I apologise for the late posting of the last couple of days worth of book tour posts for In God’s Hands, ably set up by the lovely Zoe at ZooLoosBookTours!
On Friday, we visited Book_a_holic_17 on Instagram
On Saturday we were very busy! at Tangents and Tissues (Instagram), Dee100309 (Instagram_ and a Blog post on The Strawberry Post
I apologise for the late posting of the last couple of days worth of book tour posts for In God’s Hands, ably set up by the lovely Zoe at ZooLoosBookTours!
On Tuesday, we went to Laughter and Thunderstorms…
On Wednesday, we visited Instagram and the Me And My Bookshelf account! I won’t lie, I cried reading this review. It starts in the caption and finishes in the comments!
Today I can finally share with you, the cover of my third novel, the third in the Rishtay Series, following the Gill family siblings…
Are you ready?…
They kept hearing, “When will we celebrate your good news?”
The perfect partner, the perfect job, mostly perfect in-laws.
Bali and Kiran had it all. Except for that baby.
After a few years of marriage, the natural step of starting a family beckoned, but nothing was simple or natural.
Constant whispers, superstitions, and rumours cause havoc in what was a solid relationship, and Kiran struggles to face the possibility that her dream may not come true.
Pregnancies and babies all around her. Why not hers?
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!
Click image for buy link!
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!
Click image to see the tour details!
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!
Just hanging out with the writers…!
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!
It all s̶t̶a̶r̶t̶e̶d̶ ended with that box…
The year 2000 and Aashi’s life was all set. New Millennium ,exciting beginnings, new life. 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…
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!
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.
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…
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!
Then, you get little comments from authors your love and respect like this…
Thank you, Zoe!
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 managed 37, 869 words!
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!
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!
Ritu Bhathal 