Author Interview + Giveaway (India Only)- Soldier and Spice by Aditi Mathur Kumar

Hey guys! :)

Today we have with us the lovely Aditi. She is the author of Soldier and Spice- An Army Wife's Life. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Soldier and Spice, you can find my review of it here. Keep on reading ahead for the interview and a chance to win a signed copy of the book for yourself. Belive me, you don't wanna miss out!

Summary-

‘Good evening, Aunty.’

Very cute, I think and smile. Then I turn around to see the aunty he is wishing so sweetly. There is no one, the road is empty.

‘Is someone there?’ I say, squinting at the road.

‘Good eveningggggg, Aunty!’ he recites again, his wide eyes set on me.

I don’t understand.

Could he be, like, calling me an aunty?

I freeze. I couldn’t be...

Aunty?

For Pia, regular life is a thing of the past. She’s something far from regular now – she’s an Army Wife.  From ‘just Pia’ to an Aunty, a memsaab and – her favorite sound in the whole wide world - Mrs. Pia Arjun Mehra – at 26, Pia’s life is now focused on being ‘lady like’, on themed Ladies’ Meets,  High Tea events, Welfare Functions, long (unexpected) separations from the husband, extraordinary challenges, fresh set of social etiquettes and well, growing up.

In the mysterious and grand world of Army wives, Pia learns that being able to tie a perfect saree is as important as being able to resist kissing the husband leaving lipstick marks on him combats.  She learns that walking in high heels is okay as long as you don’t trip on Combat boots. She learns that ‘civil’ is also a noun, that JCO and GOC are (very!) different, that snacks are ‘shown’ and WTF is better explained as Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. Yeah, it’s a new world!

Let this fast-paced story of the first year of Pia’s Army-Wife life show you that the spice to a soldier’s life is most definitely his better, very strong, bloody extremely elegant, never-cussing, witty, warm and passionate half, his Army Wife.

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About the Author:

Author Links:

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Author Interview:

1.       Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I am a blogger, an Army Wife, mother of a 3 year old and a full time Digital Media professional. My love for blogging and writing keeps me up till 2 in the night, on any regular day. I love to write; hate to edit (especially my own work). I read a lot and currently I am considering moving from an actual-book-reader to a kindle-reader.  Also, I am totally un-embarrassed about my recent Young-Adult addiction!

2.       Tell us about Soldier & Spice and what made you write it?

Soldier and Spice: An Army Wife’s Life is my first book and hence it automatically is my favorite book in the world. Okay, in the top 3! More or less. Jokes aside, this is the story of a ‘normal’ aka civilian girl Pia, who falls in love with and then marries an officer in the India Army. The book tell of her adventures in the first year of being an Army Wife – the fun parts and the funny incidents, the  typical fauji code-of-conduct and the struggles ‘outsiders’ face, and the emotional and the scary part of it all. The story is funny (I hope!) and a very quick read. What made me write it was my almost similar experience, being a civilian married into the forces. I thought this story needs to be told, and I wrote it.

3.       What do you like to blog about?

Just about everything. Really. Travel, Parenting, Social Causes, Random Conversations with people I’ve met, Satires on the political system, restaurant reviews. Like I said – I blog about everything. My Blog Monologue is not slotted in one category because I don’t intend for it to be bound by definitions. I love the freedom to pick any topic that I’ve been blogging since 2006 I think, and it has been a journey I’ve thoroughly enjoyed. For anyone who hasn’t been to my (Awesome) blog yet, please check it out – it’s fun. Aditi’s Monologue.

4.       Do you listen to music while writing? If yes, what kind?

To use the lame HIMYM phrase - No-can-do's-ville, baby doll. Music is a huge distraction for me while writing because - I start to sing along.

5.       3 books you would recommend to everyone.

Other than Soldier & Spice: An Army Wife’s Life, you mean? Well, in no particular order – ‘High Fidelity’ by Nick Hornby, ‘City of Djinns’ by William Dalrymple, and ‘Never Let Me Go’ by Kazuo Ishiguro.

6.       Any advice for upcoming writers?

If you want to write, getting started is the first and the most important step.  Just write. The rest will follow. And oh, read a lot.

7.       What is your favorite quote?

“Oh, the places you’ll go!” By Dr. Seuss. I have it tattooed, talk about obsessed!

8.       What’s your next project? 

Another book – fiction and humor. I’m still editing it, though.

9.       Name 2 things you consider yourself to be very good at.

 I think I’m good at staying up till very late in the night for no reason at all, and at speed-reading books. I read not less than 3 books simultaneously and I am a pretty fast reader.

10.       Name 2 things you consider yourself to be very bad at.

 1. Multitasking.

 2. Staying focused on one project at a time. I literally get distracted by all things shiny. 

Giveaway:

After that fun interview its time for a giveaway! Aditi has generously offered to give away FIVE signed copies of Soldier and Spice: An Army Wife's Life to five lucky Indian readers. All you have to do is complete the entries in the rafflecopter.

If the rafflecopter is not loading go here.

May the odds be ever in your favour!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you so much guys and happy reading! :)