Since I shared the full 2026 workshop programme, a few of you wrote in asking whether Show Don’t Tell could happen sooner than December. I’m delighted to say — yes, it can. I’m running it on May 30.

So here’s what’s coming up over the next few weeks.

If you’ve heard “show don’t tell” a hundred times and still aren’t quite sure how to apply it in your own writing, the May 30 session is for you. And if you’ve been struggling with your opening pages, or you want to make sure you’re starting your story in exactly the right place, the First Lines & Opening Chapters workshop on June 13 might be just what you need.

Registration links are below each workshop. And if you’re ready to build a full manuscript from scratch, July’s Idea to Draft intensive is open for registrations too.

Here’s everything at a glance.

MAY 30 — SHOW DON’T TELL (DONE RIGHT)

You’ve heard the rule a hundred times. This session is about understanding it well enough to know when to break it.

Two hours on the most misunderstood piece of writing advice in existence — what it actually means, why it matters, and when telling is exactly what your story needs. We’ll work on the three ways telling goes wrong, look at when it’s the right choice, and spend real time on your own pages.

You’ll leave with a much more precise instinct for the difference. And the confidence to trust it.

Saturday, May 30 10:00 am – 12:00 pm IST · 12:30 pm – 2:30 pm MYT Online · Microsoft Teams ₹4,500 · MYR 185

Register here.

Your seat is confirmed only after payment. Limited seats — this one is close to full.

JUNE 13 — FIRST LINES & OPENING CHAPTERS

Your first line doesn’t have to be perfect. But it has to be right.

In this focused 2-hour session, we look at what opening chapters are actually doing — beyond “hooking the reader” — and how to make yours do it with intention. We’ll read widely, write quickly, and look hard at what your story needs its beginning to carry. You’ll leave with a clearer opening and a better understanding of why it works.

Works for any genre, any stage of drafting. Bring your opening pages if you have them.

Saturday, June 13 10:00 am – 12:00 pm IST · 12:30 pm – 2:30 pm MYT Online · Microsoft Teams ₹4,500 · MYR 185

Register here.

JULY — IDEA TO DRAFT IS BACK

The flagship is back for its July round.

If you’ve been sitting on a story idea and wondering why it hasn’t become a book yet — this is the programme for you. Over four Saturdays, we move from concept through character, structure, scene, and momentum together. This isn’t a lecture series. It’s a working room. You leave each session with pages and decisions made. By the end, your draft is in motion.

July 2026 · Four Saturdays Online · Microsoft Teams ₹12,000 · MYR 600

Register here.

Not sure which one is right for you? The craft sessions on May 30 and June 13 are a brilliant place to start if you haven’t worked with me before — two hours, focused, no big commitment. And if you’re ready to build a full manuscript, July’s Idea to Draft is waiting.

Hit reply with any questions. I read every email.

With warmth,

Andaleeb

Whether you’ve been here a while or you’re reading this for the first time — welcome. I’m so glad you’re here.

I’ve spent the past few months putting together the most complete workshop programme I’ve ever run. A full year of opportunities to write better — from focused 2-hour craft sessions you can drop into without a big commitment, all the way to my flagship 4-Saturday intensive for writers who are ready to build a manuscript from scratch.

Here's everything that's coming. Do note that some sessions have registration forms open now, while others have a waitlist for the moment — I'll be setting dates over the next month or so and will share registration links with waitlist subscribers first.

URGENT: MAY’S IDEA TO DRAFT — REGISTRATIONS CLOSING NOW

If you’ve been sitting on a story idea and wondering why it hasn’t become a book yet, this is the programme for you.

Over four Saturdays, we move from concept through character, structure, scene, and momentum — together. This isn’t a lecture series. It’s a working room. You leave each session with pages and decisions made. By the end, your draft is in motion.

₹12,000 · MYR 600 · 4 Saturdays

Register here.

The next round is in July if May doesn’t work for you, but registrations for May are closing, so don’t sit on this one.

COMING UP: THE FULL 2026 PROGRAMME

June

First Lines & Opening Chapters

What is your opening page actually doing and is it doing it well?

This focused 2-hour session looks at what opening chapters are really there for, beyond “hooking the reader”, and how to make yours do it with intention. We’ll read widely, write quickly, and look honestly at what your story needs its beginning to carry.

₹4,500 · MYR 185 · 2 hours

Register here.

July|September|November

Idea to Draft (next round)

₹12,000 · MYR 600 · 4 Saturdays

Join the waitlist here.

August

Romance Writing Workshop

Romance is one of the hardest genres to write well, because everything depends on two people, and readers feel every false note.

Two evenings on what makes romance actually work: tension, emotional stakes, pacing, and the honesty that turns a love story into something unforgettable. All subgenres welcome — contemporary, historical, romantasy, and everything in between.

₹6,500 · MYR 325 · 4 hours

Register here.

October

Dialogue That Crackles

Bad dialogue is easy to spot and hard to fix if you don’t know what’s wrong with it. Great dialogue does three things at once without showing the work.

This 2-hour session goes deep on subtext, rhythm, character voice, and the alchemy of a conversation that changes something. Bring a scene you’re not quite happy with — we’ll use it.

₹4,500 · MYR 185 · 2 hours

Join the waitlist here.

YA Writing Intensive

Young adult fiction asks something specific of the writer: the ability to inhabit a younger self with complete honesty — without nostalgia and without condescension.

This intensive covers the full range of what makes YA distinct — voice, stakes, identity, pacing, and the particular emotional register of stories that take young people seriously. Whether you’re writing contemporary YA, fantasy, or anything harder to categorise, we’ll work on making your story one that genuinely earns its reader’s trust.

For writers drawn to YA, regardless of their own age or publishing experience.

₹6,500 · MYR 325 · 4 hours

Join the waitlist here.

December

Writing Compelling Villains

A weak villain is a weak story. It’s that simple.

This 2-hour session is about what separates an antagonist who genuinely unsettles from one who’s just inconvenient — and it has less to do with how evil they are and more to do with how human they are. We’ll work on motivation, interiority, and the uncomfortable craft of making a reader understand someone they should despise.

₹4,500 · MYR 185 · 2 hours

Join the waitlist here.

Show Don’t Tell (Done Right)

You’ve heard the rule a hundred times. This session is about understanding it well enough to know when to break it.

2 hours on the most misunderstood piece of writing advice in existence — what it actually means, why it matters, and when telling is exactly what your story needs.

₹4,500 · MYR 185 · 2 hours

Join the waitlist here.

I would genuinely love to write with you this year. Every one of these sessions is designed to meet you where you are — whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been circling the same manuscript for years.

Hit reply if you have any questions. I read every email and I’m happy to help you figure out which sessions are the right fit for where you are right now.

Love,

Andaleeb

For the past few weeks, I’m sure you would have seen me talk about my workshops on social media. I know I’m probably making you guys scroll away fast, the moment you see my talking head appear. He he. But I’m not sure how else to let y’all know that I have two workshops happening, and both are happening soon.

The first one is the Romance Writers Intensive Lab - this is for people who want to write a romance but don’t know how. There could be various reasons but I’m here to guide them on the right way. Why should you learn from me? I’ve written more than 20 romances, several of them on KDP, but also a few with Westland and the most recent one with Simon&Schuster India. Register for it here.

Dates: April 17, 18

Time: 6-8 pm IST

Cost: 6500 INR (I do offer discount for groups of more than 3 people)

The second workshop is the larger Idea to Draft Workshop. This one is for those who have an idea and have always wanted to write but didn’t know where to begin. I teach about the different aspects of writing and the structure that is so important to get you started on your process. This is a more extensive workshop and it is run across 4 Saturdays and by the end of it, you may not have a draft ready, but you should feel ready to begin writing your novel.

Dates: May 2, 9, 16, 23

Time: 3 pm to 5 pm IST

Cost: 12,000 INR

Register for it here.

Finally, if you are interested in a longer mentorship, I do have a few plans for that as well. For this, you would need to write to me at andaleeb.w@gmail.com and I will get back to you if I have the time to undertake this. This is a one-on-one guided mentorship to help authors complete their drafts.

I hope this helps! Do reach out to me if you’re still confused!

Cheers!
Andaleeb

Friends, I’ve realised in the past few days that I don’t mind facing the camera, don’t mind hearing my own voice and that means, there’s going to be more of that, going forward. Ouch.

But what I came here essentially to let you all know is that I have a new 4 week Creative Writing Workshop called From Idea to Draft and it begins on March 7. Like before, this will be entirely online, done on Google Meet. We will spend 2 hours together every Saturday morning (or afternoon if you’re joining from Malaysia like I am) and we’ll discuss all things writing, the craft, the confusion, all of it.

The details are in this poster below:

Here’s the Google form that I’ve set up for registrations. Do register if you’re interested in learning how to write from a writer who has been around from 20 years and has more than 50 novels under her belt.

Anyway, hope to see some of you at the workshop! Hurry up because I’ll be closing registrations soon!

Love

Andaleeb

A couple of months ago, I conducted a YA writing course called YA Got This. I wanted to work with a limited number of participants to talk about young adult fiction and how to write it and I got a lovely bunch of folks and I hope to see some fabulous writing emerge from their pens soon!

This newsletter is to announce the next batch of this course. It’s happening in September, every Saturday, from 10 am to 12 pm - Same cosy Saturday mornings, another small group of passionate writers, and the same promise: to help you tell your story your way.

Over 4 weeks, we’ll explore:

• How to create YA characters that feel real and relatable

• Plotting stories that keep readers hooked

• Dialogue that sounds authentic (no cringey teen talk here!)

• Writing with emotional depth that connects with your readers

It’s not just a class — it’s a space to share, learn, and grow your story alongside a handful of fellow writers, with personal feedback from me at every step.

• Every Saturday in September

• 10 AM – 12 PM IST

• Online on Google Meet

• ₹12,000 for the full course

• Only 5-6 spots for a personalised learning experience

If you’ve been telling yourself, “One day, I’ll finally write that YA novel,” this is your sign. Register here.

In other news, I have a new novel out in September with Simon & Schuster. It’s a return to the sort of old-school romance that you all loved in More than Just Biryani, but it has a complex set of characters, a father you’ll want to hate but will feel sorry for, two mothers who are swept up in their own traumas and a tender love story at the centre of it featuring a young couple who are at odds with each other. And it’s set in the 90s! What’s not to love?

I’ll be sharing the cover and hopefully the pre-order link in the September newsletter. Do look out for it. The book is called Until We Meet Again.

In the meantime, if you’ve been thinking about writing your own story, the September batch of YA Got This! is the perfect place to start. Four Saturday mornings, a small and supportive group, and plenty of one-on-one feedback from me to help you shape your YA novel. Sign up here.

Hello friends!

I’m back again, and this time, I’m excited to bring you a Young Adult Fiction Writing Course! This will be a short-term course running throughout June 2025, and I’m keeping it small with no more than 6 participants. Registration is open now, and can be done here and I’ll close it as soon as we hit the cap, so don’t wait too long!

What can you expect to learn?

If you’ve always wanted to try your hand at writing YA fiction but didn’t know where to begin, then this course is for you. Over the course of four weeks, we’ll dive into the YA genre and explore the different sub-genres, helping you decide which one resonates with you the most and why.

We’ll also focus on essential aspects of YA writing, like developing strong characters, crafting engaging plots, and finding your unique narrative voice. By the end of this course, you should have a clearer idea of how to move forward with your writing journey.

So, why me?

I’ve been writing YA fiction for quite a while now, starting with my first novel Kite Strings (which I didn’t even realize was YA back then). Since then, many of my novels have either been YA or YA-adjacent, including My Brother’s Wedding, The Tamanna Trilogy, When She Went Away, Mirror Mirror, Scare Walk, and Everything Sucks. And then there’s Asmara’s Summer which was made into Dil, Dosti, Dilemma for Amazon Prime, released in 2024.

More recently, The Henna Start-up, which has been fortunate enough to receive recognition with awards like The Neev Book Award 2024, The Crossword Award 2024, and the Author Awards 2025, has received so much love from readers everywhere—something I’m deeply grateful for.

If, like me, you have a passion for YA fiction (no matter the subgenre), and you’ve ever thought about trying your hand at writing it, then this course is made for you!

Important Dates

Registration Deadline: May 31, 2025, or as soon as we get 6 registrations. Click here to register.

Don’t miss out—sign up today and join me on this exciting writing journey!

Love,

Andaleeb

I was fortunate enough to launch my memoir Learning to Make Tea for One on May 10 at the gorgeous Champaca store in Bangalore. It was a well-attended event with friends, family and well-wishers showing up and it was moderated very well by Shrabonti Bagchi.

I had been dreading the event a little, particularly because the memoir itself was a difficult book for me to write. And most often, I have no control over my emotional state. Some days, I’m fine to talk about what happened, and some days, even now my voice cracks a bit.

But it was one of those days where everything was fine. Bangalore is unseasonably warm these days, unlike the days in May when I spent so much time in the hospital. But the bookstore, surrounded by all that greenery is a lovely space and I didn’t feel as warm and uncomfortable as I feel in most places these days. Shrabonti asked me about what compelled me to write the memoir, and a few days ago, I wouldn’t have been able to answer the question. But now, the answer is clear.

Grief is often ignored and goes unacknowledged in our lives. But the further you move away from the event that caused you grief, the lesser it begins to matter. I also wanted a way to commemorate the lives of the two people I had lost. It took the form of this memoir.

I hope the memoir helps you grieve for those you lost too. I hope it helps you understand that grief is not ugly and doesn’t need to be stashed away. Talking about loved ones who have gone is the best way to keep their memories alive.

You can see some of the photos of the launch here.

Here’s the book cover in case you haven’t seen it anywhere yet:

During the cover design process, we debated a bit on what the cover should depict. We finally settled on these elements. I’m also very happy that the cover has elements of yellow which for some reason has been my favourite colour for many years.

I feel the cover has the right amount of melancholy but it also has a quiet sort of happiness. Somewhat like my life right now.

If you read the memoir, please do leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads. It makes a difference.

Finally, some free books, courtesy Book Funnel!

Thank you for reading!

Love

Andaleeb

In the span of two months - May and June - everything changed for the worse. And I put it down in a piece for Scroll here. I mostly talked about how my writing kept me sane. But it got me thinking about the idea of writing something longer, something that explored my grief, that made it possible to look back on what we went through, in a way that didn’t diminish what it had been.

Kanishka Gupta of Writer’s Side had encouraged me to write that article for Scroll, so I went to him again, and asked him if he’d be interested if I wrote a memoir. It’s taken three years from the time we decided to do it, but the memoir is finally ready to launch next month, InshaAllah.

Learning to Make Tea for One is one of the most difficult books I’ve written. Everything is heartfelt, everything is true, and some of the chapters made me cry so much, I couldn’t go back to writing the memoir for months. The idea of opening that file made me sad and I started dreading it. But as each month passed, as each year toned down the grief, I knew I had to do it. I knew the memoir was a space for me to keep my grief. To look at it as it was. As it had been.

I finished writing the memoir on June 3, 2024, the 3rd anniversary of my husband’s death. I hadn’t planned on doing it but that was how it happened. And now, a year or so later, here we are.

I’m pasting below an excerpt from the memoir. Please do preorder it if you feel like reading it. However, it will be available in bookstores as well soon. And there are plans of a book launch in Champaca next month on 10th. I will keep you posted on social media.

Prologue

The Koel Sings

Rain battered the window. Outside, everything had turned green and fresh. As the rain slowed, I could hear a koel calling out loudly. It seemed like a serene moment as I stared outside the open window, sipping coffee, but I was in a COVID ward, in a much-coveted hospital room, and the coffee was watery, and my thoughts chaotic. Behind me, my mother-in-law was sleeping on another hospital bed. I checked on her every now and then to make sure the BiPap device was fixed properly to her face. At a time when hospital beds were scarce, we had managed to get not one, but two beds for us, in the same room and for that, I was thankful.

Pre-monsoon showers in May were common in Bangalore. We were used to the skies darkening, rain pelting us suddenly, only to disappear soon enough, leaving hardly a trace of it. The month of May has always held important memories for me. My husband Mansoor and I got engaged on 5 May 1996, and married the following year, on 1 June. For most of my life, these two months have seen celebratory moments for us. I had no idea then that May and June 2021 were going to be devastating for me, in ways I hadn’t imagined possible.

While the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic roared on unchecked across the country in 2021, we thought we would evade it like we had done with the first wave in 2020. But unfortunately, my son Saboor first contracted COVID at the end of April. From then onwards, all of us fell like dominoes. My mother-in-law and I both tested positive soon after that. When the test results came in, we tried to follow what everyone else was doing—taking painkillers and getting rest and hoping that COVID would leave on its own.

But Mansoor tested positive soon thereafter and although he seemed healthy, it was overall very worrisome. We decided not to try going to hospitals, not when it was like a madhouse out there with the lack of oxygen and beds. The Delta variant of the virus in 2021 was more aggressive than what we had seen in 2020, and reached us before we even realised how. With two lockdowns behind us, we hadn’t thought that things could possibly get worse.

We checked temperatures and oxygen saturation levels a few times a day. When my mother-in-law’s oxygen levels started dipping and her BP began to fluctuate, we knew we could not stay away from the hospitals. She needed professional care.

Before that, she and I had been quarantined together in my room. One day, as I was combing her hair, she keeled over to the side and fainted. Given her blood pressure and her coronary history, with her multiple stents, I tried to convince her that she needed to get admitted in a hospital. But she’d never stayed alone in a hospital before. The very idea for her was inconceivable. Even now, she didn’t want to be alone. So, I decided to get admitted along with her, even though my oxygen levels were relatively stable.

We both got admitted to the COVID Ward of Jain Hospital on May 5th, and I thought that was a nightmare. Little did I know what else awaited me at the end of the road. While I was given oxygen for just a day, she was on it continuously and even a few minutes without the BiPap would make her oxygen levels plummet.

The night we got admitted, I could hardly sleep. At first, we had not been allotted the same room, and I was not sure where she was and how she was doing. Worry darted about in my head for my older son Saboor and for Mansoor who were at home. Saboor was recovering from COVID but Mansoor was getting worse. The following day, his condition worsened and he got admitted to Sakra Hospital, roughly 18 kilometres away from where we were. It had been the month of lockdowns and bed and oxygen scarcity and I was just grateful we got beds in time and were being treated. But the pressure inside my chest didn’t ease.

We were being treated. We had access to oxygen. We were going to be fine, I told myself. My mother-in-law got moved to the same room as me the following day and we were both relieved to have each other’s company. She called out to me, asking what the time was. I checked my mobile and told her. I had no idea what was going on in her head until she called out again. When can we go home, she asked me.

March turned out to be a wonderful month. I won the Best Children’s Author for Fiction at the Auther Awards held in Delhi on 21 March. The award was for The Henna Start-up of course! And it was a wonderful opportunity to meet folks in Delhi, especially my editors. Here I am with two of them - Tina Narang (Harper Collins) and Sayoni Basu (Duckbill).

We took this photo before I won the award but we’re all delighted nevertheless!

Finally, some free books, courtesy Book Funnel!

Thank you for reading!

Love

Andaleeb

There isn’t just one, though. Off the top of my head, I can come up with at least four. And I thought I would go through them with you, just for fun (and because everyone is celebrating women in March). If you’ve read the books where these characters are featured, please do let me know your thoughts too!

Mariam (The Sum of All my Parts)

Mariam comes across as a grumpy old lady who teaches crochet to a group of wary young women in a small suburb in Vellore. Each of the girls (women) are going through different kinds of messes in their own lives. There’s Nimra, living with a step mother, an indifferent father and a cruel step-sister, who are intent on getting her married off. There’s Arifa, a harried mother whose husband works in Dubai, and she feels that learning crochet is a waste of her time, but yet she comes. There’s Amreen, who is waiting to become a mother and then there’s Shaista, the youngest of them, who has found out that she’s expecting and it’s the last thing she wants. Mariam finds parts of herself in each of them, and then as she teaches them crochet, they learn something about her too. Mariam was fascinating to write because I personally feel that old people are a treasure trove of stories and we tend to just ignore that and move on in our fast paced lives. The girls too are shocked when they learn about Mariam’s past, a man she loved, couldn’t marry, and what happens next forms the rest of the book. I think Mariam is one of my favourite characters, mostly because she’s grumpy. I so identify with that!

Asmara (Asmara’s Summer)

I loved writing Asmara’s Summer back in 2015 because I thought it was an extension of a what-if moment that I had, as I passed by Tannery Road in an auto. I was struck with wondering what if I had to live here? What would I do? It was an extremely classist thought, but I was able to break it down and look at it as the kernel of a story that went on to become a book and which further went on to become a web series on Amazon (Dil, Dosti, Dilemma). Asmara, the character herself, is a bit spoilt but there’s also a lot of love that she feels for her grandmother, and exasperation at how things take place in the real world and how disconnected she is from all of it because of her privilege. Also, I love writing YA because I enjoy exploring the excitement of a new crush, the feelings that the cute boy next door inspires, and all the shenanigans that she gets up to, in just the one month she’s at her Nani’s.

Athiya (Three Times Lucky)

The third book in the Jasmine Villa series features a motor mouth young girl who’s angry at having to get married because of her own mistake (it’s not a mistake as such but anyone who lives in a conservative Muslim family will identify). She’s hot-headed and she hates having to conform and refuses to do that as far as possible. She also falls for the man she marries and confesses her love for him after a rather dramatic moment (where he’s just escaped the rubble of a building collapse) where she tells him that she hates him. I mean, all that angst and melodrama? What’s not to love? Also, she drops the F word with regularity, perplexing her straight-laced and brooding husband who realises that he loves her at just such a moment.

Abir (The Henna Start-up)

I wrote Asmara in 2015, and Abir in 2023. A good eight years between them. And only after writing it did I realise that Abir is the polar opposite of Asmara in every way. She comes from a lower middle class family, is a reverse snob, is focused on her studies and is ambitious.

And she’s angry. So angry.

Abir’s anger comes from not having any agency in her life, but also from observing people like Arsalan and Keerthi having it seemingly easy because of their generational wealth. What I love about her is her determination to not be just another Muslim girl who gets married after college. Mostly, because that was me too, at the same point in my life.

One of the reasons why these are my favourite characters is because through them, I got to live alternative lives, and be other people. They are most certainly the girls I could have been in another life.

In other news, The Henna Start-up has been longlisted for the Auther Awards 2025. I’m so pleased that the book and Abir is making so many strides and walking into the hearts of people. Just goes to show that we certainly need more angry, young women.

That’s it for this month folks! I’ll share news about my memoir in another newsletter shortly and maybe share the preorder link when it goes live. The cover is done and it’s lovely. But I can’t share it here just yet. So, see you guys soon!

Now for the freebies! Who wants?

Thank you for reading! I hope you participate in the poll! I’ll share the results on social media!

Love

Andaleeb

The reason why I’m making this sort of a big deal is because this is the year my fiftieth book releases.

Yup.

I’ve written fifty books. Alhamdulillah.

Every now and then when I reach any sort of milestone, I go back and start counting. It can’t be thirty books. It can’t be forty. It can’t be forty-five.

It can’t be fifty.

But it is. And I have each one of you, my readers, to thank for this. Writing and publishing books for the past sixteen years has had its ups and downs, and it has been filled with joys and also some tears. I am just grateful that I didn’t stop writing when the going got tough. That I kept my focus and worked on getting the next book out, even when the book that just got published didn’t do as well as I’d expected it to.

So, I thought we could do a little poll of sorts today and I’ve sort of chosen just five (I cheated and used a series as well) but I’d be so thrilled to hear from you if there are other books of mine that you’ve loved as well. Please vote below in any case!

I’m really looking forward to the results of this poll!

In other news, I’ll be at the Alliance Literary Festival on 13 February at 3.10 p.m. In case you’re at the festival, I’d love to say hello. And that brings an end to the season of literature festivals for me for now at least.

I want to thank everyone who took an effort to meet me, said hello, took selfies with me and got me to sign on their books. Those interactions will always remain special.

That’s it for now. Probably by next month, I will be able to give you a sneak peek into the cover of the memoir and maybe a preorder link as well.

Take care and stay safe!

Love

Andaleeb

Free books for everyone!

I must thank my friend and virtual assistant Debdatta Dasgupta for all the amazing work she does in making sure I send out my newsletter on time every month, especially coordinating my Bookfunnel which I just cannot wrap my head around. Deb, you’re a star! Thanks for all that you do!

And a great big thank you to all of you for sticking around and not unsubscribing! (cough cough)

Sometimes, I revisit my own books and honest to god, I have no recollection of what I wrote, or how I wrote it. But this scene from This Means Love was based on something that had happened and it struck me as funny and I thought you guys should read the excerpt at least, in case you haven’t read the book.

This is book 2 of the Khan Sisters Trilogy and I loved writing this book(I actually love writing all my books). It’s super steamy and it’s a slow burn romance as well.

Go ahead, enjoy!

(For context - Aliya and Jamal have just gotten married and for some reason, Jamal insists that they begin their married life in his Nani’s house which hasn’t been occupied in a long, long time. Jamal is also Aliya’s boss and this begins as a marriage of convenience but there’s chemistry and a shared past, so there’s that.)

It’s just us and I don’t know how to process how soon all of this has happened. Just four days ago, he saw me lose my shit in office over the proposal from hell, and we agreed to be fake engaged. And now we’re married, for real?

Jamal glances at me once, and I look back at him. It’s just us in this house. And maybe a dozen or so bhoots? I look up at the ceiling that had caught Amna’s eye and I shiver. But then I look back at Jamal who seems to be regarding me carefully. He walks up to me and each step he takes makes my heart pound like a drumbeat.

Taking my hand, he leads me to the sofa, and I sit down, but he doesn’t. Instead, still holding my hand, he kneels before me and my eyes go wide.

‘You’ll ruin your suit!’ I whisper.

‘And possibly bust my knees,’ he adds with a grimace. ‘But it felt like the right thing to do.’

‘Do what?’

‘Aliya, I’ve repeatedly asked you to trust me and I know it’s very unfair because I haven’t given you any reason to trust me. Instead, I’ve been doing a lot of sketchy things but this house…’ He looks up around the house and I wonder what he sees. Then he looks back at me. ‘This house meant everything to me when I was growing up. I don’t think Nani will be happy to see the state it’s in right now. But more importantly, I didn’t realise things were this bad here. I promise I will fix everything here until it’s perfect.’

‘That’s okay,’ I tell him. In fact, I almost tell him I’m low maintenance, but Amna has forbidden me from ever bringing that up and I stop myself in time.

Jamal leans forward and kisses my knuckles and my skin prickles warmly in anticipation.

‘We’re married now. For real. We can do more than kiss each other. Much, much, more,’ he says in that low sex operator voice, his dark eyes gazing at me intently, my tummy flipping and my blood turning hot in my veins. ‘But not tonight.’

Huh? I snap out of my lust-filled daze to look at him. Did he just say what he said?

‘Tonight, I’ll make up a room for you to sleep in, and I’ll sleep here on the sofa. I don’t want our first night to be so disastrous and…’

‘It already is,’ I interrupt him. His eyebrows go up, but he shakes his head.

‘I know. I’m sorry about that. Everyone has some sort of vague idea of how they want their first night as a married couple to be, and no one ever dreams they’ll spend it in a…’

‘…bhoot bangla?’ I supply the word and immediately regret it because his face falls.

He nods. ‘You’re right. This is like a bhoot bangla. But I promise you, it’s all going to change.’

‘But why can’t we…’ I trail off. I’m not a shy person by nature, but here I am, trying to ask my husband why we can’t sleep together on our first night as a married couple and the words dry up in my mouth.

‘I want you to enjoy every moment when we make love,’ he says, his voice lowering further. My skin prickles and my mouth turns dry. ‘And I can’t think of anything I want to do more right now. But this…this feels wrong. Our first night together should be special. There should be roses and flowers and dim lights and silk sheets on a plush bed.’

I want to tell him I don’t care about all that, but then I stop myself. Why don’t I care? I should. I should expect the best from everything and not settle for something that’s nowhere near it. And if my husband wants to give me a memorable night together, then I should let him. As disappointed as my lady bits are at this decision, I nod tentatively.

‘I’m glad you understand. I feel like a fool for not thinking this through,’ he says ruefully. ‘I mean, Ammi was mad we were doing this because I think she’d already decorated my room for us.’

I want to tell him it’s not too late and we can still go back there and we’ll have the roses and the silk sheets and all that, but I suddenly understand why some people in office call him The Rock. Not because he looks like the wrestler, but because he’s impossible to budge once he’s made up his mind about something.

I’m not sure I like being married to someone so stubborn, but well, too late for that. And maybe he has a point, and I should be touched that he’s actually asking me to wait before we consummate our marriage and not rush into sex like most guys would want to. I mean, would many guys even think about my comfort and all that? They’d do it on a dusty floor if they got the chance.

Even though I’m disappointed and my body is confused by the mixed signals (why get on his knees to tell me that he’s not going to be ravishing my body tonight?), I nod.

‘Great,’ he gets up and I watch out to see if his knees pop like mine sometimes do but they don’t.

Now what?

He seems to read my confusion, so he points at a doorway on one side of a dark corridor.

‘That used to be my room when I lived here,’ he says. ‘It still has a bed and everything. Let me clear it up for you and see if we have clean sheets.’

This entire thing is leaving me rather bemused but I get up too. The door to the room is partially shut and the darkness beyond is a bit scary.

I’m not normally a scaredy cat but this house is super creepy.

‘Come, I’ll show you around,’ he says as he walks to the room where I’m supposed to sleep tonight. Any moment, a ghostly form is going to whoosh past us. I just know it.

But nothing of the sort happens and he pushes open the door and switches on the light. I follow him, feeling aware of how it’s just the two of us in his huge house and he’s being all noble and everything instead of…

I don’t know, really. Taking me against the door? The wall? This bed will also do just fine. There are a LOT of surfaces in this house. But he’s going to make me wait for silk sheets and roses.

Fine.

I’m miffed now, but I don’t say anything as I look around the room. It’s pleasant (relatively) and in much better condition than the living room outside. But it could all do with a huge paint job and dusting and god know what else.

‘There’s an ensuite bathroom here,’ he indicates with his hand and I’m relieved. At least I can pee in peace.

He walks up to the wardrobe and opens it. The creaky sound the door makes feels like chalk scraping on a blackboard. He seems to not notice it as he picks up a large sheet from the lower shelf, and he makes my bed for me.

‘I can do it,’ I tell him, suddenly feeling embarrassed that he’s doing this. I mean, not that I believe in traditional wifely roles or what women should do and what men should do, but it feels odd somehow.

‘I’ll do it, no problem,’ he says as he tucks in the corners of the sheet under the mattress, and when he finishes making the bed, he even fluffs up my pillows. Watching him do this is not at all unsexy. In fact, if anything it only makes him seem hotter to me.

‘Okay, you’re all set,’ he says, brushing his hands. ‘I’ll be outside if you need anything.’

You. I need you.

But before I can get the words out, he strides outside, leaving me alone in this room. The room is nice but I honestly couldn’t care what it’s like. I just didn’t want to be alone tonight.

But then I should have been careful about what I wished for.

It takes nearly an hour for me to finish washing up in the bathroom, and changing my clothes into one of the cotton dresses that thankfully Ammi has packed for me in the suitcase. I can spot a satiny negligee as well but I don’t even bother looking at it.

Irritated, I settle into bed and try to fall asleep, all the while wondering what he’s doing outside. The nightlight in this room is a strange shade of blue that throws odd shapes on the walls whenever I twist and turn. I can’t hear a single sound from outside, and my overactive imagination is telling me that he’s left me here alone as some virginal sacrifice, and I’ll wake up to faces peering down at me, daggers in their hands.

Frantically, I look around to see if there’s anything I can use as a weapon, not because I’ll potentially become a ritual sacrifice, but what if he hasn’t locked the door properly and there’s a burglar waiting to pounce on me? There’s nothing. I weigh my phone in my hand. I’ll just lob this at them. It did hit Jamal hard enough the other night.

Clutching my phone in my hand, I finally fall into an uneasy sleep when I feel fingers creeping up my sternum.

Did Jamal change his mind? Why didn’t he wake me up? What’s all this sleepy seduction he’s aiming for? I’d like to be fully awake when I’m seduced and…

Wait a second. When did Jamal’s fingers become so crispy?

Hope you enjoyed this excerpt! And do drop me an email if you’ve read the book or you’re wondering what happened next. Would love to hear from you!

Meanwhile, my regular email will go out to you guys next month with more details about upcoming books and everything else.

Love

Andaleeb

Thank you for being a part of my journey. I know that many of you have been here from the time I started writing and publishing and I can only express my appreciation to you all for sticking around for so long.

Over the years, I have constantly shared with you all, the many ups and downs of my life. As you all know (I’m sure I would have told you so already), that I faced two terrible losses in the year 2021. My husband Mansoor and my mother-in-law Najma, both passed away following Covid complications.

My children and I have come to terms with this loss slowly, painfully and gradually. But I just want to stop a moment and tell you all, that the support of so many people online, virtual friends but strangers in real life, boosted me, kept me afloat and helped me heal. All of you are a part of this too. So, obviously, I’m taking this space to tell you all about the most difficult book I’ve written in my life.

It’s a memoir that covers the past few years of my life but also delves a wee bit into my childhood. I always thought writing a memoir is for someone who has lived a full life. And given my protected upbringing, I didn’t think I had anything worth writing in a memoir about.

Also, grief isn’t unique to me. It isn’t something that only I processed and underwent. It’s universal, more so during those terrible pandemic years. So many losses, so many promising futures destroyed. I felt like I had to pen down my thoughts, put down what I went through and how I endured it. Not as a lesson to others (far be from it) but as a fellow human who underwent a universal human experience.

And thus my memoir – Learning to Make Tea for One – was born. It’s being published by Speaking Tiger in April, 2025. I hope you will all read it.

I leave you with a small excerpt from the prologue –

Prologue

Rain battered the window. Outside, everything was now green and fresh. As it slowed, I could hear a koel calling out clearly. It seemed like a serene moment as I stared outside the open window, sipping coffee, but I was in a Covid ward, in a much-coveted hospital room, and the coffee was watery, and my thoughts chaotic. Behind me, my mother-in-law was sleeping on another hospital bed. I checked on her every now and then to make sure the BiPap device was fixed properly to her face. At a time when hospital beds were scarce, we had managed to get not one, but two beds for us, in the same room and for that, I was thankful.

Pre-monsoon showers in May were common in Bangalore. We were used to the skies suddenly darkening, rain pelting us suddenly, only to disappear soon enough, leaving hardly a trace of it. But this time of the year, the month of May has always held important memories for me. My husband Mansoor and I got engaged on 5 May 1996, and married the following year, on 1 June . For most of my life, these two months have seen celebratory moments for us. I had no idea then that May and June 2021 were going to be devastating for me, in ways I hadn’t imagined possible.

Writing this book has been one of the most difficult things I’ve done. It made me go back to those dark, dark days, and relive the moments that happened before, during and after. Editing it has been equally difficult, but I’m getting through it.

Anyhow, on to other things. I have a YA novel coming out with Harper Collins later this year (I think). And I’m working on a new romance series for Amazon KDP, which I’m quite excited about.

So, see you all next month!

Oh, and if you finished reading the Hotel Moonshine Series, please do leave ratings and reviews on Amazon/Goodreads. It’s not just for our personal gratification (although it does help there too!). Ratings and reviews boost the algorithm (yes that dreaded word) to show our books to prospective readers. So I’d greatly appreciate it!

Okay, here I bring you some free books, courtesy Bookfunnel (also another marketing thingy I have to do for my indie published books. Don’t mind!)

That’s it for now! Hopefully, I’ll have more updates for you next month!

Oh, and I’m going to be in Kolkata for the Kolkata Literary Meet 2025. I have a session on 22nd and one on 24th January. Do check my social media for more details about the events. See you around if you’re in the city and come to the festival!

Book release month is here and I’m afraid, there’s going to be a long wait for a new book or series after this one. I’m taking it slow because there’s literally no time. I’ve just returned from Bookaroo Delhi where I met with readers and connected with fellow writers and illustrators. What a lovely time it was, despite the extremely polluted air!

Anyhow, I’m off again somewhere this week and I realised I haven’t sent my newsletter for this month. So, here goes.

A Kiss to Reclaim was not meant to be written when I conceived the Hotel Moonshine Series but as you all know, some characters enter the stories and demand that we write full books for them. Ethan and Aashna were these characters and the moment I wrote that scene in book 2 where they meet over a video call, I just knew their story was meant to be written.

Unfortunately, it took me two years to write their book because I got busy writing other books (The Khan Sisters Trilogy, A Love to Embrace, The Henna Start-up, Everything Sucks etc). But here we are!

Also, since I mentioned Henna, I just wanted to let you all know that it has made to the - The Crossword Book Award shortlist and has received the honorable mention at the Binod Kanoria Award.

Meanwhile, A Kiss to Reclaim is here in ten days. Yes! Ten days before this angsty, steamy romance hits your Kindles.

He glanced at her office and saw a shadow move beyond. His eyebrow lifted. The only place they met was outside, here among the others. She never came to his domain and he never went to hers. But she should have been out here because Archana wasn’t in today. She spoke to the patrons, took care of them in Archana’s absence. And he missed seeing her around and generally do her thing.

It was definitely because of those texts between them. She was probably embarrassed to face him. But how long could she stay in her office? She was too much of a people’s person to shut herself inside, no matter how embarrassed she was.

He strode back into the kitchen just as he heard the office door open. And there she was. She was making it a point of not looking at him, so he let her be for now. He anyway had work to finish.

As the hours passed, her heard her come back to life. He heard the sound of her laughter, her loud proclamations where she insisted a customer had to try something. Usually, she gave one of his carefully concocted creations away for free and inevitably, the customers ended up buying more of them. Because they were that good. So her marketing, and his work, was going to hold them in good stead.

Much later, when the café was about to shut down and all the waiters had left, Ethan looked up and came to a spot decision. He was going to talk to Aashna about hiring another chef to help him in the kitchen. At least that was the excuse that he gave himself as he untied his apron swiftly and hooked it up at its usual spot. Still, he didn’t know why he bothered washing his face in the adjoining restroom, or why he ran his wet hands over his hair.

He stared at his reflection for a long moment.

‘You’re a loser,’ his reflection seemed to tell him.

Despite that truth, he stepped out of the rest room and didn’t enter the kitchen. He walked to the office, wondering if she’d felt this way the previous night when she came to give him the notebook. Had he even thanked her for it? Maybe he had with words, but he needed to show his appreciation to her anyhow. He was going to have to come up with some sort of pastry for her, made of chocolate because he knew how much it was her weakness.

He knocked on her door, wondering what she was doing inside. He’d never been in there before and he was wondering about the wisdom of entering her domain when there was no one else in the café.

‘Come in!’ she called out.

He turned the door handle, took a deep breath and stepped inside. She was talking to someone on the phone and she looked up perfunctorily, her eyes widening when she saw it was him. He made to leave, disappointed, but she shook her head and her index finger as well, making him stay back.

‘Fine. We’ll talk tomorrow ma,’ she said with an aggrieved sigh and then ended the call. She placed the phone carefully on her desk, and from that action alone, Ethan knew that she was greatly affected by his presence inside her office. This was the first time he had stepped inside her space.

He took it in. He’d expected her office to be pink and girly but she surprised him.

Slate blue. Antique silver.

The colours of cool sophistication and unmistakable style. There was a wooden desk at the centre, the polished surface gleaming without any visible clutter. A white vase stood in a corner and there was a leatherbound planner, similar to the monogrammed notebook she had given him. Her slim laptop was at the centre of the desk, and behind it, Aashna sat, looking at him curiously.

All thought fled from Ethan’s head. She was still in that spun sugar dress and he found the words leaving his mouth before he could process how they would sound. He widened his stance and crossed his arms, his gaze never leaving hers.

‘I believe there was an invitation.’

Friends, I’m cautiously optimistic that you will all like this book and enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Don’t forget to preorder it here.

That’s all for now, folks! Until next time then! See you all in a month!

I’m delighted to let you all know that my novel The Henna Start-up won the Neev Book Award 2024 just last month. When I heard that the book had been shortlisted for the award, all the way back in May, I was happy that the book was getting the recognition it deserved. But I never dreamt that the book would win the big prize despite being cautiously optimistic.

Nevertheless, it was a happy evening, surrounded by my family and friends from the kid lit industry who cheered me on. I was in a daze for at least two days after the win.

Here’s a video the Neev folks took right after the win.

Thank you to everyone who read Henna and enjoyed it and loved it so much. What’s more, the book has been longlisted for two other awards - The Crossword Book Award and the Binod Kanoria Award. I’m truly humbled as well as delighted and grateful to my editor Sayoni Basu who championed the book from Day 1.

So, apart from that, I’m busy finishing up the last book of the Hotel Moonshine Series, which is Ethan and Aashna’s book. I’ll be taking a long break from KDP after that (not writing) because there are a few books I need to write without having the distraction of the KDP bandwagon.

Here’s a short snippet from A Kiss to Reclaim which will continue to remain on the reduced pre-order price for just a few more days. I will be releasing it in December instead of January, so don’t forget to pre-order it right away.

It was the scent of coffee that woke her up.

Aashna blinked and opened her eyes, confusion settling into her mind like a haze. Where was she? This wasn’t her room in Bangalore.

Oh wait. She lived in Karimbagh now.

But this wasn’t her cottage either. She was ensconced in an entirely too comfortable sofa and she had a warm crocheted throw covering her body.

She sat up.

Oh shit. She was still in Ethan’s house. She felt like an idiot for falling asleep when she told him she was going to be here only till the rain stopped.

But the thing that had stopped her in her tracks was that she’d fallen asleep here? She could never fall asleep in her own bed, not until she’d counted a million sheep or did all sorts of mental activities that were supposed to slow down her racing mind and make her fall asleep.

She’d tried yoga, avoiding coffee, drinking warm milk, chamomile tea, melatonin and even magnesium. She’d tried aromatherapy and taking a warm bath before sleeping. All of this helped, but only until a certain point, and then she was back at it, staring at her ceiling, wondering about the choices she’d made in her life, at the mistakes mostly. From there, it was a downwards spiral, thinking about what she could have done better and how despite everything, she was still a failure.

She acknowledged her privilege, and she knew that if the café didn’t work out, then she could always pack her bags and return to her parents in Bangalore. But she’d seen how her friend Sanjana had turned around her family bookstore The Last Chapter into something else altogether, and she ached to do something similar for herself.

When she got to know that her uncle was planning on selling his café, she’d had to come to the small town where he’d lived all his life and see it for herself. And once she came here, she was taken in by the charm of the town and the overall kitschiness that held a kind of appeal to her.

But now that she owned the café, and was running it, she still felt like her mind was on a treadmill. So how on earth had she managed to fall asleep on Ethan D’Costa’s sofa?

The scent of coffee became stronger and her mouth watered. Ethan appeared then, looking gruff and unshaven. He placed a mug on the coffee table before her and turned around to walk away when she called out to him.

‘Ethan!’

‘Yeah?’ he asked, without turning around. She could see that he was getting ready for work. She peered out of the window to see that the sky was still dark, with a few streaks of light fanning across. She got into work much later, at half past nine, like a normal person. But of course Ethan, spawn of the devil would leave for work when it was still dark outside.

‘Why didn’t you…why was I…’ she wasn’t sure what to tell him. First of all, she had no idea how she’d fallen asleep here. And such sound sleep too. She felt like a fresh, new person. Like a baby.

‘What?’ he asked, sounding irritable.

Last night, she’d thought he had almost melted, become a little more human, but that had lasted all of ten minutes when she’d told him about her haircut disaster. He’d been broody and unapproachable right until then.

Things get very interesting after this. I promise you! Meanwhile, Shilpa Suraj’s YA novel Hey Kitty has also been published, so don’t forget to get it. It’s a tale of two youngsters in a harsh world which Shilpa tells with deft ease and a whole lot of compassion. This one's a must-read!

And I don’t quite remember if I told you all about my YouTube channel - The Back Story. If I haven’t please do check it out and subscribe to it. I’ve been talking about some of my books here, as well as the back stories to why I wrote them. This one, where I talk about More than Just Biryani has been the most popular (on Instagram).

And now, for some free books.

That’s all for now, folks! Until next time then!

It’s been a while since I hit the publish button on my Amazon KDP dashboard. The last book I published on Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) was the third and final book of the Khan Sisters Trilogy and it was called This is It. It was published in April. If you think that’s not too far away, in the life of an indie author or hybrid author such as myself, that’s quite a few months between books. So, here we are, all these months later with the next book from a series I originally began writing in 2022, but never managed to complete.

A Love to Embrace had been one of the books I’d planned to write for the Hotel Moonshine quartet but a lot of other things kept happening and this one slipped through the cracks. Never mind though. It’s here finally.

I’ve had a tricky relationship with this series. The first one got blocked for no reason whatsoever, leading to my account being suspended for an entire day which felt like a year to me, wherein I wondered what I would do with all my books and where I could possibly publish them.

Now, almost two years later, I’m aware that Amazon can still do that. There’s no saying why they do the things they do, but until someone else brings out a subscription model that’s as good as KU and as cheap, nothing much can be done because readers aren’t going to read if they have to pay for every book.

So, it was with a great deal of hesitancy and some PTSD that I hit upload on this book. But, I’m hoping it has been worth the wait.

Surrounded by happy couples, Sunaina Kumar is desperately aware of her reluctantly single status. With a broken engagement behind her, the new event manager of Moonshine Hotel knows that love isn't in her future. Until she meets the new doctor in town.

A complicated relationship with his father has Dr. Prashant Bhat fleeing Karimbagh the minute he's able to. But now he's back, caring for the family hospital until his father recovers from a heart attack. A hospital his father has sworn to never let him inherit.

Despite the scars the past has left, sparks fly when Sunaina and Prashant meet. Sparks that are visible to everyone and launches the small town gossip mill into overdrive. Sunaina is mortified and a commitment averse Prashant wants nothing to do with any of it, until his father offers him the hospital in exchange for marrying a local girl and settling in Karimbagh. Prashant accepts and proposes to Sunaina, sending the gossiping aunties into paroxysms of delight.

Sunaina believes all her dreams are coming true and Prashant doesn't have the heart to disappoint her by revealing his true reasons for the marriage. When the truth finally comes out, Sunaina, once again, finds herself betrayed by a man for his own materialistic ends. Can she ever forgive Prashant his deception? Or are they destined to live together and yet, forever remain apart?

A Love to Embrace is Book 3 of Hotel Moonshine. It can be read as a standalone but will make more sense if read in order.

Order of the books -

Book 1 - An Evening to Remember
Book 2 - A Night to Cherish

I’m already hard at work on the next and final book of this series - A Kiss to Reclaim. It’s available on preorder at a specially low price until release, so don’t miss out on preordering it.

This one is turning out to be very angsty and Aashna and Ethan’s interactions are just…

Wait. See for yourself from this small snippet:

Jumping in fright, she looked around. Dark rain slashed the ground and she shivered. She hadn’t got wet in the rain but the cold air whipped around her. Ethan probably hadn’t heard the doorbell over the sound of the rain. Just as she lifted her hand to ring it again, the door snapped open.

Ethan stood there, hair wet, chest sprinkled with raindrops, a towel wrapped around his hips. Her gaze took him in quickly, efficiently, and she tried not to think of the way his tattoos climbed across his chest, at the tantalising glimpse of his abs and the way his towel…

Stop.

He looked shocked on seeing her there.

‘Well, princess, didn’t expect to see you here,’ he drawled, crossing his arms. He was completely unself-conscious and that made her a little more self-conscious.

‘I had to give something to you,’ she said, aware of how silly and breathy her voice sounded.

He stared at her for a few long seconds and then his jaw tightened. She wondered what he was making of all this, so before she could change her mind, she handed him the gift.

He didn’t take it but he looked down at it suspiciously. ‘What is it?’

There was another boom and she jumped in fright.

‘Christ, come inside,’ he muttered, and she almost thought he would yank her inside but he kept his hands to himself.

Warily, she walked inside, feeling like she was stepping inside the lion’s den. She tried to take in the interior of this cottage and could only register the exposed wooden beams on the ceiling and the wooden floor below. A creak sounded out when she walked inside and saw that there was a well-worn moss green sofa to one side.

She just couldn’t imagine him living here. For some reason, she’d expected him to live in a dark, gloomy cave. But the sight of those fluffy cushions on the sofa broke her brain.

‘Who are you?’ she asked.

‘I’m sorry, what?’ he asked, perplexed. He still made no move to go and get dressed and she had to focus very hard to look at his face and not his chest. Swallowing, she realised how stupid she sounded.

‘Forget it,’ she muttered. She handed him the gift again. ‘This is a gift, Ethan. Nothing too fancy. Please accept it.’

Since her hand was outstretched, Ethan exhaled loudly and took it from her. She’d gift wrapped it carefully and she waited to see his expression as he saw what it was.

‘Aren’t you going to open it?’ she asked.

‘Now?’ he growled out.

She nodded. ‘Yes, please,’ she said, feeling somewhat idiotic for sounding so eager.

She thought he would tear into the packaging but she was entranced by the way his fingers worked the tape free. She saw his index finger slide inside the slit he’d made and her breathing accelerated.

Preorder here

If you liked what you read, preorder it right away! It’s only INR 99 for a short while and will go back to its full price of INR 199 soon.

Now, for some other interesting things.

First up, Scare Walk got a fabulous review here.

Next, I will be discussing Of Mothers and Other Perishables with Radhika Oberoi in Champaca on September 15. By the way, this book has been longlisted for the JCB Prize 2024. Congratulations Radhika!

I will be in Bhubaneshwar on 22 September to speak at the Odisha Literary Festival with Shabnam Minwala about YA writing.

Shilpa Suraj brought out the third novel of her Dynasty Rebels series - Married in Rage - and it’s by far my favouritest of them all. Consider me a true blue Harshian.

Lastly, Neev Literature Festival is taking place at the end of this month and my novel, The Henna Start-up has been shortlisted for the Neev Book Award.

And, I saved the best for the last because The Henna Start-up is getting published in the US and it got a Kirkus review as well. In fact, the release date for it is today, September 10.

Now, for some free books courtesy Bookfunnel.

That’s it for now! Until next month!

My new Young Adult novel Everything Sucks published by Speaking Tiger is being launched on 24 August at Atta Galatta. Details below! Please consider this a personal invite and do come and say hi! (and buy books!) Sudeshna and I will be in conversation and I'm sure it's going to be a lot of fun. 

Meanwhile, on the KDP front, we have two books coming up - A Love to Embrace and A Kiss to Reclaim. Both books are part of the Hotel Moonshine series, which I published in late 2022. I didn't return to this series in 2023 for various reasons but felt it needed to end properly and so, here we are. I've also put up the preorder for book 4 that's all the way off in January, right now, because I didn't want to leave it to chance. I know that if I've put up a preorder, I'm going to have to write it anyhow. And well, this is a story that I really do want to write. So, here we are!

Preorder here

Here’s an excerpt from the book

As he approached the car, he noticed that the other girl Archana had dozed in the backseat. When Sunaina sat in the passenger seat beside him, she looked a little self-conscious. He noticed her hands in her lap as he started the car.

‘I am so sorry about all this,’ she began. He frowned.

‘About?’

‘All that,’ she indicated the backseat with her thumb.

Prashant smiled. ‘It’s fine. You get used to a lot of stuff as a doctor.’

Sunaina didn’t respond to that and Prashant had the urge to fill the silence with some words at least. ‘Maybe you should bring her to the hospital and get her checked out for vertigo,’ he suggested.

Her eyebrows went up. ‘Oh!’

‘She’s probably fine but there’s no harm right?’ he asked.

Sunaina nodded. ‘Sure. I hope Gayatri aunty doesn’t get too worried about this,’ she said in a low voice. Prashant presumed that was Archana’s mother.

‘Why would she get worried?’ he asked.

‘The two of them just have each other. There’s no one else,’ Sunaina said.

‘That’s sad,’ Prashant said with a nod. ‘But she seems quite…’ He wasn’t quite sure what to say that would describe the other girl appropriately. ‘Bubbly?’

For some reason, that seemed to have pissed off Sunaina who crossed her arms and she gave a tight smile but she didn’t say anything.

There he went again, with his foot in the mouth syndrome around this girl although this time he was truly perplexed. He didn’t know what he’d done to deserve her annoyance. He decided to keep his mouth shut for the rest of the journey.

As they neared the town, she finally spoke up again to give him directions to reach her house. He followed the directions avidly and then stopped before her house.

‘Thank you for dropping us doctor,’ she said.

‘It’s just Prashant,’ he said.

She lifted her eyebrows.

‘I mean, when I’m not in the hospital. You can call me Prashant.’

She didn’t reply to that and belatedly he realised that she must be wondering what opportunity there would be for her to call him by his first name.

She got down and then opened the back passenger door and gently shook Archana. ‘Hey, we’re home,’ she said.

Archana woke up and winced and then got down. ‘Thank you, Doctor!’ she said as she got out. Sunaina’s eyes met his, as she probably waited for him to tell her the same thing that he’d told her. But finally, feeling a little of his mojo return, Prashant just nodded and Archana walked into the house. He hoped Sunaina realised that he was Prashant to her and Doctor to Archana and there was a valid reason for that. But Sunaina said nothing as she shut the door gently.

‘Good night,’ he called out.

‘Good night, Prashant,’ she said softly.

In other news, my good friend Shilpa Suraj is bringing out the third book of her Dynasty Rebel series, and I'm most certain that this one is my favourite. I have the good fortune of being her beta reader and Harsh and Raashi's story is simply fabulous. Married in Rage is out tomorrow and you can pre-order it here! Don't forget to check out the other books in the series - Married in Hate and Married in Deceit as well. 

Some free books!

I’ve had a couple of extremely busy months and I had to postpone the release of my new book becuase I was nowhere close to completing it. In fact, even after postponing it for a month, I still struggled to finish it in time.

I was always good at compartmentalising myself when it came to writing and the outside world. But this time, not so much. In June, I was in Malaysia, visiting family and even though I had my laptop with me, I wasn’t really in the mood to write.

In July, I had family visiting me and for the two weeks they were at home, writing and making sure I made Iqra’s detective skills believable was not my highest or first priority.

I finally got down to banging out the rest of the novel and I was not sure if it turned out the way I’d meant for it to, in my head. After a batch of revisions based on feedback from my beta readers, I was partially satisfied and after editing and proofreading, I uploaded it on the KDP dashboard, mere hours before the dashboard would get locked down.

So, yes, it’s been an overall struggle. But then this week started and all the horrific events have started piling up and I am finding it very hard to compartmentalise, especially during this marketing phase.

I feel quite fatalistc, to be honest. I don’t see the point in going on and on about my book when horrific crimes are being perpetuated in my country. Writing is no longer letting me live under my rock. And I don’t quite know what to do about it.

Anyway, I just felt like sending out a newsletter to you guys and letting you all know that the book is out tomorrow. I’m not sure what I’m going to do if I can’t use my writing as a crutch to get away from the awful events of the real world.

Despite everything, I do hope that you enjoy the book if you read it. Do leave feedback and rating on the amazon and goodreads pages if you can.

That’s it for now. The book is available for preorder here.

I’m not sure if you get my other newsletter but I sent one out a couple of days ago, and it included details about my next book, which is an Aunty Millennial mystery. If you have been reading and following my work since the past couple of years, you would know that I started a new series called Reluctant Romances in October 2021, and Iqra, whose story featured last in Lucky For You became a fan favourite.

I’d already been mulling about bringing her back but as a home-grown detective, and the first book of the new Aunty Millennial series was published in July 2022. It’s called The Murder at Lemon Tree Grove.

I took a break from writing more of those books, and did a bit of pottering around with a new series on Amazon. Then, this year, Westland Publishers brought out my Jasmine Villa series which has gorgeous new covers. I also finished a collaboration series with my friends Apeksha Rao and Shilpa Suraj for our Bad Girls series.

Whew. I have been busy.

Now, finally, I’m back with yet another Iqra mystery for you and this time, it’s up for pre-order more than a month in advance.

If you enjoyed Iqra’s antics the last time around, please do pre-order the book as it will help boost the numbers and ranking for the book.

The pre-order link is up here.

Book blurb:

Iqra doesn’t find trouble…it just seems to follow her around.

Post her Mysore shenanigans, Iqra has been having trouble sleeping. She decides a girls weekend away, no men allowed, is just what she needs and it seems to be going okay until she finds a dead man floating in the hotel pool.

Shashank Mishra wasn’t enjoying his high school reunion and that was even before someone decided to murder him. Was it the hottie from school Amayra’s jealous husband who objected to her sudden interest in Shashank? Or was it the Arora’s who were pissed at the bad financial advice he gave them?

Whoever it was, they’d made the mistake of killing someone when Aunty Millenial was on the property. For Iqra won’t rest until she gets to the bottom of the mystery. More importantly, she can’t…her nosiness just won’t let her!

Will Iqra find the killer before the killer finds her? Or has our home grown detective finally bitten off more than she can chew?

Speaking of pre-orders, Shilpa’s new book Flawed, part of an exciting new series is up for pre-order as well and will be published on May 25. As her friend and a lucky beta reader, let me tell you, that you are absolutely going to LOVE Vaani and Aditya’s love story. Grab this one right away.

That’s all from me now. Sorry if this is all old news to you but I wanted to make sure you guys got to know about this just in case you didn’t open the other email.

Pssh….I forgot one more thing but then I already explained that to you in my last email I think, right? All about my horror novel It Waits? Do take a look at STCK (which actually has a terrible UI because I cannot search for other writers there so how am I going to make a community? Huh?)

I also started writing a serialised story there. (I’m probably going to need to clone myself thrice at this rate).

But that’s a horror story for another time.

I didn’t have the time to explain until now (I don’t have the time even now. Need to cook lunch, work on edits, do some proof reading, yada, yada, you get the drift). But I thought I should let you all know what that weird email was all about.

So, I wrote a book called It Waits in 2016. It was with a publisher until I took back the rights last year and decided to self-publish it. I won’t go into the reasons with why and wherefore, but I thought that instead of publishing it on Amazon through KDP (I’ve been facing a few hitches, nothing big, just a random account suspension in November and a delay of payment this month, etc), I thought I should try other avenues. Because you know, I shouldn’t be putting all my eggs in one basket and all that.

Anyway, I checked out other options. Turns out there aren’t that many. I came across stck.me a few times and decided to give it a try. It’s fairly simple to publish a book there. I’ve heard it’s fairly easy to get paid also (but I’ll know once you guys decide to buy it). (Although where’s the search button stck.me? Why can’t I look for other creators? How will I look for other creators? Am I missing something?)

So on Monday, I uploaded the book and hit publish. It asked me if I wanted to send it out to my newsletter subscribers. I chose you all because well, you’re my OG subscribers (I have a large-ish mailing list with MailerLite but that’s mostly promotion and freebie based). And I hit send.

What happened was that the email popped up in your inboxes without any context or explanation and I felt bad, but not bad enough to explain right away. So I took my time, hoping you all didn’t mind it.

The email had the link to a book, a horror novel that I wrote, based off a dream I had about an emerald bracelet. It’s creepy and fun and very campy.

Take a look!

In the basement of her ancestral home, eighteen year old Trishna has seen a pair of glowing eyes. Right before she stumbled across the body of her dead father. Scared, Trishna runs away from home, vowing to never return. But twenty years later, a newly widowed Trishna finds herself driving back to her home town of Dakhara, because her mother has died. With her two teenagers Varun and Jia, Trishna is rediscovering the old home that she'd escaped and finds the not unwelcome attentions of her ex-boyfriend Dr Inder, focused on her once more. 

But, there is something in the basement that is sitting quietly. All these years, it has been biding its time.

It waits. 

Get it here.

That’s it. That’s the explanation. Now you can all go back to whatever you were doing (and maybe buy the book and see what a creepy basement has to do with an emerald bracelet?)

God knows when I’ll be able to afford an emerald bracelet of my own. Sigh.