Showing posts with label Author Interview. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Author Interview. Show all posts

Friday, July 19, 2019

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 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: 

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! 


Friday, August 17, 2018

Author Interview- Sweet Neem by Mohini Durgampudi


Hi, guys! On the blog today, we have author Mohini Durgampudi who has a book about food called Sweet Neem. We interviewed her on her book, so without further ado, let's find out more about the book and the author. 


GOODREADS SUMMARY:

The groom died in a celebratory gunfire after the wedding. What to do with the big fat Indian wedding feast already prepared for the hundreds of guests?! Sri and Mia have to hit the ground running when they move to India to take over the struggling family business, Restaurant Annapurna. 

Set in Hyderabad, also known as the City of Pearls, this is a story of three generations coming together in the span of a year across cultural, social and generational divides. The family deals with life and death and grapple with love and loss. They celebrate the many festivals of India, a wedding and their grand reopening. The younger ones are awed by the ancient city with it’s ultra modern trappings while the elders witness the magic and power of digital revolution and social media. 

They also sample their way through Hyderabadi cuisine, an intoxicating mix of Mughalai, Turkish and Arabic influences on Andhra, Telangana and Marathwada foods; street food at midnight, a mango feast at the Taj, Anglo Indian at an old friend’s, eclectic gastro-pub fare, Indian Chinese, fusion desserts at the latest bakery, cheeseburgers in a tropical tree house…but, what about Annapurna? And why Sweet Neem?

Book Links: AMAZON (.IN) / AMAZON (.COM) / FLIPKART / FACEBOOK

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 


Mohini Durgampudi is an entrepreneur, food safety instructor and assists at a culinary incubator. She started her career in the IT sector but took a very happy and eager detour into the food industry. 

An avowed bookworm, her writings so far have been anonymous contributions to travel and food blogs and crowd-sourced websites. Sweet Neem is her first book, and it brings together her love for food, travel, family, history and culture.

AUHTOR LINKS: Goodreads 

AUTHOR INTERVIEW:

Hi, Mohini! Welcome to The Readdicts. We’re super glad to have you here! Let’s start with the interview.

       Tell us a little bit about yourself.

o   Like many people I started in the IT sector. When we were blessed with twins I  decided to take a short break. During that time I got involved in the food business through a friend. After dabbling in a few food ventures I settled into writing about food.

       Tell us about your book, Sweet Neem.

o     Sweet Neem is about food, for foodies by a foodaholic. If you dig a little bit deeper, it’s about family dynamics, uniquely Indian social situations and the bond people have with food. It’s about three generations; one Indian, one born and raised in the West and one straddling the two, trying to revive their family restaurant while dealing with their complicated web of life.

       Give us a brief insight into your journey with food.

o     My first confused memories were of people calling me laddu, even though my name was Mohini. My journey with food starts there, and it’s very simple. I love it - always have, always will.

       What inspired you to write your book?

o     I am a bookworm. I believe behind every reader is a writer waiting to come out. I always loved food and when I got involved in the food industry I learned so much more about food than I ever thought possible. Since I cannot write a recipe, or even follow one faithfully, I decided to write a story built around food.   

       What kind of research went into writing your book?

o     Most of it was anecdotal and personal experiences. I had to research some facts and thank God for family, friends and of course the internet. People are very helpful - in some cases I just emailed the owners or managers and they got right back to me with the information I needed.

       Tell us why readers should pick up your book.

o    Because it’s about food and travel, which most people love. And there are so many beautiful travel guides and amazing cookbooks out there already. Sweet Neem is unique - part armchair travel, part cultural immersion and all about food - it is interesting, funny and relatable. Even though it is set in a particular city, the foodscape and urban culture is very similar to many metros in India today. For Hyderabadis it reaffirms all they love about their City of Pearls. For expats it fulfills their nostalgia for home, of which food is a huge part.

       What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

o    Seeking out new ingredients, trying new recipes… and eating! I like to read, and I spend way too much time researching my bucket list restaurants and foods I am going to eat when I win the lottery.

       Tell us about your writing style. 

o     Although I admire the writing styles of many authors, I don’t consciously emulate anyone. When I am writing the story I write without any attention to grammar, punctuation etc. When I have writers block or am distracted, I edit. I edit a lot, obsessively even, I actually spend more time editing than I do writing!

       What is next in store for you? Do you plan on writing more?

o     Absolutely, I will be writing more. My next novel is a historic food fiction. It is also set in Hyderabad, during the late eighteenth century when Hyderabad as a kingdom was taking shape and Hyderababdi cuisine as it is popular today was coalescing.

       Give us a glimpse into your bookshelf.

o     Anything that catches my eye. More fiction than non. Mystery, Drama, Historic, Sci-fi… I go through genre stages and right now I am fascinated with fiction  (alternative retelling really) based on Indian mythology.  In my younger years I used to read established authors. Now I read a lot of debut authors.

Let’s move on to two fun rounds now where we have a favourites and a this or that in store for you!

       Favourite drink? 
Just squeezed orange juice

       Favourite food? 
Anything with eggs ;-)

       Favourite snack? 
Nuts.

       Favourite cuisine? 
Indian and similar spice profiles

       Favourite time of the day? 
Dawn

       Favourite book? 
Keeps changing!

       Favourite book character? 
Bagheera from the Jungle Book

       Favourite bookstore? 
No longer in existence :-(

       Favourite book cover? 
Sweet Neem :-)

       Favourite author? 
Hard to pick just one!

For this or that, you get to pick just one!

       Tea or coffee? 
Coffee - I am a Southern girl!

       Coke or Pepsi? 
Pepsi, but from a fountain

       Sweet or salty? 
Sweet, with a sprinkle of sea salt on top

       Desi mithai or continental desserts? 
Continental, with a Desi fusion twist

    Home cooked food or restaurant food? 
Home cooked, by a restaurant chef. Wouldn’t that be just perfect?!

That’s all for now! Thank you so much for stopping by our blog, Mohini. We wish you all the luck, love, happiness and success.


Thank you so much for stopping by, everyone! I hope you enjoyed the interview and I sure hope you check out Mohini's book. Happy weekend and happy reading!