Mohana Rajakumar - AN UNLIKELY GODDESS is featured in the HBS Author's Spotlight Showcase

The Showcase is a special feature of the Author's Spotlight. It is designed to highlight Spotlight author's NEW releases and their soon to be released novels.

The HBS Author's Spotlight SHOWCASES Mohana Rajakumar's Book: AN UNLIKELY GODDESS

AN UNLIKELY GODDESS

Author: Mohana Rajakumar


AVAILABLE
Amazon


Winner of the SheWrites New Novelist competition 2011

"Mohana's entry, out of all of them, stood out for its story and for its distinct and engaging voice. Mohana made us want to read more…" Kamy Wicoff, author and founder of She Writes.com

Sita is the firstborn, but since she is a female child, her birth makes life difficult for her mother who is expected to produce a son. From the start, Sita finds herself in a culture hostile to her, but her irrepressible personality won’t be subdued. Born in India, she immigrates as a toddler to the U.S. with her parents after the birth of her much anticipated younger brother.

Sita shifts between the vastly different worlds of her WASP dominated school and her father’s insular traditional home. Her journey takes us beneath tales of successful middle class Indians who immigrated to the U.S. in the 1980s.

The gap between positive stereotypes of South Asian immigrants and the reality of Sita's family, who are struggling to stay above the poverty line is a relatively new theme for Indian literature in English.

Sita's struggles to be American and yet herself, take us deeper into understanding the dilemmas of first generation children, and how religion and culture define women.

An Unlikely Goddess
By Mohanalakshmi Rajakumar
Winner of the SheWrites New Novelist Award, 2011

…The Hindu goddess, Sita, is said to have been born from the Earth. King Janaka discovers the beautiful infant and in her beauty, believes in her divinity. He raises her as his own daughter……

Prologue

Unlike her namesake, Sita's first mistake was being born.

A girl, her mother thought, eyes dark in abject terror. What if he leaves me? She swallowed, increasing the dryness in her post-delivery mouth, the stiches across her abdomen itching. No water. Only ice chips until her bowels passed the tests. Mythili pressed back against the pillows. She closed her eyes, pushing her fingers into the sockets until the darkness was punctuated by bone-white stars. She wished she could as easily tune out the gurgles of the baby in the bassinet beside her.

Yet, even premature and unwanted, Sita was obliviously happy to enter the world, beaming her infant smile at anyone or anything she saw: the nurse, her aunt, her mother's back, the noxiously-pink cement walls of the Madras hospital in which she found herself. Several pounds underweight, she was otherwise fine—a petite, brown-skinned baby with tufts of black hair crowning a smooth scalp. How could she be expected to know that from her first breath she was, and always would be, a living reminder of her mother's failure to produce a first-born male heir?

Though swaddled and placed in the bassinet immediately after delivery, her eyes were alive with motion. She blinked up at the faces of passersby, but they were admittedly few, so instead, she followed the blinking lights, the creeping shadows and the occasional appearance of a nurse.

Everything about the world kept her busy with delight until sleep washed over her little body.

“Look at that smile,” the young nurse said, cradling Sita against her flat bosom.

“Aamam,” Priya, the childless aunt, agreed, rubbing a forefinger across the baby’s somewhat wrinkly face.

Instead of replying, Mythili, Sita’s mother, pulled a see-through blue sheet up to her chin and turned her face away.

Author Genre: Essays & non-fiction projects with young adults

Website: Mohadoha
Author's Blog: YouTube Channel - Mohana Rajakumar
Twitter: @moha_doha
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Author Description: Mohanalakshmi Rajakumar is a South Asian American who has lived in Qatar since 2005. Moving to the Arabian Desert was fortuitous in many ways since this is where she met her husband, had a baby, and made the transition from writing as a hobby to a full time passion. Her work has been published in AudioFile Magazine, Explore Qatar, Woman Today, The Woman, Writers and Artists Yearbook, QatarClick, and Qatar Explorer. She has been a guest on Expat Radio, and was the host for two seasons of the Cover to Cover book show on Qatar Foundation Radio. She was the Associate Editor of Vox, a fashion and lifestyle magazine.

She has also published six e-books including a mom-ior for first time mothers, Mommy But Still Me, a guide for aspiring writers, So You Want to Sell a Million Copies, a short story collection, Coloured and Other Stories, and a novel about women’s friendships, Saving Peace. Most recently, From Dunes to Dior, is a collection of essays related to her experiences as a female South Asian American living in the Arabian Gulf. Her second novel is set in Qatar which explores if this generation of people believe that Love Comes Later. Since she joined the e-book revolution, she dreams in plot lines.

Mohana has a PhD from the University of Florida with a focus on gender and postcolonial theory. Her dissertation project was published as Haram in the Harem (Peter Lang, 2009) a literary analysis of the works of three Muslim women authors in India, Algeria, and Pakistan. She is the creator and co-editor of five books in the Qatar Narratives series, as well as the Qatari Voices anthology which features essays by Qataris on modern life in Doha (Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing, 2010). Her research has been published in numerous journals and anthologies. She was a winner of the She Writes We Love New Novelists competition.

Currently Mohana is working on a coming of age story about a South Indian girl growing up in the U.S. She writes because words can help us understand ourselves and others.


Author's Book List
The Dohmestics
Edna, Amira, and Noof are neighbors but that doesn't mean they know what happens behind closed doors or that they have anything in common with their hired help.

Maria, Maya, and Lillie live in the same compound as their employers but that's where the similarities begin and end.

There's never a dull moment for anyone in this desert emirate.

The unending gossip and unrelenting competition may be business as usual for expatriate communities but the unspoken secrets threaten to destroy life as everyone knows it.


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Love Comes Later
Hind is granted a temporary reprieve from her impending marriage to Abdulla, her cousin. Little does anyone suspect that the presence of Sangita, her Indian roommate, may shake a carefully constructed future. Torn between loyalties to Hind and a growing attraction to Abdulla, Sangita must choose between friendship and a burgeoning love.

A modern quest for the right to pursue love and happiness, even when it comes in an unconventional package, LOVE COMES LATER explores similarities between the South Asian and Arab cultures while exposing how cultural expectations affect both men and women. Identities are tested and boundaries questioned against the shifting backdrops of Doha, Qatar and London, England.


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From Dunes to Dior
Called everything from the world's richest to fattest nation, Qatar has been on the breakneck path towards change for several decades. The capital city Doha, is where our family of three has lived since 2005.

FROM DUNES TO DIOR is not the stuff of newspaper headlines (they made their money from oil! Thirty years ago everyone was living in tents!) but real life stories about being a South Asian American who lives here (no, I don't have to cover my hair, and yes, I can drive).

I had no idea that living the life of my dreams (including a husband and precious baby) would coincide with the rapid development of one the smallest and safest countries in the world, an oasis of calm smack dab in the global hotspot of the Middle East.


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Saving Peace
You go to college to meet your bridesmaids," or so the saying goes in North Carolina, on the campus of the all female Peace College. But what happens when the friends you thought you were making for life, betray you? The same ones you'd be in the retirement home with aren't speaking not ten years later?

The ups and downs of women's friendships are tested in SAVING PEACE. Thirty years intervene in the friendships begun at the all female Peace College.

Sib, the local news anchor with dreams of going national. Mary Beth, the capable, restless mother of three. Kim, the college president who admits male students.

SAVING PEACE is the story of promises made and broken, love found then lost, and redemption sought for the past. Three women. Two choices. One campus.

What if there's nothing worth saving?


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Hip Hop Dance - The American Dance Floor
Rapping. Breakdancing. MCing. DJing. Beatboxing. Graffiti art. These are just some of the most well-known artistic expressions spawned from hip hop culture, which has grown from being an isolated inner-city subculture in the 1970s to being a truly international and mainstream culture that has taken root in countries as diverse as Japan, France, Israel, Poland, Brazil, South Korea, and England.

Stemming from its humble origin as a lifestyle of minority youth in New York City, hip hop dance is now a global phenomenon that has transcended ethnicity, nationality, and language. Today's hip hop culture is so popular and pervasive, the U.S. Department of State describes hip hop as "now the center of a megamusic and fashion industry around the world."

This insightful book provides not only an overview of hip hop's distinctive dance style and steps, but also a historic overview of hip hop's roots as an urban expression of being left out of the mainstream pop culture, clarifying the social context of hip hop culture before it became a widespread suburban phenomenon. Hip Hop Dance documents all the forms of street music that led to one of the most groundbreaking, expressive, and influential dance styles ever created.


Order the Book From: Amazon - Barnes and Noble
Mommy but Still Me
Imagine a man volunteering to trade in his game nights for heart burn and back ache. Good thing there are women around to ensure the survival of the species. This hilarious look at the journey from high heels to high blood pressure, as a jet setter turns into a bed wetter, is what your doctor won't tell you and your own mother may have forgotten in the years since she was blessed by your arrival.

At our first meeting my future father-in-law waited until we sat down in the Thai restaurant, the oblong menus placed in our hands and the waiter was a distance away, tending to other diners, before turning towards me, his eyes glowing. This was the first time we were all seeing each other after his son had proposed to me. "When will I get to hold my first grandchild?"

For my father-in-law and everyone else, I have a question of my own: When will any of you be satisfied?


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So You Want to Sell a Million Copies?
You're trying to write a book; and you're not the next Shakespeare - not yet, anyway. You could be. But no one will ever know if you don't get those marvelous words out on the page (or screen). In easy to do, daily steps and exercises, Mohana breaks down the steps of getting started as a creative writer. From getting past writer's block (excuse of the weak!) to putting that blog to work (every body's got one), the tools of the trade are revealed.

If you've had a story idea in your head for a day, year, (or longer) that it doesn't seem to be writing itself, you may want to take a closer look at this book. Designed as a concise guide for aspiring writers, you'll find here the key principles of how to get started, keep going, and finish a manuscript, all told by a fellow accidental writer who took the long way developing a writer's formula.


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Coloured and Other Stories
What's it like being the ant in the ice cream? The characters in this short story collection will show you; experience life as they know it as transplants from across the world into American suburbia.

Adapted from real life anecdotes both her own and those of others, Mohana takes us into the world of the South Asian immigrant living the American Dream. Think of her as a cultural translator for those who you may not notice otherwise, living in the margins of our cities.

"What are a few inches when you know he will provide for you the rest of your life," her mother would have said, smacking her in the cheek.

The sight of his feet, white, broad toes, and clean, short-clipped nails startled her. Americans normally wore their shoes everywhere; they had special shoes to wear inside their houses, shoes specifically for their bedrooms. BABY


Book Trailer: Coloured and Other Stories
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Qatari Voices
Qatari Voices is the first anthology that represents 25 young creative Qatari authors. The anthology reflects concerns and aspirations of the young Qatari generation illustrated in essays and stories.

They are intimate glimpses of old reminiscence and longing to the simple past, as well as photos that show concerns of a challenging present and aspirations to the future. They also tackle sensitive issues such as arranged marriages and gender discrimination. Qatari Voices is a mirror of reality of the Qatari society from a young generation perspective.


Order the Book From: Amazon - Barnes and Noble
Author Recommended by: HBSystems Publications
Publisher of ebooks, writing industry blogger and the sponsor of the following blogs:
eBook Author’s Corner and HBS Mystery Reader’s Circle
Check out the index of other Spotlight authors. Spotlight Index.

Vickie McKeehan - An Author Interview in the HBS Author's Spotlight

Today our blog puts the Spotlight on bestselling Author Vickie McKeehan. Vickie writes romantic suspense.

Author Genre: Romance, Paranormal, Ghosts, Military

Website: Vickie McKeehan
Author's Blog: Vickie McKeehan - Romance. Darkness. Suspense.
Twitter: @VickieMcKeehan
Goodreads: Check Out Goodreads
Google+: Check Out Google+
Facebook: Check Out Facebook
Pinterest: Check Out Pinterest


Author Description:
Vickie writes romantic suspense. She's the author of three distinctive, very different series of books, The Evil Trilogy, the Pelican Pointe series, and the Skye Cree novels.? She's just finished her ninth book, The Bones Will Tell, the second story in the Skye Cree saga.

?Vickie loves to write and enjoys getting two people together, involving them in some type of danger, mystery or suspense guaranteed to challenge the budding relationship between the two main characters.

Her female leads are usually strong-willed, independent women and definitely not the kind who sit around whimpering, waiting for someone to rescue them. Not only that, when you read one of Vickie's books, you'll get a happy ending.

Vickie loves the outdoors, loves to play video games, and enjoys watching football with the hubby. If you've ever read any of her books, you know she's a die-hard Raider fan, which means she has the patience of Job. ?

She's convinced the best food on earth is French fries. Whenever she's writing she keeps two things on hand at all times. Chocolate and Cheetos.

Vickie is proud to be a member of Romance Writers of America.


SPOTLIGHT Questions and Answers with the Author

Let’s start with what’s next. Rumor has it that you have another book on the horizon called Starlight Dunes is coming in December. Can you tell us the timeline for its release and give us a little tease?

Right now, Starlight Dunes is set for release in mid-December. It’s Brent Cody’s and River Amandez’s story. As for a teaser, someone’s trying to kill Brent and River has a huge secret she’s keeping to herself. When the two of them connect, it will change Pelican Pointe forever.

You have a good following on twitter. How important have your social media relationships been? How did you build your following in your niche? Did you use forums, newsletters and methods like that?

Social media is a must for marketing, especially if you’re a writer. Having a presence on Twitter, Facebook, and the Internet in general, is essential for success. But like anything else, social media isn’t the sole relationship builder you need to establish yourself with readers. Like any good team, it all has to come together in order to click. That means using every tool available to you to keep your books where people can see them and see you.

Do you do book signings, interviews, speaking and personal appearances? If so, when and where is the next place where your readers can see you? Where can they keep up with your personal contacts online?

I do book signings usually at book clubs. For example, in the month of September I did two, one in San Diego and one in Los Angeles. A reader usually contacts me through my website or messages me on Facebook asking about making an appearance to sign copies of my books and to answer questions while I’m there about the characters, the storyline, or the next book in the series, if there is one. Most readers use Facebook or my website, vickiemckeehan.com to send me a message, which is fine. They can also DM me on Twitter.

You have great covers. They carry a theme and your brand with them. How does your book cover creation process work? Do you hand over the basic theme or do you have more of a hands-on approach? Do you get your readers involved in its development?

Thank you, James. That’s a true compliment to the designers I’ve worked with in the past. I have a hands-on approach and work very closely with my designers to convey what I feel best reflects the theme of the book.

Besides the Romance Writers of America, what other writer support groups do you belong too? Do they help with the writing, marketing and the publishing process?

Connecting with other writers always makes the process a little better, a little easier.

Has the advent of ebooks changed anything in your writing, getting the book to your readers and the relationship with your readers and fans?

I think ebooks makes the whole publishing process easier and faster and more efficient than the printed book. Although I’ll always love a book in print, I’m blown away by the fact that some one thousand plus books will fit on my Kindle. That’s the power of having your own personal “library” at your fingertips without ever leaving your house. How great is that? How advanced technology-wise is that? It’s nothing short of fantastic having so many books right there!

What has been your experience in giving your books away free? Have you been involved in any other type of giveaways and how did that work out? What was your main goal in doing this? Did you run into any obstacles?

My promotional days are still the best resources for getting new readers. Like anything else there have been a few problems to iron out along the way. But usually the benefits far outweigh any issues that may arise.

You have a great blog. You do a great job keeping readers informed, marketing your books and supporting other writers like CAROLYN ARNOLD. What is your primary goal? And where in the world do you find the time to create great novels, take care of the social media and maintain your blog?

Thanks for that, James! I still don’t know why I dragged my feet so long about starting a blog. I love having one now! The only problem with it is coming up with new content. I’m the first to admit I’m not as good about writing articles as I should be. Writing books takes up most of my days. I salute those other writers like Carolyn Arnold though who can do it all and make it look effortless. Carolyn’s one who does it all.

What is your method of getting reviews for your novels? Do you seek professional reviews, use social media or do you rely on your reading audience to supply them?

I rely totally on my readers for their reviews. Readers also connect with me by posting on my Facebook wall and sending me messages through my website. I have a special menu at www.vickiemckeehan.com for just those types of comments. All those listed are in addition to the reviews posted on Amazon. I’m blown away by the number of people who message me. It’s been like that from the start. After people read the Evil Secrets Trilogy I received numerous emails from child abuse victims. It was amazing that so many people connected with Kit’s, Baylee’s and Quinn’s childhoods.

I like the idea of mixing chocolate into your scheme of things. I have seen other authors use blood. How did you come up with that idea?

This one’s easy. I love chocolate.



Author's Book List
Lighthouse Reef - A Pelican Pointe Novel -- Book Four
Murder and Mystery. Welcome back to Pelican Pointe.

~Lighthouse Reef~

Up-and-coming lawyer Kinsey Wyatt has come to Pelican Pointe to prove she's the real deal. Little does she know that a mysterious stranger, Logan Donnelly, a secretive and seductive artist, harbors a black secret that will put her skills and her wits--and her love--to the test. For when the town's darkest hour is at hand, drawing them into a cat-and-mouse game of murder and deception, the past and present collide in a stunning climax that will have your heart pounding to the mind-blowing end.


Order the Book From: Amazon
The Bones of Others - A Skye Cree Novel -- Book One
Some monsters live in your head. Not this one.

Brutalized as a young girl by a vile sexual predator, Skye Cree is a survivor. Guided by the visions of her mystical spirit guide to the whereabouts of abducted girls, she uses her unique abilities to turn her horrifying past into a positive force for justice. Fighting the demons that have haunted her for years, she trusts only in herself--until she falls hard for a man for the first time in her life. Now, discovering her abductor is back with a vengeance, she becomes locked in a deadly race against time to stop the horrors of an evil human-trafficking ring that threatens to tear her world, and her newfound love apart.


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Dancing Tides - A Pelican Pointe Novel -- Book Three
From darkness comes light ... and a second chance.

For marine biologist Keegan Fanning, the grief of losing her grandparents is too painful to bear. As if battling her own demons is not enough, she discovers that saving a total stranger from committing suicide forges an unlikely bond that will bring them together in ways they could never imagine--a bond of trust and love that is quickly put to the test at the hand of a psychotic killer who has them in his sights.


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Ending Evil - The Evil Secrets Trilogy - Book Three
The Evil Trilogy
Despite growing up together in their trendy Beverly Hills neighborhood, three best friends hide dark childhoods, each in their own way. The lives of Kit, Baylee and Quinn have been anything but perfect. Little do they know a stranger is about to unravel long, buried secrets, bringing the past back to life with a vengeance.

Ending Evil
The castoff daughter of rock star, Nick Tyler and artist, Ella Canyon, Quinn is determined to overcome her grim childhood and achieve her lifelong dream of becoming a doctor. Over the years her friends have provided support like family, but even they have no idea the dark secrets she harbors. And when Cade Boyd sets out to end her life, she's forced to make decisions that will put everything she holds dear at risk.

Attorney Reese Brennan is drawn to the first year resident doctor. But Quinn's resistance to him only makes him more steadfast. He suspects she's had a difficult past. But he isn't prepared to learn the truth. When Cade Boyd ramps up his efforts to make Quinn pay for the past, together Reese and Quinn will do anything to crush what's left of a legal dynasty. They'll cross the line. They'll break the law. They'll take extreme measures to put an end to the evil, now and forever.


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Deeper Evil - The Evil Secrets Trilogy - Book Two
The Evil Trilogy
Despite growing up together in their trendy Beverly Hills neighborhood, three best friends hide dark childhoods, each in their own way. The lives of Kit, Baylee and Quinn have been anything but perfect. Little do they know a stranger is about to unravel long, buried secrets, bringing the past back to life with a vengeance.

Deeper Evil
Baylee Scott is the daughter of renowned director William Scott and actress Sarah Moreland. Baylee has worked for years to put her father's abusive alcoholic outbursts behind her. She's also overcome her mother's abandonment at the age of three. That is, until one night at a charity event, an acquaintance ends up turning her world upside down. Now, with an infant daughter Baylee lives in fear her secret will be found out by the man she's been hiding from for almost a year, a man from one of the most powerful legal dynasties in California.

Dylan Burke is determined to win over the single mother, Baylee Scott, and protect her and baby Sarah. Dylan has his work cut out for him, however, when he opens up a can of worms delving into William Scott's past, a past that hides a twenty-two year old murder. It's also another vital link to the legal dynasty. Tangled in a maze of murderous lies and deceit, the two discover the truth about the legal empire and its founders and just how far the heirs will go to get what they want.


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Hidden Moon Bay - A Pelican Pointe Novel -- Book Two
Starting over takes a heart of courage. Staying alive takes two.

~Hidden Moon Bay

Fleeing into the night along a dark coastal road, Hayden Ryan is determined to grab hold of a new life, free of the clutches of a ruthless Russian mobster--her former boss. But when she meets the ruggedly handsome deputy sheriff of sleepy Pelican Pointe, starting over grows ever more complicated. Fighting for freedom, yet trapped between a suspicious cop and a burning desire to be with him, can she survive with a price on her head?


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Promise Cove - A Pelican Pointe Novel -- Book One 1
Sometimes, a promise kept can change your life.

~Promise Cove~

Reeling from the violent death of her husband in war-torn Iraq, Jordan Phillips is at her wit's end, left to fend for herself and her baby. Alone and desperate in backwater Pelican Pointe, she faces an uphill battle against a judgmental and hostile town as she tries to rebuild her life. But when a mysterious and handsome stranger with a tragic secret appears, her fragile new world threatens to come crashing down around her. A heartbreaking story of love and romance, Promise Cove will hold you breathless until the very last page.


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Just Evil - The Evil Secrets Trilogy - Book One
The Evil Trilogy
Despite growing up together in their trendy Beverly Hills neighborhood, three best friends hide dark childhoods. The lives of Kit, Baylee and Quinn have been anything but perfect. Little do they know a stranger is about to unravel long, buried secrets, bringing the past back to life with a vengeance.

Just Evil
Kit Griffin has finally overcome a painful childhood at the hands of her mother, former actress Alana Stevens. No longer living in the grasp of the cold, tyrannical woman, Kit's life is finally on track. That is, until Alana is found brutally murdered on Mother's Day, pulling Kit back to the dark horrors of her past. To make matters worse, the police consider Kit the prime suspect.

Jake Boston is an old family friend and the man Kit has loved since she was a teen. He's fighting his own demons as a suspect in his wife's murder two years earlier. Despite his past, he's determined to win Kit over once and for all. But before that can happen they need to convince the police there's a killer working his way down a list with cold-hearted vengeance in mind.

Forced to delve into Alana's dark past, Jake and Kit uncover a forty-year-old double murder leading them straight to the door of a legal dynasty. Soon they find out just how far the heirs will go to keep the past buried.


Order the Book From: Amazon
Author Recommended by: HBSystems Publications
Publisher of ebooks, writing industry blogger and the sponsor of the following blogs:
HBS eBook Author’s Corner
HBS Mystery Reader’s Circle

Check out the index of other Spotlight authors. Spotlight Index.