Blog Tour - First Brush on the Canvas Anthology

About the Book:

Graham, Daniel, their friendship, life and death.

Vampires, guardians' adventures at night. Coffee, love and a new couple. Imli and her mother in a complex web of darkness. A small town girl confused about virginity. Michael Jaikishen and his writing endeavours. Child adoption by a gay couple. Mahabharat - a modern tale in an epic form. The spine-chilling tale of Tina and Uncle Joe. A juicy love story by our guest author Sujata Parashar. These and many other unputdownable stories in this book.

First Brush on the Canvas is an anthology comprising selected stories from Melonade (2014), a nationwide writing marathon organized by Writersmelon.com.

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Melonade Authors’ Intro:

Uttiya Roy – Nourished with Bangla literature, he aspires to change the world someday writing in English. His days pass blending Life Science textbooks with poetry. 

Upasana Bhattacharjee – We catch ‘em as young as they get! Our youngest writer is still a student, but that doesn’t reflect in the matured story she’s written dealing with inconclusive logics and paradoxes. 

Stuti Chandra – She writes because she’s alive. This lovely lady is from Patna and has dipped her nose in English Literature at Delhi. 

Shaily Bhargava – A photographer, a logophile and an Equity Technical Analyst – all in one. She reads and writes in Noida, accompanied by beautiful clicks through her lens and lots of Coffee. 

Arunav Chowdhury – Have you met this Proletariat Axomiya before? He’s a movie buff and a news junkie rolled into one, who writes wonderful modern takes on the age old Mahabharat. 

Rafaa Dalvi – A Mumbaikar, an engineer, a blogger and a prolific writer. He’s already made his presence in three anthologies and likes to experiment with different genre. 

Diptee Raut – A quilter, a blogger, a quirky mom, an amazing writer and our co-winner of Melonade’4. She’s one bundle of positive energy who can spin stories and weave quilts simultaneously. 

Abhishek Mukherjee – Have you read his blog posts yet? Though he likes to believe he’s only a Cricket Historian, you have to read his humorous takes on Mythology to believe he’s the best. 

Anwesha Ray – An amazingly sensitive writer, she lives and works in Bangalore with her family. 

Avishek Basu Mallick – He’s the winner of Melonade’4. If you wish to laud him for more, he’s an engineer and an MBA, working in Bangalore and a featured writer on Sportskeeda.

Arijit Ghose – Blend Carnatic music with exceptional satire and the result is Arijit Ghose. Cheeky, expressive and vocal – we hope he becomes a great writer someday. 

Amit Nangia – For those working in MNCs for years, he’s your inspiration. Amit’s first novel has just released after facing many rejections but that didn’t deter him from writing. Climbing the rocks, gliding in a parachute, bungee jumping or making cocktails; nothing could elevate his spirits as much as writing did.

Tnahsin Garg - Tnahsin often exercises his freedom by convincing other folks that ‘free will’ does not exist. His first novel ‘The Prophecy of Trivine’ is a science-fiction based in India.

Sujata Parashar – Author of the immensely popular ‘In Pursuit Of’ trilogy, and a wonderful poet. She contributes articles to various websites and magazines, and is a social activist. She’s a guest author in the book. 

Book Review - Operation India One by Shiv Kumar

Title: Operation India One

Author: Shiv Kumar

Pages: 349

Price: 295.00 INR

Publisher: Om Books International

Review

Shiv Kumar’s ‘Operation India One’ is a political fiction set in the hinterlands of Bhagatpur, Bihar. It is not your run-of-the-mill story. The first thing that popped in my mind about the book was the word ‘no-nonsense’ while checking out the cover. It was further confirmed when I read the ‘author’s note.’ Mr. Kumar has started off his novel with a very powerful quote by Bertolt Brecht, “The worst illiterate is the political illiterate.” I being one of these people felt the need to change my position. Reading the book, as such, is my first step.

The story starts off with dedicated police officer, ACP Gautam Dhaliwal, taking it upon himself to root out the MAF, a major Naxal organization based in a remote village as part of the central government backed Operation India One. As his investigations progresses, however, he unmasks the official facade of development that he had set out to defend, an ugly nexus of unscrupulous politicians, bureaucrats and businessmen feeding off the oppression of the underprivileged. Torn between his commitment to the Indian State and the sympathy he begins to feel for the distressed people of Bhagatpur, and the terrorists’ supposed fight for the people’s rights, an agonized ACP Dhaliwal is forced to rethink his earlier views on the meaning of an individual’s responsibility towards fellow countrymen. While he pursues the terrorists, Nisha Kuswaha is determined to help her fellow villagers while trying to solve the murder of her father. On the other extreme is Charulata who is fighting to free her leader and lover Geerish Marandi from the government’s clutches.

Shiv Kumar’s style is racy with the words flowing fluidly just like the blood that he spills in this Bollywood-style novel. Albeit this, the presence of too many characters and similar sounding party names makes it for a cumbersome read. I had to keep going back the pages to decipher who was who. But let that not deter you from enjoying the plot itself.

About the author

Shiv Kumar works as Commercial Tax Officer for the government of Bihar. He was an engineer with a public sector company for nine years. He has travelled extensively throughout India during the course of his work. He is passionate about reading and writing. He prefers to delve into subjects concerning socio-political realities of contemporary India. Among other interests, Shiv Kumar is fond of travel writing, thriller and crime fiction.

Book links

1.       https://www.facebook.com/operationindiaone

2.       https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17154652-operation-india-one

3.       http://ombooksinternational.com/Operation-India-One_43.html#

4.       http://www.flipkart.com/operation-india-one-english/p/itme9zwam5fy5xyc?pid=9789383202249

5.       http://www.amazon.in/Operation-India-One-Shiv-Kumar-ebook/dp/B013I688QK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1440063818&sr=8-1&keywords=operation+india+one

6.       http://www.amazon.com/Operation-India-One-Shiv-Kumar-ebook/dp/B013I688QK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1440065453&sr=8-1&keywords=operation+india+one

7.       http://www.infibeam.com/Books/operation-india-one-shiv-kumar/9789383202249.html#variantId=P-M-B-9789383202249

I'd like to thank author Shiv Kumar for letting me review his book. I do hope you end up liking the book when you read it. Thank you so much for stopping by, and happy reading! 

Author Interview - Louis Alan Swartz, Author of Constructed of Magic and Other Poems on the Immortality of the Human Spirit

                                        About the book

What would life be like if you knew you were an immortal spiritual being? "It is my viewpoint that each man has his own unique magnificence regardless of race, religion, nation, tribe, station in life, customs and beliefs...," so writes poet, Louis Alan Swartz. Constructed of Magic and Other Poems on the Immortality of the Human Spirit is a refreshing collection of poems that explore the beauty of who we are as spiritual beings. Our ability to love, dream, create futures, even die with dignity are all part of who we are and why we are here. These poems don't pretend to give final answers to any of the big questions about life, but they do help us to look and come to our own understanding.

                          Interview with Louis

What motivates you to write and where does your inspiration come from?

I believe that each individual person is endowed with a unique, personal magnificence. My purpose is to use the medium of writing and its aesthetic to draw out that magnificence.

Your book is called Constructed of Magic and other Poems on the Immortality of the Human Spirit. Do you really believe that an individual human being is, in truth, an immortal spiritual being?

Yes!

What are your current/future projects?

I am working with a superb artist to create an illustrated book from one of my poems. I am well into a second volume of Constructed of Magic.

What opportunities have being an author presented you with? Share those memories.

Every time I get a communication from someone whom I do not know that they were emotionally moved by my writing, It blows my mind! I never tire of it. I am elated and humbled by it. One lady wrote that my poetry was making her "ridiculously happy". My feet didn't touch the ground for the rest of the day. Another person said that reading the poems had awakened a pride in the divine within her. She resolved to live a better life and not to waste the time she had here on earth. This meant a great deal to me.

How do you think you have evolved as a person/author because of your writing and do you believe your writing has helped others, how/why?

My reason for being alive is to help people. I believe I have helped others with my writing. I have gotten a lot of communication from people have been helped. Two folks were helped through the deaths of loved ones by the book. One woman, who had just gone though a painful divorce, wrote to me that the book had helped her to carry on. Several people told me of happiness they had experienced in reading the book. Each single person helped matters to me.

If you had the chance to get one message out there to reach readers all over the world, what would that message be?

That they are immortal spiritual beings possessed of a unique magnificence. That they are kind and compassionate by nature. That they have abilities far in excess of anything they have ever imagined.

What are the most important elements of good writing?

Writing is communication. Communication includes ensuring that one is understood. It is my viewpoint the most valuable tools for a writer are his ability to perceive his reader and to write in such a way as to reach that reader.

What is your most/least favorite part of the writing process? Why?

My favorite part is the first infusion of a poem. It might be a line will come to mind or I may see something that touches me. Sometimes, it may be something I have been looking at for a long time that somehow suddenly falls into place. Getting this first spark down on paper and usually immediately developing this into a poem is my favorite part of the writing process. I am also very happy with the editing process. I like all the marvelous things you can do with a good editor to make a more perfect book. I love my editor.

What is the best piece of advice you would give to someone that wants to get into writing?

Believe in yourself. Believe in your own value and the value of your ideas, thoughts, and creations. If you don't like what you are creating then study, read, look, listen and keep on writing and writing and writing more and more. Write tens of thousands of words. You will find your writing will forge into a unique voice that is yours and worth hearing. Never take the viewpoint that it has all been said before. It hasn't. Your unique beauty needs to be heard from.

Is there anything else you'd like to share with your readers?

I have a profound respect for my readers, for their intelligence, their ability to perceive and to feel, their capacity to understand. I want the readers to know I think they are wonderful. It is my intention to help them realize the highest level of their personal ability. I wish them a life filled with beauty, accomplishment and joy.

                                        About the author

Louis Alan Swartz has dedicated his life to helping others find their ability as immortal spiritual beings. He has traveled extensively in Africa, India, Europe, and the Middle East. He lives in Los Angeles with Connie, his wife of twenty-eight years. 

Blog Tour - Shanti & the Magic Mandala by F.T.Camagro

Shanti and the Magic Mandala is an adventure in which fantasy and reality are mingled. The book tells the story of six teenagers, from different religious and cultural origins and different parts of the world, who are mystically recruited to form two groups - one in the Northern Hemisphere, and one in the Southern. They eventually gather in Peru, and through a single alliance, begin a frantic chase for the sacred object that can stop the black magician's final plan.

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Awards & Recognition for the Book

- Winner of 2014 London Book Festival in the category “Young Adult”.
- 2014 Moonbeam Children's Book Awards: Bronze Medal at “Young Adult Fiction – Spirituality” category
- 2014 New England Book Festival in Boston:  Honorable Mention in the category “Young Adult”.
- Winner of 2015 Paris Book Festival in the category “Young Adult”.
- Winner of 2015 International Book Awards in the category “Fiction / Young Adult”.
- Winner of 2015 New York Book Festival in the category “Young Adult”.
- 2015 Los Angeles Book Festival – Runner-up in the category “Young Adult”.
- 2015 San Francisco Book Festival – Runner-up in the category “Young Adult”.
- 2015 DIY Book Festival in Los Angeles: Honorable Mention in the category “Young Adult”.

About the Author

F. T. Camargo is an Italian Brazilian living in Sao Paulo, Brazil. An award winning architect and author, he also studied Arts and Media and has a post degree in Economics and MBA in e-commerce. He is a vegetarian because of his love for all animals and has been deeply involved in causes for their protection and freedom. He is a world traveler adventurer, outdoor sports lover, speaks 4 languages and has published a travel book “Rio, Maravilha!”
For many years he has been practicing yoga and meditation and studying the Kabbalah. His exploration of spiritual teachings motivated a commitment to self-development which in turn created a new path and goal in life. Shanti and the Magic Mandala was born from his inner journey.

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Blog Tour - Dirty Bad Strangers by Jade West

Title: Dirty Bad Strangers 

Author: Jade West 

Genre: Erotic

He calls me his dirty girl.

He’s just a caller, a sex line client, an anonymous pervert like all the others.

Except he isn’t.

He’s under my skin… his voice, his laugh, his twisted fantasies.

He wants to watch me with other men. Lots of other men.

He wants me blindfolded and bound and taken by strangers until I’m a used-up mess.

Then he wants to take me himself.

I should hang up, report him to my supervisor.

But I won’t. I can’t…

… because I want him, too.

Gemma Taylor was born to be a chatline operator. Her filthy mouth and a filthier imagination make her hot property on sex chat. The hours are great and the money’s even better. She’s onto a good thing; finding her feet in the big smoke of London with a couple of old school friends.

Until he calls.

The rules of chatline are clear: no personal information, no breaches of confidentiality, and absolutely no other forms of communication of any kind.

So why is she giving him her number? Why the hell is she planning on blindfolding herself and leaving her door unlocked for him?

Gemma Taylor’s in deep.

And she’s about to get deeper.

Much, much deeper.

Warning: As with the other Dirties, this book is exactly what the title suggests. A filthy tale of unlikely romance, featuring group sex, bondage, and the usual kind of extremity readers have come to expect from the pen of Jade West. Definitely, definitely 18+. A strong disposition certainly a bonus

Amazon UK  

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(nook users please contact traystracy@hotmail.com to learn how you can  purchase ) 

Jade West is a contemporary erotic author, real life submissive, and former sex chat-line operator, who is plenty used to getting people all steamed up with her dirty mouth. Her debut release, Dirty Bad Wrong, smashed into the Amazon top 100 in February 2015, followed by Dirty Bad Savage in June - an Amazon top 100 bestseller in 4 countries. Dirty Bad Strangers, the latest tale of debauchery and unlikely romance, released September 19th.

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Blog Tour - Harmony Run Series by Sarah Elle Emm

About the Book:

After two members of The Freedom Front are arrested and interrogated by the UZTA’s tyrannical President Nicks, Rain Hawkins and her friends face the alarming reality that their plans to liberate the mixed zones across the United Zones of The Authority might not come to fruition. While the resistance movement is growing outside the walls of the zones, the president’s forces are strengthening and putting citizens everywhere in more peril than ever. When Rain receives warnings that her cousin, Calista, has agreed to support plans to kill the mixed zones, and that her life could be on the line at the upcoming pure zone initiation ceremony, she must decide where her loyalties lie and if all of her allies can be trusted. As The Freedom Front use their abilities to unravel the mystery of the ceremony, The Authority captures some of their friends, forcing TFF to either go into hiding, or plan a rescue mission that could jeopardize everything they’ve been fighting for.

Previous Books in the Series:

  

(Click on the Cover to know more)

The series will be on Kindle sale for the duration of the tour. Each book from the series will be available at $1.99 for the duration. GRAB THEM NOW!

Why do I write Dystopian Fiction

People occasionally ask me why I write dystopian fiction. I like writing dystopian because it is a release of all of the crazy things running through my mind. Dystopian allows you to explore questions like…What if the government became a dictatorship? What if people weren’t allowed to go to school? What if teenagers could save the world because their parents have lost hope? What if? 

I admit I have an overactive imagination. (I’ve seen every episode of The Walking Dead, and even though I know zombies aren’t real, I still check my closets and look under the bed for zombies after each and every episode). Anyhow, I think my parents had a lot to do with how I write today. One of their favorite dinner table conversations growing up was deciding which of their children, (there are three of us), they’d pick to be stranded on the infamous deserted island with, if they had to be stuck there with only one. They usually chose my sister because of her internal GPS system and leadership skills. They often decided on my brother because he has MacGyver-like qualities, and they were sure he could build a hut out of sand or something. And they never chose me. Though they often laughed and said they’d take me if they were interested in being entertained.  

Another usual at our dinner table was Dad asking if the “bad guys” were to enter our house at that exact moment, what item in the room around us could be turned into a weapon. My siblings were very talented at this. Surprise, surprise. Me, not so much. I usually panicked. (I’d think of a hiding place so they could do the fighting). 

Another family favorite? Dad’s strategy talks about how when you enter a room, you should look around immediately, assessing the situation and room for possible exits, windows included, were any emergency to occur. 

I think my parents came by it honestly. My mom’s dad was a WWII vet who fought in the Battle of the Bulge. He’d rush his family to the basement when it thunder stormed, never having recovered from the war or the memories of bombs and explosions. My dad’s parents took us on a family vacation to the Caribbean every year, and they’d try to split up flights between my aunt and my dad’s side, just in case there was a crash. They wanted some of the family to survive to take care of the family business. That always freaked me out. I’d worry the entire flight. (About not only crashing, but trying to figure out what was wrong with my family). :) 

My family always had movie night growing up. Every Sunday. We would either go see one at the theater or rent one and watch it in our basement. The genre of choice was always action, usually a thriller. I remember watching scenes where someone would go outside to investigate the “strange noise” in the night, and my family would be yelling at the screen. (If we were home. They were well behaved in theaters. Mostly). They’d yell for the character to go back inside. Of course, the character never would. My brother would always be the first to point out the girl character who was going to get killed by not reacting rationally. He’d yell at the screen as she tried to start her car but couldn’t even get the keys into the ignition because her hands couldn’t stop shaking from fear. 

I was sitting in my driveway last week, trying to start my car. I couldn’t get the key in properly, and I started to panic. The more I panicked, the more my fingers fumbled and I couldn’t get my key in. I could hear my brother’s voice in my head saying, “Hurry up, Sarah. You’re gonna die. The bad guys are going to get you. Start the car!” After a moment, I started laughing at myself. Eventually, I pulled it together and managed to insert the key properly to start the car.

Anyhow…Why do I write dystopian? I think you get the point. I guess never getting chosen for Survival Island, never quite figuring out what to make a weapon out of, and just those what if conversations in general really stayed with me. I promise you right now, that if you were to go to either one of my parents’ houses or my siblings’, you’d find emergency supplies in their basements complete with water, food, and back up power supplies in case of an emergency. I barely have my fridge stocked right now by the way. My plan is to head to one of their houses when the world ends. I just hope I make it there in time…I guess it makes sense that I never was picked for that island. 

I smile affectionately when I think of my childhood and when I think of my family. True, they may have scarred this introvert for life, ha, ha, ha, but they have to be credited for inspiring me to write some of the dystopian stories I write today. Thanks so much for stopping by the blog tour. If you’d like to risk getting inside of this head a little bit, all four books are on sale right now for only $1.99 each on Kindle. If you read any of the books, I’d be flattered if you left a review and connected with my page on Facebook, where I’ll keep you updated on future books. You just never know what this dystopian writer will come up with next. :)

 ~Sarah

About the Author:

Sarah Elle Emm is the author of the HARMONY RUN SERIES, a young-adult fantasy and dystopian series, released in May 2012 by Winter Goose Publishing. (PRISMATIC, May 2012, OPALESCENT, February 2013, CHATOYANT, September 2014, NACREOUS, August 2015) Her debut fiction novel, MARRYING MISSY, was published by Bird Brain Publishing in October 2011. Sarah is a graduate of The University of Evansville, she has lived and worked in Mexico, Germany, England, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and has traveled extensively beyond. Sarah lives in Naples, Florida with her family. When she’s not walking the plank of her daughters’ imaginary pirate ship or snapping photos of Southwest Florida scenery, she is writing.





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Giveaway:

- 1 Winner will get a $10 Amazon GC

- 1 Winner will get Signed Copies of all the 4 Books in the Harmony Run Series

- 3 Winners will get One Signed Copy of a book of their choice from the Harmony Run Series

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Blog Tour - Entwined Author by Harper Miller

Title: Entwined 

Author : Harper Miller 

Genre: Erotica and Interracial/Multicultural Romance

After twenty years of devotion to Uncle Sam, I called it quits. I was wired and looking to get into some trouble. Trouble found me all right, in the form of a hot-bodied fox. 

Little did I know how much she’d rock my world.

The names are all fake, details have been fudged, but you’ll get the gist of what went down. 

You’re getting one hell of a tale. This is my story.

*Disclaimer* This is a novelette. Not a short story, novella, or novel. This story features an F/F/M ménage à trois scenario. If ménage stories are not your cup of tea and you are easily offended by threesomes and lesbian sex, you should bypass this story. Content is intended for a mature audience, 18+.

Entwined is the third installment in The Kinky Connect Chronicles. The Kinky Connect Chronicles are short erotic stories/novelettes all wrapped up in neat little bows. These stories are standalones. No cliffhangers in the lot! 

Harper Miller is a thirty-something native New Yorker. She's traveled the world and lived in a variety of places but always finds her way back to the Big Apple. A lackluster love life leaves time to explore new interests, for Harper it is writing. The Sweetest Taboo: An Unconventional Romance is her debut novel. In her mind the perfect Alpha male possesses intellect, humor, and a kinky streak that rivals the size of California. When she isn't writing, Harper utilizes her graduate degree in the field of medical research. She enjoys fitness-related activities, drinking copious amounts of wine, and going on bad dates.

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