A2Z April Challenge 2019: N for Nitin

Nitin is exactly what Simran needs at that point in her life when her self-confidence is completely shattered. Simran has taken refuge in Nitin’s house in Mumbai only because his mother Nandita is Simran’s mother’s best friend.

Simran’s self-esteem has always teetered towards zero, all because of her father who treats her like a pariah because of her dark skin. 

But Nitin doesn’t see anything wrong with Simran at all, much to her astonishment. He’s attracted to her on first sight and is determined to bring her out of her shell. And the best part is that he doesn’t seek solutions in fairness creams. He finds her dusky skin perfect and encourages her to have a makeover that will bring out the inherent beauty in her that she had smothered behind clothes that cover her from neck to feet while her face is smeared with sunscreen 24/7. 

Simran, who has always been told by the man in her life—her father—how unattractive she is because of her dark skin, is amazed that Nitin finds her beautiful despite it. It goes a long way to boost her confidence and she literally flowers under his attention.

And that’s what makes Nitin my hero from Beauty is but Skin Deep, someone who falls for Simran exactly as she is, without conditions.  

A sneak peek into Nitin and Simran…

Nitin looked at her, his brown gaze bold as he studied her minutely. Clad in an off-white churidhar and a kurta of the same shade with chikan embroidery, she looked as cute as a bug. Her figure was perfectly shaped, long slender legs topped by a well-shaped torso. But beyond all that, he was attracted to her deep, dark eyes that mirrored her every thought. First, it had only been pain, then nervousness on confronting a stranger, surprise when she realised who he was and now a combination of wariness and shyness as she became aware of him as a man.

Fascinating! It was like watching a film—the whole gamut of expressions. He checked her out from head to toe and then the other way up, this time slower. Simran caught his coffee brown eyes lingering on some parts of her body and move faster over others more to save her from embarrassment than lack of interest on his part. She felt heat steal over her body as she sensed the blush that began from her toes, spreading over her body and finally hitting her face that seemed to be set aflame.

She bent her head, not sure she wanted him to see her in that state. Nitin moved forward and placing a hand under Simran’s chin, lifted her face to study it.

Simran closed her eyes tight, not able to meet the curious brown gaze. Her heart fluttered like a trapped bird, seeming to want to break away from her chest. Her lips quivered in anticipation of she knew not what as Nitin scrutinised her face thoroughly.

It was as if the movie screen had blacked out with her eyes closed. Her face was still while the windows to her soul were shut, except for her incredibly long eyelashes that fluttered as if she had no control over them. 

Also...

N for NARASIMHA

(Dashavatar #4)

A2Z April Challenge 2019: B for Her BOHEMIAN Husband & One More

As per the dictionary, Bohemian is a nonconformist; an unconventional person. 

But to me, somehow the word brings the visual of a person holidaying on the beach. If you have read my Marriages Made in India series, you will know that all the Maheshwari brothers have unconventional careers. And I needed to give the youngest brother Shatrughan, something that topped everything else. That’s when I decided that he would be someone who goes globe-trotting.

Shatru has made travelling his way of life. I know that some of my readers didn’t approve of this. But then, what can I say? He’s a strong character born of my imagination and I will always take his side in an argument. 

Then again, Shatru is anything but irresponsible. No, he doesn’t like being questioned by anyone. But to those he likes, he is ready to explain how he began to travel after working hard and saving all his money. Despite being the son of a rich man, he doesn’t care for the idea of spending his father’s money for his trips. 

And I did a lot of research for this one, on Melbourne, Maldives, bar-tending and more. Research is fun, always, what with Google search and YouTube. They are also the reason why I can write my books so much faster. 

You want to know more about Shatru, his travels and the love of his life, check out Her Bohemian Husband, the sixth and final novel in the series.

…& One More is B for Beauty is but Skin Deep

This is a short read that’s about 10000 words long. It’s about Simran who is dark skinned. That, definitely is not a sin nor does it make her look less beautiful. But then, Simran’s confidence level is zilch all due to her father who shuns her because of her skin colour.

I had to write this story when I read an article about fairness creams and how it’s a major business. More than all that, such creams don’t add to anybody’s skin health. And why do we need those? One is because of peer pressure. And the other is because of these advertisements where even big stars take part, say that being fair is the only way one can look beautiful.

What bullshit!

And I went on to write Beauty is but Skin Deep.

Check out the links of some fellow bloggers from the challenge:

Rubina Ramesh

Roshan Radhakrishnan

Shilpa Garg

Dola Basu Singh

Shalini Nair

Book Blitz: BEAUTY IS BUT SKIN DEEP (Romantic Shorts #2) by Sundari Venkatraman

Print Length: 54 pages

Publisher: Flaming Sun (Indie published) 

Publication Date: April 27, 2018

Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC

Language: English

Available on Kindle Unlimited

Genre: Romance, Short Read

It’s the last straw for Simran when the guy who had come home to meet her with the intention of marriage, falls for her younger sister.

Going to her mother’s best friend’s home in Mumbai to lick her wounds, she finds it difficult to forget the rejection she’s suffered at her father’s hands, all because she is dark skinned.

Nitin returns early from his trip to Sydney and is fascinated with his mother’s young guest right from the moment he sets eyes on her.

Simran finds it too strange that someone as handsome as Nitin would want to spend time with her unattractive self and tries her best to keep him at arm’s length.

Only, Nitin won’t listen as he pursues her relentlessly.

Will Simran ever be able to come out of her shell to see how much Nitin loves her? Or will she continue to wallow in self-pity? 

*A shorter version of this story was published before in the anthology Matches Made in Heaven

It would be great if you can add this book to your TBR

This is the first foray into the mythology genre for the author and also the first book that she's written for children. 

Sundari Venkatraman is an indie author who has 29 titles to her name, all Top 100 Bestsellers on Amazon India, Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Amazon Canada and Amazon Australia in both romance as well as Asian Drama categories. Her latest hot romances have all been on #1Bestseller slot in Amazon India for over a month.

Even as a kid, Sundari absolutely loved the ‘lived happily ever after’ syndrome as she grew up reading all the fairy tales she could lay her hands on, Phantom comics, Mandrake comics and the like. It was always about good triumphing over evil and a happy end. 

Soon, into her teens, Sundari switched her attention from fairy tales to Mills & Boon. While she loved reading both of these, she kept visualising what would have happened if there were similar situations happening in India; to a local hero and heroine. Her imagination took flight and she always lived in a rosy cocoon of romance over the years. 

Then came the writing – a true bolt out of the blue! And Sundari Venkatraman has never looked back.

Click here to check out all the titles by the author...

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