FREE BOOK GIVEAWAY - I AM PAPA

Title : I am Papa..  In the game of Life, you've no choice but to play...

Author : Pranav Bhattacharya

Publisher: Expression Publications  (Oct 2010)

Genre: Thriller Fiction

About The Book:

Sometimes, life presents you with a problem so huge, that you are forced to ask : "Where do I start?"

Prof. Arya came back home to enjoy a quiet, retired life. One fine day, his son disappeared, without a trace. All he left behind was a note addressed to Papa. What would you do if this happened to you?

- Would you know where and how to start looking for him?

- Would you be scared stiff and just freeze?

- Would you stick to the notions of morality, legality and political correctness?

 

Every situation needs a Hero, and every adverse circumstance gives birth to one. Who said that a retired Professor can't be a Hero?!

Join the protagonist of Pranav Bhattacharya's debut novel as he embarks on a heart-throbbing and perplexing journey, armed with nothing but his quiet determination and unfailing sense of humor.

Click here to know more about book

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FREE BOOK GIVEAWAY - I AM PAPA

Look at the title & front cover of this book, Guess the plot line and win this book

“The publisher and author went through a lot of titles, before they settled on “I am Papa”. 

The idea of this atypical title was to intrigue the potential reader.

We would like to know your first thoughts on seeing the title and the cover page.

1)      What did you think the plot line would revolve around?
2)      Did you think that it would be a tragedy, comedy or suspense story?
3)      Any other instant reactions/thoughts?

The contest is open to all those who have or have not read the book. We are interested in knowing your first thoughts on seeing the title and the cover page of the book.

Write in not more than 10 lines.  The best entries get a free copy of the book. 

Judge - Author : Pranav Bhattacharya

Send in your entries to bookreaderslounge@yahoo.com 

Contest Begins - Aug 30  at 3 pm

and 

Ends - Sep 4 at 11 pm


WINNERS:

1. Pooja Sharma Rao

her entry - The title evokes an instant connect,because we all are kids no matter how old or young and some of us parents too.How being a parent- I am mom or I am Papa,becomes the axis on which our lives revolve.I am papa must be about how a dad's identity as a father gets threatened or questioned,or to what extremes a father goes to provide for and  protect.it must be abot the quest and the upheavals of the father who cannot even afford a moment of weakness for the sake of his child.

2. Debarata Paul

The title “I Am Papa” seems to be old school type and leads me to think that it is a story of a Dad who tells us about how he feels and thinks when his child is in trouble, meaning a story of fatherhood. But the subtitle caught my eye which reads “In the game of Life, you've no choice but to play...”,conveys that it should be a suspense or thriller.  The photo of the old man on the cover may depict a dad’s worries for his children which comes from enormous love and care or it may symbolize experience. The plot should be serious and revolve around a dad’s tale who under adverse circumstances struggles for the sake of his child, though he is quite old for struggling. The hero underneath his commoner skin comes out and he is able to win his war(!).

STILETTOS IN THE NEWSROOM - FREE BOOK GIVEAWAY

 
Title : Stilettos in the Newsroom

Author : Rashmi Kumar

Publisher: Rupa Publications

About The Book: 

Stilettos in the Newsroom is the story of 28-year-old Radhika Kanetkar. From the boulevards of Pune in Western Ghats as a Sub-Editor of an English newspaper, the story meanders through the byzantine lanes of journalism as she takes her baby steps into the world of news, and takes her on to Lutyens’ Delhi. From a Sub-Editor to Features Editor, it is a journey of triumph, anguish, jealousy and of course breaking news but it is also a story that sees Radhika Kanetkar finding her true love Sameer. 

No one forced her to pick up this profession; she did it on her own. But then she didn’t want to be one of the many bylines, not just one of the many faces. It is the story of this 28-year-old bubbly young girl, with glam and glitter thrown in.

From the time she meet her first editor – Satya Sidharth Sarkar or Triple S of The New Press – to Chandrika Reddy aka Amma, a pregnant blob of mass with sullen look, Radhika, the Sub-Editor, gets a taste of news or is it the “NOSE FOR NEWS”!

The fictionalised account draws a lot from real life experiences, thrown in with anecdotes and the struggles that usually a young journalist has to endure before she actually gets her BYLINE – written in a youthful and energetic language. It is neither a saga about the journey-through-newspapers of the sorts nor is it bitter in nature. It is simply journalism, the way it is, through the eyes of a fun-loving young woman reporter. 

About The Author:

Rashmi Kumar was born in Pune in a Maharashtrian family, attended Jesus and Mary College, Delhi University and graduated in English Literature. She later pursued a degree in journalism. Her first book Stilettos in the Newsroom, published by Rupa and Co demystifies the happenings inside in newsroom and presents a candid account of the seven years, she has spent in journalism, working with various newspapers.

Before becoming a writer, Rashmi (among other things) also worked with an NGO. Now, other than being a full-time journalist, she also spends her time doing a weekly show on the radio and spends most of her Saturdays volunteering at an NGO for the mentally distressed and suicidal. When she is not pursuing these two passions, she takes off to pursue her other calling in life – to travel

Rashmi started her career in journalism in 2002 and currently works with Business India. 

For more scoop visit - http://www.rashmikumar.in/index.html

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STILLETOS IN THE NEWSROOM - FREE BOOK GIVEAWAY

Jointly organized by Between The Lines Blog & us


Participate in this giveaway by answering a simple question. Three winners will get author signed copies of the above novel . This contest is open to Indian residents only.

QUESTION:

In Which city was the author - Rashmi Kumar born?

CLUE: The answer is hidden in this blog post itself.

Send in your answers to bookreaderslounge@yahoo.com along with your Full Name & 'SIT Giveaway' as the subject before 3 September (Saturday) 11.30pm




WINNERS :

1. Ishita Bhown
2. Priti Chowdhury
3. Shashank Avvaru

Congrats to winners, kindly send in your Full Name, Email Id, Contact No. & Address to bookreaderslounge@gmail.com so that we can send you your prize.

EXPRESSION FREE BOOK GIVEAWAY

Our free book giveaway is now live
Answer a simple question and you stand a chance to win a book.

QUESTION - Identify the cover image of the Indian Fiction Book below and let us know its name & its author.

Contest 

begins Aug 25, Thursday at 1.00 pm 

and 

ends on Aug 27 , Saturday at 11.00 pm

Send in your answer to bookreaderslounge@yahoo.com along with your Name and 'Expression Book Giveaway' as subject. 

We are giving three clues to help you find the answer.

CLUE NO. 1   - This book was featured by this blog  in the month of June

                                Blog URL - http://bookreaderslounge.blogspot.com/

CLUE NO.2   - This book has been published by Expression Publications

CLUE NO.3   - We are reproducing an extract from the book's synopsis here

Prof. Arya came back home to enjoy a quiet, retired life. One fine day, his son disappeared, without a trace. All he left behind was a note addressed to Papa. What would you do if this happened to you?

- Would you know where and how to start looking for him?

- Would you be scared stiff and just freeze?

- Would you stick to the notions of morality, legality and political correctness?

 Winners stand a chance to win a book

PS - Winners of this giveaway would declared by author himself by means of a lucky draw.

Correct Answer : I AM PAPA BY PRANAV BHATTACHARYA

Winners will declared soon

WINNERS:

1. Harshit Shah
2. Tridib Ghosh
3. Vijay Rajput

DREAM'S SAKE - FREE BOOK GIVEAWAY

Title : Dream's Sake

Author : Jyoti Arora

Publisher: V&S Publishers (2011)

About The Book:

He can be as good as he wants to be and I'll be as bad as I need to be! We'll see where it all ends up,” says Aashi.

She believes she has a right to fight for her dreams. She believes a little bit of selfishness is necessary to survive in this world. Abhi, however, has not learnt that lesson. And he can't accept the fulfilment of his hopes when they seem to rise from the ruins of Aashi's dreams.

His sister Priyam and friend Sid are made from much the same mould. And in the path of their love too lies a dream – the dream of a dead and betrayed mother.

Feelings rise, and are suppressed. Past grips the present and threatens the future. Memories refuse to wane their shadows from the heart. Hope and despair fight a battle. Guilt rises up and resent the forgiveness. Revenge weaves a web. Friendship is tested. And love demands a sacrifice. A tumultuous battle wages on...

What lies at the end of this battle?

Lose yourself in the pages of this gripping saga of love and friendship to find out.

Click here to visit the book's official page on facebook

Click here to view the book's teaser video 

Visit the official website - http://www.jyotiarora.com/

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 DREAM'S SAKE - FREE BOOK GIVEAWAY

Participate in our giveaway by answering  simple questions. Three winners will get author signed copies of the novel -Dream's Sake. This contest is open to Indian residents only.

QUESTION:

Answer the following 3 questions correctly inorder to win - 

1. Where does Aashi live?
2. What loss did Aashi suffer in the bomb blast?
3. When did the bomb blast take place?

Read the excerpt below to find out the answers.

Send in your answers to bookreaderslounge@yahoo.com along with your Full Name
before 24 August (Wednesday) 11.30pm

EXCERPT:  

“Terror does Diwali shopping in Delhi--killing 55, hurting 155,” the old newspaper clipping proclaimed as it trembled with her fingers.
Those weren’t just numbers, even if they had been correct. Those were people blown into bits. And people left behind to die in bits after them.

But Aashi had died quite enough. It was time to start living again.
She would have torn that paper and thrown it away. But her fingers didn’t obey. She wanted to erase its black words entirely from her memory. But she could not, not yet, anyway. For there was her father in that paper, one among the fifty five dead.
Aashi could not let go of the dead. But it was time now for her to start living again.

She had already taken her first step back into life. 
Life, though, was no longer how she had once known it. "

ANSWERS:

1. Delhi
2. Lost her father
3. During Diwali

WINNERS:

1. Sagar Shiriskar
2. Navneet Mehra
3. Aradhya Goel

AUTHOR INTERVIEW - CHARLOTTE BLACKWELL

We interviewed a foreign author , Charlotte Blackwell recently.

SHORT BIO:
Charlotte Blackwell is based out of Calagary, Alberta. She has authored the Embrace series of novels which are of Young Adult(YA) paranormal romance genre. Immortal Embrace is the first book in this series which has been released. The second book in the series - Forbidden Embrace comes out in September 2011. 
So here goes :

1. Tell us something about your debut novel.

1. Immortal Embrace, my debut novel started out as just something for fun, for my daughter and me. It has now turned into a whole series and am so excited that it has been published to share with others. Immortal Embrace is a story about Vampires, witches and a whole bunch of supernatural wrapped in to a normal high school package. Unfortunately it doesn't stay normal for too long. 

2. The characters sound fascinating! Can you give us some more details about them?

2. I based character traits from the people I know and love...or hate. Sophia the protagonist is based off my daughter and me - shy, a little self doubting, and so on. Nate, her love interest shares a lot of his quirky traits with my husband, they both love to fine the cheesiest line out there and use them. The characters go on as such; Florence is the spitting image (minus the whole vampire thing) of my grandmother of the same name. I think the best thing about my characters is that they grow, learn and develop just as we did as teens and how teens will now. They go through many of the same internal struggles that teens face. 

3. How did this book happen and why did you choose to write about it?

3. As I mentioned before I wrote it just for fun, but it has become so much more than fun. This is my life now, I love reading and writing and am happy to have it as a career. I really never believed anything would come out of writing Immortal Embrace, but so much did, I found myself and where I belong.   

4. Please tell us something about yourself and how you came to be a writer?

4. I always enjoyed writing letters and little things down, really just my feelings. Until a few years ago I didn't even enjoy reading. That is when my daughter pushed me into reading some YA books and I haven't stopped. Picking up a pen and a note book was the best thing that ever happened to me (aside from my family). I loved writing, but knew nothing about it, so I did research and I learned, got mentors, and beta readers and who ever I could learn from. I also began writing articles for online news sites. That taught me how to edit better and improve my craft. 

5. What writers have influenced your novel or writing style?

5. Kelley Armstrong, LJ Smith, Kathi Barton, and pretty much anyone who I love to read or will take the time to teach me more. Life is an ongoing learning process and we can always learn more. I take in as much as possible when reading and try to learn, making note of what I do and don't like. 

 

6. What does your writing environment look like?

6. That's easy, its my bedroom. I sit on the bed, door closed, ceiling fan switched on and write. I sometimes watch TV or listen to music, but I am always in my room. It is my oasis. 

7. Did this story come to you easily or did you find yourself stuck with a writer’s block sometimes?

7. It has come pretty easy so far. I have tons of little notes with ideas to put in the story somewhere and they keep coming too. So I guess I will keep writing this series until I can't anymore.  

8. Where can we find out about you and your work?

8. The best place is my blog/website, I have tons of info there about me, my books and lots of other stuff too. http://charlotteblackwell.blogspot.com/  

9. Tell us something about your work & hobbies?

9. I stay at home and I am mother of 3, my oldest daughter is home schooled, the other 2 go to public school. My hobbies are them, I drive them to activities and we play games or watch movies together. It is very rare for me to be without one or all of my children.  

10. What are you working on now? What is your dream project?

10. Currently I am working on edits for book 3 Mystic Embrace, I also have an Adult contemporary romance in the works, but my dream project I would have to say is the Embrace series. It is my first and has so many elements that I love, I wonder everyday where it will take me.  

11. So how did it feel when you finally finished writing the book?

11. It was good, but I knew there was more story to be told. Immortal Embrace originally included part of Forbidden Embrace, but I later decided to split it into 2 books. I don't remember why know. 

12. Describe how you brought your first book to the market?

12. I began by querying agents and having test readers try it out. After about 5 months I decided to try some smaller publishers and was offered a contract only about 2 weeks after I submitted to a foreign publisher. Excited but still unsure, I decided to try another small publisher in North America this time. I received an offer with in 5 hours of submitting. This was the place for me, the same publishing house as one of my favorite authors Kathi Barton. I knew it was right. With in months of signing the contract everything was in place and Immortal Embrace was let out in to the world. Now In a few short weeks, book 2 Forbidden Embrace will also see the light of day.    

13.Top 3 All-time favourite books.

13. I can't just name 3 books, because I love series, but her are 3 of my favorite series. 

Grant Brothers Series by Kathi Barton,

Darkest Powers Series by Kelley Armstrong

Night World by LJ Smith  

14. Lastly... Do you have a favorite quotation?

14. "Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away." — Maya Angelou

15. Is there anything else you’d like to mention or another question that you would have liked to be asked (if so what would you have replied)?

15. I would just like to thank you and your readers for having me. I am so excited to share the embrace series with you all. I love to hear from reads so please visit my site and leave a comment, I will reply as best as I can. 

Connect with her via email - embraceseries@gmail.com

Click here to like her facebook Page

AUTHOR INTERVIEW - PRASHANT SHARMA

We interviewed published author of two novels, Prashant Sharma recently.

SHORT BIO

Prashant Sharma is currently working in strategy and marketing for a multinational bank. He passed out of IIM Lucknow in 2009 and Delhi College of Engineering in 2007. He is the author of two books - Love, Life & A Beer Can (a national bestseller) and If I Pretend I am Sorry.

So here goes :

Tell us something about your novel - If I Pretend I am Sorry.

This is my second book and a very different one from the first. While the first one was about college life and the complications that go with it, this one is a story of three selfish and greedy men who are a part of the Mumbai underworld. It is the story of how the lives of these three men are intertwined and how it reaches a conclusion.

How did this book happen and why did you choose to write about it?

“There was a thought- four people meet in a room. They have had interconnected lives, and only one of them walks out”, this was the premise, the story flowed from there. 

When did you take to writing?

It started during the second year of MBA at IIM Lucknow. Just something I wanted to do. I guess, MBA teaches you that on some level- to follow your heart. While on some other level, it teaches you how to be a part of the rat race.

 

Where do you usually write? What is your favourite setting to write in?

I write at home sitting on my chair on my laptop. No favorite setting as such. When you start writing, you get into the story so much that the surroundings cease to matter.

Did this story come to you easily or did you find yourself stuck with a writer’s block sometimes?

It was a free flowing thought process. The story became clearer to me as I kept on writing. No writer's block in this one luckily.

Does this story have anything to do with your personal life? Or is it a story of someone close to you?

No, not at all. It is a story of three guys with very very grey characters. I hope none of my friends are like that!  

Was there any difference while writing your second book as compared to your first? Do you consider this book to be better than your first?

I think it will be unfair to compare. All those who have read both would agree with me. The thought process etc, everything was very different. But both are very close to my heart.

Tell us about your life online and the sites you maintain

Not much. Just one facebook page for both the books - Love Life & A Beer Can & If I Pretend I am Sorry and my facebook profile. 

How has been your experience so far in the literary world? Any highs or lows being a part of this space that you would like to share here?

Its been amazing. The publishing house, especially Mr. Jayanta Bose, have been very helpful and very supportive. I really look forward to writing a lot more. As of now, there are no lows, only highs. I do this as a hobby and not as a profession, so I guess, the expectations are minimal but the satisfaction is great.

Tell us something about your work & hobbies?

I work in a multinational in strategy and marketing. It’s a good job and involves creativity.

Hobbies are watching cricket and I am the biggest Hindi movie fan you will ever find. 

So how did it feel when you finally finished writing the book?

It feels the best when you see it in the bookstore. Nothing beats that feeling.

What is your dream project? Are you working on another novel?

Dream project is to direct a movie. Let’s hope it happens.