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A visit to Pondicherry

Pondicherry is a Union Territory in India, formed out of four enclaves of former French India. It is located in the southern part of India, on the banks of Bay of Bengal. Since 2006, Pondicherry is known as Puducherry in Tamil (meaning New town) and also known as The French Riviera of the East" (La Côte d'Azur de l'Est). Pondicherry was earlier under the French influences (from 1673 until 1954), and when they left the place a great legacy was also left behind. This tiny land of Pondicherry (Puducherry) has some great attractions such as the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, the international city of Auroville, the French boulevard town, world class beaches, beach resorts, backwaters, fishing villages, and more. Recently, we had a weekend trip to Pondicherry. These are some of the best places we visited. 1. Auroville 2. The Sri Aurobindo Ashram. 3. Museum - 4. Botanical garden 5. Chunnambar Lake- 6. Paradise Beach 7. Auroville Beach 8. Promenade Beach 9

Happy Deepavali 2014

Wish you all a very happy Deepavali, 2014. Read this link to know more about Deepavali- the Indian festival

Happy Onam 2014

Wish you all a very Happy Onam. This year, we had a wonderful Onam, inviting some of our relatives and friends. "It is going to be a memorable Onam," said my niece while having our Onam sadhya. "It is after such a long time we are celebrating Onam together," said my daughter, who took the keen interest to celebrate it in a memorable way. The girls (my niece and my nephew's wife) took almost 3 hours to make this pookkalam.

Happy Ganesha Festival 2014

Wish you all a very happy Ganesha Festival. This important festival is celebrated in all parts of India today, the 29th of August 2014. It is also known as Ganesh Chaturthi and Vinayaka Chaturthi. The festival to celebrate and glorify him is called Ganesh Chaturthi (Ganesha Festival and Vinayaka Chaturthi). Lord Ganesha (also known as Lord Ganapati) is the Lord of Wisdom. He is the son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathi. The elephant headed God is worshipped first in all the pujas performed by the Hindus. It is believed that He removes all the obstacles and evils on the way. If you are interested to know more about Lord Ganesha please check this page.

Book Tour: Incantation Paradox By Annamaria Bazzi

Blurb: Magic is an illusion. It doesn’t really exist. Or does it? A horrible car accident destroys Dolores Reynard’s life. But instead of waking up in a hospital bed, she awakens in a teenager’s body. Soon, she discovers she is at the heart of the murderous mystery surrounding the death of Mona, the young girl whose body she occupies. Caught between an evil greater than she ever imagined and a wizard who heals her tattered heart, she is forced to play a dangerous game of intrigue in the hopes of finding a way to return to her previous life. Will magic be her ally, or will it lead to her demise once and for all. About the Author Although born in the United States, Annamaria Bazzi spent a great deal of her childhood in Sicily, Italy, in a town called Sciacca. Italian was the language spoken at home. Therefore, she had no problems when she found herself growing up in a strange country. Upon returning to the states, she promised herself she would speak without an accent. She

Universal Link to your amazon book

Do you use a universal link for the promotion of your kindle books? I was not, but hereafter I'm going to use it. Many times we post links of our books on our websites or for twitter promotion with just about one store link. i.e amazon.com or amazon.in etc. If we post links like this, some smart ones may change it to buy from their country's site. Others may not even check it, thinking that it is not available in their country. Thus, you are likely to lose your potential customers from the other parts of the globe. If you have made your kindle book available worldwide the best thing is to use a universal link, so that your potential customers worldwide can click on that link and they will be able to find the correct store available in their country. How to make a universal link for your book in amazon? Just use http://www.booklinker.net / and then you can get your universal link. It makes easier for the buyer to buy from their particular store.

Sweet & Sour-1

I was so thrilled to see that as I am writing this blog, my short story ebook Sweet & Sour-1 is ranked #311 in Amazon.in Best Sellers list. I know it won't stay there for long, and it will keep fluctuating. Still at least for some time it is nice to see it ranked there. http://www.amazon.in/dp/B00IKFNAZY

Leaving Reviews for Indie Authors

This post was originally appeared on Author S Smith . You know that friend who’s always pleading harassing asking you to leave them a book review on Amazon? The one whose book you read? Possibly you even got the book for free? Okay, so ME for some of you. This is just a little tutorial/explanation of why it is so important and how to do it. One more encouragement to get you over there, leave the review, and drop the guilt. :) First of all, is one more review really important? YES! Unless the book has over 100 reviews, it’s important. And the author checks every day on occasion to see if there is a new review. And it really makes the author’s day to see a new review (unless it is 2 stars or less and then they feel kind of bummed). I. WHY REVIEWS ARE IMPORTANT 1) When a potential buyer goes to an author’s book’s Amazon page, Read the full post here .

10 Quotes of famous writers about writing

1. Most of the basic material a writer works with is acquired before the age of fifteen. - Willa Cather 2. Most writers can write books faster than publishers can write checks. - Richard Curtis 3. Writing is turning one's worst moments into money. - J. P. Donleavy 4. Get it down. Take chances. It may be bad, but it's the only way you can do anything really good. - William Faulkner 5. A novel must give a sense of permanence as well as a sense of life. - E. M. Forster 6. Engrave this in your brain: EVERY WRITER GETS REJECTED. You will be no different. - John Scalzi 7. The historian records, but the novelist creates. - E. M. Forster 8. My aim is to put down what I see and what I feel in the best and simplest way I can tell it. - Ernest Hemingway 9. All writers are vain, selfish and lazy, and at the very bottom of their motives lies a mystery. Writing a book is a long, exhausting struggle, like a long bout of some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing i

Five Inspiring Quotes of William Faulkner

This week I am writing about the quotes of some of the famous authors. William Faulkner , (1897-1962) - Some of his famous novels are The Sound and the Fury, As I lay Dying, Light in August, A Rose for Emily, Sanctuary etc and many Short Stories. Faulkner won two Pulitzer Prizes for Fiction. In 1949, he won the Nobel Prize in Literature. Five Quotes of William Faulkner 1. “Read, read, read. Read everything -- trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You'll absorb it. Then write. If it's good, you'll find out. If it's not, throw it out of the window.” 2. “Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and lying and greed. If people all over the world...would do this, it would change the earth.” 3. “A writer needs three things, experience, observation, and imagination, any two of which, at times any one of which, can

Tips on Writing from John Steinbeck

As writers, we always would love to read the tips from great writers. We hope that some of their tips may be helpful to us in our own writing. Read about the Tips from John Steinbeck, Pulitzer Prize winner, Nobel laureate. 1.Abandon the idea that you are ever going to finish. Lose track of the 400 pages and write just one page for each day, it helps. Then when it gets finished, you are always surprised. 2.Write freely and as rapidly as possible and throw the whole thing on paper. Never correct or rewrite until the whole thing is down. Rewrite in process is usually found to be an excuse for not going on. It also interferes with flow and rhythm which can only come from a kind of unconscious association with the material. 3. Forget your generalized audience. In the first place, the nameless, faceless audience will scare you to death and in the second place, unlike the theater, it doesn’t exist. In writing, your audience is one single reader. I have found that sometimes it helps

Book Review - Wise and Otherwise by Sudha Murthy

"Wise and Otherwise" is a collection of short stories authored by Sudha Murthy. They were drawn from the real life of people whom she came across in her life. That must be the reason each one is believable and come alive before you as the story unfolds. In addition, the stories are gripping from the beginning, and make you turn the pages to know what happens next. (That is what I felt). Like her other books, this one also has a simple style. Though the stories are simple, they are powerful. Some of the stories make you think and some make you laugh. Though almost all the stories are good, some of them stand out in the crowd like An Old Man's Ageless Wisdom, A lesson in life from a beggar, and Think Positive, be Happy are some of them. The characters won't leave you there after finishing with it, but remain in your mind at least for a few days. Her ability to transform the simple life incidents of human value, which usually go unnoticed,into the eyes of the rea

Vishu in 2014

Happy Vishu to all Malayalees (people of Kerala, India). Vishu is the Malayalam New Year, which usually falls on 14th April, but due to Surya Sankramana time some years Vishu is celebrated on 15th April. It is celebrated on the 1st day of Malayalam month Medam (astronomical New Year of Kerala). (Vishukkani) Vishu in Sanskrit means equal. An important thing on this day is both day and night are equal. The highlights of Vishu are Vishukkani, Vishukaineetam, Vishubhalam etc. It is believed that seeing the first sight of vishukkani in the morning of Vishu, is very good for anyone to start the new year. Read more about Vishu here .

Book Review - Sweet & Sour-1

This review was by Nuggehalli Pankaja, a veteran writer. As the title itself suggests, the ten short stories presented here are an amalgamation of the various emotions weaving itself into interesting as well as introspective episodes of human nature. So naturally they are brought out that the readers get involved automatically-unconsciously, delineating the complexities of the characters as each story unfolds. As mentioned before, each story is different, some poignant stamping its own mark on the reader’s mind. The fourth story ‘SWEET REVENGE’ is one such. It is the story of a young couple though not rich, finding happiness in the arms of love. With an unexpected kick of fate, their blissful world is almost shattered! A sudden twist at the end by the master hand, lo, a well-formed story emerges, widening our eyes! Title of the 6th story ‘THE REBORN DAUGHTER’ at first giving the impression of a ‘reincarnation theme,’ unravels the menace of the social issue-‘DOWRY,’ prevalent

How to increase traffic to your blog.

This is a great article I wanted to share with you. Have you ever thought of how to get more traffic to your blog? If so, what are the methods used by you? I found an interesting article via twitter and decided to share it with you, which is about 65 ways of increasing your traffic. I know it is difficult to do all the 65 ways mentioned here. But all of us, with our limited time in hand, can do at least some of them. Check out what are the best ways you can follow from this article, and sharing your comment will be greatly appreciated. This is the article I am talking about. Please remember most of them are free methods. Please copy this URL (link) to your browser. http://www.jerriaubry.blogspot.in/2014/04/65-interesting-ways-to-increase-blog.html

My trip to Nagamangalam, Tamil Nadu

Recently I had an opportunity to visit Lourdes Matha church (Our Lady of Lourdes) at Nagamangalam in Tamil Nadu. Nagamangalam is a Village in Kelamangalam Taluk in Krishnagiri District of Tamil Nadu State. One of my friends wanted to visit there and asked me whether I can accompany her. I took it as a God given opportunity and agreed to accompany her. I immediately googled to collect more details about the place, but initially I didn't find much information. I hope this blog may be of help to those who wish to travel there. The Church is located in the beautiful J.G. Farm at St.Mary's Nagar. From the gate of the Farm it takes 1.5 kms to reach there. Canteen We reached there at about 8.30 a.m. on a Saturday, without knowing the working time. After spending some time there we were about to return and by then people started coming in. So please check the timing of the Church before your visit at http://www.lourdesmatha.com/. The history of the

A detailed review of my novel - Cherished

Mouthshut is a great platform for reviews. You can find reviews of several things there, practically on every field. Therefore it is a very useful site to make a decision about the purchase of any product - be it a book, a consumer item, a service or any thing. Usually the reviewers here provide a detailed review about the product. Geethashri Chatterjee, a well known book reviewer, has written a detailed review about my novel Cherished on this site. You can read it here - http://www.mouthshut.com/review/Cherished-Lakshmi-Menon-review-lqnounltur If you can't click it please copy it and paste it on your browser. More Reviews at Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18403945-cherished http://www.induswomanwriting.com/cherishedby-lakshmi.html The book is available here - http://www.amazon.com/dp/8182534410 http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/8182534410 http://www.amazon.in/dp/8182534410 Flipkart - http://tinyurl.com/oecuvab Infibeam - http://tinyurl.com/qzohy

Sweet & Sour ebook - Promotion days

I am pleased to give my ebook Sweet & Sour-1 (A book of 10 short stories) for kindle free on 9th and 10th March, as a part of promotion days. Please download it and read. I will appreciate a review by spending 2-5 minutes of your valuable time. It means a lot to me. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IKFNAZY http://www.amazon.in/dp/B00IKFNAZY http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00IKFNAZY (At the moment of posting this, it is Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #32,053 Paid in Kindle Store in UK)

What makes a story a page turner...

Maeve Binchy, famous Irish author, who wrote many best selling books such as A Week in Winter , Heart & Soul, Minding Frankie, Circle of Friends, Tara Road and many more books, talks about what makes a story a page turner. Her debut novel Light a Penny Candle was published in 1982. In 1983, it sold for the largest sum ever paid for a first novel. Her final novel Minding Frankie published in 2010, brought her a lifetime achievement award from the Irish Book Awards. She was considered as the best loved writer of her generation. She died on 30 July 2012 at the age of 72.

Happy Shivrathri 2014

Happy Mahashivrathri 2014 Mahashivratri is the night of Shiva, and this festival is celebrated all over India. It is a very important festival for the Hindus. Lord Shiva is worshipped on this auspicious day. According to Hindu calendars, this year (2014) Maha Shivratri Festival is celebrated on 27th February. If interested to know more about this festival read it here. Lord Shiva is worshipped in many names. Read it here.

My new ebook - Sweet & Sour

'Sweet & Sour 1' is my new ebook with a collection of 10 short stories, written and published over a period of time. As I would like to preserve them as a book I decided to publish them as an ebook. This is first in the series of my short story anthologies Sweet & Sour. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IKFNAZY http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00IKFNAZY http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00IKFNAZY http://www.amazon.in/dp/B00IKFNAZY

Best Books on Writing and Creativity for 2013

Best books on Writing and Creativity for 2013 - 1. Why we Write : 20 Acclaimed Authors on How and Why They Do What They Do - Edited by Meredith Maran Why We Write: 20 Acclaimed Authors on How and Why They Do What They Do Prolific novelist Isabel Allende, one of the prolific novelists, who is one of the writers of the above book, offers three pieces of advice to the aspiring writers - It’s worth the work to find the precise word that will create a feeling or describe a situation. Use a thesaurus, use your imagination, scratch your head until it comes to you, but find the right word. When you feel the story is beginning to pick up rhythm—the characters are shaping up, you can see them, you can hear their voices, and they do things that you haven’t planned, things you couldn’t have imagined—then you know the book is somewhere, and you just have to find it, and bring it, word by word, into this world. When you tell a story in the kitchen to a friend, it’s full of mistakes

Ten Best sites for learning Creativity and Craft

If we have some best sites to learn from, in our chosen world, no doubt it will definitely be a great help. There will always be something new to learn from those people. Are you looking for such sites and spending a lot of time in this search? If so, this list is for you. 1. Brain Pickings You can read a lot of combinational forces of creativity on this site. These discussions can be very helpful in developing your own creativity. She has a newsletter and promptly it will reach your mail box, if you subscribe. Reading her newsletter is a great inspiration to me. 2. Aliventures If you are looking for practical advice for overcoming obstacles in your writing, aliventures is the site you have to check out. You can also learn how to be more productive in your writing on this site. 3. Dani Shapiro If you are lacking creative inspiration this is a site to explore. Dani Shapiro is a memoir author. 4. Grammar Girl Whatever you are writing, grammar is an important factor to be

Five Best Blogs to learn Blogging

Are you looking for best websites to learn blogging in 2014? Have you tried enough time to find out about them? You can check out these five websites for this purpose. 1. Be a Freelance Blogger This is a place for the writers to learn how to make more money by writing. The site also has opportunity for guest blogging, for free and for earning cash. 2. Boost Blog Traffic A blog without sufficient traffic is of no use. This blog teaches you how to get more traffic, how to get more readers, how to build your email list, how to become an authority in your niche etc. 3. Penelop Trunk Reading the posts at Penelop Trunk you will be able to learn how to grow a blog community. 4. Problogger net Problogger is an excellent example how to make a living with blogs. The site also offers a job board where you may perhaps able to find a freelance job. While you are here don't forget to check out one of the most popular posts there - Make money blogging 5. Smart P

Hashtags for writers - tweeting

Some of the hashtags used by authors for selling their books. These are the hastags used for different Genres #litfic (#literaryfiction) #histfic #histnovel #womensfiction #scifichat #scifi #romance #RWA (romance writers of America) #memoirchat #litchat #paranormal #crime #suspense Twitter hashtags for Short Stories #short #story #shortstories #shortreads When you are in the process of writing these hashtags will be helpful for tweeting - #WIP (work in progress) #amwriting #amediting #writingtip #writer #writersLife #writeChat #writeTip #writingparty #Storystarter #WrMatters Hashtags for Publishing #publishing #askagent #pubtip #askauthor #getpublished #indieauthors #indiepub Hashtags for children's book authors. #kidlit #kidlitchat #MGLit (middle grade lit) #SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) #yalitchat

10 tips for selling your books

All the indie authors want their books to be sold as many copies as possible. But for many, it is very difficult. Joanna-Penn gives ten tips for selling our books. The following points are to be checked - For a full post, please read this link http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2012/10/12/help-my-book-isnt-selling/ 1. Is your book available as an ebook? 2. Has your cover been professionally designed? 3. Has your book been professionally edited so it reads well? 4. Have you submitted the book to the right categories on the ebook stores? 5. Have you optimized your Amazon sales page with a hook, quotes from reviews and other material? 6. Have you priced your book realistically, or at least tried different price points? 7. Have you written, or are you writing another book? 8. Have you done some kind of promotion or marketing to let people know it is there? 9. Have you asked for reviews, or submitted to review sites? 10. Are you working your butt off?

Another review for 'Cherished '

Today morning, as usual, I picked up the newspaper(Deccan Herald) and read the main news items. Then without my knowledge, my hands flipped through the Sunday Supplement, and my eyes stopped at the Book Review section, to check which are the new books reviewed. Suddenly, to my utter surprise, I saw my book CHERISHED there. The review starts like this... “Fathers, like mothers, are not born; Men grow into fathers and fathering is a very important stage in their development.” How true! Lakshmi Menon has aptly brought out this famous saying of David Gottesman to strengthen her novel Cherished. The story revolves around a family of two — husband and wife, but it is the daughter Jyoti who adds colour to this novel presented to the readers in fluent expressive language and unambiguous relevant conversations. Read the full review here - http://www.deccanherald.com/content/378499/an-emotional-family-roller-coaster.html