The Journey of Writing Dashavatar: The Story of How I Became a Published Author

First things first. I wrote a book! And miracle of miracles, it actually got published. And it is doing quite well, if I may say so myself. But let me go back a bit and share with you how I actually got here. The initial idea for this book wasn’t mine. Instead, it was my publisher …

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The Chronicles of Village Life – Part V

This is the last in the series. Check out the previous posts in The Chronicles of Village Life series under Jharkhand Diaries. There are now barely a few days to go before school reopens after the summer vacations. The first thought of living in a village was exciting and instilled in me a sense of thrill. Sure, …

The Chronicles of Village Life – Part 2

April 28th, 2019 Writing is the only thing that keep us writers sane. With every high point in life comes a low. And, right after every low comes a high. After yesterday’s excitement, I feel lonely and miserable today. There is no reason to feel so. And yet, I do. I had some comfort since …

The Chronicles of Village Life – Part 1

April 6th, 2019 was when I boarded a flight to Ranchi - a town I had only heard about until then. I was setting out for a new teaching assignment with a non-profit school, and I had absolutely zero idea about what to expect. I spoke about what it was that inspired me to take …

Exploring the Secrets of ‘Creating Memorable Characters in Thrillers’ with Maitrayee Sanyal De

The month-long Readomania Crime Writing Festival that’s on in full swing on Twitter is as informative and exciting as a virtual writing festival can be. Every Tuesday and Thursday, an author takes the viewers and readers through the various aspects of crime and thriller writing. Along with the discussions, there is also an ongoing contest on the …

Reflections on ‘Surprising the Reader’ with Deepti Menon

The month-long Readomania Crime Writing Festival that's on in full swing on Twitter is as informative and exciting as a virtual writing festival can be. Every Tuesday and Thursday, an author takes the viewers and readers through the various aspects of crime and thriller writing. Along with the discussions, there is also an ongoing contest …

Writing Political Thrillers: Author Interview with Anurag Anand

As part of the Readomania Crime Writing Festival, Readomania brings to you readers and writers the opportunity to understand the workings of crime and thriller plots and how to craft better stories.  Today, Anurag Anand talks about Political Thrillers in current times. Q. You’ve written several books in different genres. When did you first know you wanted …

Delving into the Mystery of Penning Psychological Thrillers

My relationship with Readomania is one I cherish immensely. So when I initially heard about a Crime Writing Festival I was most excited for it is a genre I had debuted as an author with. This is what every newbie as well as established writer needs, I thought. So imagine my happiness when I found …

Book Review: Escape Velocity

I have a special affinity for short stories, and especially, ones with female protagonists. Here was an entire collection! The previous such book I had read was Madhulika Liddle’s Woman To Woman (and, interestingly, the friend who had recommended it to me is a part of this collection too.) What’s intriguing about this collection is that …

Nominated for The Orange Flower Awards 2018: VOTE APPEAL

I often remind myself that if my writing makes any difference to even one person and makes them think again or impacts them positively, then I'd consider my writing a success. Recently, though I was surprised and thrilled to note that my writing is deserving of a nomination for the prestigious Orange Flower Awards for …

Writer’s Block – How to Deal With It!

At a Women Writers' Fest sometime earlier this year, I met this wonderful author and award-winning writer - Kiran Manral - who I admire greatly but had only interacted with on Facebook. Kiran published her first book, The Reluctant Detective, in 2011. Since then, she has published eight books across genres till date, out which I have (unfortunately!) …

A Conversation with Anurag Anand

Is the cocoon of safety we build around ourselves really as secure as we think it to be? Are all tragedies a result of an unfair hand dealt by fate? This is the premise of Anurag Anand's latest novel - a crime thriller fiction, To Hell and Back: Not all Tragedies are Orchestrated by Fate, published by Readomania.  Reading …

Baby’s Day Out

‘New Designs – Brie’s Bikinis . On Racks Now’ Rhia looked at the display board outside the swanky store and stopped short. Her arms were aching from the weight of the shopping bags she was already carrying. Would one more be too many? How would her thrifty husband react at the sight of the many …

April Double Attack – A2Z and Camp NaNoWriMo

Ten days to go for April 1. Ten days to go for Blogging A2Z Challenge to begin. Also, ten days to go for Camp NaNoWriMo, since I foolishly decided to participate in both. I'm already feeling the heat. The other participants have already begun to put up posts with the theme reveal, and here I …

Book Review: Elixir

When you hear the word Elixir, it immediately conjures up the image of vial containing some magical life-saving potion that will rejuvenate and warm up the soul of the most lifeless. Elixir by Sinjini Sengupta, published by Readomania,  is a life-saving potion for the reader’s soul. Blurb: Where does our mind go, when we fall …

Homecoming – Re-Return to Writing!

I wrote! I wrote after a loooong time. I've been writing yes - blog posts, book reviews, website articles. I've been regularly doing all of that. I've been working on my manuscript - a romance. And I finished it too! A mad plunge into the unknown that started in April 2016 and culminated in November …

2018 is Here!

  First things first,   2016 was the year of discovery. I realized I could officially call myself a writer. I reached a record number of views on my blog. From being a blogger and freelance writer, I became part of an anthology - Mock, Stalk and Quarrel. The spate of successes continued in 2017. I …

Why Do You Need To Use Correct Tenses?

So why are tenses so important? Why do we need to take care whether the action we are referring to ends with an -ed or -ing? Moreover, what impact does the incorrect tense have at all? The message gets across anyway, right? Wrong! Consider these two sentences: I’m having pizza for lunch. I had pizza for lunch. Without …

A New Course for English Language for Creative Writers

It is common knowledge that any article needs to be readable (meaning well-written and edited) to keep the reader engaged. A badly written article is the first thing that puts a reader off. They may still be able to brave a boring story or a questionable point of view but not bad grammar or punctuation. …

7 Things I Learnt About Writing from MasterChef Australia

Masterchef Australia is one of my favourite shows on television. I don't watch the other editions (Masterchef USA or Masterchef India) but the show with chefs and judges Gary Mehigan, George Calombaris, Matt Preston is one I have followed for a few years now. It's not just an entertaining show but also a great source …