Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Published.


I have some great news to share - one of my short stories has been published! I know, I know, it's one puny story and I have an entire career of short stories and novels ahead of me. But a writer's first published story is always special.

Urban Shots is a series of short story collections published by Grey Oak & Westland. My short story, Gap, is in the edition called Urban Shots:Crossroads. Edited by bestselling author, Ahmed Faiyaz, this anthology explores the conflict, chaos and confusion in the lives of interesting and colourful characters in Urban India. 


The entire process of dealing with Grey Oak has been great and their co-publishing tie-up with Westland has ensured that the book could be pre-ordered from many online retailers in India. The book is now available, ready to be shipped, and these online stores are vying with each other to offer the best discounts on these titles:

Flipkart
Landmark
Indiaplaza
Crossword

The book launches are scheduled on the following dates in the following cities:
19 Jan 2012 - 7 pm, Landmark, Infiniti Mall, Andheri, Mumbai
20 Jan 2012 - 7 pm, Landmark, Phoenix Marketcity, Pune
Watch this space for details of the Bangalore and Chennai launches.


Do read my story, Gap, and let me know what you think.

Sunday, January 08, 2012

Last Chance to See - Douglas Adams & Mark Carwardine


Last Chance to See

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


For a person vaguely interested in nature and not too keen on actively interacting with species other than my own, I found this book an excellent read. This book is in no way depressing, but it is sobering to read about how callously we treat our resources.

Douglas Adams (yes, him) wrote this book after travelling with Mark Carwardine in search of endangered species like the Kaka Po, the White Rhino and the Baiji Dolphin. He met some of the most passionate of conservationists and sighted the actual species, describing these voyages in his inimitable brand of humour.

A must read for any one who has even vaguely identified a bird other than those in the backyard.

Reviewed on www.goodreads.com