Sometime in Class 11, I remember starting off an essay with this line, “Two hours and three cups of coffee later…..”  My English teacher, while distributing the exercise books back, called me to her desk. I was sure that I was caught out.

You see, in those days, my head was filled with numbers. I compulsively read books. But Math consumed my dreams. And I spent most English classes, pored over my notebook, solving some Math problem. Did I forget to erase some Math work where I was supposed to write my essay?
I was in for a surprise. Rather than scolding me, she praised the opening line and added, with her usual flair for sarcasm, “It would be nice if you tried to write, once a while. After all, Math is not running away anywhere.”

Years later, when I started writing seriously, I often thought of my teacher and what she said that day. Today, as I explore life through many lens, as an entrepreneur, and as a journalist, those worlds have collided. After years of working in Finance in roles involving Investment Management, Investment Banking and Venture Capital, I co-founded Kahaniyah, where we practice data-driven storytelling. A second company I co-founded is called StoryEd where we work with youth who are not in formal education or employment pathways and help them get school leaving certification and income through a storified curriculum. Meanwhile, my work as an investigative journalist for Economic Times Primes keeps me probing, with both stories and numbers.

Words and Numbers. Stories and Data. In a strange quirk that’s life, I made peace with both today. And writing, in a way, has stopped me from running away.

Here’s my introduction, through a poem.



About the Book:



Is murder of human body the only kind of murder? What about murder of a dream? Or, murder of identity? This who and whydunit crime thriller explores the three questions through the unravelling of a web of lies, murder and deceit that threaten to bring crime very close home for Leena, a business journalist. The alternating first person voice of the unknown killer and third person narrative takes the story across a modern-day Bangalore and a strange discovery at an archaeological expedition with characters you would have seen around you. One of them, of course, is not who they seem to be.





Book Links:
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About the Author:

Sourabh is the author of two psychological thriller novels The Colours of Passion: Unravelling Dark Secrets behind the Limelight (Readomania) and  In the Shadows of Death: A Detective Agni Mitra Thriller (Srishti Publishers and Distributors); Romance Shorts, a collection of dark-romance short stories; a 2-part series Beyond 22 Yards (Srishti Publishers and Distributors) on stories of Love and Crime from the world of cricket and a 7-part series of short stories titled It’s All About Love (Srishti Publishers and Distributors). The titles in the series are The Gift, The Cookery Show and a Love Story, A Special Day, Masks, An Autumn Turmoil, The Hunt, The Death Wish.

About the Book:
Empyrea, an island in the Andromeda galaxy belonging to planet Vathura is serene. Everywhere your eyes turn, you will feast on the lovely birds singing their heart out in the lush green vegetation. Osiris Mysterio ruled the regions of Empyrea with his brother Tyrant Seth and with their children Pitheceus Babi, Kraity Wadjet, and Horus Mysterio.

5000 years ago, the ancient Egyptians were the only humans to receive the invitation to enter Empyrea. They gladly on-boarded into a Pegasus chariot and took their journey to Empyrea. Their journey is indescribable. Empyrea by itself was like a fairy-tale garden, an ocean of flowers and exotic trees.

As the Egyptians went further inside Empyrea, they saw its netherworld. They had mixed feelings when they saw the triangle shaped tombs and the bizarre headhunting people. Empyrea also had the blood-curdling creatures like the deadly dinosaurs, gigantic snakes, furious apes, ruthless rhino’s, massive mastodons and many other creepy creatures. This showed the power of the Empyrean Army and that no other army could survive their wrath.

The Emperor Osiris and the kings ruled Empyrea with powerful Scepters. With those powers, they were not only considered as kings but also worshipped as Lords. The Lords with the help of their scepter had the crucial power to transform themselves into giant creatures.

Egyptians while departing from Empyrea was gifted with a shortcut portal to earth and also with some people and creatures of Empyrea to build the Empramids in Egypt. Overwhelmed with happiness they took the shortcut door and returned to Egypt.

However, the happiness was short-lived in Empyrea. The Empire of Empyrea was betrayed for ruling earth avariciously. Somehow the Emperor of Empyrea locked the shortcut portal and asked the Egyptians to safeguard it. The Egyptians, on the other hand, failed to safeguard the portal. And some gangsters accidentally opened the shortcut door in 2017 A.D, entered Empyrea, and inadvertently got access to the Lord scepters.

So, now the Earthians were left with no choice but to battle against the merciless predators and headhunting people in their heroic journey. Their ultimate fate lied in an empire beyond imagination. They would take their stand against the powerful lords, who brutally led their people to war against planet Earth.

Did the gangsters protect the earth from danger, or left the other world to accomplish their tyrant rule on Earth? Explore the world of Empyrea to unravel the truth behind this mystery.

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I always believe in people who do magic in the life of their friends and family by supporting them. They are the most awesome and amazing people in the world. Without them, there won't be any authors, scientists, media professionals, entrepreneurs, engineers, doctors, etc

I have some special and amazing people in my life who support me in this wonderful writing journey. Their support can't be measured or can't be compared with one another. For their endless support, I have turned them as one of the characters in my story.

Before 9years, my under graduation friends- Manav, Vinay, Karthik, Vicky, and Dili were my first supporters of this Empyrean Journey. When no one believed in me, they stood strong and gave their full support to write my novel. They helped a lot to create the book characters. I fixed each friend as my book character and started my writing. As each one is different and unique in their way, It was more valuable for me to develop the character's mannerisms and emotions at that time of story plotting. Out of these five, Manav, a close friend of mine, became one among the heroes of my story.
My post-graduation was the place where I met most of my book characters.  Leonce, a very good friend of mine used to be a funny person to hang out with, I included him in my story as a comedian. Mosses, a very supporting friend, turned as one of the major supporting characters of the story. Ajeeth, a brave and bold friend, turned one among the key characters of the story. Nazeer sir, an amazing trainer, turned as a local don to my story. Rayman, a lazy friend, turned as an Interpol officer.

Sylvia mam, who is an amazing trainer and the editor of my rubbish writing, turned a 6year old child in my story and started doing naughty things. She will be the lead character of my next book, which will be released by next year. 

These are the people who supported me a lot and continues it in turning my novel into a bestseller. I didn't have words to describe their support; I can say a huge thanks to them all day.

About the Author:



Vignesh Ravichandran is the author of the book Scepters Of Empyrea: A Journey to the Andromeda Galaxy. He  did his Masters in Business Administration from a leading Business School and  presently working as a Human Resource professional in a leading software organization in Chennai. He wrote this debut novel with the story line which he experienced in his nightmare 7 years ago.

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About the Author:
Author of the bestselling romantic thriller ‘The Bodyguard’, Ruchi Singh is an IT professional turned novelist. Her other published novels are ‘Take 2’, ‘Jugnu (Firefly)’ and the recent one ‘Guardian Angel’ a spin off from ‘The Bodyguard’. Winner of TOI Write India Season 1, Ruchi has also published short stories under the collection, ‘Hearts and Hots', besides being a contributing author to many anthologies.

A voracious reader, she loves everything—from classics to memoirs to editorials to chick-lit, but her favourite genre is 'romantic thriller'. She has also reviewed many contemporary works of authors. The reviews are published on her website www.ruchisingh.com

Besides writing and reading, her other interests include dabbling in Indian classical dance forms.

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About the Book:

What happens when the dead come back and can’t let go?

A catastrophe occurs in what was meant to be a fun-filled day for Nina and Alisha. Minutes ago, they were on the swings in the Rose Garden and now, Alisha is standing alone, while the help runs frantically. Her sister, Nina, has disappeared, never to be found again.
But the bond between them withstands even death. Nina’s ghost circles the house.
Is she here just to comfort her now lonely and distraught sister or is she pointing the way to unravel the mystery of her disappearance? the questions remain unanswered until six years later.
Another ghost is reaching out to Alisha from the beyond, a ghost only she can see and she has no idea why.
Battling the horror, the blood and the nightmares that follow her in this macabre turn of events, will Alisha be able to emerge from the whirlpool that the other side is trying to drown her in?



Book Links:
Goodreads * Amazon


• Pip from Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations, for being so confused and divided and real.
• The Clown from IT by Stephen King for being absolutely scary and wild and revolting.
• Yevgeny Onegin by Alexander Pushkin, again, for being flawed and fallible, yet oddly charming.
• Heidi by Johanna Spyri, for being the absolutely lovely essence of childhood.
• Katie Scarlett O’Hara Hamilton from Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell, for her ability to move on.


About the Author:

Mehak Daleh lives and works out of Chandigarh. She started working on ‘Roses’ on a cold December day in 2012, giving in to an image of little girls walking to a graveyard which had been stuck in her head for months. This image became the centre around which the manuscript grew.
Mehak relishes dark folklore and mythology along with contemporary fiction. Her stories, born where the everyday meets the extraordinary, are usually set in the hills where she grew up, and where she developed a penchant for the mysterious and macabre.
And the Roses Bled is her debut novel, and she is currently working on her subsequent manuscripts.



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Giveaway:
Two lucky Indian Residents can win a paperback copy each of And the Roses Bled

About the Book:

What happens when the dead come back and can’t let go?

A catastrophe occurs in what was meant to be a fun-filled day for Nina and Alisha. Minutes ago, they were on the swings in the Rose Garden and now, Alisha is standing alone, while the help runs frantically. Her sister, Nina, has disappeared, never to be found again.
But the bond between them withstands even death. Nina’s ghost circles the house.
Is she here just to comfort her now lonely and distraught sister or is she pointing the way to unravel the mystery of her disappearance? the questions remain unanswered until six years later.
Another ghost is reaching out to Alisha from the beyond, a ghost only she can see and she has no idea why.
Battling the horror, the blood and the nightmares that follow her in this macabre turn of events, will Alisha be able to emerge from the whirlpool that the other side is trying to drown her in?



Book Links:
Goodreads * Amazon


• The first would definitely be terrorism for obvious reasons. That kind of mindless violence just should not exist. There can be no place for it in a sane world. So, if somehow I could change it, I would.

• The second thing I would like to change is violence against children. This might be the second point, but to me it is as important as the first. Childhood is such a fragile state. Even the slightest imbalances introduced into a person’s childhood can ruin their life forever, and consequently the future of humanity itself. There are so many revolting crimes against children committed on an everyday basis. The papers are chock full of them, so much so, that it is difficult now to read a paper first thing in the morning without feeling utterly disturbed. So, this must change. Our children should be safe.

• Finally, the third thing. If I could, I would make it mandatory for everyone to reserve one hour for reading. I would wish for reading to become an essential element of everyone’s lives, especially that of children.


About the Author:

Mehak Daleh lives and works out of Chandigarh. She started working on ‘Roses’ on a cold December day in 2012, giving in to an image of little girls walking to a graveyard which had been stuck in her head for months. This image became the centre around which the manuscript grew.
Mehak relishes dark folklore and mythology along with contemporary fiction. Her stories, born where the everyday meets the extraordinary, are usually set in the hills where she grew up, and where she developed a penchant for the mysterious and macabre.
And the Roses Bled is her debut novel, and she is currently working on her subsequent manuscripts.



Connect with the Author:
Twitter * Instagram

Giveaway:
Two lucky Indian Residents can win a paperback copy each of And the Roses Bled

About the Book:

Tara is living a blessed life in the maximum city with her husband Abhimanyu, the love of her life. At the pinnacle of her career, she is the apple of her parents’ eyes and hasn’t spotted a wrinkle yet – so far, the 30s are looking great!
Nothing fazes Tara – not a foul-mouthed best friend or a food-burning arch-nemesis in the form of her maid – not even a landlady who chats with ghosts.
And then, Tara discovers that she’s pregnant, and suddenly, all that well-honed composure crumbles. It doesn’t help that she’s got an equally jittery (if supportive) husband by her side. Now, Tara must face her anxieties about parenthood as she navigates friendships, marriage and career, all the while dealing with the fact that her body and mind are steadily feeling like they belong to someone else.
An irreverent, honest and funny journey down the road – potholes and all – to (accidental) parenthood!



Book Links:
Goodreads * Amazon

When my husband and I decided to take our first vacation without our daughter, about a year old then, we were quickly labeled and transferred into the ‘bad parents’ club. Amidst the righteous cacophony of “Your child will be scarred for life” and “What if she keeps crying for you” to the simplest go to “How can you even think about doing something so selfish?” the predominant theme was that once children come into the picture or even before they arrive really, two loving individuals must be reduced to robot like baby needs redressal forums, without thoughts and feelings of their own!

It has always puzzled me why humans are such suckers for punishment. Imagine this, knowing that a tiny little food and poop machine is about to arrive and take over your entire lives, wouldn’t you try and have that much more fun, let your hair down all the time? I’ve seen parents calm down to some extent after a child has arrived, in some way, surrendering to fate, but its the pregnancy phase when all hell breaks lose. The neurosis is entirely geared around keeping the oven and the bun (a.k.a mother and baby) safe from the world and even the poor father. I remember being told not to go for movies, or long drives , or stay up late, or travel, essentially everything my husband and I loved to do. My pet hate was being told “Getting CLOSE is not a good idea right now? Wait till the baby is born.” Really? The said baby would be nowhere in the picture had we not gotten extremely CLOSE to begin with.

Tara Sharma, the protagonist, is a woman from the tribe of moderation. Not only does she think a baby shouldn’t change her relationship with Abhimanyu, in fact she does everything she can to ensure that doesn’t happen. Poor fathers-to-be have had it being vilified as hormone wary, diaper phobic dolts. I think they are infinitely more stable than that. And whether you’re in your eight month or handling your eight diaper of the day, there's always time for a kiss and a hug!
About the Author:


Richa’s life has always been marked with abundance. She grew up with three elder sisters, lived in eight cities across India, and went from being a B Com graduate who wanted to pursue dance (and eradicate poverty), to a journalist, and then landed up in an advertising agency. The only constant was that she had a blast through all of it. Now, she wants to spend the rest of her life observing people, spinning yarns and writing books. Every pocket she owns is stuffed with scraps of paper scribbled with ideas and stories. This is Richa's debut novel.




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Giveaway:
Paperback Copies of I Didn't Expect to be Expecting & Harper Collins Badges