Tuesday 17 February 2015

Interview of 'Amrita Suresh' author of 'When a lawyer walks down the aisle...'

Timid Fingers: What is writing to you?

Amrita Suresh: Writing to me, is like yoga! One should practice it everyday


Timid Fingers: Your first book ‘When a lawyer falls in love…’ was written nine years back. Any particular reason for the huge gap or your searching for the write plot?

Amrita Suresh: It might seem like a long gap between my books, yet in the interim period I had begun work on 7 different novels, so that alone shows that I wasn't particularly wasting time. Actually I believe with all my heart that the creative process is something that comes from a higher realm and many a time one has very little control over it. I used to be very scared of failure yet these 9 years have taught me that it's the different shades that go onto making the beautiful painting called life. At 21, I saw the world as only black and white, now I recognize the grey. It is this maturity, hopefully that will get translated in my writing.


TF: How tough it is to match up to the readers expectations after the success of your previous book?

Amrita: Like I said, I used to be terrified of failure, yet now I have come to accept it as a very important learning tool. Raj Kumar Hirani took 5 years after his last release to give us PK and one can only imagine the pressure he was under! This whole pressure and fear of failure can be quite crippling. It took me 9 years to get over this fear! Did you know that after 'To kill a mocking bird' Harper Lee's second novel lay in the draft stage for 53 years?!! It's only recently I heard, her second book is set for release. In these 9 years, I experienced love, failed job interviews, heartbreak, marriage, difficult pregnancy, childbirth, motherhood, losing a parent....and then in the midst of all this you gain a perspective that is far deeper than narrow definitions of success or failure. Life is indeed, the finest teacher there can be, even when it comes to improving your writing skills which are essentially a reflection of the way one thinks.


TF: Your title of the two books and the presence of penguin on the cover is hugely loved by the readers, any particular intention behind this?


Amrita: Did you know, that a male penguin searches an entire beach to find the perfect pebble to gift to his lady love?! I think that's one of the cutest things I have ever read! Actually, since both my books deal with lawyers and since these cute penguins have been blessed with such a cute dress code, I felt I ought to include them! Penguins look like cute lawyers, all dressed up with nowhere to go!


TF: Any interesting incident you want to share with your readers which you have witnessed while making this book, because behind the scenes are always interesting for the audience.

Amrita: I have been told that the end of the book is abrupt, yet as funny as this sounds, yet a bulk of the book was written in the final month of my pregnancy and I was determined to wrap up my novel before my son arrived on Sept 14! Ask any lady who has given birth and she will tell you that the final month just before the baby arrives is when one feels the most physically uncomfortable. Most women suffer from insomnia at this time and I for one, didn't sleep a wink at night during my final month and instead I spent those dark cold nights penning this paranormal novel.


TF: In your view, which were the toughest part to write in ‘When a lawyer walks down the aisle…’?

Amrita: Y'know Enid Blyton the largest selling children's writer said in one interview that when she sits down to write, she hardly ever has a definite plot in her mind. She just begins writing and lets her characters take on a life of their own. I follow pretty much the same approach! Sometimes it's like my characters and me approach a problem at the very same time so in that sense, I'm in the very same boat as the reader not knowing what will happen next! Like I said, I truly feel story telling is an art that comes from a higher realm, so I sometimes feel I have just been chosen as a medium to tell a story that perhaps the universe wants to convey. It sounds profound, I know, yet it's true....


TF: I have read somewhere that you prefer shelf publishing houses than traditional ones. All most all big names in the publishing industry are traditional publishers. Do you really thing a debut author should choose a shelf publishing house over a traditional one?

Amrita: Now this is certainly my favorite question! See ya, it's brilliant if a traditional publishing house takes on the full onus of promoting one's book at least in the monetary sense, yet this is something that rarely happens. So from the writing to the book publicity, it's all left for the author to do but when it comes to a share in the profits, well now that's a different story! I guess for someone who has never got a book published, the fascination to go through the traditional route is immense and I can completely understand since even I was once a victim to this. Truly getting a traditional publisher is like going through the pain of pregnancy and childbirth and then simply giving away your baby for adoption.


TF: What kind of critic reviews you are getting for your second book, any favorite one till date?

Amrita: I'm extremely fortunate to get some very positive reviews for the book so perhaps the nine year wait has finally paid off! I particularly liked the reviews by Sharanya/Vanya and this other review posted by Shruti Ringe on this website called Indian nerve.com. I also quite liked the review put up by timid fingers. That review was written from the heart and that's truly the hallmark of good writing!


TF: ‘When a lawyer walks down the aisle…’ doesn’t have an acknowledgement page, don’t you have anyone to thank?

Amrita: I chose not to have an acknowledgement page since I felt it would be unfair to thank only a select few. Yet if there are two people I would like to thank for being an inspiration, they would be Dr. Sr. Alphonsa, the prinicipal at St. Francis College and Mrs. Karuna Gopal, who was the guest of honour in the very first book launch I had for my book. I was a light headed 20 year old then and it was Karuna ma'am who conducted the book launch with such enthusiasm that I remember it even a decade later!


TF: The author bio is also missing so, I would request you tell us something about yourself for your readers.

Amrita: A Hatha Yoga teacher, A once faculty member handling business presentations at IIIT, a professional tarot card reader, a Reiki healer and a busy mom to a still more busy toddler! That's my author bio!!


TF: When can your readers expect another Lawyer story from you, I hope you are not going take another nine years?

Amrita: I have already begun work on my next novel and it's my dream to write a 100 titles before I kick the bucket! Quite a tall order, isn't it?!!


TF: Now coming to an end, I want to wish you all the best. I would request you to say a few words for your readers and for the Timid Finger’s blog too.

Amrita: Timid fingers! That holds true for all of us I guess! As a writer, one is prone to having timid fingers every now and then so I guess my message to every aspiring writer out there is to just keep at your craft! Reading is as important as writing so timid fingers is a blog that one ought to visit and read since blogs like this help one become a better writer! Honest! Keep up the good work, timid fingers!


Sunday 15 February 2015

Review of 'When a Lawyer walks down the aisle...' by 'Amrita Suresh'

Title: When a Lawyer walks down the aisle…
Author:
Amrita Suresh
Publisher: Radiance Publications
Page Count: 164
My Rating: 4/5

Blurb: “There is someone in the car…!!” Ankur said,his voice thick with terror.Vyas who would normally scare easily, seemed surprisingly calm.Perhaps due to his stint abroad, Vyas was somehow familiar with car hijackers.

“Listen Anks….don’t panic,I’ll just check…” Vyas said.They were standing a few feer from the car and Vyas a bit hesitantly strode up v peeked into the black Honda City. And sure as day, there was an elderly lady seated inside.For a few seconds,even Vyas was a bit comfused, and even as he turned to confirm to Ankur the possibility of being kidnapped by a frail octogenarian, he noticed a rather strange thing. The elderly being seemed to have left the car.

Even as the doors were securely shut.A chill ran down Vyas’s spine.Meanwhile a lot worse things , were happening to Ankur’s spine as the elderly ‘ghost’ made an appearance before him.
“Ankur….run!!” Vyas almost yelled as he saw the ghostly figure inching towards his best friend from college.Without further encouragement, Ankur simply took to his heels and his pudgy frame run as fast as his feet could carry him.And even as he ran, Ankur realized that this was by far the best advice ever to him.”

Well,don’t you find blurb quite interesting and good enough to catch your attention? Yes, the blurb is fascinating, and is a part of first chapter, from where the life of two friends take a twist.Also,the title and cover design seems intriguing with the blurb.So,this book eventually passed the first stage of picking it up.


Verdict: Author Amrita Suresh has come with another wonderful heart whelming story with the Lawyer touch. After the success of ‘When a lawyer falls in love…’ this is her second novel named, ‘When a lawyer walks down the aisle…’

The readers who have expected a penguin on the cover of this book too, are up for a surprise because this time the author had two penguins on the cover and that also in marriage attire. The blue color, the snow everything gives the cover a soothing effect which perfectly reflects the soothing quality of the content. The blurb doesn’t give a proper outline of the plot and the missing author bio and acknowledgement is also a bit disappointing.

The story starts with Ankur Palekar aka Anks, a talented lawyer who meets with a ghost of an aged lady, Mrs. Shireen Lakdawala. The lady asked then to believe that she was ferociously killed by the Mazumdar builders. After quite delay Anks decides to take the case and ropes in her friends and fiancé. Then the story starts to takes the speed. The author have introduced limited number of characters and mingled their stories wonderfully. All the characters have a particular role to play and a different story to tell.

I loved the way the author has injected the humor in the story. It not only makes the whole journey of reading the book interesting but forces the readers to complete it one go. The short distribution of chapters goes in the author's favor and helps to hook the readers.

The narrating style and the forming of the plot is the main usp of the book. The quite different and easy going plot can come like a breeze of fresh air to the readers. The narrating style has a soothing effect which the readers can enjoy while relaxing in a weekend. No one needs to think while reading it and can enjoy this book as a wonderful light read.

There are quite a few errors to point out, which could have been ignored. The editing could have been better and the grammatical errors can be omitted. There are punctuation errors too which were annoying and can lose the grip on the plot.

Apart from these errors this book is overall a nice and enjoyable read. I would recommend this book to all those who were searching for an interesting and refreshing light read.


Available at –






Saturday 14 February 2015

Review of 'What She says? What he meant?' by Richa Sharma | Aamir Khursheed

Title: What SHE says? What HE meant?
Author: Richa Sharma | Aamir Khursheed
Publisher:
Dream House Publications
Page Count: 248
My Rating: 4/5


Blurb: After 2 years of school completion when school friends sit for fun, playing, ‘Truth & Dare’, the unexpected happens. The epitome of Friendship and Love could not have taken any other worst path. The friend could never be so ingenious and the lover could never be so heartfelt deeply in love. Still, the crowd hears the story of laughs, love, lust changing into cries and yells. As a Beast of Lust, Vivaan ends up losing his best friends and love. Can Angad, his best friend save the relations?? Hear from a girl, ‘What SHE says’ about a boy’s life, ‘What HE meant?’


Verdict: ‘What she says? What he meant?’ is a novel by Richa Sharma and Aamir Khursheed. This book is one surprising package. This book has the capability to entertain all types of readers and teenagers could find the plot and scenes very much relatable.

The cover of the book is pretty average looking and could have been designed in a better way. Though the original models on the front instead of designs or sketches is quite different. I liked the name. It’s different, goes with the content and the name itself is always a problem. The blurb is written in a good way and gives a nice outline of the plot. After seeing the cover and reading the blurb my expectation was quite low and that is why I have said that this book is a surprise package.

The story starts with unrestricted friendship. The way the author narrated the details is appreciable. The story changes its gears after the chapter ‘Game’ and after that there is twists for the readers in almost every chapter. This story has everything from unconditional friendship, true love, lust and of course hatred and the author has mixed everything in the right proportion to make the reading experience entertaining. There are scenes where the readers will throw their heads back in laughter and there are scenes where they will smile with teary eyes. I find the ending a bit odd but not unanticipated.

Sometimes, in some books, which are co-authored, I have seen a common error that the difference in the narrating style of the two authors, were visible in the book and that is, at times, irritating for the readers. I would say this book is wonderfully planned and narrated. The narrating style is easy-going and trendy and goes with a light read like this.

The characterization was good and almost all the characters were described with clarity that helps the readers to visualize scenes in a better way. The author has introduced quite a few characters in this story which I think could have been ignored and the character of Angad was lacking the lime light at times.

There are few printing and editing errors spotted here and there which the publisher should have taken care of. Apart from this I find this book error free and all types of readers can enjoy this book with a cup of coffee in a weekend. Because this book needs less involvement but guarantees entertainment. A nice book in the genre of light reads.


Available At:





Sunday 8 February 2015

Review of 'Wisdom of the White Mountain' by Kandathil Sebastian

Title: Wisdom of the White Mountain
Author: Kandathil Sebastian
Publisher: Leadstart Publishing
Page count: 210
My Rating: 4.75/5


Blurb: Some powerful men—including performers of black magic, underworld gangsters, sleuths, extremist zealots, and sellers of spirituality—chased a powerless, low caste man from a Kerala village through Mumbai, Karachi and Delhi till he finally escaped into the mountain ranges of Himalayas. All of them wanted to capture this man alive and keep him with them! However, none of these men could catch and keep this elusive man, as he always found his way to freedom. In the process of working out his escapes this man also unearthed some important mysteries of human life!

Why did some powerful men continuously chase a low caste man? How did the man always find his way to freedom? What are the riddles he solved while he was trying to escape from his captors?

Wisdom of the White Mountain is a suspenseful and adventurous story told in the cultural, spiritual and philosophical context of the South Asia. It is also about Karma, Kama and Jihad! It ultimately unravels greed and selfishness of powerful men who mix religion and politics to manipulate common people for advancing personal interests.


Verdict: ‘Wisdom of the white Mountain’ is the second installment of the mountain trilogy. After reading the first book of the trilogy ‘Dolmens of the blue mountain’, the expectation from the second part was high and I must say the author has made it up to the mark.

The cover looks quite same like the cover of the previous book which is acceptable because these books are a part of a series. The name perfectly goes with the story and the presence of a white mountain on the front supports the name too. I loved the blurb. It gives a perfect outline of the story and attracts the readers to sneak inside the book.

 Those who have already read the first book can easily anticipate that this story is also going to be another unusual story. This story is about Thomas, a boy who finds it tough to survive in the small village of Kerala when he decides to flee to the city. The crisis of Thomas aka Thoma was shown in a delightful way. The author has shown how tough it is for a powerless, low cast Christian, whose biological father conspires against him, whose foster father hates him, to survive. After dodging death, Thoma runs away with his friend Balu, and reaches Kochi. His life takes a different turn when he lands up in the lap of a gang of goons and they adopt him. At almost every chapter the book has a different twist to offer. How Thomas left the gang? How he met the Islamic fundamentals? And how he reached Pakistan? It is this that the book has in store.

The narrating style is appreciable. I can’t say that the author has chosen a very simple narrating style which is in the trend, but the narrating style which the author have chosen goes with the story. An unusual story like this always comes with an unusual narrating style which complements each other. The continuous turn of events of Thomas’s life and the adventure the readers experience through the eyes of Thomas is what will keep the readers hooked till the end.

The characterization is good. All characters are described in a well maintained way. But I felt there were quite a few characters introduced by the author which can confuse the readers a bit. Apart from these minor flaws I find the book error free. In the review of the first book I had mentioned that there were a bit editing errors, it is good to see that the author has worked on it and made it flawless.

This is one wonderful book with a different approach to the audience. I would recommend this book to all those who are looking for a rich narrating style and meaningful story line. After reading the second part I am eagerly waiting for the third installment to come.


Available at:





Friday 6 February 2015

Author Amrita Suresh does it again!!!

Author Amrita Suresh have come up with another heart whelming story with the famous Lawyer touch. The readers have fallen in love after reading the first book of the author ‘When a Lawyer fall in love..’ and now after nine long years the author has come up with another title named, ‘When a Lawyer walks down the aisle…’


“There is someone in the car…!!” Ankur said,his voice thick with terror.Vyas who would normally scare easily, seemed surprisingly calm.Perhaps due to his stint abroad, Vyas was somehow familiar with car hijackers.

“Listen Anks….don’t panic,I’ll just check…” Vyas said.They were standing a few feet from the car and Vyas a bit hesitantly strode up v peeked into the black Honda City. And sure as day, there was an elderly lady seated inside.For a few seconds,even Vyas was a bit confused, and even as he turned to confirm to Ankur the possibility of being kidnapped by a frail octogenarian, he noticed a rather strange thing. The elderly being seemed to have left the car.

Even as the doors were securely shut.A chill ran down Vyas’s spine.Meanwhile a lot worse things , were happening to Ankur’s spine as the elderly ‘ghost’ made an appearance before him.
“Ankur….run!!” Vyas almost yelled as he saw the ghostly figure inching towards his best friend from college.Without further encouragement, Ankur simply took to his heels and his pudgy frame run as fast as his feet could carry him.And even as he ran, Ankur realized that this was by far the best advice ever to him.”

Well,don’t you find blurb quite interesting and good enough to catch your attention? Yes, the blurb is fascinating, and is a part of first chapter, from where the life of two friends take a twist.Also,the title and cover design seems intriguing with the blurb.So,this book eventually passed the first stage of picking it up.


This author is famous for her wonderful comedy timing and the way she inoculates humor in the story and I promise the readers won’t be disappointed in this new book too. The readers will have an entertaining experience while reading the book. This book has everything, love, ghost, thrill and witty humor. What happened when Ankur Palekar, a brilliant lawyer collided with a ghost? What happened when the ghost had a story to tell? What happened when Ankur, along with his few friends and fiancĂ© takes the ghost’s case? All the answers lie inside the story.

Unlike the previous book of the author where the male protagonist was the main attraction, I can easily say that here the female protagonist will take the lime light. All the characters in this story has an effective role to play and the readers will love to complete the book because of the efficient distribution of the chapters.  If you are searching for a new fresh book, go grab this one.


Available at –






Review of 'Nirbhaya & others who DARED' by Kusum Choppra

Title: Nirbhaya & others who dared
Author: Kusum Choppra
Publisher: Vitasta
Page Count: 274
My Rating: 4/5


Blurb: In a culture described as 'punctuated by question marks', what is the role of women?
Is she a meal ticket? A punching bag? A caretaker for old parents, offspring etc.? A business deal maker? The working partner ? The third wheel?
Or a person in her own right—holding on to her space, her identity while countering intimidation?
Kusum Choppra's hitherto untold stories, tongue-in-cheek or serious, offer insights into the functioning of women's minds:
Of different approaches to life after a divorce;
Of the greedy exploitation of the widows of Kargil's martyrs;
Of a sister fighting for inheritance to protect her mother from
her brother;
Of a burnt bride fighting her way back—to life and emotional
freedom;
Of a simple village woman protecting her aged in-laws from the
greed of her husband and his new wife;
Of widows grasping at their slices of life. And why not?
Of a challenge to Pati Parmeshwar's right to select surrogates!
The stories are of women surviving their ordeals to move on in life


Verdict: ‘Nirbhaya & others who dared’ is the third book of Kusum Choppra. As the name suggests, this book is obviously on women but the author has a totally different approach.

The name of the book speaks for itself. After getting the book the first thing that grabbed my eyes is the wonderfully designed cover which perfectly goes with the content. I hate those books which have glossy and attractive covers but doesn't have any connection with the content. Nirbhaya, a name that always remains in a corner of our heart, is possibly the best name for a book like this which talks about how strong a girl could be. The tag line ‘the others who dared’ is perfect too because the stories are indeed of those who dared to take a stand against all the wrongs.

This book is a collection of twenty two short stories. All stories are different but only one thing that remains common is a strong woman character. Unlike other books of this genre in the market, which talks about the helplessness of a woman, author Kusum Choppra has chosen to show what should today’s woman do. The author has portrayed through this book that, this is not necessary for a woman to remain silent every time, it is ok to say that a woman is not sexually satisfied, divorce is not all times a woman’s fault, a wife should always take a stand against an alcoholic and abusive husband. The readers will witness how a woman should behave in today’s circumstances and after reading these stories the readers can find a lot of answers of why women are at the wrong end every time.

The narrating style is lucid and simple. There are no unnecessary descriptions which can bore the readers. I loved the way the author has written the end of each stories, it left me speechless. The women of these stories are from different backgrounds, different age groups, different culture which makes all these stories all the more interesting.

Only one thing which I will point out as the flaws of the book, there are few stories which could have been started in a better way. The author has tried to jump into the story straight from the very first line which could confuse a reader. Apart from this I found this book wonderfully edited and framed.

Few of these stories are based on real incidents, few are fictional but I would request each and every one to read this book, especially to those women who are still sitting idle and searching for the push to stand up. Overall a must read.


Available at:





Wednesday 4 February 2015

Review of 'Scarred for life, healed forever' by 'Ashwati Menon'

Title: Scarred For Life, Healed Forever
Author: Ashwati Menon
Publisher: Gargi Publishers
Page Count: 126
My Rating: 3/5


Blurb: What are these strange visions? What is wrong in her head? Why does she get strange feelings before incidents happen?

Nishtha Vaidya is a survivor of a terrible natural calamity. Not only does she live on with survivor's guilt, her mind is still there, on the ill-fated day and she could never come out of it. Just when things are beginning to settle slowly in the safe and cozy life in a vibrant lifestyle of Gujarat - Nishtha is getting strange visions and headaches. Life is taking her back two years in time and she finds she is running around the state, saving different and unknown lives from mortal peril.

Will Nishtha get answers to these mind boggling questions? Will Nishtha be able to pay tribute to her friends whom she lost? Has her untold love story got anything to do with it at all? Will Nishtha Ever unburden herself?


Verdict: ‘Scarred for life, Healed Forever’ is the first book by Ashwati Menon. This is an unusual story with an equally unusual ending.

The first thing that catches the eye of the author is the cover, which is quite efficiently designed. The illusion image of a girl on the front will raise questions among the readers. But I think the cover doesn't go with the story and could have been designed in a different way. The blurb was good and gives a good outline of the story. Overall the first impression was good but doesn't say much about the content.

This story is of a Nishtha Vaidya, a girl from Ahmedabad, fighting with her super natural powers. Nishtha had a happy and caring family and a good paying job thanks to her academic skills. After going to Australia for the Foreign Student Exchange Programme, she faced Tsunami and became the only Indian to survive. That incident changed everything in her life. She lost her friends and the love of her life. Nishtha realized that she had got some super natural power and sometimes can see what is going to happen next. How she manages to cope up with this power and uses it to save lives? How these visions made her life tough? And how she came out of this trauma? That is the book all about.

The author has chosen a different story for her debut novel which is commendable but the execution is not up to the mark. The narrating style was simple and was unable to keep the reader engaged. There are scenes which could have been described in a better way. The grammatical errors were dropping the speed of the book.

The characterization was good. Almost every characters has a different role to play in the story. There is one character in the story which I think could have been ignored by the author that is of Dnyaneshwar uncle. One thing where the author needs to work is on the description of the characters. Apart from the main protagonist and the few main characters all most all characters had lacked the lime light.

The author had tried to pen down something different than the regular but the framing of the plot could have been better. I like those frequent jumping of the scenes from present to past and the end. The author has the capability of describing scenes and could do a way lot better than this. Overall a nice brave attempt by a new author.


Available at –





Sunday 1 February 2015

Call or Chat? Obviously Chat!!

There are many products at home that we wish to replace or not use and simultaneously there are many others which we need to buy but are very costly. In such cases, Quikr.com is always my first preference when it comes to buying or selling products. Quikr.com is very helpful even when we want to find jobs. Whenever I search for a compatible job on the internet, the first link that comes on my screen in all search engines is of Quikrs’.


One thing that always remains a drawback of the whole process is the visibility of our phone number. Getting annoyed by fake callers has become a regular problem for me and there is no way I can dodge that problem even after trying so much. To solve this only drawback, came into view Quikr Nxt, which changed everything. And when the IndiBlogger team asked us to blog about the advantage of chatting over phone call, it became like a cake walk for me.



The first reason of why chatting is better than a phone call is, I can keep a track on the conversation. Like, I cannot record every important call to re-listen to the conversation whenever needed but I can always see the chat history in case of emergencies.


The second immediate reason that comes in my mind is, I can chat anytime but can't talk every time. I have faced this problem earlier. Suppose, you are travelling in a train and when an important call comes of a prospective client or buyer you are not able to hear anything because of the continuous honking of the train. But you can always chat while you are seated on a window seat of a honking train or in a car standing at a traffic signal.


Chatting is better than phone call because I can share photos and this is the third reason. Earlier, if someone used to ask for a photo of the product or its features on phone, I used say that I will mail him/her the same and that meant some extra effort and it was even time consuming. But while on a chat with the prospective client, I can send photos straight away without any delay and can even look at them later on.


These are a few reasons why chatting is way better than phone calls. I can give at least five more reasons for the same. I think Quikr Nxt is possibly the best thing that could’ve come in the mind of the developers till date. I am immensely impressed by this application and I can easily say other users will also find this helpful. This application is heartily recommended by me to all the other users who want to get benefitted from the uses of Quikr.com and Quikr Nxt.



Note: This article is a part of  http://www.quikr.com/.