Book Review: Coming Home by Smitha Vishwanath @SmithaVishwana4

Cover of the book 'Coming Home' by Smitha Vishwanath featuring a couple holding hands at the beach during sunset.

SYNOPSIS

Twenty-six-year-old, Shaynaya’s world is shattered at the death of her beloved mother. In spite of career achievements, there’s a vacuum in her heart caused by the questions raised by her mother’s sudden death which remain unanswered. In her quest for peace and the need to hold her family together, she leaves her job in the Middle East and moves to India; journeying across geographical planes and inner landscapes to finally reach ‘home’.

Coming Home is a heartwarming story about self-discovery, relationships, loss, love, destiny, the choices we make, and how these choices eventually lead to what we are destined for.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Smitha Vishwanath is a banker turned writer. She began her writing journey in 2016 through her blog, https://smithavpen nings.com. Her poetry has been published by Thieving Magpies, Spillwords Press, Silverbirch Press, Borderless Journal, and Rebelle Society, amongst others. In 2019, her poem, ‘Omid’ was nominated for Best of the Net and her poems, ‘Do you have dreams?’ and ‘Forgotten’ were given special mention in NaPoWriMo, 2021 and 2022, hosted by Maureen Thomson. In addition, she was awarded the Reuel International Prize for poetry by the online group, TSL in 2022.

In 2019, she co-authored a book of poetry, Roads- A journey with Verses which received positive reviews. She was nominated poet of the month in May 2021 and voted ‘Author of the month’ for January and February, 2023 by Spillwords Press. Smitha’s writing is peppered with the lessons learned from the plethora of invaluable experiences that come from having travelled widely, lived across India, UAE and Iran and worked in a multi-cultural environment.

She currently resides in Dhaka, Bangladesh, with her husband and two daughters. When she is not writing, you can find her painting, travelling or sharing reviews of books she has read, on Goodreads, Amazon and her blog.

ABOUT THE EDITOR

For Kaye Lynne Booth, writing is a passion. Kaye Lynne is an author with published short fiction and poetry, both online and in print, including her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction; and her paranormal mystery novella, Hidden Secrets; Books 1 & 2 of her Women in the West adventure series, Delilah and Sarah, and book 1 in her Time-Travel Adventure series, The Rock Star & The Outlaw, as well as her poetry collection, Small Wonders and The D.I.Y. Author writing resource.

Kaye holds a dual M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing with emphasis in genre fiction and screenwriting, and an M.A. in publishing. Kaye Lynne is the founder of WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services and WordCrafter Press, where she edits and publishes two short fiction anthologies and one poetry anthology every year amidst her many writing projects. She also maintains an authors’ blog and website, Writing to be Read, where she publishes content of interest in the literary world.

My Review (Updated For New Edition)

I am delighted to receive an updated edition of Coming Home with a pleasing new cover designed by WordCrafter Press.

At the beginning of this tale, Smitha Vishwanath recounts the sad passing of the main protagonist Shanaya’s mother with great love and understanding, introducing the other members of her family ,  (and the 11 day funeral and cultural rituals,) in particular, her aunt, younger sister and the characteristics of her father.

Her friend Thishani picks her up in Dubai. Her senior work colleagues, Rohit and Anil seem unaware of her loss which causes her further distress. She takes a banking career break to be with family, goes to an Ashram, for yoga, prayers, and meditation, and to find peace from her mother’s loss.

What follows is a lovely heartwarming and perceptive story of love, loss, family, friendships and finding yourself, with relationship/romance aspects in the love interests provided in the form of two very different possibilities: Suresh, (a surgeon,) and Jai (a banker.)

Also, I’d like to add that I liked the relatable quotes and pearls of wisdom that were included at the beginning of each chapter from various sources, and the delectable food mentioned in various passages which made my mouth water!

I really enjoyed Coming Home and would definitely recommend for readers who seek out cultural, family tales with looking for your soul mate type of romance vibes.

Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/ComingHome-SmithaVishwanath

Welcome to the WordCrafter “Coming Home” Release Party Post | Writing to be Read

PREVIOUS TITLES

Previous WordCrafter Press titles compiled and edited by Kaye Lynne Booth include Visions, Once Upon an Ever After, Refracted Reflections, Tales From The Hanging Tree, and the Midnight Anthology Series.

Midnight Dark Fiction Anthology Series | Writing to be Read

WordCrafter Press is a mid-size new-model publisher founded by author Kaye Lynne Booth. You can find us at https://writingtoberead.com/readings-for-writers/wordcrafter-quality-writing-author-services/wordcrafter-press/ .

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Vote for Golden Healer – AllAuthor #book #cover #competition

Book cover for 'Golden Healer: The Curse of Time Book 2' by M.J. Mallon, featuring intricate clockwork designs, with text indicating it's the All Author Cover of the Month, ranked number 17.

Newflash: My YA fantasy Golden Healer is in the final round of AllAuthor cover competition.

Book cover of 'Golden Healer: The Curse of Time Book 2' by M. J. Mallon featuring intricate clock designs and a green and gold color palette. Promotional text indicates it is in the final round of a cover competition.

I’d love it if you could vote at:

https://allauthor.com/cover-of-the-month/21231/

Thank you so much in anticipation!

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Book Review: The Art of Storytelling @crazycatwriter #bookreview #testimonial #nonfiction

Book review of 'The Art of Storytelling' by Heena Rathore-Pardeshi, highlighting its usefulness for writing a novel and overall inspiring nature, along with a five-star rating.

Heena Rathore-Pardeshi’s latest book is out and what a brilliant one it is! I was delighted to ARC read, and honoured to be asked to write an endorsement/review for this wonderful book.

Book cover of 'The Art of Storytelling' by Heena Rathore-Pardeshi, featuring a red background, bold white title, and subtitle 'A Step-by-step Guide To Writing A Novel'.

My thoughts:

The Art of Storytelling by Heena Rathore-Pardeshi is just what I needed at this stage of my draft!

Superb.

Now, I have the tools and the motivation to complete my ambitious project.


It’s an inspiring, detailed, and well-researched book.


Heena’s love of storytelling mediums, both written and visual, coupled with her editing, reading, and writing experience, shines throughout.


With her generosity of spirit, there is a wonderful sense of paying it forward and a heartfelt intention that her readers will develop their unique writing skills to their fullest potential.


What an invaluable writing resource with practical solutions and examples for both new and more experienced writers to follow.


I highly recommend The Art of Storytelling wherever you are on your writing journey.

Heena Rathore-Pardeshi

A much deserved 5 stars!

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Anthology:  Eurolit & DC Books Author Interview: M. J. Mallon

A woman smiling outdoors in front of a large historic building, discussing her writing process and thoughts on creativity while traveling.
An author, Marjorie Mallon, smiles in front of a historic building, promoting her work on travel and creativity. The background includes travel-related imagery such as a passport and a pen.

Thank you to Dan!

Dan is sharing these author informal interviews for his forthcoming anthology!

The conversation/s is/are officially out:

Follow Eurolit to read all the interviews!

https://www.facebook.com/share/195NtFx7rF/

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Gotta Get Them All Book Mash #stuffyourkindle #free #discountedbooks



Indie Author Collective, stuff your kindle, stuff your ereader, discounted books, free books, free Amazon, free Kobo, free first book in series from 23rd to 26th September.

Find out more about my book series, The Curse of Time, its dark and light inspirations, and beautiful artwork by Carolina Russo @yesterdayafter and Shadow, its wonderful black cat!

Find your next amazing series to read at:
https://www.indieauthorcollective.com/live-event

https://www.indieauthorcollective.com/authors/m-j-mallon

INSPIRATIONS:

The Chronophage

Anya Gallaccio: The Light Pours Out Of Me

ARTWORK:

About Me

BOOK REVIEW: Vampyr, Ghost, Assassin Kathryn Rossati #bookreview #netgalley #teen #read

Netgalley Review

A fun, engaging read and a different take on the usual vampire tale for younger teen readers. Instead of blood think sugary sweets and cherry soda for vampire sustanence! So, don’t expect gore, or romance, but there is suspense, threat and action appropriate to the younger audience.Well written characters and an amusing storyline bring the reader into the story successfully and keep their attention throughout the narrative. I particularly loved Sera the ghost, who loves teasing Wyn, calling him: ‘Needle teeth,’ and Eva, the assassin too, all the characters are ones you feel drawn to, and end up caring about, even the ‘bad guys.’You will appreciate the storytelling adventure to recover Wyn’s parents and enjoy the quirks of this cool gang, with the revelation about the villain concluding the story in a totally satisfying and relatable way.A lovely read, I’m much older than the intended readership but being young at heart I really enjoyed it. Highly recommended, I guarantee it will make you smile.

Synopsis

When Wyn Gatteaux discovers the body of a human girl in his garden, his carefully ordered life begins to unravel. Vampyrs don’t drink blood – that’s only a human myth – but within hours, Detective Cerry Vanell, heir to a feared line of vampyr hunters, arrests Wyn’s parents and leaves him trapped under guard.Desperate and alone, Wyn attempts to send a message to his aunt in Worldunder, the hidden city beneath the streets where non-humans seek refuge. His plea for help goes unanswered. Worse still, the ghost of the dead girl, Sera, appears at his side, unable to stray far from him without being dragged back by an unseen force.With a relentless teen assassin on his trail and time slipping away, Wyn must risk everything to free his family and sever his connection with Sera before the Vanell family do their worst.

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Book Review: Cecil Moves Home @lilmissmorfett#bookreview

I’m delighted to be on the blog tour for Cecil Moves Home, written and illustrated by Suzanne Stephenson.

Blurb

Cecil’s web is about to be swept away and he is scared.

Then he meets Mr Perkins the cat who decides to help him, taking him to the house across the road. This belongs to Mr Tizard who likes all creatures and who offers Cecil a place to stay.

There Cecil meets Flo another spider and is able to find a home.

About The Author

Living in the English countryside I already had a couple of careers before I became an author. Having been a Family Lawyer and Family Mediator I became a District Judge in the year 2000 and officially retired from judging in early 2021. Sitting on complex family cases did not leave me much time for my interests of writing and sketching but when I had free-time I tried to visit interesting places. I hope my ancestors helped provide some inspiration as well. My father was a Holocaust survivor and my maternal grandfather a gynaecologist and composer. The people and countryside of Eastern England also are embedded in my psyche.

Book Review

Cecil Moves Home is one of the books I’ve read from Suzanne Stephenson, all of which I’ve enjoyed. If you like gentle books about animals with sketches this will be for you! There are little touches of humour, such as the benefits of spiders, (keeping flies from your home,) and giving them a human quality such as courting and marrying! The prose is written in a poetic rhyming style which I enjoyed.

There is a new character, Mr Tizard, and you get to hear about a black cat called Mr Perkins, and the kitties, rooks and crows. All lovingly illustrated throughout.

My recommendation: This is for readers who are interested in the delights of animals and would like a book to make them smile.

My rating 4 stars

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Book Review: The Star Conspiracy Julia Sutton

Book Review

The Star Conspiracy by Julia Sutton

I really enjoyed Julia Sutton’s young adult novel, The Star Conspiracy.

It tells the story of Issy and Dan, their families the members of the Star Institute and the villaneous Doctor Fraser.

The storyline initially focuses on teenage problems such as Dan’s parents splitting up, Issy’s father passing away, and their parents having new partners, the problems of coping with bullying, and the challenges of teen romantic relationships.and growing up.

With the holiday in Crete the mystery of the Star Institute and Dead Man’s Island begins. This is followed by the circus scenes and psychic, gifted children aspects.

Heartfelt, a lovely tale to become immersed in. Well plotted, imaginative and with engaging characters.

I loved the sentiment of the epilogue which concluded the story in a very satisfying, positive way.

Highly recommended.

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Blackness Castle Scotland #photos #blackness #castle #Edinburgh #writers #dayout

An unexpected detour on a day out with hubby led to the discovery of this lovely castle. What a stunning sight!

We had various plans, a walk – Boness:

More photos of Blackness Castle:

Lovely view of South Queensferry bridges from the castle.

A pigeon making a home in the castle!

Plus some graphitti in Edinburgh in this subway I’ve never walked through in my life! I was on my way to the Shut Up And Write session at Fountainbridge, which involves an hour writing plus separate time to chat about your current projects with fellow writers. I enjoyed!

Plus on route I look a liking to the name of this cafe, Chapter one Cafe in Dalry! Very writerly!

Hope you enjoyed the photos!

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