Hello, fellow bloggers. With immense pleasure, I announce a very important news today. A short story anthology which carries a story of mine is all set to release on March 23rd. The book is a well thought out and diligently selected collection of short stories, which mirror a similar theme. The stories focuss on the varied hues of life, whether it be joy, love, sorrow, jubilation, success and the multitude of other emotions the days offer us in the walks of life. The journey from sending my story for the contest to this moment has been eventful with periodic emails from the editor, Sarav, who is also the one at the helm, enlightening me on the progress of the book. I have to confess that this book is close to my heart, as the story I wrote for it is one of those few stories that make me feel proud of my decision to follow my passion as a writer. Rarely is the writer is me completely satiated with my own writing and this story sure speaks volumes about my confidence in my growth as a story teller. Not simply that, there are several reasons that nudge me to vouch for this beautiful book.
1.It contains Guest stories by prolific writers, Namrata Madhira( Author of the highly acclaimed novella- Metro Diaries and Neelam Saxena Chandra, an admirable writer who holds the Limca Book of Records for having published the most number of books in a year)
2.The book is the dream project of blogger friend, Sarav, who has an enviable niche in the field of blogging. Check out his blog here and know for yourself. He is also the editer of this book. He had his stories published in several anthologies before taking up solo projects of his own.
3. Most of the authors who form part of the book have been published multiple times and must be familiar to the bibliphiles out there. I feel grateful to know that my story would be published along side such hugely talented personalities.
4. More importantly, the stories garnered in this book are evocative and are beautifully crafted, which solely stands as a valid reason for anyone to pick this book to read.
The pre-order of the book has already started and you may secure a copy for yourself and your friends from Amazon at this link- Pre order ‘Shades Of Life’
I am leaving you with the blurb of the book, along with a short excerpt from my story – He Who Loved Her.
The Blurb
Life is a supernova of emotions, a multi-colored extravaganza and a celebration of colors that carve a way for us to be “expressive”. These colors often vary from situation to situation. They may be vibrant, bright and attractive, or even bland and gloomy. Nevertheless, they invoke the soul from within and portray the various dimensions of life.
Come and explore the various shades of life – from the lighter tones of friendship and love to the murkier hues of revenge and murder – of human beings, of how their personalities and their situations mould them into their real selves – in this anthology of prose and verse, from authors across the world, Shades of Life.
Excerpt from my story- He Who Loved Her:
Later that day, after having his dinner, he went up to the terrace to inhale some fresh air and that was when a distressing thought struck him hard.
‘Oh! What if the Father comes to know about this? He is going to be really angry at me!’
A sullen expression spread across his face and he sat munching over the thought for minutes at a stretch. His friends sat playing carom board at the far end of the terrace, oblivious to the turmoil that was creating havoc inside him.
He looked around as a chilling breeze swished past him. The sky was revolting, partly due to the magnanimity of the twinkling stars and partly due to the full moon that adorned it with serenity. The air was calm and he felt as though the atmosphere was nudging him to move ahead with the plan sans hesitation.
“True love happened rarely and standing in the brink of one, it would in all certainty be an act of cowardice to retreat without letting her know his desire,” he thought.
“Nothing in this world can keep me from owning her. She is mine!” A rock-hard decision took form in his mind.
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I believe that this book would touch souls the way it aspires to and I would be more than indebted if atleast a few of my readers are inspired to chose this book from the pile of anthologies that are fleshed out in the market.
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