TORNADO GIVEAWAY: Hosted by THE BOOK CLUB

Welcome to The Book Club’s very first Giveaway

Tornado Giveaway

We’re extremely excited about it. You will be too…when you hear the details. Get ready to be blown away by Tornado Giveaway! 

A tornado of books is coming your way. We love our Authors. They give us hours of entertainment; they fill our lives with love and passion. Today, we want to do exactly that. Fill your life with love. This is a Romance Giveaway with a smattering of crime thrillers and a heartwarming family saga - to spice up your life.

Starting on the 1st of July we will introduce each of the twenty-three participating Authors on our Book Club page. Some you already know; some are new.  But all promise to keep you entertained with their words.

Believe it or not, we have 200 books to give away.  Didn’t we say, a Tornado is coming your way!  And there will be not one... not two ... but 17 Winners who will get 17 books each and 6 Mega winners will get a chance to grab 22 books each.

How do you participate in this Giveaway? It's simple... just follow the Rafflecopter(scroll down) and win all the books. 

So what are you waiting for?  Join us here as we introduce each author daily and get a sneak peek into their writing. Get ready to be swept away! 

The Rules....

Love Books of course :)

In the Rafflecopter follow the rules....

1. Like the Author Facebook Page - Mandatory - 1 point

2. Follow the author on Twitter -Mandatory- 2 points

3. Tweet on the dates mentioned in the Rafflecopter about the Author - Optional - 3 points

4. Like the Harlequin India Facebook Page - Mandatory - 5 points

5. Like the Indireads Facebook Page -Mandatory - 5 points 

6. Like The Book Club Facebook Page -Mandatory -  5 points

23AUTHORS; 23 NOVELS; 17 WINNERS; 6 MEGA WINNERS 

the tornado giveaway - Video Maker

Participating Authors

Name of the Book	Name of the Author	Date of Post
Scarlet Revenge	Ann McGinnis	1st July
Saving Justice	Tasman Gibb	2nd July
The Perfect Groom	Sumeetha Manikandan	3rd July
Wilde Riders	Savannah Young	4th July
Scorched by His Fire	Reet Singh	5th July
When I see your Face	Devika Fernando	6th July
The Malhotra Bride	Sundari Venkatraman	7th July
Butterfly Season	Natasha Ahmed	8th July
The Indian Tycoon's Marriage Deal	Adite Banerjie	9th July
Bootie and the Beast	Falguni Kothari	10th July
Full Circle	Yamini Vijendran	11th July
Bollywood Fiance For a Day	Ruchi Vasudeva	12th July
The Truth About De Campo	Jennifer Hayward	13th July
Twelve Hours of Temptation	Shoma Narayanan	14th July
Monsoon Memories	Renita D'Silva	15th July
His Captive Indian Princess	Tanu Jain	16th July
The Return of the Rebel	Jennifer Faye	17th July
Rapid Fall	Adiana Ray	18th July
Kingdom Come	Aarti V Raman	19th July
Crossing the line	Nicola Marsh	20th July
India was one	An Indian	21st July
Lily's Leap	Téa Cooper	22nd July
Love's Labour	Andy Paula	23rd July

All the Best Dear Readers...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

RESULTS WILL BE ANNOUNCED ON 30TH JULY

Participating Blogs

Bloggers/Writers	Blogging @
Aarti V Raman	Rt_Writes
Adiana Ray	Rayyyydays
Adite Banerjie	AditeBanerjie
An Indian	India Was One
Ann McGinnis	Ann McGinnis
Arti Metroreader	Arti Metroreader
Bhavya NK	Ishithaa
Devika Fernando	Devika Fernando
Dola Basu Singh	Shiuli
Falguni Kothari	Falguni Kothari
Inderpreet Kaur Uppal	Eloquent Articulation
Janaki Nagaraj	Memoirs of A Homemaker
Jennifer Faye	Jennifer Faye
Jennifer Hayward	Jennifer Hayward
Jigar Doshi	Jigar Doshi
Parichita Singh	Parichita
Natasha Ahmed	Dear Rumi
Nicola Marsh	Nicola Marsh
Nikita Soni	Njkinny's World of Books & Stuff
Pooja Abhay	Thoughtless Ramifications
Reet Singh	Reet Singh
Renita D'Silva	Renita D'Silva
Rubina Ramesh	The Book Club
Ruchi Vasudeva	Ruchi Vasudeva
Savannah Young	Savannah Young
Shoma Narayanan	Shoma Narayanan
Sonia Rao	soniaraowrites
Sumeetha Manikandan	Books Reviews by Sumi
Sundari Venkatraman	Flaming Sun
Tanu Jain	tanurja's Blog
Tasman Gibb	Tasman Gibb
Téa Cooper	Tea Cooper
Usha Narayanan	Usha Narayanan
Yamini Vijendran	Straight from the heart
Andy Paula	Andy Paula

This Giveaway is hosted by The Book Club. A group of Writers and Bloggers who have come together to spread the works of different authors from around the globe. 

Logo design by Natasha Ahmed

A special thank you to Adite Banerjie, Sundari Venkatraman and Dola Basu Singh. Without you this Giveaway was not possible. 

BOOTIE AND THE BEAST BOOK TOUR

Here's the schedule, Dear Readers. 

Drop in on those wonderful blogs. 

Leave comments. 

Overwhelm me with love and praise. 

You never know, you might just win a prize at the end of the tour.

1st July Laura Greenwood Book Review

2nd July Book Reviews Book Review

3rd July Rae Quigley Guest Post

4th July Namrata Interview

5th July Nikita Book Review

5th July Vishal Interview

7th July Anubha Agrawal Guest Post

7th July Chantel Rondeau Interview

7th July Linzé Brandon Book Review

8th July Sherry Fundin Guest Post

8th July Elizabeth McKenna Interview

9th July Jenn S Book Review

9th July Dee Interview

10th July Divya Prata Book Review

10th July Parinitha Urs Book Review

11th July Mindy Wall Book Review

11th July Heena Ahuja Book Review

12th July Dr. Sanchit Bhandari Guest Post

12th July Shree Janani and Dhivya Balaji Book Review

12th July Penny Estelle Guest Post

14th July Rachelle Ayala Interview

14th July Annamaria Guest Post

14th July Maria Durst Book Review

15th July Paula Book Review

15th July Atmika Book Review

AUTHOR'S CIRCLE interviews REET SINGH

On Author’s Circle today, meet author and surgeon, 

Reet Singh, to talk about writing, life and her book, 

Scorched by His Fire.

Hi Reet, thanks for dropping in and wow! You're the second romance author slash doctor that I personally know. I'm quite curious about what kind of surgeon but won't ask since you clearly have your author's cap on today :)

So, lets talk Scorched by His Fire. What's it about?

RS: Scorched is about Mita, who lives in Mauritius and is not ready for marriage, but has an Uncle who has made it his life's work to find her a suitable boy. She meets Tanay, who hates her for reasons quite bizarre from Mita's point of view; she, in her turn, finds him obnoxious, rude and over-bearing. They have their individual, twisted reasons for hatching a common plan - presenting a united front to their respective families. By pretending to be engaged, they seemingly have the perfect arrangement - until Tanay kisses Mita! The attraction between them is scorching; unfortunately, it wasn't part of the common plan, so, naturally, they fight it, and that's when the fun really starts.

What’s your favorite line from your novel? Why?

RS: There are about 6000 favorite lines and it's very hard for me to choose! So I'm going to close my eyes and flip pages, and take the first line on that page. Here it is:

‘Must you wear clothes?’ Mita asked wistfully. ‘You look perfectly delicious without.'

Do you have any strange writing habits?

RS: Only if you count slouching in bed, with the laptop perched precariously on my lap as strange!

Ha! I write in bed too :)

If your book becomes a movie whom would you want to play the hero and the heroine?

RS: Tanay Devkumar would have to be played by George Clooney, because nobody does obnoxious, rude and overbearing as handsomely as Clooney! Mita Ramphul is feisty and headstrong, and so Julia Roberts would suit her well. Dream on, Reet!

Well, dreams do come true sometimes...

How did you become a writer? In other words, tell us YOUR STORY.

RS: My husband and I used to tell stories to our sons every night when they were little. Since we were busy professionals, bed time was precious, and the stories were concocted right there, right then. Naturally, then, my first effort was a book for children. I blogged on Sulekha.com (as Seeingeye) for a while, and I have to say, I learned a lot from the feedback  that is an inherent part of Sulekha. When Harlequin® India announced Passions, I was primed, and when I won last year, there was no looking back.

What is your least favorite part about the writing/publishing profession?

RS: Marketing, I'm afraid. It is a lot of work and takes me away from my reading and from writing my current work (also for Harlequin® India), not to mention my medical writing!

Why write what you write? As in romance or suspense or thrillers?

RS: Romance fits. I feel it, and it flows from my heart on to the page. And it ends happily, which is a fantastic thing – to have that power as a writer is very fulfilling.

Is there a certain scene you find difficult to write? Eg: Racy or action etc.? Why?

RS: I'll pick racy, although I don't find it difficult to write – deciding how racy to be is the hard part. As an author of romance, if I show too little, my readers might feel let down; on the other hand, too much might be distasteful to some of my fans. Its a tightrope!

Is your writing character-driven or plot-driven?

RS: Scorched was character driven – Mita and Tanay pretty much decided everything, and I kept recording it as fast as I could. With my second romance (out later this year) I've done a bit of plotting – I'll wait for readers to tell me if they notice a tangible difference in the writing!

Which is the best character you’ve written? Is he or she your favorite? Why?

RS: Rudy Bhatnagar, whom nobody has met yet, because he is in book two. Rudy is both my best and my favorite (sorry Tanay!). He is a doctor, slightly damaged, but is sexy and sensitive, considerate and passionate – quite the complete package.

What do you wish to convey through your writing?

RS: Love and happy endings. And world peace!

What can we expect from you next?

RS: Book two from Harlequin® India is almost ready to send to my editor. I've tentatively titled it 'One Memorable Night in his Bed' and am very excited about it.

To end lets try a Rapid Fire round. Your answer should be the first word/s that pops into your head when you think of:

LIFE: Contentment

PASSION: Reading

HERO: Army

LOVE: Strength

HATE: Intolerance

Thank you once again, Reet, for being here and giving us a peek into your writer's life. It was fun!

Reet Singh is a nom de plume. To connect with Reet click on the links below.

FACEBOOK  TWITTER  GOODREADS  WEBSITE  

AUTHOR'S CIRCLE meets BHARGAVI BALACHANDRAN

On Author’s Circle today, 

Bhargavi Balachandran talks about writing, life and her book, 

The Crossover Year.

Hi Bhargavi, thanks for dropping in and letting us have a peek into your life.

So, what’s The Crossover Year about? 
It is the story of 29-year old Anu , who is a banker  and is  intensely unhappy with her job. She quits work and goes on a journey of self discovery. The book broaches several serious topics like sexual harassment at work , parenting, work-life balance , passion in life , marriage  and friendship, but does so in a light-hearted and funny (hopefully!)way.

Do you have any strange writing habits?
I wish I had some strange habit or an amusing anecdote to share J. I just show up at my desk and start writing. 

What does your day look like?
With a toddler who hasn’t yet started playgroup, life is one endless bid to find modes to entertain the little one. I snatch in some writing time when she dozes and am thankful for the help I get from my parents, in-laws and the hubby. Sometimes, I manage to get up around 4:00AM and squeeze in a few hours of writing. My daughter dozes for a few hours during the day, and I write during that time. With the siren calls of social media ,it is becoming increasingly difficult to fit in more than an hour of writing everyday J

Which author/s have inspired you the most?
Too many to even keep count. Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni  whose words are just sheer magic; Toni Morrison whose writing always reflects strength; Joan Harrison for her masterful  novels that abound with magic realism; Murakami for his craft that is so surreal that it seems almost real; Frank Mc Court for meeting poverty head on and being so unapologetic about his childhood in his books; RK Narayan for simple stories with a heart; Stephen king for his tome on writing ( On Writing) which is the Holy Grail for all writers.

What’s your favorite book and why?
I read a lot, so I am forever discovering my ‘new favourite book’. There was a ‘Fountainhead phase’ and a ‘Wodehouse phase’(among others). More recently, I’ve started reading a lot of non-fiction and loved Jon Ronson’s The Men who stare at Goats. But some books have remained with me, because I grew up reading them and can still tuck into them without  feeling an iota of boredom( like the Mallory Tower series by Enid Blyton).

If your book becomes a movie whom would you want to play the hero and the heroine?
Ha ha! If wishes were horses J The Crossover Year doesn’t have a strong hero ; its all about the heroine.. I think I’d like someone like Konkana Sen play the part of Anu. She has the prefect ‘girl-next-door’ looks and a huge histrionic range to potray Anu’s complex character. 

How did you become a writer? In other words, tell us YOUR STORY.
Through Serendipity. I never planned on becoming a writer. I just sat at my desk one day and decided to write a novel. No synopsis, no character sketches , no chapter-wise outlines. I just wrote, and re-discovered the joys of writing ( writing credit reports for a living pretty much kills all the creative cells in one’s brain). However, I must concede that only after I started blogging, did I think I was capable of writing a book. 

What is your least favorite part about the writing/publishing profession?
Lately I find myself spending more time marketing my books than writing. Though I realize that the onus of making sure that our books do well is on us, writers must primarily be writers and not marketers.

What is your best marketing tip?
I wish I had one! I am pretty crap at this marketing game ( though I actually majored in Marketing!). But I know of examples of exemplary marketing efforts by authors around me. I think constantly engaging with one’s readers has become vital as people are bombarded with books from everywhere. A strong online presence is extremely important these days.   

Why write romance?
My first book, Seven Across was a romance novel , and one of my current manuscripts is a love story. Otherwise, I like to experiment with different genres. However, I did grow up reading industrial quantities of M&B’s, so I will always have a soft corner for the Tall, dark  and handsome hero J

Is there a certain scene you find difficult to write? Eg: Racy or action etc.? Why?
I find action-oriented scenes difficult to write. Rambling narratives come naturally to me , so I find it difficult to write scenes where I need to be crisp and to the point! 

Is your writing character-driven or plot-driven?
Definitely character-driven. In both my books, the protagonists (both women) have hogged the centre stage, and have relegated the plot to the back-seat.

Which is the best character you’ve written? Is he or she your favorite? Why?
A mother always finds it difficult to choose between her babies. Thankfully , I have written only two books, so I don’t have too difficult a choice to make ;). However, I do have a soft corner for Anu as she is totally loud and over-the-top, yet is endearing. I had fun writing her character, as she would do stuff that I could never dream of doing in real life! 

Naturally, in part you are all your characters (they come from your head) but which of your characters is the most like you? Or resonates in you the most? Why?
The first few books of a writer, I have heard are fairly autobiographical. It is true in my case to an extent. I have drawn hugely from things that have happened to me ,or to someone I know. Maybe as I mature as a writer, I’d probably rely more on research, than on experiences. I am a lot like the protagonist of my first novel , Ramya, but I think I have projected a lot of my views about feminism and culture on to poor Anu. Though Anu will come across as border-line neurotic at times, ‘her thoughts’ on certain issues are very similar to mine. Paradoxically, I feel like both Anu and Ramya are  just different parts of myself, yet are very different from who I really am J. 

What do you wish to convey through your writing?
I am just a story-teller who wants to entertain. I don’t have any other lofty goals as of now.  No serious word-plays or attempts at poignancy. At the end of a long hard day at work , I’d want my readers to  be able to un-wind with my book and a mug of chilled beer or chai J.           

What can we expect from you next?
I just finished the first draft of a murder mystery and will spend the next few months polishing it. Then, I’ll start work on a romance drama that is waiting for some pruning action too. Hopefully, the murder mystery should be out soon.

Looking forward to it, Bhargavi.

To end lets try a Rapid Fire round. Your answer should be the first word/s that pops into your head when you think of:

LIFE:Family

PASSION: Words

HERO: Mr. Darcy

LOVE: Daughter

HATE: Lizards

And that is all. Thank you, Bhargavi, for this insight into you. It was fun!

Bhargavi can be found at:


Facebook

Goodreads

Blog

Twitter

AUTHOR'S CIRCLE with ADITE BANERJIE

On Author’s Circle today, 

we have a fellow Harlequin Mills and Boon author and a screenwriter, Adite Banerjie, to talk about writing, life and her book, The Indian Tycoon’s Marriage Deal, which releases in N. America this week.

Dancing with the enemy...

Krish Dev needs to find a bride—and quick! With a marriage arranged by his father looming, Krish finds the key to his freedom in Maya Shome, but is this dazzling beauty really all she seems...?

Maya has only one thing in mind: revenge. But when the host of the most exclusive high society party asks her to dance what is meant to be an innocent tango leads to an engagement to Krish—her enemy’s son!

Arranging their own marriage could work to their advantage…if they can resist mixing business with pleasure! 

Hi Adite, welcome to my blog.

AB: Hi Falguni, thanks for having me! J

Always a pleasure. So, what’s The Indian Tycoon’s Marriage Deal about?

AB: Maya Shome, a young landscape designer, wants revenge against the man who destroyed her family. In her quest for revenge she meets and falls in love with her enemy’s son, Krish Dev. Can she reconcile her love for Krish with her desire for  revenge? 

Do you have any strange writing habits?

AB: I actually do have some pretty weird habits, including getting up at 4 am to work on my WIP like a maniac. And then there are times when I will go for weeks without writing a word. But perhaps the craziest is when I hit upon the perfect solution to an intractable story point in my dream and I forget it as soon as I wake up!

That's not so strange. What does your day look like?

AB: Chaotic. I multi-task like crazy, juggling between freelance research/writing assignments, my current WIP which could be a novel or script, household chores and keeping my very demanding but adorable 12 year old dog entertained.

A regular Wonder Woman, you are :) 

Which author/s have inspired you the most?

AB: I love reading all genres (except horror) and I have been inspired by the works of Amitava Ghosh, William Dalrymple and JK Rowling.

OMG! I love Dalrymple too. Esp his Mogul books.

What’s your favorite book and why?

AB: Sea of Poppies by Amitava Ghosh. I love how Ghosh transports you into an amazing world and brings it alive with characters and situations that are so utterly fascinating.

If your book becomes a movie whom would you want to play the hero and the heroine?

AB: Ooh…I love this question… my current favourites (yes, they keep changing from time to time!) are Shahid Kapoor and Parineeti Chopra.

Nice choices of Bollywood Booty ;)

How did you come to become a writer? In other words, tell us YOUR STORY.

AB: I have been a writer ever since I graduated from college. After a long career in journalism and freelance writing, I happened to do a workshop in screenwriting. And, I was hooked. I’ve always wanted to write movies and learning the craft helped me develop my storytelling skills. So, from scripts to books wasn’t quite a huge leap.

What is your least favorite part about the writing/publishing profession?

AB: The marketing part – especially when it involves public speaking of any sort!

I feel you there!

What is your best marketing tip?

AB: I believe your work is your best advertisement. But as a new author, you need to make sure that readers of your genre are aware about your book. Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads have helped me connect with readers.

Why write romance?

AB: Because I love reading them!

Is there a certain scene you find difficult to write? Eg: Racy or action etc.?

AB: Every book/script has its own challenges.  In ‘Trouble has a new name’ I got stuck in chapter eight and I’d to rewrite it several times before I was happy with what I’d written. The challenge could be character motivation or the way I’d imagined a scene that just wasn’t working on the page or something totally different.

Is your writing character-driven or plot-driven?

AB: With scripts, I’m plot-driven but with my books I’m more character-driven.

Which is the best character you’ve written? Is he or she your favorite? Why?

AB: That’s a tough one… I love all my Heroes and Heroines. No favouritism, please! ;)

Naturally, in part you are all your characters (or vice versa) but which of your characters is the most like you? Or resonates in you the most? Why?

AB: I don’t subscribe to the theory that you are your character. I try to create characters who are empathetic and yet flawed, but are not necessarily like me.

What can we expect from you next? 

AB: My next book is called ‘Trouble has a new name’ and has the feel and tone of a romantic comedy. The book will be released by Harlequin India in July 2014.

To end lets try a Rapid Fire round. Your answer should be the first word/s that pops into your head when you think of:

LIFE: 24/7

PASSION: Red-hot

HERO: TDH

LOVE: Eternal          

HATE: Downer

Thank you once again, Adite, for being here and talking to us. It was fun!

I had a great time answering your questions. Good luck with your writing. J

And that's it folks! Click below to find Adite Banerjie on

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