never been married and is years younger than Alisha. Basically, completely off-limits.

And then there is Arjun. Widowed, older than her by the right number of years and a genuinely nice guy. He's Vivaan’s cousin and a so-called perfect match for Alisha. The problem is, Alisha’s squiggle-o-meter refuses to budge for him.

What will Alisha choose? A lifetime together with the 'right' man or a chance at happiness with the 'wrong' one?

About Shilpa Suraj:

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.

Shilpa on the Web:

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram

#CoverReveal : Murder in the Chowdhury Palace by Sharmishtha Shenoy

~ Cover Reveal ~
Murder in the Chowdhury Palace
by Sharmishtha Shenoy

About the Book:

What if someone you loved... was murdered? How far would you go to bring a killer to justice?

Orphaned in her childhood, Durga has always longed for wealth, security and, above all, a sense of belonging. She finds it all when she marries Debnarayan Chowdhury, heir to an immense, multi-crore estate. But the Chowdhury family has been under a curse that dates back to the British era. The first-born of each generation dies young, purportedly killed by the spirit of Kadambari, a young woman murdered by the notorious Shankar Dakat, the founder of the Chowdhury family and their Zamindari. When her father-in-law Birendranath dies unexpectedly, Durga and Debnarayan come down to the ancestral home in Kakdihi, a small village near Kolkata. The moment Durga enters her new palatial home, she crosses a threshold of terror. She loses her husband within a month of her marriage and finds herself a widow in a house full of strangers. Are Debnarayan’s and Birendranath’s deaths accidental? Everyone in her new family and the neighborhood appear to be friendly. Most of them have a motive to kill her. A well-meaning neighbor tells her, ‘Run from this place. You have no friends here.’ Is she, the current owner of the estate, now on the murderer’s radar?

Read an Excerpt from Murder in the Chowdhury Palace

The trees were denser beyond the pond on the northern side, and the area was unkempt and full of thorny bushes and nettles.  Debu remarked, ‘Not many people venture into the northern part of the woods from this point because the haunted house is less than a mile from here. So this part of the estate is in a rather wild state.’

‘Yes, I can see that nature has completely taken over this part. But still, let’s go there.’ I said excitedly.

‘Some other day…,’ Debu murmured. His face was slightly pale.

‘Debu! You really seem to believe in these ghosts and all that nonsense…,’ I said rather incredulously.

‘No… no… of course not!’ Debuexclaimed.

‘Then prove it! Let’s go and visit the house.’

‘Look… it won’t be very safe. The walls are crumbling, and I am sure that bats have made their home there.’

‘Please, Debu, let’s go, I have never seen a haunted house,’ I said, cajolingly. I gripped his hand and almost dragged him towards the house.

We came upon the abandoned temple first. The plaster was coming off the walls, and the aerial roots of a huge banyan tree had encroached upon the temple and gone in through the walls causing rainwater to leak into the walls and damage them further. The house was located a further quarter kilometer away.

There was a strange, sinister silence all around. Even the birds did not twitter in this part of the woods. The house with its closed shutters and peeling walls was a one-storey medium-sized building. It was dark and uninviting, steeped in shadow due to the jungle of trees that had flourished around it. Darkness echoed and folded upon itself. I walked resolutely to the main door, only to find it locked. 

‘Where is the key to this door?’

‘I don’t think anybody has it.’

I was in a naughty mood. ‘Then let’s break it open. I really want to see what’s inside.’ 

In spite ofDebu’s protests, I picked up a heavy rock and hit the rusty lock with it. The lock broke easily.

We stepped inside a large hall. It was full of cobwebs and broken dilapidated furniture. Suddenly, a bat swept past my face. I let out a startled cry and drew back. I would have fallen to the ground had Debu not caught me.

‘Let’s get out of here. You shouldn’t be so adventurous in your present condition. The baby might get hurt,’ he said in a quavering voice. 

‘Oh come on... please Debu…let’s explore a bit more.’

I went further in and switched on the torch of my mobile to see better. At the center of the hall, were the remains of a havan done a long time back. The bricks used for the havan were blackened, charred and crumbling with spiders spinning their webs over the layers of dust. There was a portrait of Shankar Dakat and another of a woman on a wooden platform near which the havan had been performed.

‘This is, of course, Shankar Dakat’s portrait. And this must be Kadambari…,’ I said. ‘Who painted this?’ The painting of Kadambari mesmerized me. She was little more than a young girl in a green sari, worn without a blouse in the traditional fashion. Her big eyes were strangely life-like and sad and her long, thick, curly hair cascaded down her bare shoulders like a cloud.

‘I don’t know who painted this, nor do I care. Let’s go, Durga. I feel really uncomfortable here.’ Debu said a little impatiently. I started coughing because of the dirt. ‘Durga, you know you are allergic to dust. Come away now. I don’t want our baby to get hurt.’ He clutched my hand in a death grip, and almost dragged me out of the house.

The fear in his voice was contagious. Also, to be honest, the life-like painting had spooked me. We hurried back towards the pond. As we almost ran back and neared our home, there was a shout from the ground-floor east-wing balcony. It was Kanak. She shouted, ‘Who goes there?’

About Sharmishtha Shenoy:

Sharmishtha Shenoy is the author of the Vikram Rana Mystery series. The books under the series are “Vikram Rana Investigates,” “A Season for Dying,” “Behind the Scenes” and “Fatal Fallout”. She has also published a book of short stories, “Quirky Tales.”

Her short stories have been published in efiction magazine and Woman’s era. She loves writing murder mysteries, the kind of books that she likes to read. Her favorite authors are Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie. She also likes the work of Satyajit Ray – especially the FeludaSeries. 

Before starting to write, she had been an IT professional and had worked in TCS, Satyam, Infosys, and Microsoft. 

She is a big foodie and enjoys Biriyani (both Hyderabadi and Awadhi versions) and rasgullas like most Bengalis. She is also a lusty singer of the bathroom singing variety.

Though she is happily married to Mr. Shenoy in real life, in her fantasy world she is wedded to her creation Vikram Rana.  You can get to her blog by typing the word “Sharmishtha Rana” into Google. No, seriously, try it.

She was born in Calcutta. She is an M Tech from the University of Reading, Great Britain and had received a 100% British Government Scholarship to study there. She lives in Hyderabad.

Sharmishtha on the Web:

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * YouTube 

#BookReview : Raavanputr Meghnad by Kevin Missal

This is the story of the greatest warrior in the Ramayana.
Meghnad was the perfect son of the tyrannical king — Raavan. Ever since his childhood, he was taught one thing: to be ruthless.
Honed by the greatest gurus, Meghnad grew up to be the conqueror of Amravati, the capital of the Devas.
He battled Lord Indra.
He defeated Lord Ram.
But then … he fell in love.
Her name was Prameela and she was a Naga princess. And she knew something that no one did: the truth behind Lady Sita’s abduction.
But this story is not about the Ramayana. This is about the greatest warrior of all time who learned the truth behind the war he was fighting …
And gave up.
The question is — what was that truth?
Bestselling author Kevin Missal brings to you an unforgettable saga about Raavan’s oldest son — the Prince of Lanka — Raavanputr Meghnad!!!

Raavanputr Meghnad is a mythological story by Kevin Missal published by Simon and Schuster India. The author is a 21 year old graduate from St. Stephen’s College, who has written four novels till now ranging from crime to mythology to horror. He is also the co-owner and co-founder of Kalamos Literary Services, which publishes and promotes fledgling writers to make a mark in the literary industry.

Indrajit or Meghnad as he is more famously known as was a fierce warrior, we know him as Ravana’s son who had left Lakshman unconscious and Hanuman had to bring a whole mountain to get Sanjeevani which  woke him up. This book aims to delve deeper into his story & bring out all the different aspects to his life & the surrounding story around him. Get this book here to read the full story,

Dealing with mythology is a tricky thing because major parts of it is already known to masses hence to make your story more interesting the author has to include something which the reader doesn’t know yet & that takes effort, luckily the author has done that in this book. The pacing of the book is constant & hence doesn’t bore you out though I believe some parts could’ve been omitted to make it a racy read. The whole premise was set with full attention to detailing. The language used is simple, the cover is breathtaking. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to read more about different aspects of Ramayana. Pick it up!   

#BookReview : Royals by Emma Forrest

July, 1981. London. Shy, working-class Steven finds solace in beauty. Eighteen years old, he dreams of being a fashion designer. He's also gay, maybe – he hasn't decided yet. There's a lot Steven isn't sure about, like whether he hates himself or thinks he's amazing.
When he ends up in hospital after being brutally attacked by his father, he meets Jasmine, an heiress. Intoxicating, anarchic, fabulous Jasmine. Fuelled by their shared love of fashion, a friendship blossoms and soon, Steven finds himself swept into her hedonistic world, wholly beguiled. However, underneath the glitter and the frivolity, darkness lies.
Devastating, dazzling, queer and radical, Royals is a love story between unlikely friends from completely different worlds. It's about the power of art to transform lives and the power of families to destroy them. It's about working out who you are and what you want. It's a tale of giddy happiness, crushing lows and, ultimately, the fragility of lives lived too fast. 

Royals by Emma Forrest is a fiction based in 1981 & published by Bloomsbury Publishers. The author is a British-American journalist, novelist and screenwriter. She currently resides in Los Angeles, CA.

The story revolves around Steven, an introvert teenager who is still confused whether he is gay or not living in London in 1981. The story is told from our protagonist’s PoV & that’s how we come to know how he lived with his family where once his abusive father beats him up on the day of Charles & Diana’s wedding celebration and as a result he ends up in hospital. There he gets to meet Jasmine who was there after a failed suicide attempt. From there their story starts. But where will it go? Get this book here to know,

Reading stories based in the 90s or before that especially with LGBTQ+ theme has always intrigued me hence I was quite excited to read this book. The plot progresses slowly & defines each character in detail, but since the book has been written from the protagonist’s point of view hence the story has been told accordingly. What I loved the most is the mixture of humor with teenage friendship & love and how well the roller coaster of emotions has been depicted. To sum it up, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is looking forward to a light read & want to go through the 80s era once again.