Early on during the book writing process, I was told the book would have illustrations. Me, being me, assumed that it would be picture book like with glossy pictures and text that flowed around the pictures. Clearly, I had no idea about the MG book market. I found later that that the illustrations would be … Continue reading Meet The Illustrator: Niloufer Wadia
Blog
My Cup Floweth Over
I end the day, my heart full, my eyes teary, and overcome with emotion. All through the day, I watched as friends and family shared posts on their social media. They accompanied links to my books with lengthy write-ups, an ode to the time we have known each other. Each of these posts were heartfelt, … Continue reading My Cup Floweth Over
How Can YOU Help A Debut Author?
Photo by Breakingpic on Pexels.com (The Obvious) BUY THEIR BOOK(S).Buy a second copy of their book(s) to gift to a friend.Buy a copy to donate to a school library.Review their book(s) on Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, BookDepository – anywhere you can think of. Reviews get books seen. Books that are seen are books … Continue reading How Can YOU Help A Debut Author?
Book Birthday: Why is my hair curly?
The day is finally here. Year-long labor of love, my children’s book “Why is my hair curly?” by Red Panda (an imprint of Westland Books – An Amazon company) is out in Kindle and Audible formats today. The paperback version will be out on July 20th, 2020. Get your book at: getbook.at/WhyIsMyHairCurly Join me for … Continue reading Book Birthday: Why is my hair curly?
Nalak By Abanindranath Tagore – Translated by Urbi Bhaduri
Towards the end of 2019, I received an email from Urbi asking if I would like to read a book she had translated. She sent me a blurb and I was definitely interested. I forgot all about it until the book turned up in my mailbox in February of this year. It is a slim … Continue reading Nalak By Abanindranath Tagore – Translated by Urbi Bhaduri
Adoption: Do Not Adopt Unless You WANT To
I woke up to a message on FB with a link to this Buzzfeed article on Myka Stauffer. Prior to reading the article, I had no idea who she was. It is a reflection on how little I am connected to the world of influencers and their ilk. I read the article a few times. … Continue reading Adoption: Do Not Adopt Unless You WANT To
COVID-19 Diaries: Emotional
I have broken down every alternate day this week. Some days it’s been a full meltdown replete with ugly crying. Other days, it has been that heavy feeling in the head, with the tears hovering right inside my eyelids, threatening to fall. Today, the emotions are of a different kind. I received the final versions … Continue reading COVID-19 Diaries: Emotional
Film Review: the half of it
About twenty-three years ago, I created my first personal email account. It was an account that I shared with my best friend. It was also an account that saw a lot of emails go back and forth with “pen pals”, people we did not know. There were no smartphones, no way to scan and send … Continue reading Film Review: the half of it
Book Update: Why is my hair curly?
So, I have news. “Why is my hair curly?” will be available on Amazon in a few weeks in Kindle format. The physical book will take a couple of months to be available given the lockdown in India. While I wait for the book to be available and permission to share the cover for the … Continue reading Book Update: Why is my hair curly?
Westland Books – An Author A Day
Westland featured a clip of me reading from my favorite book for their An Author A Day series. https://www.instagram.com/tv/B_mnL6pAWfi/?igshid=113ma58ddrb0j
The Writing Journey
The messages from my publisher usually are short and to the point. My heart skips a beat each time I see her name pop up on my messages. In February of this year, I had plans. I renewed my passport. I was to apply for a visa. I had a mental map of the places … Continue reading The Writing Journey
Book Review: Good Talk by Mira Jacob
Mira Jacob’s book Good Talk kept popping on my social media feed since it came out in March 2019. The term graphic memoir was strange enough for me to put away looking for it. Then, this week, while searching for something unrelated, this book popped up again. On impulse I bought it. I finished the … Continue reading Book Review: Good Talk by Mira Jacob
Announcement: Book Deal!
Miracles happen. They do! In July this year, a publisher from Red Panda, a children's imprint of Westland Publishing (an Amazon company) in India reached out through my blog. She asked if I was interested in writing children's fiction. I hemmed and hawed and eventually jumped at the opportunity. For someone who primarily writes creative … Continue reading Announcement: Book Deal!
Book Review: A Fractured Life by Shabnam Samuel
I stumbled onto Shabnam Samuel by chance. A common FB group, a random conversation and then an intentional phone call had me ordering her debut novel on Amazon. I thought of it as good karma. Something I did for a fellow writer. Admittedly, the blurb of her book intrigued me and I would have looked … Continue reading Book Review: A Fractured Life by Shabnam Samuel
Author Interview: L. Ryan Storms
I met Lorraine exactly two years ago today at a Writer's Conference in Philadelphia. We met on the train to Philadelphia and have been friends since. I have rooted along the sidelines as she wrote and wrote some more. I have cheered her decision to publish her book and shared her gorgeous cover art when … Continue reading Author Interview: L. Ryan Storms
Our Daughters Update: CAAM Media Fund Awardee
Our Daughters, the documentary that has been almost two years in the making now is a recipient of the CAAM Media Fund. In their words. CAAM is supporting six new documentaries through our Media Fund department. CAAM funds documentaries and projects made by or about Asian Americans that are intended for public media. This includes … Continue reading Our Daughters Update: CAAM Media Fund Awardee
Amplifying A Voice I Admire
Please take 10 minutes of your time to listen to Samira Ahmed, author of an upcoming young adult novel Internment. Not only is this book needed, but it is also essential for our children to walk with their eyes open.
#NAM2018 National Adoption Awareness Month: What Can Adoptive Parents Do?
Each November adoptionland is rife with op-eds, hashtags, conferences, panels and social media blitzes by all members of the triad. #FlipTheScript was all I heard over the past few years. I listened hard and reflected on what I heard. Some years, I wrote about my experience with openness in the context of our lives. This … Continue reading #NAM2018 National Adoption Awareness Month: What Can Adoptive Parents Do?
Open Adoption: Real Lives. Real Impacts.
My daughter, all of nine and I are standing, facing each other. I hold a tube of cucumber face pack and apply the goo in an even layer all over her face. I avoid her fine blond hair, so pale that I have to look carefully to even see it. Up close, her face is … Continue reading Open Adoption: Real Lives. Real Impacts.
Three Identical Strangers: Thoughts And Angst
Spoiler Alert. I highly recommend you watch the movie before reading I watched the trailer for Three Identical Strangers end of June this year. I was fascinated. Not just because this was a story of adoption but because it seemed too incredible to be true. The dramatic music, the reenactments and the hints of something … Continue reading Three Identical Strangers: Thoughts And Angst
Open Adoption Goes Both Ways
“I am bored!” The words seem to resound, bounce off the walls of our home over the weekend. If they were not out biking or prone on the sofa, eyes glazed over, watching something inane on the television, they start like cicadas, a lone voice, growing, amplifying into a resonant chorus until I either yell … Continue reading Open Adoption Goes Both Ways
