Day three, and I am still flying high, I have to say! The reviews are starting to pop up, and I think paperbacks will hit some doormats soon, too! I think we are teetering between #2 and 3 in the Hot New Release chart for Asian fiction, still, too!
Wednesday, during half term for me, looked like this: dropping the kids off to school, taking an unplanned visit to Lidl for bananas, and coming out with an airfryer, several other things, (and, of course bananas!) getting home, making more work related calls, making lunch (I mastered poached egg!) then reading, and scrolling on my social media! A meeting at my kids school was followed by two and a half hours sat in the car as Lil Man had his cricket practice. I could have taken my laptop, but I ended up reading, instead! A rushed dinner of Chicken Fajitas, and now here I am writing this as I catch up on Eastenders!
Today is the third day of the blog tour organised by the lovely Zoe-Lee O’Farrell (Click here for the full details!) and we have Bookstagram, as well as another lovely review! I was blown away by some of these lovely words people have written about Marriage Unarranged.
If you’d like to take a peek at the other posts, here are the links/posts:
It was a quieter day in some respects, but , there was still so much happening, which I had to balance along with doing a little school related work! (Day job is still there, Peeps, what can I do?)
As it is Tuesday, I popped my happy announcement on Twitter with the RNA #TuesNews hashtag and got so much love, there, too!
— Ritu Bhathal ✍🏽📚💜 #ChickPeaCurryLit (@RituBhathal) June 7, 2022
Today is the second day of the blog tour organised by the lovely Zoe-Lee O’Farrell (Click here for the full details!) and we have Bookstagram, as well as another lovely review! I was blown away by some of these lovely words people have written about Marriage Unarranged.
If you’d like to take a peek at the other posts, here are the links/posts:
Marriage Unarranged is available to purchase and download from Amazon in eBook and Paperback! EEEK!
Here is a little peek of the front and back as they will be on the paperbacks! Note the little green circle with the gorgeous Amanda Prowse’s quote!
It’s been a manic, but lovely day so far, posting about the release, receiving and responding to the numerous beautiful messages of support I have received for today, too!
Hubby Dearest and I are making the most of it and he took me out to lunch to celebrate!
The book tour also kicked off, and all four of the posts have been lovely, which has warmed my heart ❤
If you’d like to take a peek at the other posts, here are the links:
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…
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?
Ritu Bhathal 