tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14150723203269615782024-02-19T00:44:00.887-08:00The Written ChakraI-Padminihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04820863841435707617noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1415072320326961578.post-16449501931705128952015-07-01T10:54:00.000-07:002015-07-12T08:52:37.375-07:00A Good Girl is a Great Read! <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Hello everybody- readers, writers,
et al. I just finished reading Chandana Roy’s debut novel, A Good Girl. It’s a
wonderful story that many of us can identify with. First things first: let me
give you the gist of the story (no spoilers here) so you get an idea of what
it’s about.</div>
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The novel opens with the
protagonist, Ellora Chatterjee, 33, attending a boring party at her sister’s
friend’s house in Virginia. She feels lonely and out of place, and wonders
whether the others know of her scandalous past. Aparna, her elder sister, is
bent on finding her a match, a good Bengali boy. The story deftly moves from
past to present, where we learn of the one incident that changed Ellora’s life,
and the consequences of that scandal which always seem to follow her. But
things are different in Virginia, She finally is able to leave the past behind.
Should she follow her head or her heart in choosing her future mate, especially as she has been hurt so badly in the past when she followed her heart? <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="line-height: 200%;">This was a book I just couldn't put
down until I had come to the very last page. Chandana is a born storyteller, and
there is not a single moment of boredom in this novel. Right from the opening
scene with its light social comedy until the exciting end, we are drawn into
the action and into the character. And it is indeed Ellora Chatterjee’s
character that is so human, so likeable. She’s both like the girl-next-door,
yet has her own strong personality, which makes her a unique individual. And </span><span style="line-height: 32px;">I'm</span><span style="line-height: 200%;"> sure many of us can identify with her, especially if </span><span style="line-height: 32px;">you're</span><span style="line-height: 200%;"> from the East (as
opposed to the more permissive West) in always getting unsolicited advice about
how to run one’s life.</span></div>
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But this is no wishy-washy
sentimental read. The book has many humorous moments. I had a good chuckle over
the funny scenes and funnier people. People like Aparna with her mixed idioms, Vicky
Bhalla and his rustic pronunciation and Leela Banerjee and her coterie of mems,
and their ridiculous adherence to English mores and customs, All these
characters and their antics put a smile on your face, despite the very serious
theme of the book.<o:p></o:p></div>
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And it is indeed this quality that
makes this book eminently readable. The author’s touch is light, but the
message of the book is a thought-provoking one. What should one do in matters
of the heart- follow the “nuggets of wisdom” dished out by well-meaning friends
and relatives, or do what your own heart dictates?<o:p></o:p></div>
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One last word… The book makes many
references to nature, and to the botanical or zoological names of birds, flowers and
insects (we can see that the author here is a Zoology major) but they are so cleverly woven into the narrative that they never
detract from the story, and in fact enhance our knowledge. I didn't know, for
example, that Cardinals wear bright red cassocks and that’s why the brightly
coloured cardinal birds are named after them! <o:p></o:p></div>
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Chandana- please don't make this
your one-book wonder! I'd love to read another novel penned by you.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdhJtlp1rBV4AEeGrZbBQxbFU99WLbfIxdVEw3zbezFxHFm7shhsXJCYQ2fpC43mqPMyM3HOrZ66Td_uHYffBEygFbBS088uhjiO7xqgkWNZY-hd9RIsrMNO6vl2a9qWWfeihoEkdCCLbo/s1600/IMG_4404.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdhJtlp1rBV4AEeGrZbBQxbFU99WLbfIxdVEw3zbezFxHFm7shhsXJCYQ2fpC43mqPMyM3HOrZ66Td_uHYffBEygFbBS088uhjiO7xqgkWNZY-hd9RIsrMNO6vl2a9qWWfeihoEkdCCLbo/s320/IMG_4404.JPG" width="282" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chandana Roy with her debut novel. A Good Girl</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; line-height: 200%;">Bye for now, everybody, and have a great summer! And watch out for more literary stuff on this blog! </span></div>
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I-Padmini</div>
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Chandana’s book is available in all major bookstores in India and it can also be ordered online at the following links:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.5pt; line-height: 25.3333358764648px;"> Flipkart link: <u><span style="color: #1155cc;">http://www.flipkart.com/good-girl-english/p/itme7r4zzxaw5dvm?pid=9788192982205</span></u><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.5pt; line-height: 25.3333358764648px;">Amazon link: <u><span style="color: #1155cc;">http://www.amazon.in/Good-Girl-Chandana-Roy/dp/8192982203/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=14301569</span></u><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Dubai readers, no worries! This book will shortly be available here too! Watch out for more details.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I-Padminihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04820863841435707617noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1415072320326961578.post-8176770549532071442015-05-07T01:57:00.000-07:002015-05-07T01:58:21.968-07:00Book Review: Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Written Chakra: Book Review</td></tr>
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What’s an Americanah? In Nigerian
parlance, it’s a person who’s returned from America, someone who’s taken on
American mannerisms, has an American accent, and is somehow held in high esteem
as well as being an object of derision, a misfit back in their own country.<o:p></o:p></div>
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This sounds
familiar to many of us from “Third World” countries. I’m using quotes for
“Third World” because the term itself is not only a bit insulting (imo) but
also smacks of an earlier world order, coined during the “Cold War.” So,
perhaps I should just say former colonies. If you are of a certain vintage,
you’ll understand what I mean when I say that anything “phoren” was considered
superior, and our own poor countries lagged far behind in all aspects- social,
educational, cultural, political.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The story, set
during Nigeria’s military dictatorship, and then post 9/11, is simple enough. It’s
the story of two sweethearts, Ifemelu and Obinze, from middle-class backgrounds,
who dream of leaving for America, the land where only the sky’s the limit for
your ambitions. Ifemelu leaves, and confronts hard facts about race, culture and
identity in the land of her dreams. Obinze is not so lucky. He is denied a
visa, goes to the UK, confronts the ugliest forms of racism, and then returns
to Nigeria where he makes his fortune in real estate. Circumstances force them
to drift apart and not even communicate by email with each other. They meet
fifteen years later, when Ifemelu returns to the land of her birth. Obinze is
married with a child. Their feelings for each other are just as strong. Will
they leave everything, go against the norms of society, and get back together?
I don’t want to spoil the ending for you; read the book and find out for
yourselves.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Now, this sounds
like a typical wishy-washy kind of story, but no- it’s much much more. It was
shortlisted for the Bailey’s Women’s Prize for Fiction, which may just put off
male readers. But it’s so much deeper than mere chick-lit in its bold and
honest examination of race and identity. Here’s one of her observations, taken
from the first chapter:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">During her first year in America when she
took the New Jersey Transit to Penn Station and then the subway….., she was
struck by how mostly slim white people got off at the stops in Manhattan and as
the train went further into Brooklyn the people left were mostly black and fat.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Ifemelu learns
what it is like to be black in America. She becomes famous for writing an
anonymous blog about racism, especially for the non-American black. (Title of
one of her blog-posts: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">To my fellow
non-American Blacks: In America You Are Black, Baby</i>) And when she goes to
an African saloon to get her hair braided, the owner says that their air
conditioner had broken down yesterday. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ifemelu
knew the air conditioner hadn’t broken yesterday; it had been broken for much
longer…<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Obinze, while
living in the UK as an illegal immigrant, is invited to a party by Eminike, a
Nigerian friend who had married a white woman and where they were the only two
blacks. He’s struck by how Eminike had changed to pretend to be white. ”<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">He had taken on a careful and calibrated
charm. He said “Oh dear” often. When Phillip complained about the French couple
building a house next to his in Cornwall, Eminike asked, “Are they between you
and the sunset?”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Are they between you and the sunset?</b> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">It would never occur to Obinze, or to anyone
he had grown up with, to ask a question like that.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What really held me was how many of her views
and experiences are so typical of people from any developing country, not just
Nigeria. The author describes how Ifemelu tries to conform (by changing the
style of her hair, the kind of food she eats, the way she speaks, and so on)
just to “fit in.” She confronts so many people who have a stereotypical image
of “black people”, but perhaps her biggest enemies are her own people. Ifemelu
finally decides to be herself, with her Afros and her accent, and although she
acquires the prized American passport, decides to return to her own country. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The questions
this novel asks about race and identity are bold and honest, and are worked
seamlessly into the love story. I would unhesitatingly give this novel 5 stars.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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I-Padminihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04820863841435707617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1415072320326961578.post-76759802297204446502015-03-14T13:24:00.001-07:002015-03-14T13:24:28.634-07:00The Written Chakra: Book Review: Anne O'Connell's Deep DeceitHello e...<a href="http://thewrittenchakra.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-written-chakra-hello-everybody-its.html?spref=bl">The Written Chakra: <br />
Book Review: Anne O'Connell's Deep Deceit<br />
Hello e...</a>: Book Review: Anne O'Connell's Deep Deceit Hello everybody! It’s been a rather slow week after the frenetic excitement of the...I-Padminihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04820863841435707617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1415072320326961578.post-21862166255546143852015-03-14T13:16:00.001-07:002015-03-14T13:16:03.399-07:00The Written Chakra: The Written ChakraHello everybody! It’s been a r...<a href="http://thewrittenchakra.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-written-chakra-hello-everybody-its.html?spref=bl">The Written Chakra: <br />
The Written Chakra<br />
Hello everybody! It’s been a r...</a>: The Written Chakra Hello everybody! It’s been a rather slow week after the frenetic excitement of the Dubai Lit Fest. But it was a w...I-Padminihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04820863841435707617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1415072320326961578.post-75736276743278509152015-03-14T13:13:00.000-07:002015-03-14T13:21:30.836-07:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: large;">Book Review: Anne O'Connell's <i>Deep Deceit</i></span></h1>
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<span style="line-height: 200%;">Hello everybody! It’s been a rather
slow week after the frenetic excitement of the Dubai Lit Fest. But it was a
week of reading and relaxation, what with all the books I picked up during the
festival! My bookshelf is once again lined up with almost ten books, enough to keep
me out of trouble for quite a while.</span></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Well, in any
case, let me present my first book review for The Written Chakra, a novel by
Anne Louise O’Connell titled <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Deep
Deceit.</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAqvzBIcMPqeZG46vErSDvIuj0nJUNBOw_4UDYudWsQ9Hr7Ojz_C6GfrJyvAgfYBEofuh9bMZxdX6tCjiADf60IgXuXQ_XQh5eJwHsVJCVupRwjvai0WmrupbrYK7ZlNikC2-Z-Ip5XDrB/s1600/DEEP+DECEIT+COVER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAqvzBIcMPqeZG46vErSDvIuj0nJUNBOw_4UDYudWsQ9Hr7Ojz_C6GfrJyvAgfYBEofuh9bMZxdX6tCjiADf60IgXuXQ_XQh5eJwHsVJCVupRwjvai0WmrupbrYK7ZlNikC2-Z-Ip5XDrB/s1600/DEEP+DECEIT+COVER.jpg" /></a></b></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
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Let me start at
the very beginning- the cover. It shows a woman in an abaya, her face and head
almost totally covered up, except for her eyes, which look down fearfully. But
hold it! Those eyes are blue, not brown! And the cover is an indicator of the tale
within. It is the story of a mother’s worst nightmare coming true, when her beautiful
18-year old daughter disappears. And her husband of 19 years, whom she has
never really got on with, starts behaving erratically. Into this mix, throw in
an unfamiliar landscape and culture, in this case the emirate of Dubai and the
kingdom of Saudi, and you have all the ingredients of a thriller or a
who-done-it. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The mother in
this story is Celeste, whose daughter, Tamara, mysteriously disappears. The
boorish husband, Ryan, pooh-poohs his wife’s fears, saying it was her
overbearing protectiveness from which the daughter was fleeing. The cracks,
which were already present in the marriage, widen after this event. Tamara is
not Ryan’s real daughter, but his best friend and business partner, Donald’s. After
Donald’s mysterious death nineteen years ago, Ryan had married his pregnant
widow, Celeste. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The story
unravels with remarkable skill, as one layer after another is peeled off like
the skin of an onion, only to reveal an unpalatable truth. Celeste sets out to
find her daughter, aided by the irrepressible Susan Morris, a former
psychiatric nurse who befriends Celeste and accompanies her everywhere in her
quest for her daughter.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The author, Anne
O’Connell, deftly weaves the plot with mystery and suspense so that we want to
keep turning the pages. And although the cities of Dubai and Riyadh have the
outward visage of modernity, old ideas of justice and revenge prevail. I
finished this book in two sittings, reading far into the night, so engrossed
had I become in the story.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I highly
recommend it to all lovers of thrillers as well as those who love women’s
fiction for it is also the story of a woman’s journey from helplessness and
victimhood to freedom and decisiveness. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Deep Deceit</b> is Anne O’Connell’s second
novel. Her earlier novel, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mental Pause</b>,
won a bronze medal in the 2013 Independent Publisher Book Awards. This book (in
my opinion) is even better than the earlier one. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And watch out for more reviews and tips (and maybe just plain
rantings) in my next blog. Until then, adios.</span></div>
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<b style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 36pt;"><br /></b></div>
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<b style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 36pt;">Deep Deceit</b><span style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 36pt;"> is available on <b>Amazon</b> in
both <b>Kindle</b> and paperback. <a href="http://amazon.com/"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Amazon.com</span></a> link - <a href="http://amzn.to/1zZrxEU"><span style="color: #1155cc;">http://amzn.to/1zZrxEU</span></a>and
the <a href="http://amazon.co.uk/"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Amazon.co.uk</span></a> link
- <a href="http://amzn.to/1BXWpXB"><span style="color: #1155cc;">http://amzn.to/1BXWpXB</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Follow Deep Deceit on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/deepdeceit"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Facebook. </span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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I-Padminihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04820863841435707617noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1415072320326961578.post-81099707303590727062015-03-08T13:37:00.001-07:002015-03-08T13:37:37.950-07:00The Written Chakra: Dubai Lit Fest- and what I gleaned from it<a href="http://thewrittenchakra.blogspot.com/2015/03/dubai-lit-fest-and-what-i-gleaned-from.html?spref=bl">The Written Chakra: Dubai Lit Fest- and what I gleaned from it</a>: The Written Chakra A blog for readers and writers and all who come between If you are a reader or writer, or have a literary l...I-Padminihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04820863841435707617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1415072320326961578.post-81923620495381094202015-03-08T13:36:00.000-07:002015-03-08T13:36:51.209-07:00Dubai Lit Fest- and what I gleaned from it<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlf9vymIdAfJ1dM2R62nS2O8NvPWKnlnxPMRpA4q8tUAYSoPc4IwxzTsOAoxpCaNh1JZfstUsHVQFvnvE6-HK1v0gWO2rXv8Ua-kwpfvoq8N8zb2QvwAi-uT0kt8GuMyEGmRXjW-J_Mlw-/s1600/chakra.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlf9vymIdAfJ1dM2R62nS2O8NvPWKnlnxPMRpA4q8tUAYSoPc4IwxzTsOAoxpCaNh1JZfstUsHVQFvnvE6-HK1v0gWO2rXv8Ua-kwpfvoq8N8zb2QvwAi-uT0kt8GuMyEGmRXjW-J_Mlw-/s1600/chakra.jpeg" /></a></div>
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The Written Chakra <o:p></o:p></div>
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A blog for readers and writers and all who come between<o:p></o:p></div>
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If you are a reader or writer, or have
a literary leaning, a Lit Fest is a Must-Go-To event. And Dubai boasts its own
Lit Fest, the Emirates Airlines Festival of Literature. For those of you not in
the know, this festival is held annually in the lovely month of March. (And
yes, let me shout this out loud n clear, Dubai is not just about gold and
petro-dollars; there’s a thriving community of readers and writers and thinking
people out here). So let me give you a round-up of some of the events I
attended and what I gleaned from them. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first, enticingly titled Shortening the
Odds: Inside Secrets of a Literary Agent, had me all excited. I mean, which
writer wouldn’t like to know how to make his or her novel stick out from the
crowd? Caroline Sheldon, the literary agent who gave the talk, was both
enlightening and encouraging. Her talk often went back to the basics- and it’s
always good to be reminded of them- that a writer has to be a great
story-teller and engage the reader emotionally. It seems the kind of books that
really sell these days are the ones sold in SUPERMARKETS!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I mean, how many people actually read
hoity-toity literary fiction, the Bookers and the Pulitzers and the
what-have-yous? No, this is by no means looking down on popular writing. Ever
since I decided to don the writer’s cap, I’ve become humble, and know that
writing something that sells in supermarkets is not exactly easy to do and
needs hard work and dedication and an understanding of current trends. <o:p></o:p></div>
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There were a few other gems for
writers in this talk: give a three-line synopsis of your novel in your
introductory email as this will travel with your book all the time when the
agent/publisher takes it around and waves it temptingly before people with
power. And after your manuscript has been rejected by the first set of agents,
take a good hard look at it and change what you think is not working! <o:p></o:p></div>
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It’s not about mere luck, getting
your book published. It’s about hard work and perseverance. Or so she says! <o:p></o:p></div>
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The other workshop I attended was for
those who want to get their stuff on to newspapers, and was titled Writing a
Weekly Column, and conducted by a famous British columnist, Heather McGregor.
Here are some of the “rules” for writing these columns.<o:p></o:p></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->The column should be between 700-1000 words long<o:p></o:p></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->It should be a mix of facts and opinion<o:p></o:p></div>
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experience<o:p></o:p></div>
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OK, Heather, you’ve really inspired
me to write something on a weekly basis, whether it is publishable or not! <o:p></o:p></div>
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But the most interesting event was the
authors’ talk. There were two authors, Ashwin Sanghi and PG Bhaskar, discussing
whether there is such a thing as an Indian novel. (Is There Such a Thing as an
Indian Novel?) <o:p></o:p></div>
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What<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> is</i> an “Indian” novel? A novel written by Indians? A novel written
in English with many words from the vernacular thrown in? Is the novel as a
form an import from the West? How are Indian readers different from Western
ones? <o:p></o:p></div>
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The talk was highly entertaining,
and very often the audience was in splits. Some interesting things I learnt: in
this day of the Internet, the human brain has only an 8 second attention span,
while a goldfish has a 9 second one; most readers stop reading a book on pg 17!
Interesting facts to know, especially if you’re a writer.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Ashwin Sanghi, who has written
three bestsellers to date, says he sent his first book to no less than
THIRTY-SEVEN publishers, and NOT ONE of them accepted it because they said the
Indian audiences were not yet ready for thrillers! He eventually self-published
it and aggressively went about marketing it. All his hard work paid off,
because now his books are all on the bestsellers’ lists! <o:p></o:p></div>
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PG Bhaskar is not quite a
bestseller, but he too has a message for writers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He wrote his first book during the Global
Financial Crisis as an escapism. He’s gone on to write a second book after
this. Why? Not for name and fame but just out of the sheer pleasure of writing!
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So you don’t have to exactly aspire for
fame and fortune when you write, but it can be for the sheer joy of writing.<o:p></o:p></div>
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So I come to the end of this years
Lit Fest.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Dear Readers and Writers, my next
blog is going to be a book review, so watch out! Oh, and do get back to me with
your own personal experiences of attending book fests. Or anything else that
shakes the literary world. Until then, goodbye.<o:p></o:p></div>
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mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
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I-Padminihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04820863841435707617noreply@blogger.com2