Bollywood and Books

Surabhi Kaushik & Writers Beyond Borders

Lovelace Cook — Wed, 15 Jun 2022 12:00:00 -0500

In Conversation with Surabhi Kaushik on Writers Beyond Borders and Much More!

Meet An Extraordinary Woman - Surabhi Kaushik

“Writing has been my passion and profession for over 2 decades now. “

Surabhi Kaushik is a professional writer based in Charlotte, North Carolina. She and her husband and son moved to the US in 2105 from Mumbai, India.

We met by chance, as fans of Author Alka Joshi, and I knew Surabhi’s story had to be shared with my listeners!

Surabhi doesn’t have a work visa for the USA yet, but she gives of her time and talent and serves the community as a volunteer. She initiated a writing group—Write Like You Mean It, at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library, and she conducts writing workshops in other Charlotte, NC libraries.

Surabhi led writing programs and assisted hosting events at the library for five years. In that time, she logged well over 500 hours of service. Kaushik shared, “Volunteering at the Library has been an enjoyable learning experience for me because it has given me a space to showcase my talents, meet new people and be part of a welcoming community. The writing group has given me a sense of belonging which was important to me as a newbie immigrant.”

In November 2020, Surabhi received the North Carolina Governor’s Award for Volunteer Service.

Her work has been published in several magazines and on websites in India and the US. Some of her writing may be found on India Currents . Check out her writing talent on her blog Writers Mind.Surabhi .

SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLES & LINK TO SURABHI'S PROGRAM WRITERS BEYOND BORDERS

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/surabhi.kaushik.52/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/writersmind.surabhi/

Writers Beyond Borders

The virtual program hosted by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library. The FREE ONLINE PROGRAM meets the third Wednesday of every month. It is a FREE program. Register for the program here.

Alka Joshi - The Henna Artist - Part II

Lovelace Cook — Thu, 05 May 2022 09:00:00 -0500

Alka Joshi - The Henna Artist - Part II

Thanks for listening to Part II of my two-part episode featuring my conversation with New York Times bestselling author Alka Joshi.

In this episode, Alka continues her discussion about her path to publishing her debut novel The Henna Artist. It’s a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick.

Reese Witherspoon said, “Captivated me from the first chapter to the final page.”

Alka talks about hiring two developmental editors for her manuscript after she had been working with her agent for several years on changing her novel. Initially she resisted the feedback, but she realized the comments were nuances and brushstrokes that could help elevate her novel to bestseller status. Now she encourages everyone to find a developmental editor, but particularly ones that are interested in the genre they’re writing.

Alka discusses the reasons she cut almost 150 pages from her novel, and it wasn’t because of the reason I imagined. We discuss the publication of The Henna Artist and the novel’s meteoric rise to bestseller although it looked like the 2020 launch might not succeed after the pandemic caused everything to shut down in March.

We talk about the Netflix series in the works for The Henna Artist and book two in the trilogy The Secret Keeper of Jaipur, and we discuss the third novel that Alka will publish in 2023.

Alka shares the ways readers can find her online and she encourages writers to visit her YouTube channel to see the videos she made about traditional publishing vs. self-publishing. She talks about how to get an agent and how to deal with self-doubt. She encourages every woman to write her story.

Make sure to listen to Part I of the conversation with New York Times best-selling author Alka Joshi.

www.alkajoshi.com

www.thehennaartist.com

Now a Netflix Project

New York Times Bestseller

Reese Witherspoon Bookclub Pick

LA Times Bestseller

USA Today Bestseller

Toronto Star Bestseller

Globe & Mail Bestseller

Indie Bookstores Bestseller

Publishers Weekly Bestseller

Longlisted: First Novel, Center for Fiction

Amazon Summer 2020 Readers Pick

Goodreads Finalist Choice Awards 2020: Best Debut Novel & Best Historical Fiction

Indigo 10 Best Books of 2020

HCC Spring 2020 Fan Choice Winner

Follow Alka: Instagram Facebook Twitter Bookbub YouTube

Order Alka's Novels: Amazon Barnes&Noble Goodreads Indiebound Target BooksAMillion Walmart and your favorite independent bookstore!

Visit my website Lovelace Cook to learn more about me, my Bollywood and Books podcast episodes, and to see my blog and podcast pages with photos of the authors. Make sure to leave a rating and review of the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible or on your favorite podcast player.

Get in touch with me: lovelace@lovelacecook.com and let me know what you think about the podcast. I'd love to hear your ideas about Authors you'd like me to interview or Cinema you'd like to hear me discuss. Here's the contact page on my website:

Alka Joshi, NYT Bestselling Author, The Henna Artist

Lovelace Cook — Sat, 23 Apr 2022 18:15:00 -0500

NYT Bestselling Author Alka Joshi, The Henna Artist and The Secret Keeper of Jaipur

In Episode I of this two-part episode of Bollywood and Books, New York TImes best-selling author Alka Joshi talks about her novel The Henna Artist.

In our conversation, Alka talks about her childhood in India and her path to publishing her debut novel The Henna Artist. It’s a New York Times bestseller and a Reese Witherspoon Bookclub Pick. It’s also an LA Times Bestseller and a USA Today Bestseller.

The Henna Artist is now a Netflix Project. We’ll talk about that in part two of the conversation.

Alka discusses the reasons she launched an ad agency and hired women to help her implement projects for clients. It was all about empowering women.

She created the character Lakshmi to give her mother the chance she never had--to lead her life in the independent way in which Alka has been able to lead her own life. She wanted her mother to experience that independence. She talks about her fascinating journey to publication. She advises writers that they need passion, patience, and perseverance--stick-to-itiveness, to get good at what they're doing.

Make sure to tune in next week for part two of the episode with author Alka Joshi. We'll talk about the Netflix project for The Henna Artist and book two in the trilogy The Secret Keeper of Jaipur and we’ll discuss the third novel that Alka will publish in 2023.

www.alkajoshi.com

www.thehennaartist.com

Now a Netflix Project

New York Times Bestseller

Reese Witherspoon Bookclub Pick

LA Times Bestseller

USA Today Bestseller

Alka shares her writing tips on her YouTube Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqNLMIc32Z-y4hzkiE3o6rQ.

Follow Alka Joshi:

Order on: Amazon Barnes&Noble Goodreads Indiebound Target BooksAMillion Walmart & your favorite indie bookstore.

Listen to Episode 11 of the podcast on your favorite podcast players or by visiting the podcast page of my website lovelacecook.com/podcast. You can also find the video version of the podcast on my YouTube channel.

Judith Teitelman - Guesthouse for Ganesha

Lovelace Cook — Wed, 09 Mar 2022 12:15:00 -0500

Guesthouse for Ganesha

Author Judith Teitelman talks about her award-winning debut novel Guesthouse for Ganesha. Weaving Eastern beliefs and perspectives with Western realities and pragmatism, Guesthouse for Ganesha is a tale of love, loss, and spirit reclaimed.

Kirkus Reviews writes: “Teitelman paints an intensely beautiful world in which different cultures merge in surprising ways.””

Khaas Baat, a publication for Indian-Americans writes: "Ms. Teitelman, please take a bow for an inspiring and touching story of love, loss and spirit beautifully told with great conviction and style. The debut novel, which weaves Eastern beliefs with stark realities, speaks volumes about the talent of this budding author.”

Guesthouse for Ganesha is the 2022 Official March International Pulpwood Queens and Timber Guys Book of the Month. Purchase your copy of Guesthouse for Ganesha from the The Pulpwood Queen Book Shop or your favorite independent bookstore.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Guesthouse-for-Ganesha-317749368845421

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/judithteitelman/

Website: https://guesthouseforganesha.com/

Craig Constantine Interviews Lovelace. That's me.

Lovelace Cook — Fri, 18 Feb 2022 20:30:00 -0500

In his podcast, Movers Mindset, Craig Constantine's talks with movement enthusiasts to learn who they are, what they do, and why they do it. This podcast is part of the Movers Mindset project, which he started so he could explore movement's underlying motivations, and movement's fundamental place in society. Interested?

He interviews me and we talk about podcasting, writing, Akimbo workshops, Seth Godin and generosity.

Anju Gattani & The Winds of Fire Series

Lovelace Cook — Wed, 01 Dec 2021 10:00:00 -0500

In Conversation with Anju Gattani

Fiction author, freelance journalist, fiction writing instructor, blogger and former newspaper reporter, Anju was born in India but grew up in Hong Kong. She has also lived and been published in Singapore, India, Australia, and USA in cover stories, fiction, feature, news, interviews, travel, perspective pieces and more. She finally dug her roots in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, with her husband, 2 dashing boys and a rebel lion-head rabbit.

Her Winds of Fire series, was optioned for film / TV to Double Strings, Inc, ranked on the Amazon Bestsellers List and is honored to be a book of the month pick by International Pulpwood Queen and Timber Guy Book Cub Reading Nation. Reviewed as Crazy Rich Asians in India “Downton Abbey-style saga, but set in India!” by BooksByWomen.org. The series advocates for awareness of abuse, domestic violence, mental health and more...

Anju also interviews writers and publishing industry professionals on her Youtube channel, Story Mantra. Anju hopes her books will Bridge Cultures and Break Barriers.

Social Media:

website:https://www.anjugattani.com

Facebook: Anju Gattani Author

Twitter: @Anju_Gattani

Instagram: Anju_Gattani27

Bookbub: @Anju_Gattani

Youtube: Anju Gattani, Story Mantra

“Hard to believe this lush, passionate novel is the author’s first. In Duty and Desire, Anju Gattani has created an utterly immersive reading experience—fascinating characters, evocative details, compelling dramatic turns, all set against the teeming irrepressible vibrancy of modern-day India. A bravura performance.” —David Corbett, award-winning author of The Art of Character

“Like all good stories the story of Sheetal conveys deeper meanings about human experiences and relationships. Duty and Desire is definitely a bridger of cultures; educating readers about and celebrating Indian culture whilst keeping the reader well hooked.” ~~Qaisra Shahraz, peace activist, author of ‘The Holy Woman’ & Founder/Executive Director of Muslim Arts and Culture Festival, UKw

Veena Rao talks about Purple Lotus

Lovelace Cook — Wed, 17 Nov 2021 09:30:00 -0500

I'm excited to introduce today's conversation with Veena Rao, Atlanta-based author of Purple Lotus that has won all kinds of awards. The 2021 Winner of the AmericanFiction Award, Rao was Georgia Author of the Year Award Finalist in 2021. She's an Award-Winning Finalist in Women's Fiction for the 2021 International Book Awards. Rao is also an Award-Winning Finalist for Multicultural Fiction in the 2021 International Book Awards.

Just listen to what Newsweek magazine has to say. "Rao’s resonant novel is an ode to the value of personal dignity and the importance of being true to oneself that carries on long after the final chapter."

Kirkus Reviews calls it a moving and polished novel that highlights Rao's literary promise.

Purple Lotus is the dazzling tale of an Indian American woman finding her way through the labyrinth of tradition to self-awareness in the modern world, according to Author Elaine Neil Orr.

Tara's story is one of hope and a woman's finding her own self-worth. Rao’s novel is about women empowering other women.

Website: https://www.veenaspulse.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/veenaraowrites

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/veenarao/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/VeenaRaoNRI

Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Purple-Lotus-Novel-Veena-Rao/dp/1631527614

Rishikesh. The Beatles, the Maharishi and Me

Lovelace Cook — Sun, 19 Sep 2021 19:30:00 -0500

I wanted to see Rishikesh where the Beatles stayed with the Maharishi . . .

I'm wedged into the third-row seat of an SUV between two young girls, Israeli soldiers, and three other young Israeli soldiers, my partner and a Sikh driver with his turban. We're in the Pajar Ganj in New Delhi at a traffic light on the way to Rishikesh when there's a knock at the window.

I see a hand with long fingernails painted red and lots of bangles up the forearm. It's a he /she, a Hijra, India's third gender. The Sikh driver rolls the window down, drops some coins into her palm and we’re on our way to Rishikesh.

Want to learn more about the trip from New Delhi to Rishikesh, the James Bond movie set in Rishikesh and how we got out of Rishikesh? Listen to my podcast, Bollywood and Books - Episode 6.

Just follow the link to my website and the web page for Bollywood and Books podcast. You can also listen on Apple podcasts, Spotify, Audible, or your favorite podcast player. I hope you'll listen in and let me know what you think. Please leave a rating and review.

Episode 5 - Vishesh Azad, Filmmaker & Academician

Lovelace Cook — Wed, 30 Jun 2021 09:00:00 -0500

Meet Vishesh Azad, screenwriter, cinematographer, and director. He dances. He sings. He's a filmmaker and academician. His name means Special Freedom in Hindi, and the name fits. He's Assistant Professor of Photography at the National Institute of Fashion Technology in New Delhi and he shows his students how to live life large. He enjoys what he describes as ordinary treks to Triund in the foothills of the Himalayas. That’s a trek from Dharamkot near McLeod Ganj in Himachal Pradesh. Then again you may find him on a road trip where you'll see some of the most spectacular mountainous scenery in Northern India.

Make sure you visit my website: https://www.lovelacecook.com where you'll find a gallery of incredible photos of Vishesh Azad and links to his videos on his YouTube channel where you can see what a fantastic dancer he is. There's also a link to his most recent film Dear Shalini with subtitles in English, and his synopsis of the film is on my blogpost about Vishesh.

Check out my YouTube channel to see the video chat that is an unedited version of our podcast conversation.

Episode 4 - Meeting Willie & 'Midnight's Children' in Varkala, India

Lovelace Cook — Wed, 16 Jun 2021 09:00:00 -0500

Varkala, Kerala India is a place of stunning contradictions with surfers, sunbathers & sacred Papanasam Beach. It's where I met Willie who gifted me with her copy of Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie.

Episode 3 - Kathy L. Murphy

Lovelace Cook — Wed, 19 May 2021 06:45:00 -0500

Get to know Kathy L Murphy, the Pulpwood Queen, and the book club she started over 20 years ago - “where wearing tiaras is mandatory and reading our good books is the only rule.”

She is the author of “The Pulpwood Queens’ Tiara Wearing, Book Sharing Guide to Life” and “The Pulpwood Queens Celebrate 20 Years!”

The International Pulpwood Queen and Timber Guy Book Club Reading Nation is the biggest meeting and discussing book club in the world - with 800 chapters, including chapters in 20 foreign countries. Be sure to check out the Reading Nation Magazine, where you’ll find out about many of the Pulpwood Queen and Timber Guy authors and more information about Kathy.

Check out my video: YouTube Conversation with Kathy L. Murphy where you'll see just how fabulous the Pulpwood Queen is and visit the wonderful interior of her magical home Murphy's Law.

Here are links where you can find out more about Kathy:

www.thepulpwoodqueens.com

https://www.facebook.com/Pulpwoodqueen

www.twitter.com/Pulpwoodqueen

www.instagram.com/thepulpwoodqueen

Designer at www.shopvida.com/collections/thepulpwoodqueen

Artist at www.decorateornate.com

Bookshop at www.bookshop.org/Shop/ThePulpwoodQueenBookShop

Episode 2 - Maddy Turnbull

Lovelace Cook — Wed, 05 May 2021 07:30:00 -0500

And then there are the travelers we meet along the way ...

UK Resident Maddy Turnbull travels fearlessly and for extraordinary causes. In between gigs with the BBC and ITV, Maddy traveled to Base Camp of Everest where she wore the t-shirt for the Mini-Mermaids UK charity she supports. Then Maddy crossed the Arctic, the Finnmark Plateau in Norway, with an all-woman team pulling their own pulks (sleds!) to raise funds for the charity. The first time an unsupported all-woman team had every accomplished the crossing.

You're listening to the music of Edinburgh's Red Note Ensemble and the album Reels to Ragas with renowned tabla player Kuljit Bhamra.

For more information, please visit BollywoodandBooks.com and my website: Lovelace Cook.

Episode 1 - Why Bollywood and Books?

Lovelace Cook — Wed, 14 Apr 2021 22:00:00 -0500

Episode 1 - Why Bollywood and Books?

[00:00:00] Join me on an adventure. A literary romp through India. Meet me at the corner of Patchouli and Chai, where books, cinema, and conversation collide. I'm Lovelace Cook. I'll be your tour guide. Welcome to Bollywood and Books.

[00:00:23] Travel to India was never on my radar. I awoke one day like Rip Van Winkle, and I felt like my life had slowed to a state of torpor. It was the month before my 62nd birthday. My life was just stale. I wasn't growing, my friends were retiring nearing retirement age, but they seemed like they were approaching life as if it were the last chapter.

[00:00:58] I couldn't see that for myself. There had to be more. So I decided to open myself to the universe and I literally said I'm open you're limitless. I did it fearlessly, not anticipating what was just around the corner. Life handed me in an adventure, an unexpected journey. I just wanted to get out of my comfort zone, but I learned be careful what you wish for

[00:01:26] By chance, I met an Englishman who was visiting my little town. He talked about India, showed me photos of his travels and we fell in love. Of course, life is never so simple, but it does make for a good story. I was saving to travel to Machu Picchu. I envisioned myself on a trek, riding horses and camping with a group in Peru.

[00:01:53] The Englishman plan to travel back to India in January, 2013. And he asked me to meet him in [00:02:00] Mumbai. It almost became a dare. It must've been after midnight when we were on a Skype call on a cold January night, the Englishman was in Gokarna in the marketplace. It's a little town South of Goa. He said, you're not coming are you.

[00:02:21] I heard a chanting in the background, Ram Nam, Ram Nam and I asked him to turn his iPad so I could see what was going on. There was a procession of Indian men, all wearing white, and they were carrying a stretcher with the body of what had to be a Holy man. He had long white hair. A long, white beard. He was dressed in white and covered in marigolds. The sun seemed to envelop the procession in an other worldly glow. There was magic in that moment and it [00:03:00] touched m

[00:03:10] Okay. That's it I'll come. I didn't have a clue what was in store for me. Two weeks later, I was living in a tree house on the beach next to the Arabian sea. This was not your Airbnb luxury tree house, not even a Tarzan and Jane tree house, but a crude little dwelling perched in a tree with Palm fronds for its roof, and a bamboo ladder to climb up through a hole in a plywood floor no less.

[00:03:43] There was a naked light bulb hanging from the rafters. It was crude. It was outhouse, an outdoor shower, rugged. Who knew two people could be so different in their travel styles. He was used to wild camping, and I'd been a miserable girl [00:04:00] scout. It became apparent from the start that our trip was to be nothing like the film, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.

[00:04:08] My friends all imagined that was what was happening for me, but it was much more of a Mark Twain, The Innocents Abroad experience. And I'd brought along a copy to share with my Englishman thinking it apropos, but not really understanding just how well it would fit the situation. The heat and humidity in India were incredible.

[00:04:32] It was a challenge. I left comfortable, sleepy little town life with hot and cold running water temperature controlled environment. People I knew who went to India, went on a yoga retreat or maybe a spiritual quest, or even for mission work. I simply went to see what I was made of and when the going got tough, as it did pretty quickly, I felt I needed to prove myself to myself.

[00:05:00] I confess at the outset, I was truly the ugly American. It didn't occur to me until much later, maybe three months after I got back home later that I traveled, expecting things to be more comfortable. The joke was on me and in reflection, I was simply embarrassed by my behavior. But my eyes were opened to the magic and the mystery, to vibrant colors and life teaming with the exotic, sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes inspiring wonder.

[00:05:38] Through my travels I had time to read and I picked up books in secondhand shops and at the cheap hotels where we stayed and by sharing books with other travelers, it never occurred to me I could return so changed. So inspired. I wanted to go back and attend the Jaipur Literary Festival.

It took several years before I saw the possibilities.In 2015 I started crafting a memoir about the travels. I worked on it for two years with the Curtis Brown creative writing courses in London. But later when I discovered Shawn Coyne' Story Grid and the podcast with Tim Grahl, I decided to write it as fiction using tools from Story Grid methodology. In 2018, I created a presentation, A Literary Journey Through India.

[00:06:31] I began reading again, this time reading widely, I started with the EM Forster's book A Passage to India. It felt very dense when I began to read it before I traveled to India, but after my journey, I had a deeper understanding and I felt that Forster's book, published in 1924, and probably informed by his travel to India in 1912 to 1913 about Colonial India, blatant racism, false accusations, and an unfair judicial system.

[00:07:07] It helped me to see just how relevant, how timely, how almost prescient the subject matter was. I thought back to my visit to the small Gandhi museum, a house in Mumbai where Gandhi had safe passage. It was easy to see uncanny parallels between his life and Martin Luther King's, whom Gandhi had influenced

[00:07:30] I saw India's march toward independence and the civil rights movement as topics on a continuum. Nothing had changed, but everything had changed. And so Bollywood and Books became the new name for my podcast that grew out of a presentation, A Literary Journey Through India that all stemmed from a chance meeting

[00:08:03] Rather than giving a travelog about my experiences in India. I wanted to share the books and authors, I discovered along the journey. I travel for two years through India, the first time, three months. And then I returned to India and lived in Varkala on the Malabar coast, in the state of Kerala.

My plan is to look at India, places about which books have been written. By Pulitzer Prize winners, Man Booker Prize winners, well-known writers and authors about whom most people probably haven't heard.

[00:08:40] The places I want to visit in Bollywood and books all have to do with the evolution of India. From colonialism, with EM Forester's A Passage to India, to Gandhi and his fight for India's independence to present day Indian literature. I hope you'll join me on this journey.

[00:09:02] Thanks to Glasgow resident, Jonathan Chapman, classically trained musician, artist, website designer, and a really great guy who introduced me to Edinburgh-based Red Note Ensemble and their album Reels to Ragas, whose music you're listening to with renowned tabla player Kuljit Bhamra.

For more information, see the show notes at bollywoodandbooks.com ...where East truly meets West.

Please visit my website: lovelacecook.com and tune in and listen to episodes of Bollywood and Books on Apple Podcast and Spotify.

Bollywood and Books Trailer

Lovelace Cook — Fri, 02 Apr 2021 09:00:00 -0500

Welcome to Bollywood & Books! A podcast for people who love travel, the written word and words into pictures - moving pictures. Join me on a literary romp through India. Coming soon!