Saturday 29 February 2020

Author Interview : Krishanu Banerjee

Author Interview : Krishanu Banerjee

Hello everyone,
Today I am going to introduce you to the author of 'Offsprings'.

Let's start!

1)Can you tell me a little bit about yourself?
Ans- I am a school teacher by profession. I make my daily bread by teaching little children. They are my friends who bring a gust of cold wind in my summer life. Apart from this nowadays I spend a lot of time by engaging my brain in the work of poetry writing. In a brief I am a very common man by appearance but unique in nature. Unique in the sense that whatever others like to do, like to believe, like to love I simply go to the opposite direction. I love to love and I hate to hate. In a nutshell I am a peculiar fellow.

2) When did you start writing and what do you think attracted you to poetry?  
Ans- When I was a student I was very poor in my writing skill. Up to class 9 I have never managed to secure respectable marks in English writing skill but in spite of this I always tried to write myself with broken vocabulary, poor grammar. Then When I admitted to class XI I tried to write short essays both in my mother tongue and English language. Thus my writing was progressing but truly speaking I have never thought of being a poet. It was 18months ago when I had wrote my first ever poem irrespective of English and Bengali language. The poem was in English.
   Poetry is the best genre of literature. It is like a fairy lady who attracts them who are the true disciples of beauty and literature. Nowadays none likes to read poetry. I want to make them read poetry again by providing poems written in simple and rhyming language. To me poetry is the best medium through which I can express myself. Hence I’m attracted to poetry.

3) When did you think you were a poet?  
Ans- When I was able to compose my poetry in proper rhyme scheme and when my poems were critically appreciated and criticised by all.

4) What poets did you enjoy reading as a child?  
Ans- As a child I haven’t read poetry but at teenage I had read a lot. I am a student of Bengali medium school. So I have not read the English poems so much. But I have read a lot of Bengali poems from the greats. Rabindranath Tagore is my most favourite poet. I enjoyed and enjoy a lot reading his poems. Apart from him Kazi Najrul Islam and Sukanta Bhattacharya are the two poets whose poetry I really enjoyed and still enjoy. As I have told earlier I had little scope to read English poetry in my teenage but in that little scope I enjoyed reading poetry of William Wordsworth. He is the poet who attracted me to English literature.

5) What motivated you to go on to focus on a career in writing?
Ans- I don’t want to go on to focus on my writing career. I like to write. That’s why I write. I am motivated only by myself.

6) Tell me something about your book 'Offsprings'.
Ans- The book 'Offsprings' is an English poetry book which consists of 70 different poems covering the themes of society, love, nature, death, grief, art etc. Each and every poem, excluding three poems, is rhythmic and different from each other. All poems (excluding one) are short in length which will make the readers enjoyable and doesn't let them feel bore. I have chosen easy language to convert my emotions in poetic forms so that each person of the society can read and recite and enjoy this book. I have named it 'Offsprings' because each poem to me is like my own child, own offspring. Hence my effort and care to let them appear on the lap of literature is perhaps quite admirable. As this is a poetry book you cannot find typical characters in it but if you read it carefully then you can easily identify metaphorical characters in it like Nature, Love, Death, A flower, the setting sun etc. If you want to find a protagonist and antagonist in these poems, you will find that too but metaphorically. You will read a poem where protagonist is a tree and antagonist is human beings. You will read another poem where the protagonist is the human beings and antagonist is the society. You can find a poem where life is the protagonist and lovelessness is its antagonist. So if it is read, one can easily make out that it is quite charming to read. Sometimes poetry creates difficulties to understand and realize but with this book experience will be different.

6) What do you like to do when you are not writing?
Ans- Ahh! Reading poetry, thinking of my upcoming poem or watching Hollywood films.

7) What's the best experience you've gained through your writing?
Ans- What should I say? Well, My writing career is a baby till now. So I have not gained any remarkable experience.

8) How did you get started as a poet? How do your poems develop? Please guide us through the stages of a poem.
Ans- I only write when I am too much happy or sad. My feelings of ecstasy or sadness form some beautiful words and then they make a garland of poetry with the thread of rhymes. I like rhymes. Without rhymes I don’t feel poetry as‘poetry’.

9) Tell us about your process: pen and paper, computer, notebooks...how do you write?  
Ans- I always write on my Mobile phone. I use your quote app as my writing desk and diary. It will be incomplete if I don’t mention your quote app. Practically this app has created my poetic self. I am very very very grateful to it.

10) What do you see as the role of poet in modern day society? Any message for your readers?
Ans- Difficult to answer but as we all know that literature reflects society, it is our moral duty to present the situation of modern day society to all and sundry. As pen is mightier than sword, hence our writings should reflect any injustice as well as appreciate any noble cause. I believe a poet is beyond any religious or political self. His or her identity is that he or she is a poet, only a poet who should worship only the truth. Hence when we shall know our proper role in the society, then a true society will be created.
   I am too young to give any kind of messages to my readers. I can only request them to read my works heartily and criticise them as much as possible.
Thanks for reading 

Friday 28 February 2020

Book Review : Secrets of the Seers,Book -2(Silver of Shiva)

Book Review : Secrets of the Seers, Book -2( Silver of Shiva)

Title - Secrets of the Seers  Book-2 Silver of Shiva 
Author - Tina Sadhwani 
Publisher - Notion press 
Genre - mythology/fiction
Pages - 292
Format - kindle

Blurb -
Suka—the Initiated One—has entered a new sphere of training in the yogic crafts. To become an adept monk, he must learn how to master the mysterious Time-Trix—the Kaalchakra.
However, a series of supernatural phenomena invades the School of Yog, unleashing powerful beings and astonishing secrets that are thousands of years old.
The ancient civilization of the yogis is threatened with enslavement, Suka loses his magical abilities and the Wheel of Timebegins to spin out of control.
Yet, the fate of the world still rests in the hands of the Initiated One.
Will Suka master the Kaalchakra before it is too late? Will he summon the higher powers of Mahakaal? Will he gain the Supreme Force?

This book is the second part of the series after 'Secrets of the seers : Book 1 veil of Shakti. The ancient civilization of the yogis is threatened with enslavement, Suka loses his magical abilities and the wheel of time begins to spin out of control. Yet the fate of the world still rests in the hands of the initiated one, Suka. Grab the book and read the amazing journey in the new sphere of training in the yogic crafts.
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The plot is unique and a prefect blend of mythology, sci-fi, mystery and adventure. The book has also highlighted on the vedic culture and spirituality. This story is more mysterious than first part. The author has beautifully narrated about the Time -trix - the Kaalchakra. It is divided into four chapters which is further divided into many subchapters. At the end of the book glossary is provided which is readers friendly. The flow of the story is well paced. This is really a masterpiece in terms of writing and imagination.
The characters in the book have a story presence and are wonderfully portrayed by the author whose style is unique and gripping. Overall, an adventurous read.

Rating - 4.6/5

I recommend this book to all.

Thanks for reading.

Tuesday 25 February 2020

Author Interview : Bidisha Ghosal

Author Interview : Bidisha Ghosal

Hello everyone,
Today I am going to introduce you to the author of 'The Rape Trial'

Let's start!

1)Tell me something about yourself.
I’m one of those authors who’s been writing since she could hold a pencil. I started off with Bengali poems, but once I learned English I fell in love and haven’t looked back. I love the language! I find it weird, eccentric, cheekily adaptive, with a bit of a dark history to boot. It has everything I love in a delicious novel.

2)What is 'The Rape Trial ' about?
It’s about three friends who cannot escape the fact that they know a rapist. Rhea, Amruta and Hitaishi decide to pull a Larsson on Rahul Satyabhagi –kidnapping and torturing him, and deliberately leaving him alive to prolong his suffering. But that tiny taste of blood opens up their darker side, and they go on a self-righteous hunt-the-rapist spree, one after another. Rahul was a prominent person in society, and DC Dixit is on the trail of his attackers, but the investigation gets muddled and delayed as different groups rear their heads to carry out similar attacks. Does he know what he’s really looking for? Do the girls know they’re being chased?

3) What prompted you to write about this burning issue?
It started out as an act of pure mental venting, honestly. At the time, my city Calcutta was seeing of a spate of rapes and attempted rapes, carried out with a shocking lack of fear of the authorities. I remember being intensely frightened and angry about it, and someone taunted me to write something about it if I was so affected. At the time I was struggling with another story. Shortly after the taunt I realised that that story wasn’t working out and I dropped it, and a few blank days later the first half of The Rape Trial came to me in a flash. I wrote it in a frenzy, only to see it for what it was – a mental venting – and that’s when the hard work of turning it into a solid novel began.

4) Describe 'The Rape Trial' in one line.
A feminist crime drama that’ll keep you turning the pages.

5) What is your writing process like?
I can only talk about this book because it’s the only novel I’ve written so far – very instinctive, relying heavily on what ‘comes’ and then working out the structure around that. As a result it was a very haphazard, nerve-wracking experience. I don’t think I want to write another book this way again. My biggest takeaway is to plan.

6) What do you like to do when you're not writing?
A lot of things actually. I’m heavily into energy work to take care of my physical and emotional well-being. I practise a lesser-known technique called Jin Shin Jyutsu. I also love making paper artwork. The technique I love best is paper quilling and some of my works are up on my Insta. I’m becoming more serious about it this year, let’s see where that takes me. My creative energy is a little all over the place, I love doing different things.

7) What does your family think of your writing?
My immediate family loves it! My parents and brother have been incredibly supportive and I have to first and foremost thank my mother for creating the necessary atmosphere at home. My dad who has probably never read a book in his life is reading mine and enjoying it thoroughly. They’re very openly proud of me for having become an author. My extended family is also excited. They’ve been very supportive. They’ve been my first customers and readers, so it really shows how much they mean their support.

8) Who is your favorite Indian and foreign author?
I haven’t read more than one or two works of any one Indian author, but I have enjoyed the works of Sudhir Kakar, Devdutt Pattnaik, and Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. I’ve read foreign authors much, much more, and it’s hard to name any one. The list includes Stephen King, Oscar Wilde, Angela Carter, Enid Blyton, Roald Dahl, O’Henry, and frankly speaking, many more.

9) What are your future plans? How soon can your readers expect your next book?
I don’t really have plans. I know I want to turn my paper quilling skills into something substantial. I also know I want to write about feminism and about the quirks of the English language. I do have many, many ideas for novels but I’d rather no one expect a second one from me. Too much pressure! One of the things I regret about The Rape Trial is telling people I was writing it.

10) What advice do you have for writers and readers?
Don’t attempt a good work of fiction unless the idea is really compelling. I’ve found the process extremely daunting and it was really the story that pulled me through by just not letting go of me. I felt quite dragged along by it, so… don’t attempt fiction unless you find the story is a bit of a compulsion.

Thanks for reading.

Tuesday 18 February 2020

Book Review : Banker's Game

Book Review : Bankers' Game

Title - Bankers' Game
Author - Ashutosh Mishra
Publisher - Jaico publishing house
Genre - fiction
Pages - 272
Format - paperback
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This is the second book from the author of 'Happiness is all we want' which was superb. And now Banker's Game, a fiction. Firstly, I thought this would be a boring book but slowly it became quite interesting, absolutely a page turner.
The story revolves around Rekha, Amit, Satya and their boss, Nitin struggle to maintain their sanity in the dynamic world of office politics.
Who will win and who will lose?
Who will stay and who will quit?

Review -
1) The cover and the title of the book is totally relevant to the content.
2) This book is a tale of greed,lust and redemption which is very well narrated by the author.
3) The author has touched almost all the topics about corporate and banking world. It is a perfect blend of fiction and reality.
4) The corporate world is depicted in a detailed manner. The book explores the sublime dynamics of corporate life.
5) Ample detailing, good backstory and timely suspense has made me glued to the book.
6) The book is divided into 66 chapters which is readers friendly. This book will teach you what you want and what not to do in your professional life.
7) It is a perfect guide for corporate and bank employees.
8) Language used is simple and lucid.
9) Characters are well developed and described by the author.
10) Overall, an awesome and absorbing read.
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Rating - 5/5
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I recommend this book to all.
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Thanks for reading.

Thursday 6 February 2020

Author Interview : Sourabh Mukherjee

Author Interview : Sourabh Mukherjee

Hello everyone,
Today I am going to introduce you to the author of 'The Colors Of Passion'

Let's start!

1) Tell me something about yourself. 

I have been writing for as long as I can remember. I have never really written for a purpose – it is just something I love to do. In my early childhood, I would spend hours writing, as well as making illustrations for my own stories. A number of my poems were published in children’s magazines back in the day. I continued to write through my teenage and later in college.

I kept writing in office magazines for a couple of years, but the demands of my career as an Information Technology professional and my travels across the world soon left me with very little time and creative energy to write fiction.

However, as I travelled across the world, I grew as a person getting to observe people from widely varying cultural backgrounds and to study their emotions, their thoughts, their behaviour from various perspectives. And stories began to grow all over again.

I won the Golden Pen Award in the Monsoon Romance Contest 2014, conducted by Sulekha.com and judged by an eminent panel of literary luminaries. That was when I decided to take my writing more seriously.

My debut novel In the Shadows of Death was published by Srishti Publishers in the winter of 2015. This was followed by The Colours of Passion in 2017, and The Sinners in 2019. I have also written three collections of short stories - Romance Shorts (2016), Beyond 22 Yards (2018), It's All About Love (2018), and a textbook Big Data Simplified (2019)
In my day job, I work in a Senior Leadership role in a global technology firm.

2) What is 'The Colours of Passion : unravelling dark secrets behind the limelight' about? 

In "The Colours of Passion", I wanted to talk about how our society has certain pre-conceived notions about human relationships. Any relationship that does not conform to acceptable definitions is quickly dismissed as immoral, illicit, or even illegal. This has been the case with same-sex relationships in our country for a very long time. While the constitutional hurdle has now been cleared, has our mindset really changed? Is the society really open to same-sex relationships? Love, at the end of the day, is love. What we need to realize is that, love and passion come in a variety of colours - it cannot be painted in only one shade.
Secondly, the book aims to unravel the dark secrets behind the limelight. I have heard stories of betrayal, conspiracy, heartbreak from my acquaintances in the entertainment and fashion industries, and I felt that, these would be the perfect ingredients for an edge-of-the-seat thriller. 
  In that sense, "The Colours of Passion" has been truly hailed as India's first alternate sexuality thriller. It was long-listed in WordToScreen 2018, conducted by the Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI). It was also ranked by MyBookPick.com among top Indian thrillers in 2017, and was among Top 10 New Arrivals in Starmark outlets across India in the month of its release. It was also among Amazon bestsellers for several months post-release.  

3) What prompted you to write murder mystery? 

‘The Colours of Passion’ is a fast paced thriller set in the ‘new’ Kolkata. It provides an authentic view of the glamour industry - movies and fashion. It talks about the trials and tribulations the people we adore on screen go through in reality. And the story deals with the extremely relevant social issue of same-sex relationhips at its core.

4) Where do you get your ideas from? 
I love following the journeys of celebrities - Indian and International - from humble beginnings, often from nondescript backgrounds, to dizzying heights of fame, and observing how those journeys change them. Not only in the way they look and carry themselves, but also in their outlook, their opinions, their consciousness of social responsibilities and in some cases, their insecurities and what those insecurities often lead them to. 
The attitude of the Indian society towards same-sex relationships, and its adverse impacts, has also been a subject of keen interest for me.

5) What is your writing process like? 

I honestly don't have a well-defined writing process. When I am in the process of writing, I actually let the sights and the sounds in my mind take over. It, therefore, becomes extremely important for me to be in the ‘appropriate’ frame of mind to write, irrespective of the time of the day or my surroundings. I need to be in those situations myself. 

6) What do you like to do when you're not writing? 

I am a voracious reader. I also watch movies and travel a lot. 

7) What are your future plans? How soon can your readers expect your next book?

My third book "The Sinners" is already out. It unravels in a world of corporate conspiracy, illicit relationships and ruthless seduction games.

8) What advice do you have for writers and readers?

I would like to tell budding writers that, it is important to create real, identifiable characters in a story – unless of course one is writing a fantasy or a superhero story. Correct use of the language is essential. An author should ensure that a story progresses at a uniform pace – a story that slows down after an energetic start is a big letdown. Finally, it is not about the length but always about the impact of a story. I have read 1-page stories that have left me thinking for days.
As for readers, I would want them to continue reading, in spite of all the distractions and alternate channels of consuming stories that surround us today.

Thanks for reading.


Sunday 2 February 2020

Book Review : A Year Without Summer

Book Review : A Year Without Summer

Title - A Year Without Summer
Author - Shreyan Laha
Publisher - Bigfoot Publishers
Genre - sci-fi /fiction
Pages - 348
Format - Paperback

The story revolves between two time periods ,one is in the year 1816 and other is in 2018. In 1816 the sudden downfall in the temperature creates a huge destruction and widespread diseases. Sharat was no exception as he was forced to quit his Zamindar lifestyle after his parents died. On the other hand in 2018, there was Niharika, living in the best of times - in a fairly modern society. She loved her life - her group of friends, her family and everything around her. Little did they know that something awaited them far away in a deserted civilisation 6 billion years into the future; in the planet Nocturne which was ravaged by compounds of a rare element called Barrenium. A Year Without Summer is a tale on how lives can intertwine with no restrictions in space time and dimensions.

Review -
1) The cover of the book is good but could have been better.
2) The title of the book seems to be mysterious.
3) The plot of the story is unique and adventurous. It is a perfect blend of sci fi and fiction.
4) The author has very well maintained the rapid move between the two time periods.
5) The book is divided into 5 parts and the author has beautifully narrated sci fi element in detail.
6) Language used by the author is simple and lucid.
7) At the end of the book translation and reference are given which are readers friendly for understanding technical terms.
8) Hats off to the author for his research work and imagination.
9) The story has so many characters but the characterization is very strong that one can easily relate to them.
10) The flow of the book is well paced and gripping. Overall, a good sci fi adventurous read.

Rating - 4.6/5

I recommend this book to all sci fi lovers.

Thanks for reading.