Author, Poet, Storyteller
The lovely Marje has published her review of Marriage Unarranged in readiness for the release, tomorrow! Thank you. Marje!
Hello, my dear Peeps!
Can I start by apologising profusely?
I have not been as active as I wanted on this blog, due to so many reasons. Mainly it was work-related. School has been quite mad, and with a bout of Covid in March that really set me back, and us fast approaching the end of the school year, things have been a bit manic! The last four days which are in my half term have seen me up extra early to get the bulk of my end of year reports written!
However, the big news is that Marriage Unarranged is officially re-released on Monday 6th June! That is 4 sleeps away!
It has been very different this time around, as I now have a publisher who is doing all sorts of wonderful stuff, such as tweaking the cover for the paperback which will be out a week or so after the ebook release, to the fantastic ZooLoos Book Tours arranging an official book/blog tour!
I’ve even been interviewed by none other than my favourite author, Amanda Prowse, on her Facebook My Book Friends group! (And there is a ‘call to buy’ quote on the new cover from her, too! (#Blessed!)
And just yesterday I attended my first ever author gathering, meeting my local chapter of Society of Authors members in Tunbridge Wells. It was so lovely to chat all things words and publishing with them. They were extremely encouraging about the release, and I hope to see them again in September with news of how the release and reception has been!
We tweaked the blurb just slightly, from before to ensure all readers are aware that this book is not set now, but in 2000, when many things were different. It is almost a historical novel now!
The year 2000 and Aashi’s life was all set.
New Millennium ,exciting beginnings, new life.
Or so she thought.
Coming Summer 2023 , book 2 in The Rishtay Series
And if you saw that little comment at the end, it is now officially part of a series, of which I am in the throes of writing the ending for Book 2!
The Rishtay Series – Rishtay means relationships from romantic, to friendship to familial ones. Quite an apt name, since my writing hinges around relationships of all sorts!
And, so we have it.
Monday, it is out, again! If you have had your interest piqued, please pop over to Amazon to preorder it!
Have you done this, yet?
Today, as I got into the flow of my words, I realised that I might have to write something a little risquè.
A little man-on-man action.
Not that I have a whole lot of experience in that!
However, it is critical to my story.
Then I remembered that my parents have both read Marriage Unarranged, and there was a tiny scene in there, which Pops questioned, before glossing over…
How on earth will he react to this?
I am wondering if I need to have a little sticker on the front of the book, “Rated PG – Parents might need Guidance!”
Okay, so it isn’t written graphically. I’m no erotica writer, but there is still some need for the words arousal and hardness, and phrases like lips trailing over bodies…
See what I mean?
Pops, you can’t read it! 🙈 I am already imagining Mum’s comments, though she is aware of the topics that are going to be covered in book two.
But… has it piqued your interest, yet?
I’ve been at this writing game for a while now.
And, somewhere in my mind, it’s always been a dream for me to write a book, and see it, out there; a real book with my name on the cover.
I achieved that, all by myself, in February of 2020, when I independently published Marriage Unarranged.
But, deep down, I have always yearned for an opportunity to be traditionally published.
Little did I know, that a couple of years later, I would get approached by someone… a publisher, like, a real one, who wanted to sign me.
And that is exactly what has happened!
You are reading, officially, about me signing my first ever THREE BOOK DEAL with Spellbound Books!
Oh, my, what a rush!
I am so, so excited at the prospect of working with this woman-centric publishing house, who have my stories at the heart of their interest.
Marriage Unarranged will officially be re-released by them, in June of this year, and books two and three will follow over the next two years!
There is even a brand, spanking new series name.
The Rishtay Series.
Rishtay means relationships, and they are at the heart of every story I write.
What a blast!
Of course, I had to get my new notebook for this brand spanking, new adventure! It’s already sectioned off, and jotted in, with all manner of dates, etc. I am nervously excited, now…
So, you’ll have to follow, and stay tuned for all the latest updates!
I am well on the way with book two, too, so this will give me the kick to get the first draft finished, too!
Please, won’t you join me in a little celebration?
After all, I wouldn’t be where I am, without you all behind me!
And for that, I thank you!
Well, it’s been a little while since I posted on here, and I apologise for that, to start off with.
Life, over the last eighteen months has been kinda surreal, for us all, and I know it has taken its toll on me, in so many ways.
I’ve been battling through the understanding of remote teaching and learning in school, what with the closures.
I’ve become a master at organising mass covid testing in the house, what with two teens and me needing twice-weekly tests.
I got promoted, which, though is a wonderful boost to the ego, comes with its own fair share of ‘AAAARGH! 😱’ moments. So now, on top of being the class teacher, I am responsible for the whoe EYFS unit, meaning two nursery classes, two reception classes, three other teachers, 8 Teaching Assistants, and four lunchtime supervisors. And we are in the midst of change within the department, due to a new Government Framework change Oh, and the Ofsted threat looms heavily, this year, because we are due!
And my son had his GCSEs this summer, which was a stress in itself.
Then we moved house. You know the score.
What’s this got to do with words?
So much.
Because since I have had all the above to deal with, it has been nigh on impossible to have the energy and time to write what I want to be writing. And, to be honest, the last few months, I didn’t want to.
I seemed to have fallen out of love with my story.
And with reading.
And that was a biggie. Here is me, usually reading 5-10 books a month, barely finishing them because I couldn’t even get into these wonderful fictional worlds.
However, reading was the thing I needed to get my head round. Reading books gives me the inspiration I need, to get back to writing. And the last month has seen me read just shy of twenty books!
One was a book with some content similar to the theme I am writing about, and as I read it, I began to ruminate. Through my mind, thoughts ran, along the lines of “I think I can do better than this. No, I KNOW I can do better than this.”
And I did open my manuscript.
I didn’t write much, but I tweaked, and I also found a whole new sub plot to add to the story.
Then I reread the beginnings of another story I had begun to write in the first lockdown. And a skeleton plan of a third.
And I looked at the cover for this one I am writing now, to spur me on.
Words want to come out now. That’s a feeling I haven’t had for a long while.
Now, it’s just finding that balance, betweem, the new commute (we moved a little further away from my work, and the kids school), work itself, and the kids after school commitments.
I have no excuses. I am even blessed to have a whole writing room now, in the new house, complete with reading nook! Here’s some photos of my special space.
Wish me luck. I hope many more words flow in here!
And on to the sale…
As it’s my birthday week, Marriage Unarranged is discounted for the next five days on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk!
Birthday week Sale!
#MarriageUnarranged is 99p/c for the next five days!
Monday 30th August, until Friday 3rd September.
If you fancy a little spice in the end of your summer reading, because, let’s be honest,it’s getting a tad cold out there, be sure to download it, and I’ll consider it a birthday wish from you, to me, too!
‘Chickpea Curry’ Lit — Chick Lit with an Indian twist!
It all started/ended with that box…
Aashi’s life was all set.
Or so she thought.
Like in the Bollywood films, Ravi would woo her, charm her family and they’d get married and live happily ever after.
But then Aashi found the empty condom box…
Putting her ex-fiancé and her innocence behind her, Aashi embarks upon an enlightening journey, to another country, where vibrant memories are created, and unforgettable friendships forged.
Old images erased, new beginnings to explore.
And how can she forget the handsome stranger she meets?
A stranger who’s hiding something…
Editing can be a minefield, can’t it?
I wasn’t sure whether to write this post, initially, but after recent experiences, I thought, why not air my views, after all, they are only my thoughts, and not law, after all!
Over the last few years, as I have been, (and continue to), hone my writing craft, I have learned so much about writing, and how words can be written and how that impacts upon how readers interpret them.
It means that when I read books, sometimes the pleasure is not as great as it used to be, as I find my technical head switching on, finding errors, or picking up on rookie mistakes.
Don’t get me wrong, I am no expert, by any means, and I fully live by the thought that there are so many rules to writing a ‘good book’, yet if we all wrote by these rules, books would all be uniform, and boring.
(Who wrote these rules, anyway?)
However, good writing doesn’t have to follow the rules, but it must capture the reader.
I am one of those readers who hates to ‘DNF’ a book or mark it as something I did not finish. I know the blood sweat and toil that goes into crafting a book baby, having done it myself, so if I choose to read something, I try my hardest to give it my best shot, even if I am struggling. But now, I have realised that I need to stop if something is not clicking with me.
Sometimes it is just a genre that is not for me.
Fair enough.
I try and give everything a fair shot, but if the genre is not for me, then I’ll not complain or give a bad review of the book. I’ll just park in under my DNF pile and remember not to pick something like that again.
But, when it comes to genres I love, if I can’t engage with the characters, or follow the story smoothly, I tend to delve deeper into the whys of not being able to finish.
And almost 100% of the time it seems to be due to editing – or lack of.
Several indie authors who requested I read their books for feedback or a general review have admitted, after I ask, that they haven’t had an editor read their work.
Not even a set of experienced beta readers.
And, unfortunately, it shows.
Thankfully, most of the time, my feedback is appreciated, after all, I would never shoot another writer down, but I want them to give the best of themselves to the world of books, but sometimes, the defiance and insistence that they write and edit themselves, because they know it is good, means that I wish I hadn’t wasted my time trying to help!
I understand that editing can be an expensive business, but what authors-to-be should remember is that we are too close to our work to edit it, entirely, ourselves.
Maybe, once you have a few books under your belt, and you’ve had helpful feedback from others on your previous work, you are more able to objectively read, spot mistakes or inconsistencies, and change them.
But as a newbie, when you want to make your name in the world of books, you need to present the best writing possible.
As I said, it can be expensive, but there are ways you can get help without spending the earth.
And something extremely important to remember, however keen your friends, or family are, to read and help you with your book, they may not be the most objective readers for constuctive feedback. Most will be so encouraging, because they are proud you wrote a book.
Some might not know how to say they found parts hard to read or follow, so give you a false sense of security, but you need to remember that it is the public you want to impress with your words, not just your friends and family, if you want to be a succesful author.
This is why finding your writing people is so important, especially for an indie author.
I would still recommend you find at least a developmental editor, who will give you valuable feedback on your story, and whether everything flows, or if there are holes in your plot.
Beta readers can be your proofreading eyes if they are eagle-eyed. They can spot inconsistencies, spelling mistakes and pick up unclear points, too, when you are nearing the end of editing your manuscript if you can’t afford a copy or proofread.
If you don’t know the best way to find an editor, I would recommend asking among writing groups, like on Facebook, or even on your blog. Research them, yourselves, too, as prices can vary greatly, depending on what you want from the editor.
But the most important thing to remember is that as the author of a piece of work, we are too close to our book baby to be objective, especially at the beginning of our writing career. Either you will feel that nothing you write is good, or you won’t be able to sort the chaff from the wheat. Everything you write will appear key to the story. Or you miss things out because you have been living the story, with the characters for so long, you may omit details that a reader needs to know because, in your head, you already know it.
This is why a fresh set of eyes is so important, be it a paid editor, or a fantastic group of readers. They don’t know the backstory of your characters. They can tell you whether something is unnecessary, or if they felt something was missing. They can explain if something you wrote didn’t make sense, or whether they enjoyed it.
Then you take that feedback and use it, objectively, to improve your writing, and give your book baby the best chance of success.
There ends the sermon on The Importance Of Being Edited by Pastor Ritu!
It’s been a while, folks, and I apologise for that.
Life, including home improvements, (an eight week stretch of contractors repairing, tweaking and decorating, to get the house shipshape for putting on the market so we can find our forever home), and starting back to school with a new role under my belt, (EYFS Phase Leader and DSL), has meant that I have had little time to devote to the writing side of my persona.
Lockdown initially gave me a boost in creativity, then it sapped it. I found energy to write for a good three weeks, before #ProjectHome began, and got 40,000 words down, then the stress of having people banging, followed by the beginning of a very strange school year, meant that my poor WIP has lain, unopened for almost eight weeks.
I so dearly want to get back to it but I’ve been mentally, physically, and emotionally, shattered.
So, it was, with surprise, that I received a message from someone I know, a few weeks back. Her boss’s boss wanted to extend an invitation to me to be a guest at her book club, because they were going to be reading my book baby, Marriage Unarranged!
I never thought, in a million years, that my book would get chosen as a book club read. I mean, there are so many books out there… fantastic books… yet they chose mine!
It was with a sense of amazement that I replied that I would love to, followed by dread.
But, I’m not one to shy away from challenges, and this was an opportunity to speak to total strangers, to get opinions from readers who don’t know me at all.
And so, on Friday 16th October, at 8PM, UK time, I sat, loaded glass of pink gin by my side, waiting for the Zoom meeting to start.
Yup, a virtual book club meet, because this particular book club was in the US. A group of ten women who have been meeting up for over twenty years, to read and discuss books.
It connected, and I can say, with relief, joy and a little pride, that the hour we spent, chatting away, supping our respective drinks, went really well.
I was asked about, among other things, my inspiration, how long the book took to write, (you all know that was a long and winding road…), whether I had been to all the places mentioned in the book, who characters were based upon, why characters did certain things, and what next… Marita, who wasa hosting, even brought her own bangles, brought on a trip to India, to share with the rest of the group, when they asked about my mentioning them a lot in the book. We even posed for a virtual selfie! Here’s me with some of the group members. I’m the blurred one on the screen…
An hour disappeared so fast, and afterwards, I found myself laying on my (newly laid, so fluffy) carpet, alternating between smiling inanely, and supping the rest of my goldfish bowl of gin!
Truly, it made my day, week, month, even.
Total strangers read my book, enjoyed it, and actually wanted to speak to me about it. They were even excited that they were speaking to an author, for the first time, at their book club.
Author – as in ME!
It hit me, last night, that I really am an author, and there are folks out there who don’t know me from Adam, yet they trusted my description, and bought my book.
Honestly, in my mind, the only people who bought and read things with my name on, were friends and family…
Sorry?
What was that?
You want to read it, too?
Well, all you have to do is click below. It’s on Amazon, paperback and Kindle, and it is on Kindle Unlimited too!
I tell you what, it’s given me a real boost. I want to get back to that book two manuscript, and a short novella I am also writing, so I can offer you a freebie if you sign up to my mailing list…
Oh, and while you’re here, did you sign up for my mailing list?
I am in the middle of writing an exclusive Chickpea Curry Lit story for my subscribers, and there will be news, tips and even recipes! Oh, and you’ll be the first to know about Book Two, and all the exclusive reveals, too!
You know you want to join… go on! Click the pic below to sign up!
Some writers are lucky, you know.
They get an idea, and the words just seem to flow.
And when one is complete, the next idea arrives, waiting to be transferred from mind to screen/paper.
But not all of us are that blessed.
Well, I say that, but I have the ideas. They aren’t always fully formed, but they are there, ready to come to life on my MacBook.
For me, time is the hugest constraint. Life as a teacher, as well as a wife and mother, coupled in with Covid-19, the lockdown, and to top it off, a HUGE amount of home improvements, means that sometimes I wonder whether it’s worth it…
Then you get messages like this.
And you find that there are readers out there who have actually taken time and effort to write or post about your book. This post by Jazz of @her_reading_nook on Instagram blew me away, and there was another post filled with more images, too!
And it makes your effort feel worthwhile.
Then, you get little comments from authors your love and respect like this…
It spurs you on to try and write more.
This summer holiday has whizzed by, and I grabbed the bull by the horns. I had time, a little, at least, to devote to my writing.
My aim was 40,000 in four weeks.
I didn’t quite hit that, but I was close, and, considering I’ve spent the last week and a half manically demolishing furniture, having a ma-hoo-sive clear out and stocking the local charity shops with copious amounts of donations, and visiting B & Q many times to buy boxes, choose tiles, and bathroom suites etc, I’m not going to beat myself up over not quite hitting my self-imposed target!
I’ve also had my cover comissioned and more or less designed, ready to go, to spur me on. No, I can’t share that yet. Let me get the book written first!
And, what with my birthday, next week, I decided to have a little sale on Marriage Unarranged, so if you haven’t already, grab a Kindle copy for 99p/99c on Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk! From Friday 28th August, to Thursday 3rd September. Go on, make a writer’s day, buy a copy!
https://getbook.at/MarriageUnarranged
Oh, and while you’re here, did you sign up for my mailing list?
I am in the middle of writing an exclusive Chickpea Curry Lit story for my subscribers, and there will be news, tips and even recipes! Oh, and you’ll be the first to know about Book Two, and all the exclusive reveals, too!
You know you want to join… go on! Click the pic below to sign up!
Today, in a(nother) Facebook group I am a member of, a question was asked.
Are you a planner or a pantser?
Now, I have always laughingly referred to myself as a Plantser – a mixture of the two.
I was asked what I plan, and where I pants, and I came up with this analogy of my Literary SatNav.
Let me explain.
I have a basic idea of where I want the story to go, who will be present at the start and how I want it to end.
Then the characters are given the destination (aka the end)… with key places I want them to visit on their way.
They are like my Literary Satnavs. They take me to my conclusion in their own way.
It’s like a roadtrip with imaginary friends.
Sometimes I have to stop the writer car, let the engine idle, while I reprogram the route, because we’ve gone wildly off the map, but most of the time, it works.
We even pick up hitchhikers along the way, in the form of new characters who I didn’t even know existed! (Note to younger readers – I am not advocating picking up hitch hikers in reality, but extra characters, that’s a different matter.)
There are the key points we’ll stop at, as I specified when I originally gave the characters the basic travel plan, to savour the scenery, but more often than not, we carry on down the road to our HEA – our Happily Ever After.
It worked for me with Marriage Unarranged.
Here’s hoping they are as good at guiding me and my story this time too!
What? You haven’t read it, yet? Well, what are you waiting for?
Head on over to Amazon to download or order your copy using this link – http://getbook.at/MarriageUnarranged
Check out the Goodreads reviews here!
Well, hello there, my dear readers.
Firstly, can I apologise, profusely?
I have been very naughty, not posting on here properly for the last six weeks or so, thanks to this ‘thing’ that is happening around the world.
What thing?
Oh, come on, you know exactly what I’m talking about.
That coronavirus, or more specifically, COVID-19.
It sure is a surreal world we are living in right now.
Who would have thought that something regarded as a flu of sorts, would bring pretty much all of the world to a standstill? (I know it isn’t like the flu at all, but that is what most people thought at first.)
As reality slowly hits, people you know become affected, infected, and either recover, or the other option. I, personally know of at least two people who have passed away, including a member of our family.
It’s serious, you know, this pandemic.
And amidst all this pandemic we have been given a gift.
The gift of time.
Well, it didn’t feel like a gift, initially.
One minute, we were dealing with a few absences at school. Told to watch out for anyone in the family with a cough or temperature. Then BAM! Schools closed, restaurants, pubs, bars, theatres, cinemas closed. Other businesses closed offices and encouraged employees to work from home.
It was like being thrown into a parallel universe. One where I was still going to my day job, as a teacher, but to empty classrooms, and just a handful of children, key worker’s kids, so I could help with childcare.
Obviously, with so few kids, not all staff were needed, so we were given a rota to work from. That meant more time at home, to make sure my own family were settling into this new normal. Online learning for them. Working from home for my hubby, who has taken over the dining room with his computers.
‘Great!’ I thought, initially. Lots of time to write!
Because, between you and me, I’ve been getting some nudges to get book two written and out. Folks who have read Aashi’s story in Marriage Unarranged, have really bonded with the cast of characters, and want more.
If you haven’t already, check it out by clicking below!
Now, it’s a good thing that I had some ideas before I published this one, but I didn’t have much time to get words on a screen, or paper, for that matter.
So now, all this time, handed to me on a plate.
Perfect!… Right?
Er, no. Well, not for me, and especially not at the beginning.
I felt a block. Mental, emotional, physical, writer’s BLOCK.
Nothing worked.
My mind went round and round, but wouldn’t focus on my little world with Aashi and her family.
I couldn’t even read like I usually do. Normally, I would read 2-3 books a week, but right now, I couldn’t even concentrate on someone else’s words.
TV and films were the same.
Instead, I kept on refreshing the news, to see what was happening. Social Media tried to plant all sorts of seeds in my mind. I tried to scrabble through the rubbish to find the nuggets of truth.
Then, one day, I just stopped.
I realised that I was driving myself slowly crazy.
My morbid curiosity was rubbing off on the children, and my hubby was getting tired of talking about things too.
So I stopped. Well, not the social media. I can’t totally leave that. But I became more selective with things I was reading. And I only checked the news once a day.
And slowly, the writing mojo crept back, peeking it’s head over my shoulder as I perused things on my computer.
“Come on, Ritu. It’s time, don’t you think? I’ve got a cracker of a story here for you. You know you want to write it, don’t you?”
My Writing Mojo
And it was right.
Using the time I wasn’t refereeing between the kids, making food, or cleaning the house, I uncovered moments to reread the words already written.
I found time to really tighten my character bible. I actually have a real Character Bible that I bought and filled with names, descriptions and traits when writing the first book. This was going to be important for me now. Many old characters would feature, but there would be new ones introduced too.
I researched, too. There are elements of this particular story that I haven’t had first hand experience of, and I wanted to make sure that everything sounded realistic. So, armed with my notebook, I trawled websites, and am in the process of finding people to talk to, so I can nail the main element of the storyline.
And finally, and most importantly, I began to produce words. My manuscript has grown by around eight thousand words, which is wonderful. I have been helped by taking part in online writing sprints.
Do you know what writing sprints are?
You set a timer and see how many words you can write in that given time. Sometimes, having a little deadline chasing you motivates you to get those words down. Being alone is fine, but having company is even better.
Obviously, we can’t be with others at the moment, but there is always the internet! One of my favourite, and extremely supportive writer groups on Facebook, Rebel Authors, have been running live writing sprints at various times of the day, where you can be accountable to someone, and get productive. In fact, to make it even more fun, Sacha Black, the organiser, has even arranged a weekly Poison and Prose sprint session once a week, where you can bring your choice of poison, be it alcoholic, or not, and enjoy some funny conversations in between sprinting.
Other days, I have logged into Facebook, and author Lizzie Chantry has a writing group where she has a dedicated writing hour. Again, it is not essential, but having that online accountability makes you focus more.
If I am not writing part of the manuscript, I am formulating new blog posts or author interviews I have been invited to take part in. In fact I even wrote an article for Cysters.org, a charity for individuals with various hormonal issues. If you want to read, please do, by cliicking the link here.
And now I need to set my routine for the next few weeks, keeping this new normal in mind. I will be going into school some days, either for half days or full days. I will be at home for others, where I can use the time the children are doing their online learning to write.
There doesn’t appear to be an end in sight, yet, for these strange times, so I can get this next manuscript ready, hopefully in much less time than the nearly twenty years the first one took!
See, every cloud has it’s silver lining, doesn’t it?
Have any of you found your creativity stifled in the current climate, or are you flourishing?
Ritu Bhathal 