FAREWELLl 2015! And thanks for the lovely year end gifts!

What a year it has been! Lots of ups and downs but it has been one hell of a ride - travelling to new places, meeting interesting people at Hyderabad Literary Festival, Odisha Lit Fest and Rukmini Vijayakumar's Classical dance intensive, releasing my third book Shakti: The Divine Feminine, watching helplessly when a big fat Balinese monkey snatched my daughter's pretty pink crocs right off her foot but redeeming myself somewhat by screaming shrilly and saving the shoe on the other foot, raising hamster babies, portraying Saguni in a thematic classical dance representation and having the chief guest make a special mention of it, a memorable interview where I spoke about men and women, dogs and bitches, dancing at Chidambaram, eating frog legs, interacting with school and college kids, creative writing sessions, motivational speeches, weight loss woes.... WHEW! What a year it has been.
2015 is not done with me though and reserved some special year end presents for me.
I was nominated by Salisonline for "best author of the year" award. Voting goes on till 11.00pm IST January 18th, so if you are reading this please do vote for me and Shakti right here.

Vikas Datta's year end round up of books made special mention of Shakti: The Divine Feminine calling it a refreshingly new take on the primordial Indian Goddesses. You can check it out here.

Finally, award - winning blogger, Debdatta Dasgupta Sahay gave Shakti a rave review.  Sample this:

The author, who was quite good to begin with, seems to only grow with each book. Her language is grand and has mesmerizing moments. But the best part about her narration is that it is almost impossible to figure out which part of her book is fictional. It is easy to get lost in the book and forget that it is after alla work of fiction.

Another shining element of the book is the fact how relevant it is in today’s world while talking about Indian mythology. Many aspects of the book really resonated with me and I would recommend this book to not only women but also to men – to read it and to try and understand how relevant it is.

Do check out the rest of the review here.

Wishing you all a HAPPY NEW YEAR filled with nothing but the good stuff in life. Keep watching this space for all things SHAKTI and exciting news about my next book!

WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

I love this time of the year! It is nice and cool, there are lots of good things to eat, nobody is in the mood to work, you get to catch up with friends, and spend quality time with the family. George Lucas and Quentin Tarantino have been particularly obliging by serving up their especial brand of celluloid magic right on time for the holiday season. The party animals are probably fine - tuning their New year's eve plans which include cutting loose on Yachts, Times Square or the topless beaches of Goa. Others like me are resolving for the umpteenth time to do something wild this New Year's but it is almost a given that they will usher in a new beginning with a slice of ice cream cake in the kitchen so as not to wake the husband and kids.

Be that as it may, I wish you all a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. This time of the year (or any other time for that matter), I really enjoy curling up with a book. You are right to think that there is a blatant plug sneaking up on you but it is true, I love me a good book and a plate of goodies on hand. Currently, I am reading Rosalyn D'Mello's A Handbook for My Lover and am looking forward to Haruki Murakami and Eleanor Catton next. In case you are looking for something nice to read, do check out Shakti: The Divine Feminine which is available at discount rates on Amazon India, Flipkart, and Amazon Kindle.

Hubby made this poster for me! Isn't he nice? :) 

Tis the season to be jolly, fa la la la la la la la la la! HAPPY HOLIDAYS! And may the SHAKTI be with you! 

George RR Martin and I

My interview with Tania Sinha for INDShare, where I outline my strategy for getting George RR Martin to finish his next book among other things . You can check it out here.

PIC courtesy of hubby who was forced into this shoot on a lazy Sunday by yours truly :)

In other exciting news all three of my books are featured on Amazon's bestseller lists. And if you are dying to get your hands on a free copy of Shakti: The Divine Feminine, please do enter the Goodreads giveaway here. Those from the United States of America who have been asking me about copies it is available on Amazon Kindle which you can buy here. or enter the giveaway here.

Plum cake and Praise for Shakti!

Recently, I did an interview with Dinamalar, a leading Tamil daily and the response has blown my mind! Really want to thank my fellow Tamils for the overwhelming appreciation they have showered on me in an endless stream of touching emails. It made me feel absolutely special and wonderful. Thanks ever so much! As STR says to his own legion of fans "Neenga illama naan illa). 

Why on earth do celebs crib about giving interviews? I could do it all day :)

In more good news, blogger Namrata has nothing but sweet things to say about Shakti: The Divine Feminine. In fact she equates it with rich and gooey plum cake. Sample this:

As I end the year 2015 this comes across one of the most amazing reads by an Indian author for the year. It promises a lot of things and it delivers. It doesn't disappoint the reader even a wee bit. 

The author whom I claim to be my favourite still continues to be that as I anxiously look forward to her next book.

Do grab this one - recommended for every one!

Foodie Verdict

This book is like plum cake - the perfect reading for the season with perfectly balanced out tastes.

You can read the rest of it here.