Sunday, November 25, 2018

Showcase: The Devil's Son by Charles Kowalski



The Devil's Son

by Charles Kowalski

on Tour November 19 - December 21, 2018

The Devil's Son by Charles Kowalski

Synopsis:

The son of a notorious Nazi fugitive is running for U.S. President. A Secret Service Agent sworn to protect him meets a beautiful Mossad spy determined to stop him.
 

Book Details:

Genre: Political, Espionage thriller Published by: Seabridge Press Publication Date: July 24, 2018 Number of Pages: 333 ISBN: 1724248731 (ISBN13: 9781724248732) Purchase Links: Amazon | Goodreads
 

Read an excerpt:


BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA
1960

Azriel “Azi” Horowitz grimaced as his partner’s Zippo flared in the darkness beside him. He had never been a smoker, and in the confines of the Ford Mainline – a clunker, but the best rental they could find, and not out of place in the working-class Olivos neighborhood in Partido Vicente Lopez – the fumes from the Lucky Strikes nauseated him.
“Yaki, you know I have a little problem with noxious gases in closed spaces.”
Yaakov Lavan shrugged, with his usual easygoing grin. “We’re just two old friends having a chat, right, Azi? And we have to do it in the car, because my wife won’t let me smoke near the baby.”
Horowitz had to concede the point, although he still thought it was a rather thin cover story. One small mercy of operating in Argentina was that the sight of two men conversing in a parked car at night was not altogether uncommon, but every little extra touch of realism they could add was vital. If anyone accosted them, they would have a lot more explaining to do than either of them could manage in Spanish.
Lavan took a deep drag from his cigarette, held it for a moment, and slowly exhaled a white cloud with a look of supreme contentment. As much as Horowitz hated the smell of tobacco, he felt a touch of envy for his partner, and wished he had some similarly portable means of calming his own nerves. His mind continually flitted over the long journey that had brought them to this moment – the years of detective work that had traced their targets to Argentina, the months of secretly stalking and planning in their theater of operations – and all the hundreds of things that could still go wrong.
In addition to the unease in his mind, Horowitz felt another kind in his body: he desperately needed a bathroom break. Thanks to one of the men they were waiting for, his kidneys had stopped growing at the age of seven.
Their targets called themselves Carlos Vasquez and José Mendoza, and had the identity cards to prove it, but Horowitz had first made their acquaintance under different names. One was SS Hauptsturmführer Karl Weiss, #7278, the sadistic Lagerführer – deputy commandant – of Auschwitz. The other, holding the same SS rank, was Josef Mengele, #317885, a living desecration of the title of “doctor.” Anyone who had ever passed through the gates of Auschwitz knew him by yet another name: der Totesengel, the Angel of Death.
If all goes well, Horowitz thought, tonight will be a night for the history books. With luck and the blessing of the Almighty, they would soon have their targets in hand and be on their way to the safe house code-named Tira – “castle” in Hebrew – where Mengele and Weiss would go straight into an improvised holding cell, to join the worst of the worst: SS Obersturmbannführer Adolf Eichmann, “the Master,” architect of the Holocaust, personally responsible for the murder of millions.
The Israeli government naturally regarded Eichmann as the grand prize, but Horowitz had a personal score to settle with Mengele and Weiss. As soon as the cattle car arrived in Auschwitz, Weiss had sent Horowitz’s mother and father directly to the gas chambers, but knowing Mengele’s notorious fascination with twins, kept Azriel and his sister Rachel alive as subjects for his experiments. Mengele had tried to change Rachel’s eye color by injecting her eyeballs with a substance that left her blind, and then infected her with typhus, keeping a careful record of her wasting away. When her end was near, rather than let the disease claim her, Mengele passed her on to Weiss, who used her in one final experiment to see how long it would take to die from a new type of lethal injection.
It had taken twelve minutes and nineteen seconds before she stopped screaming.
“Look,” came Lavan’s voice, bringing Horowitz sharply back to the present. “Is that them?”
Horowitz gazed through the windshield and saw two figures staggering tipsily along the route from the Hofbräuhaus, the German restaurant Mengele and Weiss were known to frequent, towards the guest house where they lived. At first, the darkness and distance made it impossible to make out their features. Then they stepped into the light of a street lamp, and Horowitz risked a quick glance through his binoculars. At the sight of their faces, he felt a sudden burning pain in his left forearm.
Fifteen years had passed since Horowitz last saw those faces, but there could be no mistaking the granite jaw and ice-blue eyes of Weiss. Nor was there any doubt about the gap-toothed smile that gave Mengele the appearance of a little boy – one who delighted in torturing anything smaller and weaker than himself. Many children in Auschwitz had seen that smile on the face of their self-proclaimed “Uncle Josef” as he sat them on his knee, gave them sweets, stroked their hair – and in a soft, soothing voice, ordered an aide to inject them with poison.
“It’s them,” Horowitz said.
“You’re sure?”
“Positive.”
Lavan stubbed out his cigarette. He turned around in the driver’s seat, pointed a hooded flashlight at the car behind them, and gave it two quick on-off bursts. The crew in the second car would relay the signal to Tabor and Rosen, who were waiting around the corner.
Right on cue, they appeared a moment later, Tabor in a suit and fedora, Rosen in a coat that would allow her ample freedom of movement. They sauntered toward Mengele and Weiss, with the same relaxed, unsteady gait as their targets, pretending to be absorbed in conversation, occasionally leaning on each other for support. To all appearances, they were a couple coming home from a party with a few too many drinks under their belts, too wrapped up in each other to take much notice of their surroundings.
They would maintain this masquerade until they passed their targets, right between the two cars. Then they would turn and grab them from behind, as the driver of the rear car switched on the high beams to blind them. Horowitz, and the other strongman in the rear car, would jump out and help Tabor and Rosen subdue their targets and bundle one of them into each car. They would apply an ether mask to knock them out, and the two cars would take off on separate routes to Tira, where they and their captives would stay until the plane was ready to take them all back to Israel.
And then, Horowitz thought, all the stories you thought would lie buried with your victims will be told to the world, from a courtroom in Jerusalem. The world will know what we mean when we say, “Never forget.”
He pulled on a pair of gloves. The May night was chill enough to warrant them, but more than that, he might have to use his hand to muffle Weiss’s screams. It revolted him to think of his bare hands touching the mouth that had ordered his parents gassed and his sister tortured to death.
Tabor and Rosen were fifty paces away from their targets and closing.
Forty paces.
Thirty.
Horowitz heard the roar of a motorcycle approaching from behind. He tensed, and took an anxious glance in the rear-view mirror. The last thing they needed at this moment was for the police to pass by. The upcoming celebrations for Argentina’s hundred-fiftieth anniversary, which had all of Buenos Aires in a festive mood, had proven to be a double-edged sword for Horowitz and his team. The diplomatic entourage from Israel, one of many visiting from all over the world, had provided the perfect cover, but the influx of high-level international visitors also meant the constant menace of police patrols and checkpoints. The Mossad team was conducting this operation without the knowledge or approval of the Argentine government, and if they were found out, they might well go to jail. And, far worse, their targets might well go free.
The motorcycle passed by the lead car. Horowitz took a sidelong glance and saw no police insignia, just a single rider driving rather unsteadily. He breathed a little easier, but his heart was still pounding.
Twenty paces.
Ten.
“Get ready to meet the real Angel of Death, you sons of bitches,” Horowitz muttered aloud.
***
Excerpt from The Devil's Son by Charles Kowalski. Copyright © 2018 by Charles Kowalski. Reproduced with permission from Charles Kowalski. All rights reserved.
 

Author Bio:



Charles Kowalski


Charles Kowalski is an active member of International Thriller Writers. His debut thriller, MIND VIRUS, won the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers' Colorado Gold Award, and was a finalist for Killer Nashville's Silver Falchion Award for Best Thriller of 2017. His latest, THE DEVIL'S SON, was shortlisted for the 2018 Adventure Writers' Competition Grandmaster Award. He divides his time between Japan, where he teaches at a university, and Downeast Maine.

Catch Up With Charles Kowalski On: Website, Goodreads, Twitter, & Facebook!

 

Tour Participants:

Visit these other great hosts on this tour for more great reviews, interviews, guest posts, and giveaways!  

Enter to win!

This is a rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours for Charles Kowalski. There will be 1 winner of one (1) Amazon.com Gift Card. The giveaway begins on November 19, 2018 and runs through December 22, 2018. Void where prohibited.

Get More Great Reads at Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours

 


Wednesday, November 21, 2018

Blog Tour: Bite Me Harder by Chris Genovese



Bite Me Harder (A Paranormal Shifter Novel)
(Guardians of the Deep Book 2)
299 Pages
Hosted by Words Turn Me On







Bite me once… shame on you. Bite me twice and you own me.

A lonely shark shifter searching for her happily ever after, a carefree surfer wanting only to ride his next wave, a confident DJ shaken by horrors from her past, and a savage alpha hellbent on revenge. Passion and pain collide as new predators keep the shallow waters off the Queensland coast soaked in blood.

This time, two love stories interweave with action packed into the seams, and if you think wolves dominate the paranormal shifter world, try throwing them into the ocean.

You’ve read werewolves, you’ve sunk your teeth into vampires, and you’ve even danced with dragons, bears, and panthers. But not all paranormal shifters walk on all fours. It’s time to get your feet wet with shark shifters.






Buy Links
Amazon Universal Link: http://geni.us/vF2JH










Just when I think I couldn’t fall in love with Chris’ writing anymore than I already do he brings us book 2 of his Shark Shifter book. Well hell put a fork in me cause I am so well done it’s not even funny. ~ Chasing The Words Book Blog


HOLY COW!!! I loved this one, even more than the first if that is even possible. I was hooked from the very beginning and there was not a slow point in the book. Which means there is no place to put it down. ~ Heather, Goodreads Reviewer


Another fin-tastic story by Chris Genovese! I didn't think I could love this one more than the first one (Oh, Bite Me), but I was wrong, it was absolutely phenomenal!!! ~ Lynn Stifel


I devoured this book!!.......If you are after a shifter book with something extra special then this is the book you will want to dive right into- with floaties of course :) ~ Chrissi





Oh, Bite Me: Paranormal Dating Agency
(Guardians of the Deep)



Wolves, bears, tigers, and dragons. Shifters come in so many shapes and sizes, but not all alphas are on dry land.

Thane patrols the water off the coast of Australia, making sure a school of rebel sharks doesn’t attack human tourists. Selflessly putting himself in harm’s way means little time trying to find his one true mate.

Penny has sworn off dating after meeting the wrong kind of shifter—the douchebag kind with a nasty temper. However, a chance encounter while on vacation in Australia finds her sitting by the pool next to Geraldine Wilder, supernatural matchmaking guru. In typical Gerri style, she’s having none of that “love isn’t for me” nonsense.

Now, with the Paranormal Dating Agency in her corner, will Penny finally have a chance at her happily ever after? Will she find what she’s been looking for in Thane, the flirtatious stranger she meets on a party cruise? Or will she find herself in deep, dangerous water?

This is a tiger shark shifter story. Be prepared to get wet.








Buy Links
Amazon Universal Link: http://geni.us/CEEu





Chris Genovese is a male romance and erotica author who often writes from the female perspective. He has a passion for writing sensual tales that take the average woman (or man) and place them in erotic positions. Life isn't prude so why should we be? If you're under the age of 18, or if you get offended easily, please don't purchase these books. If you're ready to be entertained, aroused, and brought to emotional climax then please do.

Carver Pike is my darker, more twisted alter ego . Where Chris tends to write erotic comedies, poetry, and other fun but sexy tales, Carver likes to stick a knife in it and wiggle it around. If you're looking for horror and dark fantasy with an erotic twist, you've come to the right man. Who new scary could be so sexy?


Social Media Links:










Also check out Chris' website at http://www.eroticmayberry.com where you can get up to date info on Chris' books, see dirty pics, and even read FREE Maybe Mandy diary entries.















Saturday, November 17, 2018

Author Interview: Thomas Leslie McRae, Author of Fatal Impact




Thomas Leslie McRae is a 36 year old African American male who love for poetry and writing in general has transformed him in to a overly embellish author who strides on being the best author he can possibly be. Thomas lives with his parents not because he has to but because he chooses to stay with them while he saves his money to buy them all a house they all can enjoy. His current poetry book project Fatal Impact is filled with passion and desire plus a variety of collection of poems such as spiritual, love, death, political and personal. Thomas believes everyone who has a open mind will like this book because he feels poetry hasn't been this good in a very long time. Fatal Impact is available online Amazon.com, Barnes and noble.com, Google Books.com, fishpond.com and every other book retailer online.




1. What motivates you too write and where does your inspiration comes from?
Life motivates me to write.  Love, pain, and all of the above. I write because it's who I am and it's in my soul.

2. What questions do you wish that someone would ask you about your books, but nobody has?
At the moment I can't think of anything, but I'm open to any and every question. Because nothing means more to me than talking to my readers and genuine fan base.

3. What are your current projects?
My most current book Fatal Impact is available online at amazon.com and any other book retailer that you can think of. It's a poetry book, with a collection of poems such as spiritual, love, death, political and personal. I believe you will enjoy this book because it's filled with passion and desire as well as soul.

4. How do you think you have evolved as a person/author because of your writing and do you believe your writing has help others and why?
I believe my writing has made me more focused and dedicated, I'm determined to be heard and recognize for my artistic efforts. And the reason why I believe my writing has inspired others is because people I know plus never met tells me all the time how much they admire my dedication plus strong will to express myself freely and openly.

5. What is your biggest fear about having a book published?
At this point in my life I don't have any fear in regards of self-publishing, because between marketing and promoting myself plus monitoring the self-publishing company I have to go through to get my book out there. It's too much time consuming plus energy draining to worry about any kind of fear or to have any doubts.

6. Who is the prime target for your book?
Pretty much anyone who enjoys poetry plus a little of rhythm and soul.

7. If you had a chance to get one message out there to reach readers all over the world what would it be?
If you’re a genuine poetry lover who appreciates the craft then please support this book. Because there's a little bit for everyone especially if you're a diverse reader.

8. What would you like to write about that you have never written before?
Eventually I would like to write a typical full length novel from all kinds of genres. It doesn't matter if it’s love, action or drama. As long as it's quality good work.

9. What are the most important elements of good writing? According to you what tools are a must for writers?
To be a good writer you must be passionate, resilient, willing to accept criticism and determine to succeed even if you dont have a good support system at home.

10. What makes your book stand out from the crowd?
My book speaks to anyone’s soul plus has the ability to touch everyone's heart and give it an emotional charge.

11. What is the best advice you would give to someone that wants to get into writing?
The main advice I would give anyone is to do your research especially if your self-publishing, but I would also tell them to pursue your dreams and don’t let anyone hold you back. Because life is too short to allow others to dictate who you are and what you're supposed to be.

12. Is there anything else you like to share with your readers?
Fatal Impact is available online amazon.com plus any other book retailer. If you wish to contact me personally email me anytime at. I am open to questions, advice or all of the above. Fatal Impact is raw, real and it's here please support this book you won't be disappointed.





Fatal Impact is raw, real and it's here please support this book because poetry hasn't been this good in a very long time. It’s filled with passion and desire plus a variety of collection of poems such as spiritual, love, death, political, and personal.




Thank you, Thomas for this amazing interview! I wish you success for all your future works. Keep writing!






Friday, November 16, 2018

Book Blitz: When Our Worlds Meet Again by Aniesha Brahma

~ Book Blitz ~
When Our Worlds Meet Again by Aniesha Brahma
16th November 2018


About the Book:




Two years after the events of 'When Our Worlds Collide', Zayn and Akriti are now leading extremely different lives. Akriti has come back from her stint at the business school and running her mother's café. Zayn has run into trouble in his PhD program and has come home for a break. While he thinks that things are just as he’d left them two years ago, that is far from the truth. In a last ditch attempt to make Akriti remember the connection they had once shared, Zayn tries to recreate all their memories. But things are never the same when collided worlds meet again. 








Book Links:



Read an Excerpt:



Prologue
2015.
Akriti was sitting at the cash counter of her mother’s little café going over the expenses for the day. Her headphones were plugged into her ears as she listened to songs on her phone. Her laptop was propelled open in front of her as she made notes on what else needed to be done the next day.
In the two years that she had been gone, the café had not changed at all. Her mother had kept all the renovations that Akriti and her colleagues had done two years ago. The only difference was that now there was a bulletin board next to the chalkboard menu that had been installed just a few weeks ago. On the bulletin board hung a poster that announced that next week’s Poetry Slam would start at 6PM sharp, and Suzanna needed to be contacted for early registration.
Akriti finished her work and shut down her laptop. She looked around the café in grim satisfaction and let out a happy little sigh. The music from her phone suddenly stopped playing. Glancing down she saw that her phone had started buzzing, flashing a number she had not seen on her phone in quite a while.
Debating for a minute, she received the call.
“Hi, Zayn.”

Airports have seen more sincere kisses than weddings it is said. As Zayn Banerjee waited to catch his flight back home, he witnessed one too many couples bidding each other teary eyed goodbyes. It was watching these strangers that he remembered how it had felt two years ago when he had left his home behind in pursuit of higher studies. How he had come to this alien land which had eventually led him to a lot of heartache and misery!
But there had been something good about those two years. There had been someone who had seen past all his imperfections and focused only on the good that was in him. Who had been his friend against all odds and yet, they had fallen out of touch with each other over the course of two years. He wondered if she was still using the same number. He wondered if she still had his number saved.
On an impulse, he pulled out his phone and dialed her number. She answered it on the third ring.
“Hi, Zayn.”
“Akriti.”
He was pleased as punch that she remembered him.
“Did you want something?”
“I am just calling to let you know that I’d be home soon.”
“Oh.”
“Oh? Honestly, I was hoping for a reaction better than oh.”
“Zayn, it’s really late here. Let’s talk when you’re in town?”
“I’ll do you one better. I’ll come see you.”
“Great. Safe flight.”
Then the line went dead. Zayn stared at the phone, wondering if their friendship was lost over the course of time. This wasn’t like the Akriti he remembered.
This wasn’t his Akriti at all.

Akriti hung up the phone feeling utterly drained. Once upon a time this was a source of her happiness but tonight he was a cause of her stress. The last thing she needed was for Zayn to come barging into her life once more.
She remembered all the memories that they had made together two years ago. The time when she’d finally felt okay to let her guard down and just be herself. It seemed to her like it was a lifetime ago. But he’d left. Like everyone else in her life and she had found herself consumed by her loneliness. Going off to business school had only made Akriti revert back to her old self.
That’s a lie they tell you, Akriti thought bitterly to herself, as she put her headphones back on and started listening to music again, time doesn’t heal a damn thing. It just burns the memories into your mind.

About the Author:


Aniesha Brahma knew she wanted to be a writer since she was six years old. She was schooled in Dolna Day School and went on to pursue B.A., M.A., and M.Phil in Comparative Literature from Jadavpur Univeristy. She currently lives in Kolkata, with her family and five pet cats. She is the author of All Signs Lead Back to You, When Our Worlds Collide, The Guitar Girl and The Secret Proposal. She compiled and edited the 10 volumes series, 'Children's Classic Stories' with love and great efforts.

Website * Twitter * Instagram * Facebook







Tuesday, November 13, 2018

Release Day Blitz: The Hidden Children by Reshma K Barshikar

~ Release Day Blitz ~
The Hidden Children (The Lost Grimoire #1)
by Reshma K.Barshikar
13th November 2018


About the Book:

‘What price would you pay to be extraordinary? What would you do to speak to a butterfly? 

Shayamukthy cruises through life: shooting hoops, daydreaming and listening to her favourite books. Even moving from the US to India, to a new school, a new culture, hasn't really rattled her. But something isn't right anymore and it begins when 'New Girl' joins the school.

She pulls Shui into a world of magic and wonderment, a world she has been hidden from all her life. What starts as a quest to look for a lost book, hurtles Shui into a world where people live in trees, talk to the dead and speak to butterflies.

But like all power, magic comes at a steep price, and under all things wondrous lie demons waiting to crawl out. The more Shui learns, the more she doubts everything and everyone around her. 

Will she be able to master her powers, or will they devour her and everyone she loves?



Order Your Copy from AMAZON now!

Read an Excerpt:

I think I am ordinary. I lack purpose. Boohoo you think, typical teenager angst. But if I died tomorrow, it wouldn’t impact anyone’s life except my parents’. My friends, on the other hand, they have a life. See them there, yes there, to the right, next to the banyan tree behind the basketball court. You see a slightly pudgy boy and a beautiful girl? The boy’s name is Jai. The girl’s name is Nallini. Both have purpose. Jai wants to write comic books. He wants to be like Neil Gaiman or something, some famous comic-book guy. Nallini wants to be an actress, the next Deepika Padukone – that, and to win next year’s gold medal in Jujitsu.

She has absolutely no problems reconciling the inherent contradictions in both her desires.

I want nothing, need nothing, except something to need. I can’t see past today even to tomorrow; I have a hard enough time figuring out what I am now. I am not from a broken home, unless you count the fact that parts of the building I live in are falling apart. I am not poor, not like Anuki Chabria who got called out of her exam because her parents couldn’t pay her fees. I do not have acne bursting on my face, making me look like a human cheese grater. I am just, well, ordinary. So could you really blame me? Blame me for wanting to be special? Blame me for wanting to be fierce? To be like Storm from the X-Men, or like Beyoncé? When I look back now, at everything that has happened in the last few months, I realise I’m just as much to blame as her. The big question – well, it’s not a big question at all, really, because it’s all rubbish now, because you can’t go back. Even I can’t go back. So the absurd question everyone around me seems to asking is – would I have acted differently, would I rather NOT be the person I am now?

No.

And neither would you. What price wouldn’t you pay to be extraordinary, to ride the wind, to float with unicorns, to be the one chosen...? Because, you see, I’ve gotten into some serious trouble and want to explain myself. I didn’t mean for things to happen. I didn’t mean for someone to die. So I ask you – wouldn’t you have said yes if someone said – ‘Do you want to learn how to speak to a butterfly?’ 


About the Author:

Travel writer and novelist Reshma K Barshikar is an erstwhile Investment Banker who, as she tells it, ‘fell down a rabbit hole and discovered a world outside a fluorescent cubicle.’ As a travel and features writer, she contributes to National Geographic Traveller, Harper’s Bazaar, Grazia, The Sunday Guardian, SilverKris, The Mint Lounge and The Hindu. Fade Into Red, published by Random House India was her debut novel and featured in Amazon Top 10 Bestsellers. She also holds well renowned workshops for young adults at both BDL Museum and Kala Ghoda and is keen to build a strong Young Adult reading and writing community to fill the desperate lack of young adult fiction in the Indian Market. Her new Young Adult novel, The Hidden Children, will be launching at the Vizag Junior Literary Festival. Reshma is from the ISB Class of 2003. She calls both Mumbai and the Nilgiris home. 


Contact the Author:







Saturday, November 10, 2018

Author Interview: Shilpa Suraj, Author of Driven by Desire




Shilpa Suraj was a year and a half when she was first introduced to the world of books. Her mother would park her with a picture book on the floor of the kitchen while she finished her cooking for the day. While it’s no longer the kitchen floor, you can still find her tucked away in a cosy nook somewhere with her nose buried in a book. While books in all genres interest her, it was romance that captured her heart. While racing through every romantic fiction book she could beg, borrow or buy, her over active imagination started to work overtime and weave its own stories. Years in the corporate world followed by a stint of entrepreneurship crystallised her belief that all she really wanted to do was give life to the stories bubbling inside of her. She briefly managed to tear herself away from the world of fiction to find her own personal happily ever after and now spends her time happily focusing on the two loves of her life – family and writing romances.



When did you first realize that you wanted to be a writer/ a storyteller?
I’ve always had a story to tell…the only difference is earlier I got punished for it and now I get paid. Jokes aside, I remember being the one narrating rather than listening to the bedtime story even as a child. I’ve always wanted to be a storyteller but it’s only later in life that I got around to doing this on a larger platform and with a wider audience.

What motivates you to write and where does your inspiration come from?
My motivation and my inspiration come from the same place…life and my vivid imagination. I’ll write as long as I have a story to tell and at the moment, I don’t see that ever ending. This is my happily ever after.

How did you come up with the idea for your current story?
Max was a character who strolled right into my head. A vintage car restorer with a joie de vivre that’s enviable, Max is someone I’d love to be. Unfortunately, I’m more a Krish in real life. Harried, overburdened and stressed out. Bringing the two of them together was fun, interesting and irresistible.

What is your writing process? Do you follow a regular routine or do you have any weird, funny, or unusual habits while writing and what are they?
I wish I had a process. I truly wish I did but my process consists of writing whenever I find the time. With an active toddler, a full time job and a home to run, my writing time is usually in the middle of the night; the only time peace and quiet reign in my home. I don’t have an unusual habit per se but I do have a funny story. I set up a fully functional study in my home so I could sit at a tidy, professional looking table and write. It’s tidy and professional alright but I haven’t written a word at it. I usually end up tapping away in bed next to my sleeping daughter so I can multitask…babysit and write to my heart’s content.

Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? If so, what do you do about it?
I do. I often find myself struggling, especially in the middle of a book. What usually works for me is to take a break from the story. Refresh, recharge and remove yourself from the rut you’re stuck in…the writer’s block usually will sort itself out. If you’re still stuck, then maybe you need to revisit your story. The protagonists are probably trying to tell you something! 😊

What are your current/future projects?
My next book releases with Rupa Publications next year. It is the story of three people caught in a tangled web of love, family, marriage and each other and their dark, desperate journey of redemption. Adultery, bankruptcy and perfidy bring the three of them to a crossroads in life where there is no right choice. Only the wrong one.But mostly, it’s a story of their quest to gain acceptance through love. The only choice left to us all.

Why did you choose to write in your particular field or genre? If you write more than one, how do you balance them?
I never chose my genre or field. I only ever wrote the stories I wanted to tell. My focus has always been on telling the most compelling story I could. The rest, as far as I’m concerned, are just labels.

Are you traditional or self-published, and what process did you go through to get your book published?
I’m traditionally published. When I wrote my debut novel ‘The Girl He Left Behind,’ I didn’t have any idea how the publishing industry worked. I went online and looked up submission guidelines of a few publishers and sent off my sample chapters and synopsis assuming I would be flooded with offers. I was lucky in that I did get several requests for the full manuscript followed by polite and encouragingly worded rejections until Harlequin reached out expressing interest. They offered me a two book contract and I haven’t looked back since.

Do you believe there is value in a review? Do you believe they are under rated, over rated, or don’t matter at all?
Yes, of course, there is value in a review. Good, bad or ugly, there is always something to learn and take away from it.

What is the intended audience for you book?
My books are intended for any adult reader who would like to read them. Taste or preferences are subjective, whether it’s books or fashion or anything else in life and I wouldn’t dream of judging who should or shouldn’t read my books. I’m happiest if everyone does.

What would you like to write about that you have never written about before?
Motherhood...A new mother myself, I realise just how much pressure there is on moms to be supermoms. I’d love to write a story about the real, heartwarming, confusing and oftentimes exhausting journey that it truly is.

Do you view writing as a career, labor of love, hobby, creative outlet, therapy, or something else?
Writing is my passion and a pocket of my life that’s only for me. It’s the part where I’m not someone’s mother, wife, daughter, employee…I’m just Shilpa Suraj. The successes, failures, bouquets and brickbats are all mine and for that alone, the value it brings to my life is immeasurable.

Tell us three fun facts about yourself/your book.
I’m a terrible cook. The first time I cooked for my husband post marriage he ended up with a mild bout of food poisoning.
I’m as much of a klutz as Max from Driven by Desire. I can literally trip over nothing.
I have to finish every book I start. No matter how tedious or hard to get into I find it, I can’t seem to stop reading until I reach the end. If I don’t complete it, it will plague me until I do.





An ace vintage car restorer and a pharmaceutical tycoon, Maxine and Krish have nothing in common. 
A chance encounter puts their lives on a collision course and a stubborn and steady attraction begins to bloom. 
Wanting each other is easy, it's happy ever after that's the problem...






Thank you, Shilpa for this amazing interview! I wish you success for all your future works. Keep writing!