Friday, October 20, 2017

WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY: Leonora Meriel, Author

Leonora Meriel, Author
THE WOMAN BEHIND THE WATERFALL
THE UNITY GAME
When Leonora Meriel starts to write a novel, she is never sure which genre will “rise most strongly to the surface.” Whether she is bringing us the “magical realism” of her first novel THE WOMAN BEHIND THE WATERFALL, or the expanded realm of science fiction in her most recent novel, THE UNITY GAME, she writes to the perfection of literary fiction. She creates characters who have flaws preferring the grey-tones of real life to the black and white of heroes versus villains. Her extensive travels have given her insight and the ability to stay open to the uniqueness offered by other cultures and lifestyles.

Meriel shares her home between London and Barcelona, and enjoys exploring the worlds offered by travel as well as the world surrounding her two “interesting” children. She finds that running helps to clear her mind. She is currently working on a new literary fiction novel.

Q: Your novels cross genres. When telling your stories, do you consider what is the most appropriate genre? Are some themes better told in specific genres? Is science fiction more supportive of telling some stories and literary fiction others?

Leonora Meriel: When I set out to write a book, I usually have a myriad of ideas, but I am never certain which ones are going to develop into the main story line. It takes a few weeks of following different paths before I understand which central idea lies the deepest in me and demands to be explored through the 3 – 5 years it takes to perfect an entire novel. In the same way, those myriad ideas may each fall into different genres, and so when I start a novel, I never know exactly which genre will take precedence or which idea will rise most strongly to the surface.

I enjoy mixing combinations of genres, however I see all of the genre elements I use as existing beneath the umbrella of literary fiction, which will always be my primary genre. My understanding of literary fiction is where the quality and artistic value of the writing comes first, and the plot, characters and everything else comes second. In pure genre fiction, this is often the other way round.

Q: THE WOMAN BEHIND THE WATERFALL has been described as “magical realism”—an interesting and appealing concept. How do you define magical realism? And how does THE WOMAN BEHIND THE WATERFALL meet that definition?

Leonora Meriel: I define magical realism as a story that is at least 70% set in the accepted world and society of humankind. The other 30% may be supernatural elements, usually associated with the spirit world. In magical realism, the magic is not at the center of the story, but it enhances the story. One could contrast this with zombie or wizard genre fiction, where the supernatural elements are the very core of the story. In magical realism, they are a feature that support a central story told in the real world.

In THE WOMAN BEHIND THE WATERFALL, the main characters are a mother and a daughter living in a village in western Ukraine. Their life is simple and very rooted in everyday domestic tasks – fetching water from the well, making a cake of honey and walnuts. The mother drinks vodka and struggles with depression. Around this story, the spirit of the grandmother returns to a nearby riverbank to help the mother overcome her unhappiness, and the daughter finds she can merge into the spirit of nature around her. Thus, the central story is the search for happiness, but the magical realism elements serve to illustrate and enhance aspects of that journey.

Q: One reviewer describes THE UNITY GAME as “sci-fi with a bit more of a deeper meaning” and “deeply philosophical science fiction.” Others applaud “love of characters” & “creative plot.” How did you conceive of the plot? Are you a SciFi fan?

Leonora Meriel: I love any writing that is brilliant, irrespective of genre, and some of the best literature ever written is science fiction. A few of the books that have deeply influenced me are Stanislaw Lem’s SOLARIS, Ursula Le Guin’s THE LEFT HAND OF DARKNESS and more recently Ken Liu’s THE PAPER MENAGERIE. These are some of the finest pieces of fiction ever written and the fact that they take place in different worlds and dimensions makes them even more powerful and transformative.

One of the key elements of great sci-fi is that it is always deeply philosophical. Life on another planet will always cause us to consider life on our own planet, and one of the key tasks of sci-fi is to question, to provoke questions, to envision futures. It is perhaps the most challenging of all genres, as it demands a relation to the current world and a relation to the possible, in the way that fantasy (zombies and wizards) does not. When I started writing THE UNITY GAME I had burning questions about the meaning of everything, and I found that those questions did not fit into an Earth-based plot. Sci-Fi enabled me to go as wide and deep and philosophical as I desired in order to explore possible answers to those questions.

Q: You travel extensively and have lived in multiple countries with different cultures. How does travel influence your writing, your characters, and your plots?

Leonora Meriel: I believe that travel is essential for a writer. Ideally, not only visiting, but living in different cultures, and allowing those cultures to change you and permanently open something new in your character and your soul. As children, we are all immersed in the culture and thought-systems that we grow up with, and the older we get, the harder it becomes to stop imbedded beliefs from stagnating permanently inside you.

 I believe that part of a writer’s job is to battle against residual thought-patterns and to strive to stay open to other ways of thinking and other cultures and other perspectives. The writers and artists must be the ones in society who envision new thought and futures and possibilities and cultures and societies. But this new thinking will not come from dusty, inherited knowledge. Travel and new cultures are essential to keeping minds and hearts open and receptive and curious.

Q: Reviewers claim that THE WOMAN BEHIND THE WATERFALL is “thought-provoking.” Did you intend for the novel to deliver a message and make readers think? Or did you write it primarily to entertain?

Leonora Meriel: THE WOMAN BEHIND THE WATERFALL was my debut novel and my main goal was to write the best possible book that I could. I had many ideas I wanted to write about but there wasn’t a central message that I planned to convey. However I did have one specific goal within the book, which was to portray the culture and land of Ukraine, and allow readers in the west to experience a country where I had lived for many years, and which was wildly beautiful. I am delighted that reviewers have called it “thought-provoking” as that suggests that some of the ideas that run through the novel have resonated with readers.

Q: How do your characters engage the reader? Why will readers care what happens to them? Are they super-heroes or ordinary people in extraordinary situations?

Leonora Meriel: My characters are all ordinary people, and they all have a balance of strong points and flaws. In my debut novel THE WOMAN BEHIND THE WATERFALL, Lyuda believes she has got everything in her life wrong and can’t bring herself to embrace happiness. It is her seven-year old daughter, Angela, who forces her to confront her issues and make a choice, but not without herself experiencing some of the pain of the adult world.

In my second novel THE UNITY GAME, the hero is a New York banker who is sucked into the addictive world of money and success and ego, but finds he is unable to cope.

I try to make the characters I write extremely realistic, so that even if the readers could not imagine themselves in that position, then they clearly understand how the characters are in that position and why they are taking the actions they choose. I truly believe that once we can see through the eyes of another human being, then we will empathize with them automatically, and this is one of the great tools open to writers – to draw readers into worlds that they wouldn’t normally have access to – and to open their minds and hearts just a little wider.

Q: THE WOMAN BEHIND THE WATERFALL is set in Ukraine and one reviewer says that the reader will “experience the authenticity of Ukrainian village life.” In addition, does the story have a universal theme relevant to a spectrum of readers?

Leonora Meriel: Yes, it certainly does. The universal theme is – the search for happiness. Lyuda, the main character, fights against depression every day. She has made mistakes in her life, and she allows herself to live in the past, as I think many people in the world do today. Her daughter, Angela, lives very much in the moment-to-moment joy of everyday life – seeing the changing nature and seasons around her, and the tiny details of the world as filled with happiness. Slowly, she teaches her mother to live in the present and leave the dark past behind. In this strange world we live in, I think that ‘what it means to be happy’ and ‘how to be happy’ are big questions that we all ask ourselves. In THE WOMAN BEHIND THE WATERFALL I explore this from several points of view and I intended it to be relevant to a wide spectrum of readers.

Q: Does the concept of “heroes vs villains” apply to your story-telling? If so, can you describe the characteristics of an effective villain? Can culture, mores, philosophies, religion, or family traditions be considered villains?

Leonora Meriel: I don’t use the concept of “heroes” or “villains” in my novels, as this is a simplistic view of people that fits better with genre fiction or with children’s books. I am far more interested in shades of good and bad, and how individuals struggle with the challenges of moving in directions that are more or less harmful to them. Culture, mores, philosophies, religion, and family traditions can certainly be used as villains within a story, but in this “villainous” role they would act simultaneously as catalysts to provoke the characters to certain actions. For example, in my most recent Sci-Fi novel THE UNITY GAME, the alien character is emboldened to reject its home planet and its philosophy once it has realized that there is no true free will there.

Q: What’s next?

Leonora Meriel: A new literary fiction novel. My aim is to write a novel without using any other genres – a straightforward tale with some great quality writing. However, neither of my novels so far has turned out to be how I envisioned them at the beginning, so you’ll have to wait and see!

Q: Tell us about Leonora Meriel. What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

Leonora Meriel: Exploring is the main thing I do – which is really research as a writer. I love to explore countries, cities, ways of life, new people, different personalities, roles and also new worlds in books. I am the mother of two incredibly interesting children, and I try to understand their world as it forms around them. Apart from exploring, I love to run, which clears out all the thoughts that have entirely filled my head. And visit the city of Barcelona as much as possible, where there is so much creativity on every street corner, and sunshine and laughter and sea.

About Leonora Meriel

Leonora Meriel grew up in London and studied literature at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and Queen's University in Canada. She worked at the United Nations in New York, and then for a multinational law firm.

In 2003 she moved from New York to Kyiv, where she founded and managed Ukraine’s largest Internet company. She studied at Kyiv Mohyla Business School and earned an MBA, which included a study trip around China and Taiwan, and climbing to the top of Hoverla, Ukraine’s highest peak and part of the Carpathian Mountains. She also served as President of the International Women’s Club of Kyiv, a major local charity.

During her years in Ukraine, she learned to speak Ukrainian and Russian, witnessed two revolutions and got to know an extraordinary country at a key period of its development.

In 2008, she decided to return to her dream of being a writer, and to dedicate her career to literature. In 2011, she completed THE WOMAN BEHIND THE WATERFALL, set in a village in western Ukraine. While her first novel was with a London agent, Leonora completed her second novel THE UNITY GAME, set in New York City and on a distant planet.

Leonora currently lives in Barcelona and London and has two children. She is working on her third novel.


Heartbreak and transformation in the beauty of a Ukrainian village.

For seven-year old Angela, happiness is exploring the lush countryside around her home in western Ukraine. Her wild imagination takes her into birds and flowers, and into the waters of the river.

All that changes when, one morning, she sees her mother crying. As she tries to find out why, she is drawn on an extraordinary journey into the secrets of her family, and her mother's fateful choices.

Can Angela lead her mother back to happiness before her innocence is destroyed by the shadows of a dark past?

Beautiful, poetic and richly sensory, this is a tale that will haunt and lift its readers.


What if the earth you knew was just the beginning?

A New York banker is descending into madness.

A being from an advanced civilization is racing to stay alive.

A dead man must unlock the secrets of an unknown dimension to save his loved ones.

From the visions of Socrates in ancient Athens, to the birth of free will aboard a spaceship headed to Earth, The Unity Game tells a story of hope and redemption in a universe more ingenious and surprising than you ever thought possible.

Metaphysical thriller and interstellar mystery, this is a 'complex, ambitious and thought-provoking novel' from an exciting and original new voice in fiction.

Links
Purchase Links
THE WOMAN BEHIND THE WATERFALL

THE UNITY GAME

Author Links



Wednesday, October 18, 2017

CHECK IT OUT: Character Interview by Joyce T. Strand, Author

Joyce T Strand, Author
Dangerous Changes
Coming November 8, 2017
Following is an interview with my newest character sleuth, Emily Lazzaro, who is here to introduce the cover of her first mystery, Dangerous Changes, and let us know that the book will be released on Wednesday, November 8, 2017.

Fans of my other books might recall that Emily is the daughter of the winemaker at Brynn Bancroft’s Hilltop Sunset winery. When we last encountered her in OVERCAST SUNSET, she had just broken up with her fiancé and is heading back home to Ramona, Calif.










Q:  Hey, Emily Lazzaro. What do you think about being the newest Joyce T. Strand sleuth in your first mystery, Dangerous Changes?

Emily Lazzaro: I’m not so sure about it.

Q: Why? What’s happening?

Emily Lazzaro: First, I broke up with my fiancé. Then I had a frightening experience on the way home one night from a meeting where a pickup truck deliberately tried to run me off a curvy mountain road. It was quite scary. Then the brother of the man who tried to run me off the road…but I can’t go into that. Anyway I just can’t seem to make the changes that will get me to where I want to go. Whenever I try, something dangerous happens to me—there’s even been a murder. Can you believe it?

Q: What changes do you want to make?

Emily Lazzaro: At the moment, to make a living,  I’m preparing taxes for people to make a living but I’d sure like to make some changes to do something else. And my ex-finance keeps after me—like he wants us to get back together. We’re still friends, and I help him with his new business, but I’d like to look for a different relationship, and I’m not at all interested in his new business. However, his vineyard that he purchased just doesn’t provide him with enough money to make ends meet.

Q: So what made you decide to stay in the same town where your ex-fiancé lives?

Emily Lazzaro: I really like the rural community of Ramona. That’s another change I’d like to make. I want to live here permanently. I love the unique rocky terrain and proximity to the ocean and San Diego, along with the mixture of fine wineries, artists, and equestrian focus. I want to live here and make my life here. But I need to find a different career than that of tax preparer.

Q: Thank you so much for this interview. I can hardly wait for your first book which will be released Wednesday, November 8, 2017.




About DANGEROUS CHANGES

A series of events rattle Emily Lazzaro: a near-death encounter with a pickup on a narrow mountain road, the murder of a would-be client, and an ex-fiancé who won’t let go. Can she survive a police investigation, pressure from her ex’s company, and the suspicions of a possible new love-interest—so that she can make the changes to create a meaningful new life in a special town in southern California?

About Joyce T. Strand, Author

Joyce T. Strand is the author of who-done-it contemporary and historical mysteries set in California. Actual events and/or real people inspired all of her published novels, although they are definitely fictionalized. Dangerous Changes is her ninth book.

Strand headed corporate communications at several biotech and high-tech companies in California's Silicon Valley for more than 25 years. Unlike her protagonist Jillian Hillcrest, however, she did not encounter murder in her career. She currently lives with her collection of cow statuary in Ramona, California, and enjoys exploring and writing about the growing wine region in the Ramona Valley near San Diego.

Links
Twitter: @joycetstrand 




Friday, October 13, 2017

CHECK IT OUT: New Release, SECRETS HIDDEN IN THE GLASS by Cate Beauman

Cate Beauman, Author
SECRETS HIDDEN IN THE GLASS
and
The Bodyguards of L.A. County series
Cate Beauman just released her twelfth novel, SECRETS HIDDEN IN THE GLASS. The author of the best-selling Bodyguards of L.A. County series is introducing her first non-Bodyguard  romantic mystery set in Sanderson, Massachusetts, the fictitious, tiny town on the equally made-up Carter Island.


Her multi award-winning Bodyguards of L.A. County series has over 500,000 copies sold and a 4.4 rating with 8000+ reviews. Although she does eventually plan to tell more Carter Island stories, she is currently working on a different project as her next publication. Cate lives in North Carolina with her husband, two sons, and their St. Bernard.

In the following brief article, she explains the inspiration behind her newest novel.

Don't miss the excerpt and the opportunity to enter the chance to win one of five $10 Amazon gift cards at the end of the interview.


The Inspiration Behind SECRETS HIDDEN IN THE GLASS
By Cate Beauman

I always find the process of writing fascinating—imagining words and thoughts into subsistence that had once only existed in my head. Oftentimes, the undertaking is daunting. Months of research, careful plotting, planning, character development, and revising go into every page. There are many moments of doubt and worry. On occasion, there’s even a triumph or two. But finally, you type The End and you realize you’ve created a miracle of sorts—a story to share with your eager readers who are always waiting for what’s next.

I had such fun telling Nate and Callie’s adventure. There was something extra enjoyable about bringing Sanderson, Massachusetts to life—the fictitious, tiny town on the equally made-up Carter Island. Imagine dreaming up a beachy setting that gets to be exactly what you want it to be. Add a group of intriguing (and on occasion quirky) characters. Throw plenty of steamy romance and several sprinkles of mystery and suspense into the mix and you’ve got yourself one heck of a good time.

About Cate Beauman

International bestselling author Cate Beauman is known for her full-length, action-packed romantic suspense series, The Bodyguards of L.A. County. Her novels have been nominated for the National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award, National Indie Excellence Award, Golden Quill Award, Writers Touch Award, Aspen Gold Award, Heart of Excellence Award, and have been named Readers Favorite Five Star books.

In 2017 FINDING LYLA was chosen as the Booksellers Best Award Winner, the Maggie Award For Excellence, and received the Holt Medallion Award. REAGAN'S REDEMPTION and ANSWERS FOR JULIE were selected as rare co-winners of the Aspen Gold Award in 2016. JUSTICE FOR ABBY received the 2015 Readers' Favorite International Book Award Gold Medal, while SAVING SOPHIE took the Silver Medal. SAVING SOPHIE was also selected as the 2015 Readers Crown Award winner for Romantic Suspense and FALLING FOR SARAH received the silver medal for the 2014 Readers' Favorite Awards.

Cate makes her home in North Carolina with her husband, two boys, and their St. Bernards, Bear and Jack.


Stained glass artist Callie Davis is in desperate need of a vacation. Burnt out and on the edge of a nervous breakdown, she’s fleeing the pressures of her career and is taking refuge on Massachusetts’ tiny Carter Island. Callie yearns for long, lazy days and pretty walks on the beach—blessed solitude and an escape from the complications of her life. Then she bumps into gorgeous Nate Carter and everything changes.

Sheriff Nathan Carter couldn’t be happier now that the height of the summer season has finally come and gone. After four endless months, tourists have packed their bags and headed for the mainland. The quiet days of autumn are about to befall the town—the way Nate and his fellow Sandersonians like it best.

But nothing ends up quite the way Nate expects when he meets the beautiful blonde with the big blue eyes. Callie’s pretty smiles hide secrets—deep, dark mysteries that could cost them both their lives if they continue digging into the past and cross a killer’s path.


Callie held her head up to the brisk winds blowing off the Atlantic as the ferry brought her closer to the island. She breathed in the salty air, letting the gusty slaps of cold sting her cheeks while the boat cut through the waters the clouds had cast a dismal gray. At two thirty this morning she’d dreamt of sunshine and whale sightings on her travels north toward the Hyannis Port docks, but choppy seas and intermittent raindrops were better than spending one more minute in New York.

She shuddered as she thought of the city and glanced over her shoulder, constantly on guard against the sense of unease she hadn’t been able to shake for months—the need to run. Three weeks away in Europe promoting her latest work was supposed to have helped. When that didn’t go as planned, she’d been certain the four-week gallery tour she’d been contracted to attend would have fixed everything, but nothing seemed to shake the restless, edgy energy that kept her up most nights.

Facing forward again, she stared down at her white-knuckled grip on the bold blue railing and commanded herself to relax, even as her heartbeat began thrumming a frantic rhythm. She clutched the cool metal tighter and closed her eyes, bracing for anxiety’s cruel surges of adrenaline that often left her a pathetic, trembling mess. “Everything’s all right,” she reassured herself, then let her head hang as she heard the lack of conviction in her own voice, certain she was teetering on the perilous edge of a nervous breakdown. For surely that’s what this had to be. She was officially cracking—caving to the never-ending demands of her career and her sudden inability to create.

“Folks, take a moment and look straight ahead,” the boat’s captain boomed through the speakers, startling Callie out of her thoughts. “You’ll see Point West Lighthouse coming into view.”

Callie opened her eyes and blinked, staring at the bright beam of light far in the gloomy distance.

“Point West Lighthouse has been a beacon of hope, welcoming sailors home to Carter Island for nearly four hundred years,” the captain continued in his strong Massachusetts accent.

Callie wiped her cheeks, finding comfort in the idea as she studied the black-and-white stripes of the mighty island tower. What must it have been like to battle raging storms and contend with months of endless seas, then finally see the light? To have weathered the worst of it all and found hope waiting on the other side? She longed to have an answer—and perhaps someday she would. According to Captain Bob, the boat was due to dock in fifteen minutes and her vacation would officially begin. She needed quiet—a few weeks to pull herself together. Then maybe she could start to figure out when it was that her life had started falling apart.

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Click here to enter chance to win one of five $10 Amazon gift card.

Tuesday, October 3, 2017

WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY: Saiswaroopa Iyer, Author

Saiswaroopa Iyer, Author
AVISHI
ABHAYA
Saiswaroopa Iyer’s novel, AVISHI has been described by reviewers as “Great fiction set in early days of Indian civilization” and “an out and out thriller” that is “gripping.” She writes her novels to remind us of our past and claims that “My characters drive me to write.” Although a novel set in the past, she researched the setting to assure accuracy from a “civilizational aspect.” She also believes the themes and story are universal even though set in India.

Formerly an analyst at a venture capital firm, Iyer today lives in London where she enjoys writing her novels. She enjoys traveling, especially to locations that are of historical interest. She is currently writing a sequel to her first novel, ABHAYA.




Q: What inspired you to write about and re-imagine Vishpala of the Rig Ved in your book AVISHI?

Saiswaroopa Iyer: I stumbled upon Vishpala, mentioned in the Rig Veda when I was searching for ancient women warriors of India. According to Rig Veda, Vishpala loses her leg in a nocturnal battle and is granted a metal leg by Ashvinas, the divine physicians. The hymn mentioning her is also the very first reference to prosthesis in world literature. A bit more of reading about the Rig Vedic society revealed a very egalitarian ancient civilization which I felt should stay fresh in the modern mind trying to find solutions for the various problems we face today. Avishi is a humble attempt in reimagining that world with an inspiringly strong woman at the helm.

Q: How do you make your characters credible? Why will your readers care about what happens to them?

Saiswaroopa Iyer: My characters drive me to write. They are driven by their goals which compels me to write about them, draw inspiration from them, seek answers from them and take up the challenges they pose me. I think this is the combination that makes them stay alive through the writing process and write their own story. I strongly believe that lively characters have their own way of making the readers root for them, hate them, love them and form that kinship with them as they progress through the book.

Q: How important was historical accuracy and setting to tell your story?

Saiswaroopa Iyer: Setting of the story requires a lot of accuracy from civilizational aspect. The tools, lifestyle, social constructs, etc matter a lot in the process of world creation. That does not mean that we don’t have creative liberty. But honest research into facts will also help in channelizing and deploying creative liberty effectively. For eg, I was able to imagine an ancient society where marital constructs were not yet defined only after an examination of evolution of wedlock as an institution.

Q:  Although your book is set in India, do you believe that the message and story are universal?

Saiswaroopa Iyer: Every message of Rig Veda (and the rest of Vedas too) is universal. I love India. But the very charm of India starting right from the dawn of civilization has been that the Indic thought keeps universal wellness ahead. While the civilizational aspects might seem intriguing to a western reader, I believe there is something for everyone to connect.

Q: Does the concept of hero versus villain apply to AVISHI? What are the characteristics of an effective villain?
Saiswaroopa Iyer: An interesting question. I believe any story that seeks to grip the reader attention needs these two poles.  What makes a hero and what makes a villain (and what makes the rest)? I believe it is the series of choices one makes through the course of their journey and how they face conflicts, deal with the intrigues of fate, make tough choices.

Q: Did you write AVISHI strictly to entertain or did you embed some key messages or themes to deliver to your readers?

Saiswaroopa Iyer: I wrote Avishi to mainly invoke the civilizational past, which I hope will help us in remembering the civilizational past and connecting to our strong willed ancestors. As for delivering messages, I leave it to my characters and my readers to gather their own meanings J

Q: One reviewer calls your book “gripping.” How do you create suspense to cause your readers to want to turn the pages?

Saiswaroopa Iyer: Thank you for going through the reviews! Pace and tautness is something that we writers learn in our own journey of writing. It comes from practice and self-critiquing asking ourselves every now and then, “does this sentence/paragraph/page prod the reader to go to the next?” or “Does this leave the reader with sufficient intrigue to get back?” I admit it is not easy. But doable and exciting!

Q: What caused you to switch careers from investment analyst to writing?

Saiswaroopa Iyer: Writing (Storytelling to be specific) was something I always had in mind. For many years my day job did not leave me enough bandwidth to pursue it full time. But my move to London a couple of years back made it amenable to me to pursue writing and also learn about publishing industry.

Q: What’s next?

Saiswaroopa Iyer: I am writing the sequel to my first novel ABHAYA, temporarily titled as Daughter of Mura. It is the story of a young girl who briefly appears in Abhaya but will have adventures of her own in the upcoming book. It would be a standalone novella but set in the ‘Abhaya universe’.

Q: Tell us about Saiswaroopa Iyer. What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

Saiswaroopa Iyer: Read and listen to lecture series on topics of my interest. I love travelling and visiting places of historical importance. I love to spend quality time with my family.

About Saiswaroopa Iyer

Formerly an analyst with a Venture capital firm, Saiswaroopa's interests include Startups, Economics, Carnatic Music, Philosophy, Politics, History and Literature of India. She won a state level gold medal from TTD in rendering Annamacharya Kritis. She holds an MBA from Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur.

About AVISHI
Long before the times of Draupadi and Sita
Immortalised in the hymns of Rig Veda
But forgotten to the memory of India
The Warrior Queen with an iron leg, Vishpala

Brought up in the pristine forest school of Naimisha, Avishi reaches the republic of Ashtagani in 
search of her destiny. When Khela, the oppressive King of the neighbouring Vrishabhavati begins to overwhelm and invade Ashtagani, Avishi rises to protect her settlement, but at a high cost.

Separated from her love, her settlement broken, with a brutal injury needing amputation of her leg, can Avishi overcome Khela?

If stories about ancient India, especially those with strong women characters interest you, then Avishi is a story you must read!

Links


Twitter address  - @Sai_swaroopa