EXCHANGING WORDS WITH DEBLEENA MAJUMDAR

AUTHOR’S BIO: 

Debleena has worked for over 20 years in leadership roles in Finance, Strategy and in Education acrosss everal global firms apart from co-founding Kahaniyah, a company to simplify strategy with data storytelling.Her business articles have been published in Economic Times,Economic Times Prime, Huffington Post, Business Insider,Your Story. She has also written plays that have been performed in Bengaluru. She is the author of the bestselling crime thriller, A Marketplace for Murder, which was featured by ANI as one of the top five fiction reads of 2019.

1. Who and what inspired you to write? 

Growing up, I loved both numbers and words. I loved the logic of Math, the fact that I knew exactly what to expect when I worked with numbers and that I could craft neat equations and balance everything.I also loved words and stories – the sheer magic and beauty and their ability to transport me to a world I had never imagined. But there were never any easy equations for me, with words. So, for the longest time, I was content to just read books that my favourite authors had written and never dared to think that I could become one.When it came to choosing a profession, I chose to work with numbers. Statistics and Finance were my domain and my writing at that time was restricted to assumptions for formulae or strategy updates in bullet points, if you discounted the crazy limericks that I wrote during long meetings.

It was only a few years back that I simultaneously took the plunge to both explore entrepreneurship and writing, saying goodbye to my till then, well-known world of corporate leadership roles. My family believes that it was an early onset of mid-life crisis. I claim it is because my husband loved the horrible poems that I wrote for him as part of his birthday gifts and because my daughter found the fairy tale retellings, I created for her where women did not wait to be saved, but did the saving, on their own, funny, and real. Whatever the reason, I am grateful that I took the plunge when I did. Writing today is a way for me to find meaning in a world that is often difficult to navigate. Like my personal map finder.

2. What challenges did you face while writing and getting published?

I guess the biggest challenge for me was believing that I could be an author. It was a big mental shift for me from revering authors to finding the courage to join the club. It was the early belief of Suhail Mathur, of THE BOOK BAKERS that made this transition easier for me. He believed in my first book when I did not know if it was good enough to be called a book. He also helped me identify the genres which could help me grow in my craft.

After that, it was a smooth process, with the guidance and support at every step from Mr. Suhail Mathur. Along with that, as I started writing more on business and my articles started being published in leading business newspapers from Economic Times to Huffington Post, Business Insider etc., the feedback from those who read those articles and connected with me, boosted my confidence.I would not have become an author without Mr. Suhail Mathur’s support. I am forever grateful.

 3.  How did you come to know about the literary agency THE BOOK BAKERS?

Once I had finished writing my first book, I was not yet sure what to do with it. I came from a mathematical background. And I approached writing, the way I would, any new learning. I read as much as I could. I researched everything I could find on authors whose books I loved. To be honest, I must have collected enough research material on Agatha Christie to create more than one book. I compulsively searched for the haunts of authors when I travelled. Meanwhile, I honed my writing skills with constant practice and feedback and also attended a couple of workshops.

As part of that research, I found the name of The BOOK BAKERS. I contacted them. And the confidence that Mr. Suhail Mathur showed in me, helped me leapfrog the confusion that is inevitable in a new journey like this.

4. How did THE BOOK BAKERS help you and what would you like to say about them? 

I would not have become an author without the support of THE BOOK BAKERS. From believing in me to guiding and supporting me at every step and from sharing new opportunities with me to helping me hone my specific focus areas for writing; it has been a marvellous partnership. I cannot imagine how I would have made this journey without the support of THE BOOK BAKERS. And I am just getting started. There are many ideas and stories spinning in my head, and I am looking forward to a long and meaningful partnership with the team.

5. How supportive is your publisher of your work?

The publisher is extremely supportive of my work. They have guided and helped me navigate the entire publishing journey and been extremely supportive of how I had envisioned the book, with a combination of research on the life of Sabu,research on his movies as well as on the historical backdrop of that time. We managed the entire editing and publishing during successive lockdowns and COVID imposed restrictions, But I never felt a lack of support, even without meeting the team, face-to-face. We managed everything virtually, seamlessly.

They also helped me think through how to add the right pictures to bring out the visual feel of the story. I am grateful for their support and for their belief in me.

6. How do you see literary success for yourself?

For me, success would be able to keep being able to tell stories that matter and stories that can engage, entertain, educate, or inspire people. I love writing on History, Finance and on Crime and the chance to keep researching and writing on the stories I can tell in these areas, is what motivates me to keep writing. The authors whose books I have loved reading have always given me countless moments of joy and their books have adorned my forever bulging bookshelves with multi-hued dreams. I dream of finding readers who could find joy through my books and in whose bookshelves my books could add colour. So, if people find what I write meaningful, well, that is all the success I am looking for.

 7. When can we expect your next book?

Very soon. I am currently completing a children’s book that introduces them to Finance in a fun, storytelling-led way. Money is a topic that is strangely absent from most education curriculums. And that leads to confusion and lack of awareness around financial decisions as kids grow up. I wanted to make this topic fun and meaningful for kids. And as accessible as a story they would love to read.I am also researching on Bengal in the 1700s. I love historical research and this period was a turbulent time in the history of Bengal. Through this lens, I am trying to build well-researched non-fiction stories based on characters that lived through this period and fought, won, and lost battles, of various kinds.

8. How has your experience being working with Locksley Hall Publishing? 

The experience has been immensely enjoyable and a great learning for me. At every step, the team helped me finalize my manuscript into the final shape of the book that people could read. From the editing to the promotions, the team has been extremely helpful, and their guidance has been invaluable for me.

9. Any message or tips for aspiring authors?

I doubt that I am experienced enough to share tips for other authors. But, if there’s one thing I’ve learnt over the last few years is that beyond the stories that pull us and we want to write on, beyond the creative aspects of language and the craft of storytelling, and beyond the long journey across editing, publishing, promoting the book and more, the thing that defines writing is the discipline to keep working at our craft, every day. I am an entrepreneur along with being an author so if I can take an analogy from the world of entrepreneurship, the founder is the first one who believes in he/his/their idea. And then that idea, over time, with constant work and fine-tuning, hopefully finds other believers. It is a similar story, with writing. Unless we discipline ourselves to author our stories and to build our craft, word by word, we will not find other believers.“We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master.”

Ernest Hemingway was supposed to have said.

Discipline, I believe, helps us hone that craft. And I remain an apprentice of the craft.

BOOK NAME: SABU, THE REMARKABLE STORY OF INDIA'S FIRST ACTOR IN HOLLYWOOD

PUBLISHER: LOCKSLEY HALL PUBLISHING 

BOOK SYNOPSIS/BLURB:

 The year was 1937. A new movie released in London. Elephant Boy. Across movie halls, the audience watched, enraptured, as a young smiling boy gracefully perched himself atop a giant elephant. An illustrious career in movies followed, taking the boy to the echelons of Hollywood. The boy was Sabu.His real life was no less dramatic than a movie. Orphaned at an early age, he worked in the stables as the ward of the Maharaja of Mysuru (Mysore) before being discovered during the shooting of Elephant Boy.

How did the young boy make the impossible journey across the ocean to the silver screen? How did he become India’s first Hollywood star?And just when life was becoming a perfect fairy-tale for him,what changed his story? How did he reinvent himself multiple times, fighting for the US during World War II, working as a businessperson, and even conducting a circus act?

Read Sabu, to know the untold and forgotten story of the boy who became one of India’s first actors in Hollywood.

ORDER YOUR COPY FROM:  

https://www.amazon.in/dp/8195405509?ref=myi_title_dp

https://www.pustakmandi.com/SABU-The-Remarkable-Story-Of-India-First-Actor-In-Hollywood

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EXCHANGING WORDS WITH ANIRUDH SINGH

AUTHOR’S BIO : 

Writing has always been an integral part of Anirudh’s life and after completing his 

engineering studies, he gravitated towards professional writing.

After writing a few screenplays and dialogues for films and TV series, he spread his

wings and took to writing novels as well.

Anirudh is also a short filmmaker and has won awards and accolades for some of his

films.

He is husband to a doting wife and a loving father to an adorable daughter and two

fun-loving dogs.

Not bored easily, he always has something or the other on his plate. When he is not

writing, he likes to read, do gardening, draw and spend quality time with his family.

 

1. Who and what inspired you to write?

Around the year 2011, while I was assisting a script writer I came across the script of the Film, ‘Gandhi’ starring Ben Kingsley. Some parts of the script moved me so much that the idea of rewriting History in my own version struck me. The idea in itself was so complex and Magnanimous that only a book could do justice to it. That was the point where I decided to devote my coming years to this book.

 

2. What challenges did you face while writing and getting published? 

Being in a Historical fiction genre, the biggest challenge was to get the historical facts and nuances accurate. There is a very thin line a writer has to tread on while writing a period fiction piece. One can’t be too imaginative and fabricate characters endlessly and neither can you stick too tight to the facts and resulting it into a biography rather than a gripping novel. After immense research, I made an outline of few fabricated and few real characters in this, which supported the flow of the story in an organic way.

As far as publishing goes, my experience was hastle-free, as I had met Suhail Mathur from The Book Bakers, literary Agency. He made everything else easy for me, keeping me focussed only on my work and taking care of the stress of meeting publishers, the negotiations etc etc.

 

 3. How did you come to know about the literary agency THE BOOK BAKERS? 

I was fortunate enough to have a friend, who also happened to be friends with Suhail. After he introduced us, and Suhail heard my concept, everything was a joyride.

 

4. How did THE BOOK BAKERS help you and what would you like to say about them ? 

As an author, with a family to attend to, with a job on the other hand, it is nearly impossible to meet publishers and pitch your book to everyone on a daily basis.

The Book Bakers immensely helped me with all the work related to publishing, designing, and marketing.

I won’t say it’s an impossible task to achieve these feats by yourself, but if I had done all this by myself, this book would have taken another 5 years to hit the markets.

 

5. How supportive is your publisher of your work? 

Locksley Hall has been supportive to me since Day 1. Their mode of communication was transparent and whatever Ideas, we came up for the marketing, and designing of the book cover were openly discussed between them, The Book Bakers team and me.

 

6. How do you see literary success for yourself? 

To be honest I am a simple man with very low expectations from life. But I do have high expectations from myself. I keep challenging myself to try something new. If I am able to achieve those goals for myself that’s enough success for me, whatever comes after that I consider that as grace of the almighty.

 

7. When can we expect your next book? 

Soon. I have already finished the first draft. Though I have been a little caught up with the marketing of Operation Dyer, but I will soon get back to it, once this is over. I am rejuvenated and ready to get some writing done.

 

8. How has your experience being working with Locksley Hall Publishing?

It’s been a very warm and cordial relation. I feel like we have worked together since forever. 

 

9. Any message or tips for aspiring authors?

My only tip to aspiring writers and authors is to never give up on any idea if people think it’s not good. As long as you believe in your idea, stick to it, commit to it.

BOOK NAME : OPERATION DYER – THE STORY YOU WISH WAS TRUE 

PUBLISHER : LOCKSLEY HALL PUBLISHING 

BOOK SYNOPSIS/BLURB : 

Amanveer Singh has joined the festivities of Baisakhi, with his family, at the

Jallianwala Bagh. He is more excited than the others as his marriage is going to be

fixed today with the girl of his dreams, Geet, with whom he has dreamt of spending

his whole life and the lives after that. Smiles and laughter are on everyone’s face

until…

He wakes up scared and injured to find himself in a house with people he doesn’t know and one that he has never visited before. 

The storm has passed leaving behind nothing except death, pain and tears. But

misfortune is only to test the fortunate.

He decides that the British Government needs to be taught a lesson; a lesson they

don’t forget for a long, long time. Some valiant souls join hands with him and take an

oath to send a message to the British Government that shakes the very base it stands

on.

Few men against the mighty British Empire?

Will they succeed? 

The stakes are high and so is the risk.

ORDER YOUR COPY FROM: 

https://www.amazon.in/dp/8195405525/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_A12K0WCRVY4BRMDHMXZA

https://www.pustakmandi.com/OPERATION-DYER

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EXCHANGING WORDS WITH RRASHIMA SWAARUP VERMA

AUTHOR’S BIO:

Rrashima Swaarup Verma is a corporate analyst with over 20 years of experience in the corporate sector. Rrashima is a member of the senior management team at a US-based, multinational business research and strategic planning organization.

Rrashima is also a prolific writer, columnist and poet. Over the years, Rrashima’s writings have been published in leading national and international newspapers, literary magazines and publications like Spark – The Magazine, Indian Review, Indian Periodical, The Writers and Readers Magazine (UK), West Trestle Review California, First City, The Statesman, Women’s Era, Active Muse, Women’s Web and several more. She writes across genres like romance, humour, self-help, women’s issues and social change. Rrashima has also participated in and moderated several prestigious book launches, discussions and poetry recitations. She is also responsible for editing her company’s global quarterly newsletter which gives her an opportunity to work with a very talented, multi-cultural team. Rrashima’s first book “A Break In Love”, represented by The Book Bakers and published by Vishwakarma Publications is a contemporary, emotional, witty and highly engaging romance set in one of India’s fast-paced cities.

Rrashima is also a voracious reader, ardent fitness enthusiast and keen traveller. She writes a monthly travelogue for her website www.rrashimaswaarupverma.com 

1. Who and what inspired you to write? 

My parents instilled a love for books in me when I was very young. I was 7 years old when I wrote and published my first story. My school had a wonderful creative writing program and I used to regularly write for the school magazine. Later, my writings started getting published in national newspapers and magazines and I was given the responsibility of editing my school magazine as well. That is how it all started. 

2. What challenges did you face while writing and getting published?

There were times when, in between a stressful corporate career and a family, time was very scarce. As much as I wanted to, sometimes it was almost impossible to find time to write. I even went through a phase when I was surviving on less than 4 hours of sleep a night just so I could finish the first draft of my book. Of course, writing the book was only a part of the challenge. Wading through the publishing process was equally hard, if not harder. 

Thankfully, I got in touch with Suhail and it was all smooth sailing from thereon. 

3. How did you come to know about the literary agency THE BOOK BAKERS?  

I read about The Book Bakers in an article on literary agents in India. I liked what I read about them and so I picked up the phone and called. It was wonderful to speak to Suhail about my book and the publishing options. I had spoken to multiple literary agents before that but speaking to Suhail gave me a lot of confidence. He was very knowledgeable and had a lot of industry experience. That’s when I decided to sign up with The Book Bakers. 

4. How did THE BOOK BAKERS help you and what would you like to say about them ?

The Book Bakers are a Godsend for all authors. After I signed up with them, my book was treated with the utmost diligence and commitment. Right from professional editing to finding a great publishing deal to designing a superb book cover, they take care of everything for the author. Within days of signing up with The Book Bakers, I knew that my book was in very good and competent hands. 

5. How do you see literary success for yourself?

Literary success is a very subjective term. For me, if I can effectively tell the stories that matter and if I can be true to my readers and deliver what they expect from me, then that is truly literary success.

6. When can we expect your next book?

I’m currently working on a very interesting book. The credit for this one goes to Suhail since he’s the one who drove me to write it. It’s a historical based on a true story and has allowed me to tread some truly novel ground. Believe me, this one, once completed, is sure to make waves in the literary world. Hopefully, it should be out by the second half of 2022. Fingers crossed, of course! 

7. Any message or tips for aspiring authors?

Put everything you’ve got into perfecting your craft. Be your own critic. Don’t allow yourself to be pigeonholed. Experiment with new ideas. And most importantly, find yourself a brilliant literary agent like Suhail.

BOOK NAME: A BREAK IN LOVE

PUBLISHER : VISHWAKARMA PUBLICATIONS

BOOK SYNOPSIS/BLURB: 

The difference between Karan’s conservative pin-striped suits and Lisa’s trendy designer fashion is as stark as the difference between their personalities, backgrounds and even their professions.

To the casual observer, Lisa and Karan are a perfect example of ‘opposites attract’. The truth however, is a far cry from this seemingly perfect relationship.

In a relentlessly fast-paced world where the stresses of surviving leave no room for much else, will this young couple have to accept the heart-breaking reality that all love stories aren’t forever after all? Or will an unexpected, brief separation give them a final chance to re-discover the lost magic? 

ORDER YOUR COPY FROM:

 https://amzn.to/3EDBSuw

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EXCHANGING WORDS WITH JOEL KOECHLIN

AUTHOR'S BIO : 

JOEL KOECHLIN, born in France, has lived his entire adult life in India. Ever eager to embrace every aspect of life in a perpetual quest for personal development and progress, he is an engineer, a pilot, a motorcycle enthusiast, a mountain lover, and a freelance author.

An accomplished photographer, he has fostered an unwavering passion for the craft over several decades, encompassing a wide canvas of subjects, from architectural and corporate work, to travel and adventure. Writing articles for travel magazines has been part of the journey.

His co-authored book (for the photography) Beyond Asanas, is published by Penguin Random House. He has translated into French, Sri Aurobindo’s epic work Savitri, published on Amazon Kindle. The Sun-Eyed Children is his first novel.

Author web page: https://lum-ind.com/blog/https://lum-ind.com/blog/

1. Who and what inspired you to write?

Solitude and the mountains.

2. What Challenge did you face while writing and getting published?

The usual challenges of life that drag you into petty, time-wasting situations instead of giving you creative time. Getting published turned-out to be a lesser challenge than I thought it would be — thanks to THE BOOK BAKERS!

3. How did you come to know about the literary agency THE BOOK BAKERS?

Internet search.

4. How did THE BOOK BAKERS help you and what would you like to say about them ?

THE BOOK BAKERS have been of invaluable help and I would like to recommend them.

5. How do you see literary success for yourself?

Too early to comment; shall we see after another year?

6. When can we expect your next book?

The Sun-Eyed Children, Volume II-Mars, expected 2023

7. Any message or tips for aspiring authors?

Too early, I am an aspiring author!

BOOK NAME : THE SUN-EYED CHILDREN

PUBLISHER : ONE POINT SIX TECHNOLOGIES

BOOK SYNOPSIS/BLURB :

December 1970, midnight. In a deserted Munich suburb, at a dismal bus stop, a young rebel shivers under a driving sleet. His long hair gathers icicles while he ponders: should he burn his bridges and flee impending prison time? As the bus appears out of the swirling mist and stops, he shakes off any lingering self-doubt and steps in.

Little does he know he is embarking on an adventure far more demanding than his free spirit can imagine. It is the start of a journey that will take him half-way round the globe to distant India and the most remote reaches of the Himalayas. Embracing the life of a spiritual mendicant, he is forced into choices he never knew himself capable of, as he plunges headlong into a Quest that began centuries ago, and may find its conclusion in a far-off, uncharted future.

Only when he confronts the spectre of violent death, will he understand that all his life experiences must be integrated into one rich, all-encompassing Sweep of Existence that stretches infinitely across the ages, in an unstoppable ascent of perpetual evolution.

ORDER YOUR COPY FROM : 

https://www.amazon.in/dp/9354380131/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_GPGGJMTS005JZFY01VHT

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EXCHANGING WORDS WITH LEENA CHANDORKAR

AUTHOR’S BIO:

Leena Chandorkar grew up in an army family and studied in schools across India. After marriage to a merchant navy officer, she sailed the world, but is now firmly anchored in Pune, India.

She graduated in English Literature from Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi and acquired her PhD in English from Pune University. She teaches English at Garware College, Pune and divides her time between India and Norway, where her husband and daughter are based.  

She is the author of the non-fiction book, Eye Me Myself: A Study of Six Women’s Autobiographies and the novel, Bends and Turns.

1. Who and what inspired you to write?

 

It was not a particular person or incident. The process was wholly organic. 

2. What challenges did you face while writing and getting published?

Writing was not the tough part! The difficult part was getting published! It took double the time of writing the novel to look for a suitable publisher. The challenge lay in the lack of accessibility of the right publishing house.

3. How did you come to know about the literary agency THE BOOK BAKERS?  

From Google!  

4. How did THE BOOK BAKERS help you and what would you like to say about them ? 

The Book Bakers helped in the groundwork of connecting a writer to a publisher. For that I am grateful! 

5. How do you see literary success for yourself?

Literary success for me means critical acclaim and a literary award or two! Also, more and more people should reach out for my book and recommend it to friends and family as a good read!

6. When can we expect your next book?

Maybe in a year or so!

7. Any message or tips for aspiring authors?

Never be a copycat! Stay true to your own voice.

BOOK NAME: GULMOHAR LANE

PUBLISHER : PETAL PUBLISHERS

BOOK SYNOPSIS/BLURB:

Madhav Diwan, recently retired, is leading a quiet life on his own in his heritage house in a Gulmohar-lined, upscale locality of Pune. His tranquil existence is disturbed when a new neighbour, Gulnaz, moves in next door. There is nothing he has in common with her and he is determined to keep his distance from the ex-film star. Events, however, move unexpectedly and dramatically, throwing the smooth surface of the reclusive Madhav’s life into turmoil. Through the little wicker gate between the two neighbouring gardens, Gulnaz, the consummate actor, enters Madhav Baag like a ghost from the past and unlocks the doors of secrets that Madhav had locked firmly away.  

 

As the past merges into the present; as reality blends into fantasy; the lives of these two highly dissimilar people intertwine and the boundaries of fact and fiction collapse into each other. Madhav, the pragmatic realist and Gulnaz, the romantic dreamer, are unlikely partners in a journey of healing and recovery. Madhav is not too sure if he can trust Gulnaz completely. But both he and Gulnaz need to let go of long-held beliefs and take a leap of faith into the unknown. The story of these two characters compels readers to travel deep into their own so-called certainties of life.      

ORDER YOUR COPY FROM: 

 https://www.amazon.in/dp/8195060145/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_ZEQJK0WE1VZQEM80T41Y

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