Literary Quote of the Month

"A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies," said Jojen. "The man who never reads lives only one." - George R.R. Martin, A Dance With Dragons

Showing posts with label The Sari Shop Widow. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Sari Shop Widow. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

International Giveaway & Review... The Sari Shop Widow by Shobhan Bantwal

A rare and insightful glimpse into the vibrant world of Indian-American fashions and immigrant culture. A young businesswoman rediscovers the magic of love, family, and tradition as she fights to save her failing sari boutique in New Jersey…

Congrats to Amanda who won the signed copy of The Sari Shop Widow! And Thank you to EVERYONE for joining in on the fun!

Since becoming a widow at age twenty-seven, Anjali Kapadia has devoted herself to transforming her parents' sari shop into a chic boutique, brimming with exquisite jewelry and clothing. Now, ten years later, it stands out like a proud maharani amid Edison’s bustling Little India. But when Anjali learns the shop is on the brink of bankruptcy, she feels her world unraveling…

To the rescue comes Anjali’s wealthy, dictatorial Uncle Jeevan and his business partner, Rishi Shah—a mysterious Londoner, complete with British accent, cool gray eyes, and skin so fair it makes it hard to believe he’s Indian. Rishi’s cool, foreign demeanor triggers distrust in Anjali and her mother. But for Anjali, he also stirs something else, a powerful attraction she hasn’t felt in a decade. And the feeling is mutual…

Love disappointed Anjali once before and she’s vowed to live without it—though Rishi is slowly melting her resolve and, as the shop regains its footing, gaining her trust. But when a secret from Rishi’s past is revealed, Anjali must turn to her family and her strong cultural upbringing to guide her in finding the truth…

"In my books, I try to weave social themes into stories of romance, intrigue, drama, and high emotion. My aim is to educate, inform, and entertain readers who may not ordinarily have an opportunity to learn about women's issues in India and other similar cultures." ...And in the Sari Shop Widow Shobhan Bantwal certainly does that! Shobhan's writing flows easily across the page as we enter the world of India. With the wonderful descriptions of Indian food and beautiful fabrics, we are taken into the sari shop of 27 year old widow Anjali Kapadia and can almost touch everything around us, but we are there to see how life can take some heartbreaking turns, and how the resolve of this one woman can overcome quite a lot while still holding on to the traditions of her upbringing.

Wonderful writing, characters that almost walk off the page and a great story, make The Sari Shop Widow a must read. And a great book club pick too! Here is a link to some great discussion questions. Would you like to read an excerpt? Here is a link to the first chapter. And if you missed Shobhan Bantwal's guest post earlier this month on Chick with Books, Here is the link to her insightful post on starting her writing career after age 50!

Would you like a chance to win an autographed copy of The Sari Shop Widow? And enter the world of Anjali Kapadia? Thanks to Jaime of Pump up Your Book, who is promoting Shobhan Bantwal's Book Tour this month, I have a extra copy of The Sari Shop Widow, signed by the author to give away!

To Enter This Giveaway...

*For one entry leave me a comment with your email address!

*Get an extra entry for following my blog! Just leave a comment letting me know you're a follower! ( Not a follower yet? No problem, sign up by clicking on the 'followers" button! Just let me know you became a new follower!)

*Blog or tweet about this giveaway and leave me the link.

This giveaway is open to U.S. Residents and Internationally! If I can mail a book to you thru the U.S. Postal Service you are eligible to enter! Contest ends 11:59pm EST on Nov. 14th. I will randomly pick the winner the next day and email him or her! (please check your email.. winner must reply to me within 3 days! Thanks!) Good Luck!

And Thanks Jaime for the review copy of The Sari Shop Widow! It was a wonderful read!

P.S. This Book is Kindle Ready!

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Guest Post with Shobhan Bantwal, author of The Sari Shop Widow! and a teaser for Oct. 27th!

Shobhan Bantwal, author of The Sari Shop Widow, and Mainstream and Romantic Women's Fiction set in India and America stops by Chick with Books today to share a bit of herself and her writing process!

Shobhan Bantwal is the author of 3 books, a collection of tales, articles and more. Shobhan's writing is "romantic, colorful, action-packed tales, rich with elements of Indian culture -- stories that entertain and educate." Her writing career is a "menopausal epiphany," because she took up creative writing at the age of 50. At Chick with Books we are pleased to have Shobhan Bantwal as a guest today! She's going to tell us all about her "Menopausal Writing"! Join me in a warm welcome to Shobhan!

Writing Fiction – A Menopausal Epiphany

By Shobhan Bantwal

THE SARI SHOP WIDOW is my third novel. Like my first two books it is chock full of cultural elements from my own Hindu-Indian background, lots of drama, colorful characters, flavors and textures from India. In other words, it is “Bollywood in a Book.” And yet, my creative spark didn’t ignite until I turned 50. Menopausal woes for some reason turned into a menopausal epiphany. Along with hot flashes, insomnia, weight gain, and hair loss, came a deep urge to write fiction.

But wanting to write and actually writing are two entirely different concepts. While most Indian authors write serious literary books, I wanted to write a mainstream book with romantic elements, something I loved reading. I was not sure if there was a market for such a book. Would any literary agent bother to look at a manuscript that was so outside the box? It fitted into no particular genre, the setting was unusual, the theme controversial, and the author unknown – a perfect recipe for disaster. Nonetheless I started querying various agents.

Each time another rejection letter arrived I almost gave up the idea of becoming a published author, but eventually picked myself up and began the querying process all over again. It took me over a year, but I was offered representation by three different agents. After some deliberation I signed up with the agent I thought would best suit my needs.

What is most gratifying is that my books have appealed to a wide spectrum of readers, especially women, young and old, of different religions, nationalities, colors, and tastes. In my stories, I try to not only entertain, but also educate the non-Asian readership about social topics like dowry, gender-based abortion, women’s issues, and the many faces of Indian culture.

At the very least, my menopausal epiphany has offered me an exciting and challenging ride.

THE SARI SHOP WIDOW is available at all U.S. and Canadian bookstores and online booksellers.

To contact me or learn more about my books, author events, book trailer video, recipes, short stories, and sign up for my newsletter, visit my website www.shobhanbantwal.com

Thank you for hosting me on “Chick with Books.”

Shobhan Bantwal

Thank you Shobhan for guest posting today on Chick with Books! And sharing a little of yourself with us!

And to all my Chick with Books readers, on Oct. 27th I'll be reviewing The Sari Shop Widow as part of Shobhan Bantwal's Blog Tour AND you'll have a chance to win a copy for yourself! Check back then for all the details!

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

The Kindle Korner and a Literary Kindle Treat...

The Sari Shop Widow
Pungent curry…sweet fried onions…incense…colorful beads…lush fabrics

In October Shobhan Bantwal will be a guest here at Chick with Books! It's going to be such a treat because I've been looking forward to reading her newest book, The Sari Shop Widow, and it's always nice to have the author visit... In the meantime, this past tuesday was the official release date of The Sari Shop Widow by Shobhan Bantwal and if you own a Kindle you are in for a treat!! Until August 31st you can download The Sari Shop Widow for FREE!

About the Book...
Shobhan Bantwal’s compelling new novel is set on the streets of Edison, New Jersey’s Little India, where a young businesswoman rediscovers the magic of love and family…

Since becoming a widow at age twenty-seven, Anjali Kapadia has devoted herself to transforming her parents' sari shop into a chic boutique, brimming with exquisite jewelry and clothing. Now, ten years later, it stands out like a proud maharani amid Edison’s bustling Little India. But when Anjali learns the shop is on the brink of bankruptcy, she feels her world unraveling…

To the rescue comes Anjali’s wealthy, dictatorial Uncle Jeevan and his business partner, Rishi Shah—a mysterious Londoner, complete with British accent, cool gray eyes, and skin so fair it makes it hard to believe he’s Indian. Rishi’s cool, foreign demeanor triggers distrust in Anjali and her mother. But for Anjali, he also stirs something else, a powerful attraction she hasn’t felt in a decade. And the feeling is mutual…

Love disappointed Anjali once before and she’s vowed to live without it—though Rishi is slowly melting her resolve and, as the shop regains its footing, gaining her trust. But when a secret from Rishi’s past is revealed, Anjali must turn to her family and her strong cultural upbringing to guide her in finding the truth…

So until Shobhan stops by here for a visit, and until I post my review, we all can enjoy reading this on our Kindles! Here's the LINK to The Sari Shop Widow by Shobhan Bantwal. Remember you only have until August 31st!

Happy Reading...
Suzanne
Professional Reader
Reviews Published
Professional Reader