A Special Encounter with Nikhil Kushwaha

About the Author

Nikhil Kushwaha, an engineer, poet and a novelist, has already entertained his readers in his first book Six Teen Mistakes. A Ranchi boy, schooling from Bishops School and Kendriya Vidyalaya, is a graduate from NIST Berhampur, as an electrical engineer. Being author by chance and a full time author now, he says that it is not necessary to have experience, degree or talent to be an author, but whats required, is a story, passion and some patience. Believing in realism, his novels are based on what he witnesses around the people he knows, the things he has experienced and a story he wants the world to tell.

Well, I had a special Encounter with this amazing author and we talked about his book Heart of Bullets which has created a great buzz from last few months.Here it goes :

1. When did writing happened to you?

Well, I am not sure, maybe when I thought I’ll be forgetting those moments which made my past beautiful.

2. Is Heart of Bullets your first book? If no, please mention the books released before?


Heart of Bullets is my third book after Six Teen Mistakes (2014) & The Waning Moon (2015).

3. Why you chose the theme Patriotism for your Novel?

Serving a state in any form is the kind honor and nobility that can’t be achieved by any other means. There awakes a braveness and struggle at times when the rest of the nation is asleep.

Not everyone has the courage to fight and die but there’s a little bit of will inside every Indian. Being a writer, all I can do is share the story of glory, pride and sacrifice and that’s what I’ve done in my book. Maybe my book can raise a hero.

4. What all research work you did while writing this piece?

Research is a must for every book as literature shapes the character. There is a friend of me in Para Forces who gave me the details I needed.

5. Do you want to credit anyone for the success of this book?
Well yes, to everyone who read my book.

6. What all hardships you went through in this process of writing? Did that discourage you or motivate you?

Hardships, yes. From the thought process to drafting to getting published to marketing…. Well, who knows hardship better than an author!!

I’m happy that my book is being liked by most of the readers and that’s a great motivation.


7. Are you planning to write more? When can we expect your other works?

I know I won’t stop writing, even though I want to. I’m already working in my next project and hope to get it publish before this year ends.

8. What is your message to the young writers like you?

To young writers like me, I just wanna say that there are wolves out there to rip your goals. Research before trusting and choose your publisher accordingly.

Book Review of 30 Days of Advent Colouring Journal

As I mentioned in my previous post that next post would be the book review, so here I am with the book review of Marilynn Dawson's spiritual book, 30 Days of Advent Colouring Journal. Well, this book is far different from all the books I have read till now. When she sent me the e-book I read it, thought about it and it filled me lots of positivity and good vibes. The concept of the book is enthralling and I completely admire it. Since, I was to review it so  I read it quick but I will suggest my readers to go through it slowly and it would be beneficial if you follow the guidelines and complete it in 30 Days as the title itself says its a 30 days Colouring Journal. This will surely give you some values and enlighten you about the things you don't know about Jesus and his life.

Cover- The cover of the book is appealing and from that only one starts to feel activated.

Title- The title is direct to the point and it delineates that it is a guide book.

Theme- This book has no plot since its a non- fiction. The theme is Spirituality ofcourse and keeps us pumped up till we complete it. It is like a coursebook which anyone can read as there is no particular age limit to read it. It has some interesting facts about the life of Jesus. It further talks about Jesse Tree which highlights the lineage of Jesus Christ and provides the biblical foundation of Jesus the Messiah.

Structure- The language has brevity in it and the author has kept it it simple as it is for all age groups. At the end of every Day, there are questions and space is provided to write the answers. Additionally, the figures are made which one can colour it and it serves the title of Colouring.

Additional Information- It is customary in many families and Churches to celebrate the season called Advent every December. This is a time of waiting, of expecting, of anticipation, and of preparation as we get ready for the big day! “30 Days of Advent Colouring Journal” not only offers a unique way to celebrate Advent with your family, it also incorporates another treasured past-time among various denominations and family groups: The Jesse Tree. The Jesse Tree introduces . . . the lives of various people who are featured in Jesus' earthly family tree. Images to be coloured on each day are taken from The Jesse Tree and in some way represent the person or subject being covered on that day. However, we aren't just reading and merely colouring our way through the Christmas season! Each day bears Scripture, thoughts, and a question to ponder. Opposite each colouring page, space is reserved for devotional thoughts as they come to you or a member of your family as you progress through the Christmas season. May this Advent colouring journal bless you and yours this Christmas!

Availability of the book- http://www.amazon.com/30-Days-Advent-Colouring-Journal/dp/1928160115

Reviews on this book- http://www.amazon.com/30-Days-Advent-Colouring-Journal/dp/1928160115
https://www.createspace.com/5906459

Other Details of Book- 

Publication Date:

Nov 30 2015

ISBN/EAN13:

1928160115 / 9781928160113

Page Count:

82

Binding Type:

US Trade Paper

Trim Size:

7" x 10"

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Related Categories:

Religion / Christian Life / Devotional

About the Author

Marilynn Dawson is the author of "Becoming the Bride of Christ: A Personal Journey", "Mom's Little Black Book: Godly Advice for the High School Graduate", "Practical Thoughts on Becoming an Author", "Dressed for Eternity", "A Year in Prayer With Jesus","Pumpkin Pie From the Ground Up! (Well, sort of!)", and "The Poor Man's Budget" her latest book released through Songdove Books, her own Imprint.

Marilynn grew up in a solid Christian home, coming to Christ at the age of 7. She has been actively involved in Church life since age 10, including activities such as joining her Mom and sister in singing special numbers, choir, teaching Sunday School, leading Sunday School open session, planning Sunday School lessons, and more. Marilynn attended both public and private schools growing up. She attended North Island Community College on Vancouver Island and Trend College in Kelowna, obtaining certificates in receptionist work and Comptia A+ computer repair.

Throughout her life, Marilynn has written poetry and published in the American Poetry Anthology(two issues). She has written numerous unpublished articles on end-time eschatology, written unpublished short stories, word studies and more.

Marilynn lives with her two grown children, cat and gerbil, in Kelowna BC Canada. Her day job sees her fix computers and engage in multimedia for her church. In the evenings and on weekends she's a soundtech doing various events through the year from funerals to workshops to concerts and weddings. Marilynn has sung alto or tenor in various choirs and praise teams over the years.

Marilynn can be contacted via her author page on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/Marilynn.Dawson.Author or by email: author@fa-ct.com 

P.S. : You can read her interview by clicking on the previous blog post!!

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An Interactive Session with Marilynn Dawson

I have noticed that these days we focus on Indian Book Reviews and interviews only and half of the lot doesn't even know what is happening in other countries, leave countries, we are not even bothered about authors of other states or cities so  I thought of bringing up an interview from a Canada based author, Marilynn Dawson.  

About the Author

Marilynn grew up in a solid Christian home, coming to Christ at the age of 7. She has been actively involved in Church life since age 10, including activities such as joining her Mom and sister in singing special numbers, choir, teaching Sunday School, leading Sunday School open session, planning Sunday School lessons, and more. Marilynn attended both public and private schools growing up. She attended North Island Community College on Vancouver Island and Trend College in Kelowna, obtaining certificates in receptionist work and Comptia A+ computer repair.

Throughout her life, Marilynn has written poetry and published a few of them in the American Poetry Anthology(two issues). She currently does freelance work for a technical blog in Alberta. She's also written numerous unpublished articles on end-time eschatology and the news, written unpublished short stories, word studies and more.

Marilynn lives with her two teenagers, cat and gerbils, in Kelowna BC Canada. Her day job sees her fix computers, program cash registers, and engage in multimedia for her church. In the evenings and on weekends she's a soundtech helping with various events through the year from funerals to workshops to concerts and weddings. Marilynn sings in the choir, holding down the tenor section, and sang on her church's praise teams for several years as an alto or tenor substitute.

Marilynn can be contacted via her author page on Facebook at:https://www.facebook.com/Marilynn.Daw... or by email: author@fa-ct.com 

 You can read free samples of her work on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/Marilynn.Dawson.Author?ref=hl

Her sporadic blog: http://songdove.fa-ct.com/wordpress-mu/songdovemusings/

During the interview I came to know about her amazing views about life and spiritualism since I read her book 30 Days of Advent Colouring Journal. I was moved by her thoughts and  I would like to share with my readers here :

1. When did writing happened to you?
I fell in love with creative writing as a young child in elementary school. In my teen years, I began doing personal devotional writing. Poetry got me from my teen years into my mid- 20's when I got several poems published in the American Poetry Anthology over the course of two years. But it wasn't till 2008 when the thought of putting something into print became possible.


2. Why you chose spiritual subject to write on when other people write about romance,horror and thriller?
I write about my faith in Jesus Christ. Romances, horrors, thrillers are fine as far as fiction goes, and those themes even play into the kinds of fiction many Christian authors write as well, but they don't interest me. The story I am telling is a real one, not a fictional one.


3. How much spiritual are you?
I gave my life to Christ when I was seven years of age, was baptized in water at age 12 and received my prayer language that year as well. I began teaching Sunday School at age 14. Christianity to me is not a religion, but a relationship with the only Deity who gave His life to save mine. Following His precepts is a way of life, not something I “do”.


4. What was the research work behind writing this book?
This book is a result of having researched various iterations of both the Jesse Tree, and the Advent season of celebration. After comparing various versions, I settled on one expression of Advent, and two expressions of the Jesse Tree, and combined them for this book.


5. What all obstacles you faced while writing this book?
One obstacle I faced was the fact that not everything is in the same order for the various presentations I was looking at. I had to pick my own order. Another obstacle was the graphics themselves. Trying to ensure they were similar styles wasn't easy and there are different styles in the book as a result. Trying to ensure they were colourable wasn't easy either and some images required modifications to ensure people would enjoy colouring them. A third obstacle was where some of the Scripture readings began and ended. I adjusted them a few times throughout the book because I preferred that certain passages begin and end differently.


6. Are all your books about spiritualism or some other genres?
All but two of my books come out of my Christian faith walk. The two that are different are each in different genres. One is a recipe for Pumpkin Pie that I use every Fall. The other is teaching others about the tools and methods that allowed me to become a published author.


7. Enlighten us about your other published books?
My 8 book series, “Becoming the Bride of Christ: A Personal Journey” shares my personal story of God's healing and restoration following divorce and becoming a single mother. The seventh book in the series is a Leader's Guide so people can go through my story in a group if they with. The eighth book is a study journal giving more space for personal thoughts as a person travels through the series.


“Mom's Little Black Book: Godly Advice for the High School Graduate” was originally just a grad gift for my two teenagers back in 2013, but I made it available for sale when an editor asked to order it for her own graduating daughter. I've since sold over 40 of these books. This book is filled with tidbits of practical advice on the right-hand page, and Scripture verses on the left. It also contains charts, note pages, calendar sheets and budget samples to help the young adult get started on the right track.


“Dressed for Eternity” is an interesting book delving into the various forms of raiment that God gives His Bride in the Scriptures. It goes from Aaron's Breastplate to the New Jerusalem, three food items and priestly garments to discussing modesty at the end of the book.


“A Year in Prayer With Jesus” seeks to help believers who are struggling with prayer, learn to use The Lord's Prayer in their daily prayer life. The companion book released in Fall of 2015, “One Year Prayer Journal”, gives more room for notes and thoughts as the person goes through all 365 days in the book.


“The Poor Man's Budget: a Five Week Course – Learning to live within one's means” has an instructor's manual, student workbook, and three month journal all designed to help people identify needs versus wants, assess where their funds are going, and figure out the best way to manage a monthly budget for their income level.


“Practical Thoughts on Becoming an Author”, the first e-book-only publication I put out, takes the reader through the tools and methods I used to get into the world of self-publishing. It now has two e-courses based off it, one for paperback preparation and the other for e- book preparation. These arrive in your inbox once a day. They sell for $15 each.


“Pumpkin Pie From the Ground Up! (Well, sort of!)” is my second e-book-only publication f featuring the recipe and methods my daughter and I use every Fall to make our own healthy pumpkin pies. It has various tongue-in-cheek moments throughout the book.

“30 Days of Advent Colouring Journal” takes a family through both Advent and the Jesse Tree for the days starting from the last Sunday in November, to Christmas Day. Each day has a page with Scripture readings, thoughts and an image to colour, and a page for thoughts to be written down throughout the season.


8. Are you planning to write in future?
Yes I am. I don't have any thoughts on what will be written next, but I don't plan to remain silent for long.


9. Is there any genre which you haven't written but wish to write?
I would like to get my children's poetic stories turned into illustrated cardboard books, but that will have to wait till income is big enough to hire an illustrator. I know a few illustrators as well. So that's on my genre wish list.


10. Your message for the audience?
Thanks so much for taking the time to read about my book, and for reading this interview. I pray that my books will minister to you, or to those you love and care about.

Blogger's Note: You can know more about Marilynn Dawson by following these links: 

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6475596.Marilynn_Dawson

http://www.amazon.com/Ms-Marilynn-Dawson/e/B008SXA2QS

https://www.youtube.com/user/songdovemd
http://songdove.fa-ct.com/wordpress-mu/songdovemusings/

Book Review will be posted in the next post..

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A Perfect Happiness Mantra

The Happiness Code by Suvasish Mukhopadhyay is indeed a mantra for happiness. It talks about the art of achieving happiness. The book has author's experiences which he has beautifully drafted in form of anecdotes, illusions and examples. Every line has an important meaning which makes an impact. The best part is, even a layman can read this book and follow these mantras.

Cover- The cover of the book is intriguing and the pink color gives us positive vibes about the book.

Title- The title is simple and it clearly serves the purpose of the book," The Happiness Code" which has a subtitle."A complete book on the Art of achieving Happiness". The smiley on the 'O' alphabet gives a powerful effect to the title. Hence, it is an apt title.

Foreword- The foreword is written by Faqir Chand Kohli which is the highlighter of the book. Basically, foreword is written to show that an important person has his verdict in favor of this book, just like Karna's Altar Ego's foreword is written by Ruskin Bond.

Theme-The whole book is written on the thought process of Happiness hence, Happiness can be called as the protagonist of the book as everything revolves around it.

Structure- The book is divided into 107 chapters that are the various ways of achieving happiness. Further, the author has beautifully described the contents on the given chapters.

Style- The book is a non- fiction and comes under the Abstract reasoning. Its sole purpose is Happiness and it talks about various ways one can achieve happiness like by helping others or by performing certain tasks. The author has used an easy, lucid, simple language so that even a layman can read it with an ease. The author has used various motivational quotes  written by other people and poetic language to justify his point. The author has used real life examples and these are perfectly shown in the book.

Favorite quotes- 

"To ask a question may bring moments shame,but not to ask and remain ignorant is a lifetime shame." - Anon

"Never underestimate yourself; you are the most important thing in the universe."- Edward L. Kramer

My Observations- The simplicity of the book makes the readers glued to it but at the same time the editing errors makes it a big turn off. Nevertheless, the book's thought process surpasses this drawback and makes it highly recommendable. Suvasish has indeed done an amazing job of bringing this book in the market.

Others REviews- http://www.induswomanwriting.com/book-review-of-the-happiness-code.html
http://aliveshadow.blogspot.in/2015/12/book-review-happiness-code-by-suvasish.html
https://theauthorsblogg.wordpress.com/2015/12/07/the-happiness-code-by-suvashish-mukhopadhyay-book-review/
http://raveechoicesofthoughts.blogspot.in/2015/12/book-review-happiness-code-by-suvasish.html

Availability of the Book- http://www.amazon.in/The-Happiness-Code-Complete-Achieving/dp/8124801568

About the Author

Suvasish Mukhopadhyay is a full time faculty member of Civil Engineering in College of Engineering, Pune. He has more than twenty years experience of teaching Management Studies, Fluid MEchanics, Dams and HYdraulic Structures, Soil Dynamics and NUmerical Methods to the students of undergraduate and postgraduate classes of Civil Engineering. He has guided several postgraduate-level students in their dissertation works. He is in the panel of experts in various universities and government and private organizations. Prof. Mukhopadhyay is actively engaged with the nationality famous training institute 'YAshada'. He has presented papers in several National and International conferences and published articles in journals of repute. Till date he has to his credit eight books, namely My students of Far and Near; You can Score MOre; Tsunami the Biggest BAne; How to Study and Succeed; Fundamentals of Fluid Mechanics; An Eternal Quest for Peace; and MOtivating School KIds. Motivating School Kids is a NAtional Bestseller and has received many reviews by eminent newspapers and journals.

Different Shades of Life

Sandhya Jane's   Second Spring is an amazing novel that showcase different shades of life. This type of novels are mostly liked by the readers as they are far better than those lovey-dovey romance novels. This novel has true essence of love. Not only this, it is a beautiful journey of Avantika who happens to be a seasoned banking professional. She is a single mother who handles her personal as well as professional life efficiently. She is an all rounder and when she falls for her employee, series of events takes place. The void is filled but still she couldn't find happiness in that relationship. A twisting and turning tale that keeps the readers glued to the pages till the end.

Cover- The cover of the book is beautiful and gives us positive vibes. The color scheme is vibrant.

Title- The title of the novel is related to NAture, '  Second Spring', which fills our mind with new hopes and enthusiasm. One can guess their own definitions like a new beginning of something. This clearly suits the story of the novel making it Apt.

Plot- Sandhya has constructed a gripping plot that revolves around Avantika, the protagonist, who is a businesswoman and a classy lady. The way she carries herself is admirable. She is a single mother and their is void in her life which is filled by her employee who is younger than her. Their chemistry is amazing yet they couldn't make it. Their relationship becomes a history with lots of memories. The way plot is developed is appreciable.

Characterisation- The author has vividly illustrated her the character of her characters. Avantika's character portrayal seems the toughest as per my observation. The way she carries herself and that attitude is hard to delineate in a novel. Further, Rohan's character is phantasmagorically shown. The author's note can beautifully justify Sandhya's thought process about these two character portrayals.

Technique- The story is written in first person narrative. The name of the chapters are the name of the characters i.e, Avantika and Rohan which shows each other's point of views. This point of view technique serves as a sugar coating on the cake. To add more, the personal as well as impersonal descriptions makes it enthralling.

Style- The language is lucid, simple and clear. It has brevity in it. The readers do not find difficult in reading. There are certain sentences that sound poetic. The use of adjectives like sexy, Boss Lady, beautiful for Avantika highlights her character. The locations used in the novel are fantastic. The use of E-mails makes it Epistolary in style. Further, the descriptions, use of phrases and connecting words makes it interesting.

Favorite lines- " Here's someone who doesn't listen to Avantika or give a hoot about our disapproval".
" It is Mercury that is responsible for the strange connection between us."

Others Reviews- http://blog.blogadda.com/2016/01/20/book-review-second-spring-sandhya-jane
https://plus.google.com/110100764236299760695/posts/iFdZmYQGsKk
https://daffodilstouch.wordpress.com/2016/01/29/book-review-second-spring-sandhya-jane/


Availability of the Book- 

ABout the Author- 

With a Master degree in Information Technologies from the University of Central Missouri, Sandhya Jane has been working for over two decades in the global corporate environment in USA, India and Hong Kong that includes some of the leading investment banks in Manhattan.

She has travelled widely across the globe, giving her a unique insight to different cultures and regions. Currently, she lives in Hong Kong with her husband and her son.

In addition to writing fiction, Sandhya also regularly writes on the subjects of technology, management and other motivational topics for leading websites and an Indian newspaper.

Please visit he at: http://www.facebook.com/SandhyaJane or http://www.sandhyJane.com. Write her at sandhya@sandhyajane.com.

A Perfect Full Length Novel

The Withering Banyan by Hyma Goparaju is a perfect example of Social and Domestic Novel. Being a debutant, she has written this full length novel beautifully. The way she has expressed her thoughts and the use of rich vocabulary makes it strong and gripping.

Cover- The cover of the novel is beyond perfect as it has a Big Banyan Tree that justifies its title as well as the theme.

Title- The title is suitable as the whole story and the scene takes place around the Banyan Tree.

Plot- Hyma has constructed a gripping and solid plot. The story revolves around Natya and Badrinath , who seems to be the protagonists of the novel. The way they handle their lives and people associated with them is intriguing. Badri's disease and Shradha Devi's disease are same and the way these two are connected by a secret is beautifully shown by Hyma.

Characterisation- Hyma has phantasmagorically handled her characters. There are round as well as flat characters in the novel. Natya remains flat throughout the novel while Badrinath undergoes a change in the middle of the story. Sundar, Som Uncle, Siveswara, Balaram, Kanakamma also play a vital role in the progression of the story. There are other minor characters who play significant role in the story.

Theme- There are varieties of themes in the novel. Schizophrenia is the main theme. Badrinath is the second inheritant of the disease after his grandfather and later on, the disease is passed on to his son Som and daughter, Shradha Devi, further the symptoms could be noticed in Pranati. These people are mistook as mad people and the way their families are affected due to their disease could be seen.

 The other theme is the Domestic theme. Hyma has beautifully highlighted the domestic environment of a family where they live together jointly and then series of events take place in their lives. It is basically the rise and fall of MArri Family which HYma has showcased.

Further, it talks about Independence and the way Badri and Sundar reacted to the developments is another segment of the novel.

Technique- The story moves in flashback technique. The chapters have present and past. The setup is amazing. The novel is written in third person narrative and has an impersonal description of things.

Style- The language is figurative, complex and has many jargons in it. It sometimes confuses the readers. Further, it has variety of sentences ranging from simple to complex to compound. The author has used metaphors and the use of poetry is the main highlighter. Even a normal man can learn from different vocabulary used in the novel.

My Observation- In  my opinion, it is a perfect novel as a debutant as it has all the things that is required in an ideal novel. The use of poetry and prose is an icing on the cake. The variety of themes makes it attractive.

Others Reviews- https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25563328-the-withering-banyan

http://bysunil.com/2015/09/01/withering-banyan/

https://pgalmora.wordpress.com/2015/09/23/book-review-the-withering-banyan-by-hyma-goparaju/

http://bookreviewsandauthors.blogspot.in/2015/08/book-review-withering-banyan-by-hyma.html

Availability- The book is available on goodreads, amazon.in, kindle edition and many more.

About the Author

Hyma Goparaju is a management professional based in Hyderabad. She dabbled quite a lot in creative writing while at school and college, which remained dormant for a long time to come until she took the plunge to pen her first novel, ‘The Withering Banyan’. She hopes to write more.