Book Blitz: HOPE? I HOPE NOT! by Raghav Gautam

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  Hope? I Hope Not!

 Genre: 

Short Story Collection 

Blurb: 

'Hope? I Hope not!' is a collection of stories from all walks of life and all age groups. It is a reflection on human behavior and its peculiarities, written from the narrative perspective. The story traps the struggles and aspirations of the common man through different themes and genres. 

Intro Story: 

‘There are two kinds of hope’, he read through the text he had written and memorized. He was to give this speech at many motivational talks he would be giving once he achieved his goals. ‘The one hope is that which drives you towards your goals. It is the hope that is the burning fire when you are cold and dark. This hope has been the reason for all the good things in the world.’ He paused, reflecting on his own life. 

‘There’s another hope, it’s a disease disguised as hope. You don’t achieve anything, get a false sense of failure and victory because your heart and brain fail to differentiate between truth and deception. Yes, you get deceived by what you want to be, even though you can’t be the person.’ 

He realized he had no breathing space. And he wasn’t breathing either. He was again in two places, the world where he wanted to belong; and the world, where the world had sent him. Of course he had fallen for the second hope he wanted to warn people about in his motivational talks.

 

 Reviews:

“Worth every penny. Simple language, vivid portrayal, just the right balance between humour and seriousness. Eagerly awaiting more from the author.”

“This is an interesting book. All the stories gave different perspective about life. The narration is good with easy language. There is also dose of humour here and there with life philosophy. I liked it. If you want to experience different shades of life in a single book then go for it.”

“This book is like a Diwali bonus to provide you with several characters and several stories in just a couple of hours.”

 Grab Your Copy @

 Amazon India|Amazon UK|Amazon USA

 

  About the author 

Raghav Gautam was born in 1987, and from there his experiments with hobbies began. He started writing poetry around the age of 15, started writing stories around the age of 18, then moved on to sketching, digital painting, stitch painting, and so many other things where he just didn’t stick (except for verses and fiction perhaps).

Life changed for him when he picked up his camera for a heritage walk for the second time- after almost not using it for years properly. He moved beyond auto-focus, changed his ambitions of working in post-production to working in production and as it seems- he has found a hobby which has turned into his profession, and he still yearns for those moments of personal projects which stretch him, test him, and give him pleasure in equal measures.

His writing style is natural, as he doesn't delve deep into descriptions. He remembers R. K. Narayan's Dateless Diary, where he mentioned that he skips writing all the descriptions that he skips while reading. Raghav has imbibed this feature. His aim is to take people into an emotional space where they can experience a world of their own.

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Sharing: CELEBRATING THE SPIRIT OF INDIE

I have come a long way since I hit the publish button on my first eBook The Malhotra Bride on Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing. I must say it’s been an amazing journey, walking along the path of indie. 

To begin with, there were a number of people, including many authors that I got to know through social media, who sniggered behind my back. There are those who do it till this day.

Okay, one might ask, “How do you know that they snigger if they are doing it behind your back?” All I can say is that news travel at the speed of light, especially the negative kind.

Well, today, I declare that I have (not had) the last laugh as I laugh my way to the bank, month after month.

And they came, the publishers, big and small, seeing that I have made a success of my books, becoming an Authorpreneur in the true sense, inviting me to publish with them. 

I rejected a number of them, for various reasons and signed up with a few, for which I have my reasons too. 

When I realised that one publishing house might never be able to catch up with me and publish all my titles, I set out to do a lot of research. That’s how I have always worked, doing research. In 2001, I went to a number of bookstores to make a list of publishers and their addresses from books and writing to them. That’s how the rejections happened. 

So, recently, I attended a number of book launches, both big and small, trying to understand how this worked. I even went to a school to give a lecture to Std. IX kids. I also met a couple of publishers to understand how they functioned. That’s when a question arose from within me. Does it make sense to spend lakhs of rupees on book launches at 5-star venues? 

I suppose it depends on what you ultimately want to achieve as an author. Spending the whole of December trying to understand the logistics and investment involved, I arrived at the conclusion that this was just not my cup of tea.

Sour grapes? 

I would say not. I am too fond of my money and I would rather pay my cover designer, my editor, my cook and my maid more rather than pay for free books and fancy dinners to friends, colleagues and relatives. I just can’t see the logic in splashing all my hard-earned money on such events. 

And then something happened that truly woke me up to some hard truths that I needed to know about myself. I spoke to this publisher, who’s fairly newbie as against me, who’s proved that I have a huge readership for my books. He told me in no uncertain terms that it’s the publishers and editors who know best about what sells in a book and I should be open to changing my story as per their advice. 

That did it!

I write for the love of it. I am thrilled that my readers enjoy my books. I wouldn’t say that all of them love all my books. But then, I don’t like the artworks of all artists either. We aren’t clones, but human beings, who have different tastes. I tell my stories and it makes me happy that people like reading them. But I would be the last person to shove it down anyone’s throat. 

That was the tipping point when I decided that I would rather spend my time writing, publishing and promoting my books, at my pace, my style and my way. I finally accepted that I am indie through and through, and a proud one at that. 

And for my success as an Indie author, I have to thank Rubina Ramesh, first and foremost, and The Book Club she launched, I am proud to say, with my book. She has been a great support throughout my publishing journey and I can truly say that Rubina has played a major role in my becoming what I am today, a super successful author of 37 books + 4 collections.

On the eve of publishing my 38th book—Her Prince Charming—I also thank my readers and fans. They are my backbone. They are the ones who have made my success possible. 

Even though 28 publishers rejected my writing, the readers have declared otherwise, loving my books and some even giving me a lot of constructive criticism. 

And then there is the Amazon KDP team. Without taking any names here, I would like to thank the ones who got in touch with me after consistently seeing my titles on the Top 100 Bestseller lists. They created a wonderful video for me and also made me a judge for their writing contest, Pen to Publish, over two consecutive years. And imagine my joy when they made me a speaker at Jaipur Literature Festival 2018, a chance that even many traditionally published authors with major publishing houses find it difficult to get. 

There was one more feather to my cap when the director of KDP declared me the most successful KDP author in India. 

It gives me immense joy that I, who had struggled with repeated rejections from major publishing houses around the world, have become a famous, bestselling author, all thanks to Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing. It thrills me to be their Brand Ambassador. 

And thus, I have arrived at another turning point, another stepping stone: to publish my own paperbacks under my brand, Flaming Sun. 

Why? You might ask, wonder. Well, I realise that I love my independence, I like to be in control of my life and the Amazon Dashboard that lets me peek into my sales graph that gets updated hourly, has spoilt me thoroughly. It’s also the money that gets deposited into my bank account on a regular basis. It makes me feel on top of the world. 

I don’t plan to rush, I am not desperate. Though I would love to sell millions of copies, I don’t want to push my book into the hands of people who aren’t interested in them just for the sake of marketing. I would rather that readers buy my books because they are keen to own a copy and create their own collection of Sundari Venkatraman’s books. 

And so we head to my announcement:

With Her Prince Charming, I plan to launch my paperback which will be available exclusively on Amazon. 

Oh yes! If you want a copy of my book, you have to purchase it from Amazon and nowhere else. 

Book Blitz: GROOMNAPPED (The Groom Series #1) by Sundari Venkatraman

Print Length: 140 pages

Publisher: Flaming Sun (Indie published) 

Publication Date: June 9, 2018

Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC

Language: English

Available on Kindle Unlimited 

Genre: Romance

The lovely and feisty Surekha is the eldest of three daughters of a carpenter from the wrong side of the tracks. She teaches science and maths in the Bihar Public School. 

Ameya is the only son of a millionaire farmer-cum-builder and over and above that, he’s educated too. 

They meet and fall in love quite easily, the drawback being the dowry system prevalent in Bihar. With Ameya’s parents expecting a huge dowry and Surekha’s parents having a tough time eking a living out of their humble income, it seems like the match between the two lovers is one made in hell. 

Ameya isn’t one to take things lying on his back. But when the parents who adore him otherwise are so set against the marriage, will he be able to make Surekha his? 

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

Sundari Venkatraman is an indie author who has 31 titles (27 books & 4 collections) 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 #1 Bestseller 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.

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Blog Tour: DESTINED by Rubina Ramesh

If you enjoy reading romances set in India

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DESTINED

by

Rubina Ramesh

Read my review of #Destined

Blurb

Esha Mehra could have taken care of her father, only if she had some support from her fiancé. But he had his priorities set and her sick father was nothing but a burden. Esha didn't have any other choice but to apply for a loan from her office. But she had not banked on the fact that the Head of Geno Technologies needed her for other reasons.

When Rohan Sharma saw Esha for the first time, he felt she was the one. He had no intention of falling in love with her for the pain of the past was still too much to bear. 

But he did need Esha as a decoy to his plan. But Esha was not a damsel in distress who would bend to his will easily. While he was sure that he would marry her only for six months, he still couldn’t understand why he felt a searing jealousy every time, her ex-fiancé Ayush’s name was mentioned.

While these two souls had other plans in their lives, Destiny conspires to bring them together. But will the stench of Death let them live their lives? 

Read an excerpt:

On seeing her, he grinned. "There goes my dream of my bride sitting on the bed with a long veil over her face that I could slowly lift up."
Esha laughed. "Do it in your real wedding."
Rohan felt a jolt at her words though his feelings had stopped making any sense at all. He found her pajama-clad wet avatar very sensual. Her hair was wet from the shower and a few droplets fell on her collarbone, like dew drops on a rose petal. Now that he was finally alone with Esha, he wanted to further muss up her hair and kiss those wet pearls away. But never had he imagined that he would be alone in a room with her amidst roses and that her intoxicating perfume would drive him crazy. Theirs wasn't a marriage in the true sense and yet her lips were calling out to him to feel them with his own.
But he was sure that she wouldn't appreciate it. He forced himself to lean back on the pillow and give her an easy smile to fight his raging hormones. "So, which side of the bed is yours?"
She looked at him sharply to check if he was laughing at her predicament. She then went to her purse and took out a tape—a big, brown one.
"Naughty, naughty," he said sitting up, suddenly feeling the air crackling between them with an invisible electric thread that was slowly pulling them towards each other. "What's your intention darling?"
Esha gave him an evil grin and sashayed towards him, all the while opening the tape. "You didn't think I would be prepared?" she asked, her voice husky. Any hot-blooded man would find this a big turn-on but Rohan sat up straight, wondering if she was drunk.
"Esha, I think we should go to sleep now." He gave her a sheepish smile. "It's getting very late."
She threw back her head and laughed, "The night is still young, darling." She opened the tape further and climbed on the bed, inching slowly towards him as she rolled it out. Rohan could feel his heart skipping a few beats. He wanted her no doubt, but he was not expecting this and her strange behavior made him uncomfortable.
 "Do you want something to eat?" He sounded lame even to himself. She threw her head back and looked at him, her sherry colored eyes darkening into molten chocolate, and the light breeze from the window caught her silk tresses and made them dance to a tune of their own. She bit her lower lip and leaned in front of him, staring deep into his eyes. "Are you nervous?"
"Why are you behaving like this?" he asked, trying to get out of the bed. He felt an invisible hand clutching his stomach but he kept his tone breezy. "Are we taking this night to mean what it is meant to be? I'm ready if you are."
If she took another step forward, her breasts would touch him. What the devil was she playing at? He couldn't even lean back further since the head rest was stopping any further movement. She leaned forward but instead of coming towards him, she went beyond him and stuck the edge of the tape to the middle of the bed post. She then pulled the tape down – further and further and a line was drawn along the middle of the bed.

Grab your copy @

Amazon

About the author

Rubina Ramesh is an avid reader, writer, blogger, book reviewer and marketer. She is the founder of The Book Club, an online book publicity group. Her first literary work was published in her school magazine. It gave her immense pride to see her own name at the bottom of the article. She was about 8 years old at that time. She then went to complete her MBA and after her marriage to her childhood friend, her travel saga started. From The Netherlands to the British Isles she lived her life like an adventure. After a short stint in Malaysia, she finally settled down in the desert state of USA, Arizona. Living with her DH and two human kids and one doggie kid, Rubina has finally started living the life she had always dreamed about – that of a writer.

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Read more posts for book: Destined by Rubina Ramesh

Book Review: DESTINED by Rubina Ramesh

Destined is the third book published by indie author and friend Rubina Ramesh. I can see the growth curve, Rubina. You have come a long way since the first draft of Finding the Angel.

What I really like about the author’s words is the rawness in them. She has her own unique style and that’s how it should be.

A quote from Destined:

Of all the hell bound virgins, he really thought she would not keep her side of the bargain? She scowled at him, her eyes blazing in anger. "I never - I repeat, I never go back on my promises."

That’s so typically Rubina Ramesh. Succinct words, hard hitting, original similes and bold characters that touch—no, dig into your heart. You might love them, you might hate them. But you can’t remain indifferent.

Esha is strong, bold, hardworking and adores her father. But she’s human enough to feel bogged down by the crises surrounding her life. Does that mean she’s ready to give up? No, never. What if her fiancé refuses to agree with how she wants to live her life? He has no choice but to get out of her life. I love this woman who has got her priorities right. And she’s not too perfect. Esha can be rude, defiant and has a temper too. Then there is that strong sense of self-respect that makes her exactly what she is. A powerful character, I must say. Kudos to the author!

I loved these words:

'She has a heart of gold and a mouth of a truck driver,' he would often joke. Well, the truck driver part Esha had often witnessed but the gold seemed to be safely hidden somewhere deep, very deep, inside her body. 

This made me cry:

​"I only know that he is my Dad and I love him very much. He has taught me my first word - Ma. He has taught me to walk and to ride my first bicycle. And today he needs me. What has law got to do with that?"

Words are a powerful tool for an author and Rubina Ramesh has those in plenty, I must say.

Rohan is a hot hero to swoon over. He’s a successful businessman whose company takes care of its employees and is also into philanthropy. I like these small touches that could be received well by the society since fiction does wield a powerful influence over readers. Rohan has a sense of humour and the best part is that he is truly empathetic towards Esha. I think that’s very important in a romance.

The side characters were superbly etched out. I hated Ayush, his mother and Zaira, exactly as I was meant to. I loved Esha’s father and Chakraborty, Rohan’s secretary.

Can’t you just visualise this scene? Read on:

Without thinking too much about it, she made her way towards the HR department where the company secretary Mr. Chakraborty's office was situated. He was a healthy man with a bald head. Everyone called him 'Mr. Flutesnoot' from Archie's world of characters. He looked like a forgetful professor but that was just a belying exterior. He was wearing a bright yellow flowery shirt with lapels that were in vogue during the Raj Kapoor era, his brown trousers held together with black suspenders. His bald head was shining, reflecting the lights high up on the ceiling. Only a few threads of hair could be seen in the middle of his head.

And oh yes, there’s a sizzling love scene that all romance readers would appreciate. You cracked it, Rubina Ramesh. Congrats!

Loved the cover by Floryie BL and I must say the title is perfect for the story. 

And here’s one for the road, a quote from the book. You can see what I mean by hard hitting words that churn you up. No, I don’t really think this is a spoiler:

"So?" she glared at him. "I shouldn't feel hungry? I knew what you call my 'responsibilities' at a very young age, Rohan. The time you were flying kites. So freaking don't lecture me about responsibilities. I took my mom for chemo when I was eleven years old. I watched her wither in pain night after night, while doing my homework and getting ready for school. And do you know what happened when my mom died?"

"What?" Rohan whispered. He felt it in his bones that here lay all her pain.

"I felt relieved, Rohan. I fucking felt relieved."

Silence. Rohan just stood there stumped. Not moving at all.

VERDICT: This is one awesome romance and it would be a loss to miss it.

 Grab your copy here…

Click here if you want to know more about the author…

  

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My review of Knitted Tales

  

My review of Finding the Angel

  

Author Interview with Rubina Ramesh

Sharing: WISH YOU ALL A HAPPY NAVRATRI!

Today is the first day of Navratri, a nine-day festival celebrated across India. I wish each one of you a Very Happy Navratri.

On this day, I bring you a brief excerpt from my novel, MEGHNA, that portrays the scene of the Dandiya Raas, a part and parcel of the celebrations during these nine nights. 

Do read it to check out how much fun Rahul and Meghna are having during their outing...

THE EXCERPT

The scene was a classic fusion of the Orient and the Occident. The clothes - Rahul couldn’t remember ever seeing such variety and colour at one venue.

   Guys were dressed in smart casuals, semi-formals as well as Indian formals. Colourful waistcoats vied with the short embroidered kedias. Many sported colourful caps or turbans.

   As for the women’s attire, the choice was mind blowing. Jeans with embroidered hems teamed with short colourful tops, ghaghra choli, salwar kameez, sari—you name it and someone was wearing it.

   They all blended into a kaleidoscope of art and colour and the overall effect was a pleasing eyeful.

   Then there was the music. Indian folk music, music adapted from Bollywood and of course disco music. The crowd went crazy as the band started playing. They separated into groups and formed circles, each holding a pair of sticks or dandiyas.

   They began dancing, holding a wooden dandiya in each hand, clicking the sticks against each other or those held by their partners. The clacking of the dandiyas formed a rhythm and the dancers moved ecstatically in time to the music.

   Sanjay and Reema along with the kids joined a circle in the centre of the ground. This had many children of similar age as Sasha and Rehaan.

   Rahul and Meghna got together with a group of strangers and swirled to the music, clacking their dandiyas away, swinging to the rhythm. They both were excellent dancers, as they naturally enjoyed dancing. They were too absorbed in each other to be aware of the rest of the crowd. They were completely unaware of Prashant watching them avidly, raw hunger in his eyes as he devoured Meghna’s graceful movements. His expression changed to one of hatred every time his eyes fell on Rahul.

   The next hour flew away on wings as Meghna twisted and turned, moving forwards and backwards in the circle, her eyes on Rahul’s animated face. His face was alight with the joy he felt swaying his body to the high-pitched folk music. Then it suddenly changed to a disco number and the crowd swayed at a frantic pace. The two of them gave themselves up to the pace set by the band, now fast, now slow.

   A short break was announced when the crowd rushed towards the stalls set up for food and drinks. Rahul and Meghna stood back to let the others move ahead. Rahul put his hand around Meghna’s waist and gently wiped her perspiring face with a snow-white handkerchief that he removed from his kurta pocket.

   Meghna gave a sigh of contentment as he smiled at her. “So tell me; how do you feel now?” he asked, an eyebrow raised in query.

   “Just great,” she replied in a whisper. He bent down his head close to her mouth to catch the soft words. Meghna placed her left hand on the nape of his neck to hold him in place and further cooed in his ear, “that gold ring of yours looks sexy.” She smiled into his startled gaze.

   He gave her a broad grin saying, “Well thanks, kind lady, you’ve made my day.” He pressed his lips to her hot cheek for just a second before raising his head to look at her face with dancing golden brown eyes.

   Meghna felt her heart overflow with the love she felt for him. She did realise to some extent the struggle he had had to undergo to come to terms with his attraction for her. She knew about his insecure childhood and could well understand his fear of commitment. But he had reached a decision, it seemed. He appeared more peaceful than ever. Her eyes shone with excitement as the band struck again.