The Sky is falling - Sydney Sheldon

After a considerable gap, I have read a Sydney Sheldon's book, The sky is falling. It was Sydney Sheldon with whom I got acquainted with when I first ushered into the realm of mysteries and thrillers. Years have gone and I have read so may thrillers and mysteries. But Sydney's craft always allured me. After these long years, I still feel the same. When I was reading ' The sky is falling', I felt like I could even have a wink of sleep before knowing what would be ' Dana Evans', next step. It was as if Dana was leading the way. The reading becomes enjoyable when you start moving along with the characters. There exist no barriers.  The long wall that separates the reader and the reading no longer exists. You go along with that character wherever he or she goes. That's what it happened with Sydney.  I have been to London, Rome, Russia........When I started reading him ( 10 years back), there were many who constantly asked me ' still in Sydney Sheldon's books. It's high time you moved on. After such long years, I am shouting out ' I am still with him and he is one of the best'.

'Dana Evans', the young and vibrant television anchor was back from Sarajevo after her war reporting. The twist in the tale comes as Gary Winthrop, the last in the Winthrop was family was murdered by some art  stealers. It was just a few days before Dana interviewed Gary Winthrop in her television show. But in peculiar circumstances, Dana founds out that it was not only Gary but Winthrops were obliterated from the earth. The book will slowly unravels how she was playing with danger, unknowingly.

 

The confessor back with cold feet - Meenakshy Reddy Madhavan

For please log on to http://www.compulsiveconfessions.com/

The picture of a seven year old girl, hiding a small notebook when she goes to her class room, just to jot down whatever comes to her mind was like stating the obvious. No other vocation would interest her but writing. Besides, by bequeathing a strong legacy of writing, Meenakshi Reddy Madhavan could not be anything else but a woman of letters.

But surprisingly whenever she wrote she did not hesitate to take a detour from her parents’ style. Unlike her father, the veteran writer, N S Madhavan who loved to fathom the depths of literary fiction and mother Sheela Reddy who always delved into non-literary fiction, Meenakshy loved to ferret out the possibilities of commercial fiction. Ask her why, she says “I realised that no writer talks about a woman like me, a metro and urbane woman whose heart is global but has not lost the link with the tradition. I wanted to explore the pull between these two extremes,” she says. And because of that, there are no clashes as the family has three different genres of writing, she adds with a mischievous smile.

With her third book Cold Feet hitting the markets, Meenakshi was all excited and was in Kochi as part of its promotional tour conducted by Penguin books. The book is all about the lives of five women who live in the metropolis - Mumbai and an account of their daily lives. But primarily it takes the reader on a roller coaster ride of emotions. “I have also talked about a character who is a lesbian,” she says.

The author appeared extremely happy when I told her that I came to know about the promotional event of her book from her blog Compulsive Confessions.

“I should update it more often,” she says with a grin.

Incidentally, her father N S Madhavan who carved a niche in the perceptions of the Malayali readers with his renowned work Lanthan Batheriyile Luthiniyakal, translated as Litanies of the Dutch Battery, was born and brought up in Kochi. Meenakshi says that she is all excited to be here for her father always said it has one of the prettiest bookstores. “It’s right on the sea front with a huge glass window and you can watch the ships sailing through,” she says. I have been to Kochi several times and I love Fort Kochi the most, she adds.

With more than twenty lakh visitors for her blog, she says that she never expected such a huge response and is happy that she could maintain it for the past ten years. “I started the blog with a pseudonym eM as I was a bit bothered about how people would react to the kind of stuff I was going to write. But in no time, the readers identified and I had to come out of the cocoon. But I am so happy that I could maintain it for such a long period,” she says.

About her parents' reaction to her blog, she says, “They were ‘super supportive’. They like my writing.  Hey, I am their daughter, they will definitely not discourage me!” she says.

Asked why is she often referred as the Bridget Jones of India, she says “Honestly, I have no idea. Since you are the one who put this question, I have to seriously think about it.”

Most of her stories were centered in the two metropolitan cities - Mumbai and Delhi. As the author lives shuttling between these two cities, she says that most of her writing contains the pulse of them. “Both cities have different feelings. When you land in the Delhi airport, the waves of tension starts hitting you, unlike Mumbai. When Mumbai is crowded, Delhi gives you privacy. But you just can’t take auto in the middle of the night relaxingly in Delhi as you do in Mumbai. You know the kind of stories we are getting now-a-days from Delhi,” she says. She also cautions to stay safe when I said that I usually leave office very late.

Apart from writing Meenakshi is the editor of Brown Paper Bag.

Dragonmede by Rona Randall

" Dawn sliced through the curtains as the ghostly edges of a hoar frost," says Rona Randall in her Gothic mystery ' Dragonmede'. Eustacia Rochdale, the female lead in the story also experiences similar fate. Though she married the man she loved and wanted, it sliced her life as the ghostly edges of hoar frost. When she married Julian Kershaw , little did she know that her yearning for a marital bliss would be a bane of her life. 

The story was set in the London of 1800's, when every doors opened for the nobility. It was this privilege which brought Julian Kershaw to Luella's ( Eustacia's mother's )gambling house. A born nonconformist, Luella never wanted her daughter to have a bohemian life which she was indulged in. She gave anything and everything to her daughter which was required for a girl to be a lady. Luella's efforts also did not go in vain as  Eustacia grew up with everything needed to be a lady though born to a bohemian mother.

Luella was overtly delighted when Julian, the heir of Dragonmede reached her threshold. Gambling on his passion for cards and his attraction for Eustacia, Luella realised that the time had come for Eustacia to tie the knot. Unaware of her mother's manipulations, Eustacia married Julian and reached Dragonmede, her husband's home which offered her nothing but a house full of mysteries.

Though I am a die hard of Gothic fiction, the story initially failed to lure my interest. As any other mystery fictions, I was expecting a twist at the very outset which was completely absent in the story. The only cue, the writer leaves is that there is some mystery but not easy for the reader to identify it. No murder, stealing, kidnapping, murder attempts, deaths but an all pervading sense of mystery. But when the story progressed, I could feel my pulse raising and closed the book only when I finished reading it. The reader could definitely identify the culprit but only at the very end, with just two or three pages to complete.

 I felt a sense of satisfaction after reading 'Dragonmede'. The moment I finished it, I saw four stars shining. Yes, I am giving it 4/5.

The Night Walker ( Nightmare hall series) by Diana Hoh

Quinn Hadley is a sleep walker. She has done it twice when she came to the Salem university. Nobody except her  roomie knows about it. But things takes a bad turn when  someone wreaks havoc in the university, sometimes by exploding a stinking bomb and  by attacking the couples at other times. The attacking episodes seemed no end. Quinn Hadley was apprehensive by the sudden turn of events, but her apprehensions turns into nightmares when every evidences points that the culprit is nobody but her. Looking at the evidences piled up in front of her, Quinn also doubts that whether her sleep walking is the real cause of all those recurring unfortunate incidents in the university. But a fleeting  thought that somebody is taking advantage of her ' sleep walking ' and making her a pawn did not leave her sleep without investigating into the root cause of everything.

 It is an easy read and I enjoyed it as I used to enjoy Nancy Drew series. There was suspense and mystery element and at times  you would feel that you are quite close to the vandal, but you miss him/ her. Though Diane Hoh do drop some clues here and there did not give away the culprit until the right time.

Long and short, a good and a smooth read....I enjoyed it.

 

Ditching my interests

I was ditching my interests for several months. I love mysteries, thrillers and also feel good kind of books. I could deeply immerse myself in them once I start reading. If I was too much fascinated by any books while reading it, the feeling, emotions, ambiance and lots of other things linger in my heart though years have gone by. I might forget the name of the book and sometimes author's too but the backdrops, the face you gave to any particular character would not fade away. The locale maybe miles apart, but I could feel its pulses. ( I am living in India ) Since I mostly read books of American and British authors, it is the locales in these two countries I feel close to than any parts of my country.

Since I wanted to put me in a list of intelligent people who read intelligent kind of stuff, I started going for books which is the exactly the opposite of my taste. Consequences – That fun part and a sense of  satisfaction you get after or while reading books were missing. Hence I bought some books and took one from the public library hoping that I would be back soon on my adventure.

These were some of it that I got hold of :

Under the Durret by Marian Keynes

The Keys to the secret by Ruth Rendell

Nightmare Hall, The Night Walker by Diane Hoh

Dragonmede by Rona Randall

Narnia by C S Lewis ( unabridged version – 7 books)

Hope it would revive those my interests which I conveniently shoved off to the back burner.

give me suggestions

It has been a long time since I did an interview of an author. I would love to interview a male blogger. But who? Since I was not quite good stalker of male blogs, I am clueless. If you have any suggestions please leave a note on my blog. I would be grateful.

Editing and Coming up in a new avatar

2013 is just round the corner...Time for new resolutions and new reading challenges. Sadly, most of my reading challenges remain unaccomplished. I could read only 11 books and my target was 100 books. It was not as I completely lost interest in reading but I got a 24*7 job to attend. (  I am a journalist by profession). But that should not shove off my passion for reading to the back burner. But then I realised that it was not my job alone which is putting hurdles in giving proper inputs in my blog. I sat back and thought for a while.

It has been two years since I started this blog, I still remain a beginner ( as suggested in my blog description) when it comes to book reviews. I did only three interviews of writers, though I got pretty much good response for it.I got the back drop for my blog very recently. It was then only I realised what should my blog contain. Why did I take too much time to realise it? I felt like floating, not able to put my foot firmly in the ground. I felt detached while writing anything in the blog. ( You should be detached while reporting but should not be so when it comes to writing your own blog.

There is only one answer to all these misses. I was emulating other bloggers. I was not giving anything which is my own contribution. When I started this blog on books, I was clueless on getting it started. Hence I went through many blogs. Knowingly or unknowingly I stuck with other bloggers' style. So I am going to undo it and start all over again. ( Background will be retained. I got it after many search and I feel it is perfect for my blog ).

I have embellished the fringes of my blog with a lot of reading challenges which will be removed and only those will be retained which I think I can fulfill.

Agatha Christie, Mary Higgins Clark and Alfred Hitch cock will be retained. They are somebody without whose company I can even survive in this blogging world. There will two new additions.Margaret Atwood, though I have not read any of her books, I feel she is of my type when I leafed through her books. The other addition will be biographies and autobiographies.

I have done three author interviews. But with the same questions asked to different persons, I feel the style a bit monotonous. Hence I am thinking of writing them as feature stories. But interviews will be there. Besides I will be trying to bring in more Indian English writers.

There will be an attempt to read classics but will not participate in any of the challenges.

Though I have not reviewed any movies, this year my blog will also see some nice movie reviews. ( Alfred Hitchcock movies tops the list ). Long and short, ' Passion drops' will strive to meet the expectations of 2013.

I pledge efforts will be there to cull out previous flaws and come out with fresh new contributions.

' Almost Single by Advaita Kala

December 11
 Monday

After a considerable long gap, I was able to read a book - Advaita  Kala's ' Almost Single'. For the first time, I realised that be it  Bhatinda or Kerala, the mothers of single women nearing 30 speaks
 almost the same language. ' Mama Bhatia ', the mother of Aisha Bhatia, the protagonist resembles my mother too strongly and there are times I  had to pinch myself to make sure that it was not my mom who was  speaking.

I never had the intention of buying this book when I came across it. I  used to frequent book stores when I am depressed and I chanced upon this  book during one such visit. Went through many books and  the huge amount printed on the cover literally threw cold waters on my  strong inclination to buy a book. But this one was different. It's  title lured me like anything for my age. Besides the price was comparatively low  that I had no other alternative other than succumbing to my  inclination. That's how I bought Advaita Kala's ' Almost Single'.

I would definitely not call this a master work or great piece of art. It is a book which has been written in a simple language and  absolutely apt for casual reading. There is no plot as such. It is the  story of Aisha Bhatia from Bhatinda along with her two friends who are  on a groom hunt, to be precise, it would not be wrong if I say ' NRI  groom hunt'. ( One friend just got a divorce from her husband and the  other is on a search ).

 As far as Aisha is concerned, unlike her  friends she did not want to flow with the age old tradition of groom  hunting whether it be through social networking sites or by  conventional methods. Her faith eventually triumphs at the end as she  falls for Karan, an NRI. The story concludes with hero and heroine  coming together just like a typical bollywood movie.

If you are somebody who needs food for thought after reading a  book, Almost Single is just not for you. You wont get anything serious  out of it. Keeping all those seriousness aside, if you need a light  reading while you are travelling or mired in depression, this could be  a perfect remedy.

My marks – 5/10.

I got an award....:D

Hai blogger buddies,

I am happy to announce 'Absolutely Not Sure' http://stilsearching.blogspot.in/ has  nominated my blog  ' passion drops' www.shaletrjimmy.blogspot.com. for the 'Liebster Blog award'. I am on  ' Cloud Nine '...Thanks Ani for nominating me and also congrats for your award.

I am supposed to do this after winning this award.....:D

I need to answer 11 questions, write 11 random things about me, and nominate other bloggers.
Questions and also nominate 5 blogs.

1. What makes you blog?
The answer is simple.I always wanted to write. The world of blog was opened to me at a time when  by one of my friend who is also a wonderful blogger spoke to me about the vast opportuinities for writing. One of my short term goal is to review book.  I am giving reviews
through my blog but not satisfied. Dreaming of those when I can review a by closing my eyes....chuckles
   
2. Which part of your life inspires you the most?

  Right from the begnning of my life....Not an exagerration but a fact.

3. Who is your favorite author?
      Since I love mysteries, Agatha Christie is all my favourite. I am also a huge fan of Mary Higgins Clark . But I love to read all kinds of stories.

4. Which day is most memorable for you?
      Yet to come

5. Which song describes you most?

     I am sorry. I do not have any idea...

6. If given, which will be your last wish?
  If I die before materialising the dream of becoming awriter, I would like to write a book which could bring in accolades and awards. And dance before a packed  audience.

7. What makes you feel blessed?
     That I am always under the wings of God almightly. I am speaking from my experience.

8. Beaches or mountains?
   Beaches of course. But would like to see ' Himalaya'

9. Your favorite item in your closet?

hmmm......so sad nothing I cannot live without.    
 

10. Your most desired birthday gift?

   hmm.....may be a shelf  full of mystery books.


11. Why you loved this award?
  This award means a lot to me. This is my first award for this blog. It came at a time when I was feeling too depressed. I did get an award for my other blog ' Rain Drops' www.thedoveandthe raven.blogspot.com when I was feeling too low and was too cynical about my writing career. Surprisingly, the award which received  was titled ' Life is Good' award. Surprisingly, my life became more good after that. I hope this award would also bring me luck.

12. 11 random things about me :

Drama Queen :D
Sagittarian
Absolute foodie
Love my nose pin.
Loves Jesus and Lord Krishna

Love to Dance which is my passion.

Wearing Mehandi ( Mailanji in Malayalam) in traditional South Indian style...

Do not like reading self help books but always resort to one when I feel low.
Believes that life started changing miraculously when read Shiv Khera's ' You can win' for the first time.
Love to be cooker ( I mean Cook)...But yet to become one.

Here I am nominating 5 blogs for the aforementioned award 

(I was supposed to select 5 blogs. But I am adding one more to it....)

http://lifebetweenbooks.blogspot.in/2012/10/review-shadow-of-night.html

http://arrangedindianmarriage.blogspot.in/2012/09/happy-birthday-to-me.html

http://thoughtsandroses.blogspot.in/2012/10/amarok-by-angela-j-townsend.html

http://filingwords.blogspot.in/2012/10/being-author-reflections.html

http://vintagereads.blogspot.in/2012/10/maine.html

 http://margocandela.blogspot.in/2012/10/the-commerce-of-reading.html

Congratulations to all the winners... I love their blogs....

While my pretty one sleeps by Mary Higgins Clark

Since January, I haven't posted a book review. Though I was not too lucky with the book I started, I thought I could break my reader's block by reading a Mary Higgins Clark. Her books always helped me in that regard. Even then, I took several months to finish her book ' While my pretty one sleeps'. There could be two reasons for it. Perhaps, I was suffering from a serious reading block or her book did not inspire me to read at a stretch. Nevertheless, I will always remain her ardent fan.

I am glad that I could complete it and come up with yet another review.

Ethel Lambston, a best selling author who was famous for articles which exposed well known personalities had disappeared all of  a sudden. But nobody was bothered about it but Neeve Kearny from whose boutique Ethel purchased almost all of her costumes. Ethel was living alone. Except a nephew who was a parasite and an ex husband who was tired of paying alimony to her were the only close persons with whom she was in close contact. But neither of them noticed her disappearance.

The real twist in the story comes when Ethel was found with her throat cut which reminded of Neeve's mother's death. Her mother Renata was also killed in the same manner. Her throat was slit. Neeve's father who was an ex commissioner was worried about Neeve as he had a strong intuition that like his wife some one was after his daughter. But as the suspects in his list got eliminated one by one, he brushed aside his fear. But Neeve was not ready to accept that. Her hunch was proved right in the end when the real culprit whom she was very fond of was nabbed for the murder.

Confused

I am so confused. I have got lots of books spread on my floor.( Don't worry. I have neatly arranged it. There are suspense books (my all time favourite), serious books and non- fictions. But I am cluless on what to read. It's been months since I posted on my blogs. Yesterday I spent some time with one of my neighbour ( Lakshmi Aunty). She was so insightful and well read that I could n't help thinking that I should give more priority to do things which I really like. In my effort to make a sudden change, I have started reading a non -fiction ' An intimate Seshan'. Though I was sleepy all along while reading I could atleast console me for having finished a chapter of the book. I still remember what I read so far. I could write a review of this book but not in this blog but in my other blog www.ajournotalks.blogspot.com as the book is a pure non fiction stuff  and suits this journo blog. But that alone wont work.  The new books and reviews on various blogs always tells me where I am and what I should do.I miss reading all those reviews and enjoying their companionship of my fellow bloggers.

Please do tell me. What Should I Read first - Suspense which is my all time favourite or Non - fiction which I also love reading, but could not review it in my two favourite blogs. Or should I read both books Simultanously.

Expecting a suggestion.

My Passion

' Passion Drops', www.shaletrjimmy.blogspot.com- this blog is my favourite.
This is not my first blog but second. Initially, it was not called passion drops
and was of course not blog that dealt with books. But the link was named as
such. It was called Shalet's creative expressions where I used to post my works
as a copy writer. When I quit that job, I had nothing to post. But I did not want 

to delete it as I have gained some followers. It is too hard to get followers when

 you start a blog and I gained them somehow.I did not want to lose them. This

 made me surf through various blogs and found numerous blogs that dealt 

with one of my passions - Books. I said (one of my passions)as I think there 

are many more unravel by itself.

I knew that I loved books. But what sort of books? Which books would excite me?
I started off with Enid Blyton and Nancy Drew Series. Loved them. Each book made me hungry to read more and more Enid Blyton and Nancy drew stories. Now I am 30. But I still could read those books with same intensity I had when I was 16. For two years, it was them who gave me company. Then I turned to serious books. Though I had the gratification that I was reading serious books.It never excited me. It took many years to realise that I love mystery and suspense.It would not have been possible without this particular blog. Though I chose the name ' Passion Drops' in a hurry, I believe I was not wrong in choosing it.

So I just want to tell that I love this blog.....:D
Since It's about suspense I wanted it to look like one. I kept on changing the backgrounds.
After a long search I think I am satisfied with this one.

DO you like it. Please tell me.

Writer's Interview - Jo Schaffer ( YA author, poet, essayist and lots more)

My fourth interview with a wonderful writer JO Schaffer. I was a bit apprehensive before sending questions to her. Because I was on a hiatus from blogging. It's been four months since I published my last interview and I felt like I was doing it for the first time. But Jo's quick response put me at ease.

Jo talks about herself

Grew up in a big family with two creative and smarty pants parents in California. Have traveled a lot in US and Europe and most recently Costa Rica and will do more. Enjoyed BYU and changed majors from Archeology to Humanities to English with an emphasis on writing.

Have three sons and we have a blast.

Don't eat sugar or refined grains and stay very socially active. I read a ton. I like power yoga and taekwondo.

I miss the beach. Adjusting to snow.

Am writing my second novel and want to keep it up!

Belong to an amazing writing group called Writers Cubed. We run the Teen Author Boot Camp at UVU.

Jo Schaffer is a YA author and ' More than Karma' is her work.

Here is author Jo Schaffer exclusively for you.

What kind of a person is Jo Seable- Schaffer?

I was born and raised in the Bay Area of California in a big family and later lived in LA so I’m sure I have a lot of California in me.

I guess you could say I’m a conservative bohemian? Haha! (= I’m the typical Sagittarius in some ways. An informed optimist. I love travel, learning, people, and exploring. Spirituality is important to me and so is intellect. I really enjoy knowing people deep down and I have a desire to make the world a better place.

I like back nail polish, multi- colored hair and health food. I love my kids and being an empowered mom and my husband is my best friend. We foster creativity and expression in the home—he’s a filmmaker and I write—and our kids have found passions and hobbies that we support. The last couple years I’ve started working on getting my black belt in taekwondo with my son. It has been an amazing experience.

Tell us about your book ' More Than Karma' and characters.

I have one book being shopped around in New York right now. The working title of my book is More Than Karma. My main character, Karma, feels like a curse because bad things happen to the people around her when she’s upset or have been wronged in some way. Her Hindi father died when she was a baby and there is so much about her childhood and father’s culture that she doesn’t know. Karma’s mother is an emotionally intense woman with frightening secrets. Karma is a lonely child—taken in by friendly neighbors Michelle Bender and her family. They become BFFs. Michelle’s big brother, surfer boy, Steven, becomes Karma’s ultimate crush. But she has so much to learn about herself and the past before she can really understand the nature of love. Many people come into her life on her journey to self-actualization, including mysterious bad boy, Bram McKay who share her “power” and wants to manipulate how she uses it. It gets intense.

I really enjoyed writing it and the characters really came alive for me.

How did writing occur to you?

I’ve been writing all of my life. I love exploring people and life through the written word and to tell stories that people can relate to. About five years ago I decided to write a full-length novel based on my experiences as a student in London. So I did—it wasn’t awesome but I finished. And then I started Karma’s story and met a group of awesome writers and we became Writers Cubed. Having a good critique group has really helped my writing so much! I’m writing up a storm these days.

What were your struggles in becoming a writer and also the person you are today?

I think the struggle to become a writer was wrestling my muse and making time for writing. And a lot of things get in the way of that. It takes commitment and passion to write. Luckily I have both for the time being.

The query process was my least favorite, but I ended up with a fantastic agent, Rubin Pfeffer of East/West Literary Agency and I feel like I’m in good hands. Just never give up if you want to write as a career.

So many of my life experiences have helped my writing. Traveling, being involved in the community, having a special needs child, suffering through various life lessons and hard times as well as enjoying so many of life’s miracles.

Writing is 95% thinking—something I enjoy doing. (=

Which is your favourite genre that you would like to write a book on?

For now I enjoy writing YA. All of my current works are pretty different—but they all explore the lessons and lives of teens and what a pivotal time of life that is. I like a little supernatural sometimes, thriller, romance and suspense. Every story should be a journey that entertains and gives the reader something good or interesting to walk away with.

Tell us about ' White lies'?

White Lies is a short story I wrote for a short story compilation by Writers Cubed called The Storm available as an ebook on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. All the participating authors wrote a story that involved a freak snow storm in San Francisco and used it as a device or metaphor in the plot. It is fun to see what everyone came up with.

Mine is about saucy, Lizette Munoz. A latina girl living in a poorer neighborhood in Oakland. Her boyfriend Edgar didn’t come home the night before—again. And we get to find out what she does about it and how she learns that not everything is as it seems.

Tell us about your new website ' Writers Cubed'?

The group is always working on new ways to reach out to other authors and writers to offer help and support. We have several projects in the works to make this objective easier and more accessible. The website will help us network and interact with other writers.

You write a lot - Poems, blogs, essays, reviews and the like. Do you have a special liking for any particular genre.

I like writing just about anything, But one of my first loves was poetry—not sure if I am any good—but I enjoy expressing myself that way. Also I like interviewing authors, filmmakers and artists to see what makes them tick.

How do you pick and choose topics to write?

From my life experiences and anything that interests or inspires me. It is important to me that the things I write have an honesty or truth in them even when it’s ugly. I want to give a piece of humanity to the reader in a way that is entertaining and thought provoking.

You have produced a handful of good poems. Which one is your

favourite and why?

Oh. That’s a tough one. I guess I really like the one called Sons because it says so much about me and my life as a mother and an individual—in a short concise way:

Sons...more like the moons of a mother planet they orbit around me

I pull them toward me as they turn away

Which keeps them moving around and around

And I turn and turn to keep my eye upon them...

And to do my own dance

I should probably post more on my poems on my blog—it’s been a while.

What are your tips for writing?

Do it all the time. Don’t give up. Learn as much as you can about it. Join a critique group—go to writing conferences. Then find your own way of doing it and be true to yourself and your voice will emerge. Let it flow.

Tell us about Teen Author Boot Camp you attended this year and

memorable experiences you had?

I co-founded the Teen Author Boot Camp with the other members of Writers Cubed because we wanted to provide a writing conference for aspiring teenaged writers.

We all grew up loving to write and would have been so thrilled with an opportunity like this to be taken seriously and given some quality instruction and mentoring.

We provide hundreds of teens with the opportunity to attend classes given by the published authors that they read. From topics ranging from plot and characterization to dialog and voice. A whole Saturday of classes and a yummy lunch, plus, a lot of free prizes.

Last year our keynote speaker was Kiersten White of PARANORMALCY—she was hilarious and insightful the kids loved it! This year our keynote was Brandon Mull of FABLEHAVEN, and the kids went nuts over him.

We’ve been blessed to have so many authors support this and donate their time to teaching these kids in all day seminars. It is fun and educational. And it puts the authors in direct contact with their target audience in a meaningful way. Win, win.

So many memorable experiences—we are excited for next year.

The kids are amazing. Our first chapter contest winners are so impressive. The future of writing is in good hands! You can check out who our authors have been at www.teenauthorbootcamp.com.

Share some of your beautiful moments associated with writing?

So many. I laugh and cry with my characters. But, one particular experience happened as a student. I was in the Lake District in England visiting the home of William Wordsworth—one of my favorite poets. I strolled his beautiful grounds overlooking Lake Windermere, breathing in the soft English air in the same place where so many of his poems were written. I had this moment of peace and heightened awareness of my surroundings. Like my soul lit up. And I knew I wanted to write. Hard to explain but it was a pivotal moment for me.

Have your ever thought of any other job other than writing?

Yes, I have taught art and creative writing. Also, I did consider going into social work—in particular counseling for troubled teens. I have worked with teens as the president of a youth organization and can really appreciate teens and where they are in that stage of their lives.

Could you give us tips on how to review a book and a movie?

Hard to say—it is so subjective. Go with your gut. Explain how it made you feel—what you liked and didn’t like and try to assess how well the creator led you along their path. My husband works in the film industry—so if you watch a movie with him be ready to hear everything that is lame or good about the movie as you watch. Haha!

Do you write a book with both the readers of east and west in your mind?

I suppose most of my stories are based on my experiences being raised in a western culture. But my associations and travels have hopefully opened up my themes to something somewhat universal. My story about Karma probably explores that the most—as she is half Indian and has family who are Hindi.

When did you start blogging?

Eight years ago? It has been a fun way to interact with people from all over the world. I probably should blog more often than I do but I’m writing so much for my agent these days that I haven’t the time.

Do you buy books you need to read or just collect books to read in future?

Both. And now that I have a kindle it is chronic and compulsive.

Did blogging help you in your writing?

Yes. I think so. The more you write the better. And meeting other writers through their blogs has been inspiring all along.

What are your hobbies apart from writing?

Travel. Friends. Yoga. Taekwondo. Singing. Reading. Hiking and Camping. Health recipes.

Your 10 favourite books and 10 favourite movies?

Oh snap. I can’t possibly choose … there are too many. But here are a few worth noting:

Books: Of Human Bondage, Jane Eyre, The Apothecary’s Daughter, Outlander series, I Capture the Castle, The Believers, (anything by Austen, L.M. Montgomery or Louisa May Alcott, Dickens, Henry James or Dean Koontz)

And that’s only some of the fiction—I read a lot of nonfiction as well.

Movies: The Artist, Lars and the Real Girl, The Mission, Pieces of April, Moulin Rouge, The Fugitive, Bourne Identity series, Return To Me, Nacho Libre, Star Wars (original 3), Room With A View, Princess Bride, Rocky, anything Jackie Chan, and several awesome Bollywood musicals-- especially Lagaan.

I’m also a huge fan of classic and black and white film—including silent film. I could make a huge list of movies—of all genres.Anything Joss Whedon writes for TV or movie is genius.

How would you like to see you after five years?

With a few published books under my belt and still doing what I do. I like my life.

You can find more about her inhttp://jostorm.blogspot.in/andhttp://schafferfaces.blogspot.in/