Author Interview + Giveaway- Destiny for Love Arranged by Vash Karuppa

Hello, everyone! On the blog today, we have with us author Vash Karuppa, who has written the book titled Destiny for Love Arranged. We have interviewed Vash who is going to tell us more about his interesting book and he has kindly offered to giveaway one e-copy of his book to one lucky reader. The giveaway will be hosted on our Instagram and being an e-copy, it is open to international readers as well. Now that you know what's in store for you, let's get to the book and the author better! 

Goodreads Summary: 

All business-no-pleasure CEO of Hotel Empire, Keshavam Industries, Aariyan Ranjan, and successful Oncologist, Varini Iyengar, have known one another for sixteen years. When she last saw him Varini was left completely shattered as Aariyan walked away from their newfound love and out of her life. He was the first man she longed for, the first man she truly desired, and the first and only man she had ever loved. Aariyan had loved her back, but fuelled by uncontrollable demons he abandoned her, ending their love in devastating heartbreak. 

In order to seal the deal of a lifetime Aariyan needs a wife. By entering into a temporary marriage, Aariyan gets a made-to-order wife to help him secure his deal, and Varini finds herself shacked up with the love of her life. Love has no place in a business deal, and no one should mix business and pleasure - the lines blur, giving them a one way ticket to a messy disaster. 

This is a gripping and angsty romance, truly an amazing debut novel by this South African-Indian author. Five stars for sure! - Author Poppet

Book links: Goodreads / Amazon (IN) / Amazon (.com)

About the author: 

Vash is a South African author of Indian origin who has been an avid reader from the tender age of five. Being a passionate romantic and voracious bookaholic, reading was a drug to which she had an instant addiction, one that only grew with time. While books in all genres interest her, it was romance that captured her heart. Even as a pre-teen, she loved the ‘happily ever after (HEA)’ syndrome leading her to fall in love with any book in the romance genre, and later as a teenager, dreams of writing her own HEA story. 

Writing a novel has always been part of her bucket list, so, after spending years concentrating on her role as a corporate executive, she eventually unleashed her number one desire and passion for writing with Destiny for Love Arranged. Vash’s writing portrays the lives and dramas of ordinary people who readers can easily relate to. The crux of her stories celebrates the power of true love coupled with the timeless bonds and inevitable drama that exist between family and friends while capturing the true essence of diverse cultures especially nuances of the South Indian culture. Her stories are inspired by Indian traditions, but set in contemporary times.

She enjoys writing and reading above all else, but when Vash doesn’t have her nose stuck in a book, she can be found cooking, watching movies and hanging out with her close-knit family. Vash grew up in Durban and resides with her husband in Johannesburg, two of South Africa’s most stunning cities. She is a member of Romance Organisation of South Africa.

Vash loves interacting with her readers so please feel free to connect with her via her various social media platforms or on email at authorvashkaruppa@gmail.com

Author links: Facebook Official Author Page / Facebook Page / Instagram / Twitter / Goodreads 

Author interview: 

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Greetings friends. My name is Vash Karuppa and I am a South African of Indian Origin. I was born and raised in the beautiful coastal City of Durban and currently reside in another stunning South African city, Johannesburg, with my husband. I hail from a big, loving family and have three siblings. I have a twin sister and my younger brothers are also a set of twins, which is quite unique, I guess.

By day I work in the robust South African Travel Industry as a senior manager and by night I am an author of contemporary fiction in the romance/suspense genre.

I enjoy writing and reading above all else, but when I don’t have my nose stuck in a book, I can be found cooking, watching movies, travelling or hanging out with my close-knit family.

Tell us about your book, Destiny for Love Arranged.

Destiny for Love Arranged is a contemporary, gripping and angsty, second chance Indian romance that reveals the love of family and friendship bonds during trying times. The story revolves around Aariyan Ranjan, a highly successful CEO of a Hotel Empire and Varini Iyengar, an Oncologist, who are forced into a temporary marriage of convenience to help them resolve personal dilemmas. While Aariyan is determined to treat their marriage as he would any other business deal, love rarely listens to logic, and what follows is anything but business.  On the other hand, Varini soon finds herself gravitating toward and rejoicing in the love she thought lost forever with a hidden hope that their marriage of convenience will end in a union of everlasting love. The story is embedded with cultural anecdotes familiar to any family of Indian origin. It takes their family, friends and a life-threatening situation to show them the love they lost is worth fighting for.

In short, this is a story about family, friendship, and starting over, as Aariyan and Varini embark on a journey toward a second chance at love. You will get to share in their moments as they discover that vulnerability can actually be their strength and the most perplexing problems can be overcome with the support and resourcefulness of a loving family and faithful friends.

This is Book 1 of a trilogy.

What inspired you to write your book?

For many years I have read articles around the call for diverse romance novels that incorporate multi-cultural aspects into a traditional romance plot. In addition, I’m a hopeless romantic myself and always had a plot in my head around a story that integrates family and friendship bonds (which I have been blessed to have throughout my life) together with a typical romance story. When I eventually decided to put pen to paper, it all just naturally came together, giving birth to Destiny for Love Arranged. Finally, I do believe there aren’t too many novels written which share intricacies of the South Indian culture and I was determined to do this. Looking at the feedback received thus far from readers, it was well received.

Tell us why readers should pick up your book.

It is a book that will transport readers into the lives of people they can easily identify with. It will also give them a glimpse of a culture that is not often explored as part of fiction writing i.e. the South Indian culture.

Give us a glimpse into all the effort, hard work and time that 

went into writing your debut novel.

When I started writing Destiny for Love Arranged, I never intended to publish it. It was simply a way for me to put onto paper I had in my head for many years. For this reason, it was a very pleasant experience and didn’t feel like hard work at all. It took me about three months to get the first draft done, but I had fun every step of the way, especially the education I got when researching unique aspects which forms part of the story.

Who are some of your favourite authors and what are some of 

your favourite books?

Authors:

v   Brenda Jackson

v   Julie Garwood

v   KC Lynn

v   MV Kasi

Books:

v   Ransom by Julie Garwood (my all-time favourite)

v   The Promise by MV Kasi

If you could read only one book for the rest of your life, what 

book would you pick and why?

Honestly, not sure. There are so many books which are close to my heart. But if I really have to, it would be Ransom (Julie Garwood). I read this book every year like watching your favourite movie every chance you get.

·   If you were granted a wish by means of which you would be able

 to spend an entire day with a dead person, particularly a writer,

 who would you pick and why? What would you like to discuss

 with them?

That would be Judith Krantz. Her novels introduced me into the world of glitzy romance novels at a time when I wasn’t allowed to read them 😊 . I would discuss how she managed to sustain her passion for writing for over 40 years and still had the ability to fork out best seller after best seller. I would also get guidance from her on how to maintain uniqueness in every story told.

FAVOURITES!

·       Favourite cuisine?                            Indian

·       Favourite place?                               Home

·       Favourite person?                            Too many to name just one

·       Favourite time of the day?              Dawn

·       Favourite book character?              Mr Darcy

·       Favourite bookstore?                       Exclusive Books (South Africa bookstore/heaven)

·       Favourite book cover?                     Destiny for Love Arranged 😊

·       Favourite colour?                             Red

·       Favourite holiday destination?       Italy    

·       Favourite month?                             December

·       Favourite day?                                  Sunday

·       Favourite name?                               Too many to name just one                             

·       Favourite sport?                                Soccer

Giveaway: 

Head to our Instagram to know more!

A big thank you to Vash for taking the time out to chat with us and for offering a copy of her book as a lovely giveaway! Do participate and help spread the word. Thank you, readers, for stopping by and happy reading!