Where Curiosity Leads...

Monday, September 21, 2015

Debdatta Dasgupta September 21, 2015 0

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

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.

Sunday, September 20, 2015

Debdatta Dasgupta September 20, 2015 0

#TourKickOff :: Milan by Simi K. Rao

About the Book:

Milan (A Wedding Story)

When a daughter turns marriageable age, what should a responsible father do? Easy--wed her to the most suitable boy who comes knocking on the door. Jai Bharadwaj, Mili's father and owner of The Serenity Tea Estate in the idyllic Nilgiris would've probably liked to do the same, but being who he was, he had to ask her first. What would she say?

Buy Links:
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‘Behind the scenes at an Indian Wedding’

Indians in general are deeply rooted in tradition. Our culture gives us our identity. Most of us (especially those living away from the homeland) cling to it, even though several aspects in these particularly modern times, make no sense at all. Why do we do so? Perhaps because it brings us together as a community and provides us comfort in a foreign environment. The same I think applies to immigrants from all over the globe.

Marriages in India, in particular Hindu marriages are long drawn intricate affairs fraught with age old tradition. Little has changed over the centuries except for certain embellishments due to modernization. To non-Indians these ceremonies appear just that—elaborate colorful rituals flavored with plenty of pomp and show.

In the following story I take my readers on a ‘behind the scenes' tour at a traditional Indian wedding. I’ve tried to illustrate the proceedings from engagement to the wedding ceremony with “generalized” Indians---my characters, and have also made an attempt to expound on the emotional upheavals that occur in the background and often aren’t spoken out loud. Milan is more of a ‘short story’ concept where it shows the before/during and after of an event than it is a ‘long novel’ about characters with hopes and dreams and goals. And its purpose is exactly that, to show the emotions Indian couples go through during the process of a wedding. This story may help the reader get a better insight into the culture of marriage in India.

The Setting of MILAN:

Whenever I travel back to my homeland, I prepare for a culture shock. The crowds, the noise, the pollution have all increased several fold as the country races forward at breakneck speed to catch up with the rest of the world. There are very places left where it still seems like life goes on as it did a few decades ago, where people are laid back and nature is not at war with mankind.

MILAN is set in one such place; Coonoor-- a hill town located in the Nilgiri Hills, about 56 kms from the Coimbatore Airport, in the southern Indian State of Tamil Nadu.

It is part way from its more well-known cousin Ooty. I spent some time there during my last trip and was so enchanted that I chose to use it as a setting for my story. Known for its tea plantations, Coonoor is a lovely, rustic little town. With its abundance of greenery and quaint architecture it is a throwback to India as it used to be. The temperate climate and serene environment help the restless soul to relax and take a few breaths of peace. When you are there, don't forget to take a ride on the Nilgiris meter gauge train, as well as a personalized tour of the tea estates.

I want to thank Debdatta for giving me this opportunity to express myself and for hosting this blog tour. I also want to thank all the bloggers who are participating in this tour and have made space for my book on their blog. Your time and generosity is much appreciated.

Happy Reading!

Simi K. Rao

About the Author:

Simi K. Rao was born and grew up in both northern and southern India before relocating to the U.S., where she has lived for several years. She is the author of multicultural contemporary romantic fiction.
The inspiration for her books and other creative projects comes from her own experience with cross-cultural traditions, lifestyles and familial relationships, as well as stories and anecdotes collected from friends, family and acquaintances.
Rao enjoys exploring the dynamics of contemporary American culture blended with Indian customs and heritage to reflect the challenges and opportunities many Indian-American women face in real life.
Much of Rao's down time is devoted to creative pursuits, including writing fiction, poetry and photography. She is an avid traveler and has visited many locations around the world.
A practicing physician, Rao lives in Denver with her family. Her published works include Inconvenient Relations and The Accidental Wife. She is currently at work on her next release.

Contact the Author:
Website I Blog I Facebook I Twitter I Goodreads

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Debdatta Dasgupta September 15, 2015 0

#BookTour :: Made in India by Biddu

About the Book:

As a child, Biddu dreamt of going west and making it big as a composer. At the age of sixteen, he formed a band and started playing in a cafe in Bangalore, his home town, At eighteen, he was part of a popular act at Trinca's, a nightclub in Calcutta devoted to food, wine and music, At nineteen, he had college students in Bombay dancing to his music.

In his early twenties, he left the country and ended up hitchhiking across the Middle East before arriving in London with only the clothes on his back and his trusty guitar. What followed were years of hardship and struggle but also great music and gathering fame. From the nine million selling "Kung Fu Fighting" to the iconic youth anthem of "Made in India" and the numerous hits in between. Biddu's music made him a household name in India and elsewhere.
In this first public account of all that came his way: the people, the events, the music tours and companies Biddu writes with a gripping sense of humor about his remarkable journey with its fairy tale ending. Charming, witty, and entirely likable, Biddu is a man you are going to enjoy getting to know.

Book Links:
Goodreads I Amazon I Flipkart

Read an Excerpt:

I was greeted by an army in White: almost 400 men draped in white robes and with shaven heads; some had beads in their hands, mouthing silent prayers, parading on the deck like holy warriors awaiting god or his nemesis. They were pilgrims on their way to Hajj. I looked at them, stunned into a momentary silence. The visual was dramatic and surreal, like egg-white stalagmites against an endless blue sky on a bobbing ocean. They, in return, observed me with subtle confusion. A cowboy hat, boots, a guitar and hair like a woman’s. What kind of apparition was this? The devil incarnate? I felt as welcome as swine flu.

I walked nervously through the multitude as they peacefully parted to receive this newcomer, and made my way to the sleeping quarters below deck. I thought it best to pick out my cabin and unpack my meagre belongings and set my territory; hang up my guitar and hat on a hook, close the door behind me, kick off my boots and relax. I walked down the stairs and came across a miniature stadium of row upon row of wooden slatted slabs. Most of them had bedrolls unfurled over them. I looked around. There were no cabins in sight. It dawned on me these were my sleeping quarters. It was another jaw-dropping moment.

‘Okay,’ I thought, ‘I can handle this. But first, the bathrooms.’

I must tell you I have a thing about bathrooms. Call it a fetish, but they must be pristine, clean and modern. So I strolled towards the toilet zone and peeked through the swing doors. There were six Indian-style squat-on-your-haunches-type toilets. I shuddered at the sight of these unseemly hole-in-the-ground jobs. I noticed six sinks for washing and shaving. Four hundred of us were to share these facilities. My heart sank into my ankles. I would fight them in the trenches, I would fight them on the shore, but I could not fight them in the rush to an Indian-style kazi.

I sat on a wooden slab for a while, thinking up Plan B. Suddenly I felt a jolt as the boat came to life. I could hear the drone of an engine and the ungainly movement as the vessel lurched forward clumsily and we were on our way. This I could not miss. So I scrambled back up, onto the deck and looked at the city I was leaving behind. It was nearing sunset and against a blood-red sky, the Gateway of India and the Taj Mahal Hotel steadily decreased in size as our boat cut through the frothy dark-emerald waters of the open sea. I stood there clutching my rucksack, that little suitcase full of dreams, till the shoreline disappeared.

About the Author:

Biddu was born in India, where he started his career playing in a pop band whose influences lay in the classic repertoire of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Following his early success, he decided to hear West and move into the international music arena. He struck gold, signing the unknown Carl Douglas and producing "Kung Fu Fighting?" which went on to become a hit all over the world. He also wrote and produced hits for Tina Charles and soul legend Jimmy James.

Around this time, Biddu became involved in Indian music: he composed the cult "Aap Jaise Koi" for the film Qurbani which set a new landmark for sales in India He followed this up with a pop album, Disco Deewane, with Nazia Hassan, which became the largest selling pop album in Asian history, and was the first Indian album to hit the charts in fourteen countries. In 1995, Biddu wrote and produced the three-million-selling album Made in India with the singer Alisha Chinai. To date, Biddu has sold over thirty-eight million records worldwide.

For more details on Biddu, Visit the Wikipedia Page

Tour Stops: (Will be updated as the posts are up till 31st October)

15th September - Spotlight @ All Bookish Things
- Spotlight @ Crazy Bibliophile

16th September - Spotlight @ Fantastic Feathers
- Review @ The Tales Pensieve

17th September - Spotlight @ Butterfly on a Broomstick

18th September - Spotlight @ Love Bites & Silk

21st September - Interview @ Eclectic Moods

22nd September - Review @ I am Stri

28th September - Review @ Scattered Thoughts
- Interview @ 4covert2overt ~ ☼ A Place In The Spotlight ☼

29th September - Interview @ Metro Reader

30th September - Review @ So Many Books, So Little Time
- Spotlight @ My Writing Workshop

1st October - Review @ W.R. Watkins
- Interview @ Random Musings of a Constant Quiller

2nd October - Review @ Bibliotheque
- Interview @ Privy Trifles

5th October - Spotlight @ The Readdicts

7th October - Interview @ Klishmaklaver
- Review @ Passey.info

8th October - Review @ I Luv Fiction

9th October - Spotlight @ Reading... Dreaming...

10th October - Spotlight @ Andrea Buginsky
- Spotlight @ b00k r3vi3ws

15th October - Review @ Words' Worth
- Review @ Just Another Bookaholic
- Review @ Crazy Bibliophile

17th October - Review @ Fabric of Life

18th October - Review @ Errors & Kaushal

19th October - Interview @ Rachelle's Window

20th October - Review @ Fascinating Quest

21st October - Spotlight @ Shelf Full of Books

24th October - Guest Post @ Sinful Soul

26th October - Guest Post @ One and a Half Minutes
- Spotlight @ Around the World in Books

27th October - Review @ b00k r3vi3ws

28th October - Review @ Reader's Muse
- Review @ Book News India

29th October - Review @ Rocksprings Crafts
- Review @ One & a Half Minutes
- Spotlight @ Books Are Love
- Spotlight @ Love Bites & Silk

31st October - Review @ Amita's Pen
- Review @ Book & Ink
- Review @ Bookworm's Musing

Giveaway:

- 1 Gift Voucher : $10 Amazon GV or INR 500 Flipkart GV (Winner’s Choice)
- 1 Signed copy of Curse of the Godman by Biddu
- Paperback copy of Made in India by Biddu

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Debdatta Dasgupta August 26, 2015 1

#TourAnnouncement : Milan by Simi K. Rao

About the Book:

Milan (A Wedding Story)

Sign Up Here!

Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Debdatta Dasgupta August 25, 2015 1

#ReleaseDayBlitz :: Nacreous (Harmony Run # 4) by Sarah Elle Emm

~ Release Day Blitz ~

About the Book:

After two members of The Freedom Front are arrested and interrogated by the UZTA’s tyrannical President Nicks, Rain Hawkins and her friends face the alarming reality that their plans to liberate the mixed zones across the United Zones of The Authority might not come to fruition. While the resistance movement is growing outside the walls of the zones, the president’s forces are strengthening and putting citizens everywhere in more peril than ever. When Rain receives warnings that her cousin, Calista, has agreed to support plans to kill the mixed zones, and that her life could be on the line at the upcoming pure zone initiation ceremony, she must decide where her loyalties lie and if all of her allies can be trusted. As The Freedom Front use their abilities to unravel the mystery of the ceremony, The Authority captures some of their friends, forcing TFF to either go into hiding, or plan a rescue mission that could jeopardize everything they’ve been fighting for.

Buy NOW from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle

Hooray, it is finally release day for Nacreous! Thanks for stopping by the fabulous Release Day Blitz, organized by b00k r3vi3w Tours. To kick off the blitz, here are a couple of “Fun Facts” about my writing process… I hope you enjoy!

Writing Playlist:

So…Music. Some authors swear by it. They have their playlist set in the background while they pen their latest manuscript. Me? Not exactly. Music is very important to me. I believe in dance parties, and by dance parties I mean cranking up my I-pod to the music fitting my mood, be this salsa, classic rock, blues, country, classical, whatever, and dancing alone in my room or kitchen. (Yes, I said classical and country in the same list). My kids may or may not be in attendance. They like to watch and laugh. Sometimes, they join in. But as far as my writing process goes, the music is sort of my warm up. So I might turn on some music that fits my mood for parts of the story and listen to it in my car or at my desk before I write, but not while I am actually writing. I need it to be quiet in the room, so I can tell the story…(Ahem, hear what my characters are trying to tell me). ;) While I wrote Nacreous, and the other books in the Harmony Run Series, my favorite music warm-up to set the mood was Lorde. Specifically, the songs Team and A World Alone. In fact, if any of the books from my series could be made for film, I would beg producers to include one of those songs in the movies.

My Writing Process:

I can’t sit down and force myself to write everyday because it begins to feel too mechanical, but I am definitely one of those people who thinks about writing, story ideas, characters, scenarios all of the time, awake or asleep. I love using my dreams in my writing and have written a few of them into scenes in the Harmony Run Series. Back in college, the good ol’ stone ages, I had one of the most terrifying dreams of my life about a man with a triangular-shaped eye chasing me down a corridor, one door after the other, with this woman’s voice echoing all around us, telling him to kill me. When I got to the end of the corridor, I opened the last door, and he was standing there facing me. I woke up sobbing…About a year later, a psychology professor at my university asked some of us to share dreams with him so he could demonstrate dream analysis. I bravely raised my hand, (this was huge for me, since I am very shy in person), and shared my dream in vivid detail. After I finished talking, the entire class got eerily quiet and the professor told me I was dealing with issues beyond his realm of help, and went on to the next student’s dream. That student shared a dream about not being able to make a goal in a soccer match, and the professor dissected his dream in depth for fifteen minutes. Years later, I incorporated that dream, adding on some twists and turns of course, into book one from the Harmony Run Series, Prismatic.

I also come up with ideas when I’m looking out of the kitchen window, when I’m walking, driving, cooking, gardening, taking my kids to martial arts, helping with their homework, basically, every waking moment. I take heaps of notes. I jot notes down for days. And when I’m ready, I sit down and type everything I can. I woke up the other night, and grabbed the notebook and pen beside my bed and wrote down an idea for another story. So my writing process is sort of a twenty-four hour thing. Oh, and probably the most important part of the process…How could I forget? My dog, Shorty, has to harass me to sit in my lap throughout the day. She eventually gives up and sleeps at my feet or nearby. She spares me the occasional glance or sighs every so often when I talk too much. Yes, I like to talk aloud to myself more often than not. If that dog could talk…Well, thankfully that’s not an issue. Here’s a photo of my writing pal…

Isn’t she cute? I hope you stick around to read about Nacreous. I’m going to look up that old psychology professor to see if he wants to read my latest book… ;)

Previous Books in the Series:

(Click on the Cover to know more)

About the Author:

Sarah Elle Emm is the author of the HARMONY RUN SERIES, a young-adult fantasy and dystopian series, released in May 2012 by Winter Goose Publishing. (PRISMATIC, May 2012, OPALESCENT, February 2013, CHATOYANT, September 2014, NACREOUS, August 2015) Her debut fiction novel, MARRYING MISSY, was published by Bird Brain Publishing in October 2011. Sarah is a graduate of The University of Evansville, she has lived and worked in Mexico, Germany, England, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and has traveled extensively beyond. Sarah lives in Naples, Florida with her family. When she’s not walking the plank of her daughters’ imaginary pirate ship or snapping photos of Southwest Florida scenery, she is writing.

Stalk the Author:
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Monday, August 24, 2015

Debdatta Dasgupta August 24, 2015 0

#TourAnnouncement :: Harmony Run Series by Sarah Elle Emm

~ Harmony Run Series Book Tour ~

23rd September to 3rd October

About the Books:

Rare glimpses of birds are the only reminder of the freedoms Rain Hawkins once had. Now segregated into a mixed-race zone within the United Zones of the Authority, under tyrannical rule of President Nicks, Rain is forced to endure the bleak conditions set upon her. The possibility of a way out arises when Rain discovers an organized resistance called The Freedom Front, and learns that she, along with many other multi-racial people, has special abilities. Determined to overcome her situation, Rain sets out on a mission with the resistance that will fill her life with wonder, romance, and the undying hope for a better world.

Goodreads I Amazon

Still enslaved in a mixed-race zone within the United Zones of the Authority, Rain Hawkins is part of a secret resistance preparing to take on the tyrannical President Nicks before plans to kill the mixed zones across UZTA are executed. When unsettling dreams and a mysterious voice begin to haunt the dark nights, Rain fears someone more powerful than she has discovered the resistance and their secret abilities. With a known Authority spy on her heels, and her boyfriend, Jabari, suddenly acting strange, Rain doesn't know who to trust and if the voices calling to her are friend or foe. As conditions across all of the zones get worse and the stakes rise, Rain embarks on a quest for answers that will put the people she cares about most in more danger or take them one step closer to the truth and their eventual freedom.

Goodreads I Amazon

In the wake of an interrogation led by the UZTA's dictator, President Nicks, Rain Hawkins and her friends must deal with the consequences of their defiance as the countdown continues towards the execution of the mixed-zone citizens across the United Zones of The Authority. The Freedom Front faces new challenges as Rain's cousin, Calista, prepares for her impending relocation to the pure zone, and Rain sets out to solve the mystery surrounding her mother's torment while being followed by an officer of the Elizabeth Guard. As she uses her abilities to dodge The Authority and follows the strange clues from her dreams, Rain is determined to persevere, to secure the future she and Jabari have been fighting for, and to earn The Freedom Front's ultimate goal of liberation.

Goodreads I Amazon

Buy now at Amazon Paperback I Kindle

About the Author:

Sign Up Here!

Thursday, August 20, 2015

Debdatta Dasgupta August 20, 2015 0

#TourAnnouncement :: Nacreous (Harmony Run # 4) by Sarah Elle Emm

~ Release Day Blitz on 26th August ~

About the Book:

Previous Books in the Series:

(Click on the Cover to know more)

About the Author:

Sign Up Here

Note:
- This is a 1 day event and thus the post has to be up on 26th August
- Readymade post HTML / DIY Kit will be provided to all who sign up
- This need not be your top post of the day

Monday, September 21, 2015

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

Sunday, September 20, 2015

#TourKickOff :: Milan by Simi K. Rao

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

#BookTour :: Made in India by Biddu

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

#TourAnnouncement : Milan by Simi K. Rao

Tuesday, August 25, 2015

#ReleaseDayBlitz :: Nacreous (Harmony Run # 4) by Sarah Elle Emm

Monday, August 24, 2015

#TourAnnouncement :: Harmony Run Series by Sarah Elle Emm

Thursday, August 20, 2015

#TourAnnouncement :: Nacreous (Harmony Run # 4) by Sarah Elle Emm

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