Friday, January 31, 2014

The Fantastical Tour Grand Finale!

 


Did you miss any of these fantastic stops on the tour? 

Check them out now!

January 26 Launch


January 27 @ Mythical Books





Shadowskin 

by Bethany Cassel 


Weaving a Fairy Tale Tapestry

Once upon a time, there was a poison apple. This poison apple never wanted to hurt the princess with skin as white as snow, but evil dwarves made her do it. 

In the very earliest stages of Shadowskin, the book was meant to be a straight retelling of the Snow White fairy tale. It was inspired by the question and subsequent answer of, “Why would the evil queen really want to kill Snow White? The poison apple is more than that . . . it’s really the queen’s daughter, cursed with a deadly touch.” This is where my main character, Pomona, originated. She was the personification of the poison apple in the story. At first, I was content to develop just this part of her identity and retell just one fairy tale, but, as things go with writing, things quickly got out of hand. I realized that Pomona was far more than just a poisoned apple, but that required some more development...


Read more at Mythical Books.

January 28 @  Wonderings of One Person:

 

Beyond the Fortuneteller's Tent (Beyond #1)

Beyond the Hollow (Beyond #2)


by Kristy Tate

The Inspiration for Writing the Beyond Series

I thought I knew how the Twilight series would end. While I, and half the reading world, waited for the release of Stephenie Meyer’s Breaking Dawn, I concocted what I thought was the perfect happily ever after for Bella and Edward. After a year of impatiently waiting for the final conclusion, I was hugely disappointed in Meyer’s ending.



But then—wait! Why not use my own happily ever after? Why not create my own series? And so I did. No vampires, no werewolves, but lots of obscure legends and an ending I can’t wait to write. Two of the three planned Beyond books are now published, and I’m not sure if I want the series to end…yet. I love Petra and Emory. I’m not sure I’m ready to let them go. So, at the moment, I can’t say whether the Beyond series will be a trilogy or something much larger. But I do know the ending, and I love it. I hope it will be worth waiting for...


Read the rest of the guest post and an excerpt from Beyond the Fortuneteller's Tent at the Wonderings of One Person.





Enchanted Fairytales
Goodreads * Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Smashwords * Createspace



by Cindy C Bennett 


Who Doesn’t Love Fairytales?


Who doesn’t love fairytales? Princes and princesses, magic, villains, obstacles to overcome to achieve true love—fairytales have it all. They’re an easy escape into an enchanted world. I think that has a lot to do with the current trend in retelling these fantastical stories.



I’d already decided to write some retellings when I was approached by my publisher to write a full length retelling of the fairytale of my choice. I chose Rapunzel for the full-length, leaving me the option of all the other fairytales for my short stories...



...With all of my fairytales, I studied and read all of the old versions, and a few of the new, using names and settings from the traditional tales. Some of the names might seem a little strange, but with all of my main characters, there’s a meaning behind their name.



I enjoy reading fairytale retellings almost as much as I like writing them. I hope you like the way I’ve retold these classic stories, and have fun immersing yourself into every fairytale you read, both traditional and the retellings. As always, happy reading!



January 30 @ A Backwards Story


 

Enchanted (Woodcutter Sisters #1)

Hero (Woodcutter Sisters #2)

by Alethea Kontis


The Real Peter Woodcutter



My maternal grandmother passed away last February. It was the first time in seven years that my siblings and I were together in the same place.

I see my little sister Soteria the most often and talk to her almost every day. I speak to my older sister Cherie less frequently, but I'm trying to remedy that. Our brother West, however, seems to enjoy falling off the planet. So traveling to Vermont in the driving snow was made extra special for all of us because we got to see him.

I made sure he didn't leave without a signed copy of ENCHANTED. Instead of defacing the title page, like I normally do, I took up almost all of the blank space on the page before that, thanking West profusely for being both my real-life brother and the inspiration for Peter Woodcutter...



Read more at A Backwards Story.




January 31 @
Bookworm Lisa





The Fairytale Keeper: Avenging the Queen


Read the first part of the novel for FREE:
by Andrea Cefalo


The Inspiration for Writing The Fairytale Keeper

Did you know that nearly all cultures have their own version of the Cinderella story? Neither did I until attending a children’s literature lecture in 2007. I don’t know about you, but my mind tends to wander when I have to sit through two hour lectures. So I started wondering. If most cultures have a Cinderella story, was it based on one girl, a real Cinderella? Was Cinderella a girl who lived hundreds, or even thousands, of years ago? Or is there is just something so compelling about the Cinderella story that most cultures make up their own?

I didn’t want to write another Cinderella story. My story presumes that all of Grimm’s fairy tales are based on a real person, and that that person is the real Snow White. During her adventures, she compiled these tales through the people she’d met, the stories she’d been told, and the events she’d experienced.


Read more at Bookworm Lisa.



Tour-Wide Giveaway!!


January 26 - February 10

There are FIVE chances to WIN!!

Winners will be drawn randomly, entries will be validated and the IP Addresses checked for shipping qualifications to award winnings in order of preference, if indicated. See Rafflecopter entry. Additional restrictions on Rafflecopter apply.



1 - Signed print copy of Shadowskin by Bethany Cassel plus a signed sketch of the Main Character by the author! (US Only)



2 - eCopies of both books in the Beyond series by Kristy Tate: Beyond the Fortune Teller's Tent & Beyond the Hollow!  (International)



3 - eCopy of Enchanted Fairytales by Cindy C Bennett! (International)



4 - FIVE Signed paperbacks of Enchanted by Alethea Kontis plus swag! (US Only) (That's five winners. Woop!)



5 - eCopy of The Fairytale Keeper: Avenging the Queen by Andrea Cefalo! (International)



a Rafflecopter giveaway





Are you a blogger and want to receive information about new tours? Go HERE.
Are you an author or publisher and would like to have us organize a tour event? Go HERE.

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Slayers by C.J. Hill A Review

Well, I literally just finished this book and I am bursting with excitement to read the second one (and to write this review so that you may share in my excitement over this amazing novel).


I had the chance to meet C.J. Hill (aka Janette Rallison) at Changing Hands Bookstore earlier this month for the release of her new book, Echo in Time. She has a great sense of humor and is wonderful at presenting her books without giving away any spoilers. It was there that I had my copy of Slayers and Slayers: Friends and Traitors signed. It was a great opportunity to meet her, and I am thankful for her example. She showed me (an aspiring writer) that authors are real genuine people too.

So now, onto the review of her amazing book, Slayers.

First of all, I love how Hill begins the book. She gives us the problem that needs to be fixed right off the bat. By doing so, she avoided any confusion within the story and allowed each of the characters to build themselves and their varying personalities in a profound way that truly brought each and every one to life.

By developing such genuine characters, Hill was able to create a fast paced, interesting, and page-turning story. Every time I had to put it down and get back to life, all I wanted to do was pick it back up again and finish it! I found that I was attached to the characters quickly and that I was fighting for their cause along with them.

Victoria Hampton was a wonderful main character. I am quite impressed with Hill, because she did NOT make a whiny, "oh my life sucks and I can't do anything" heroine. No, Tori was strong and willing to do her part (even with a rough beginning). She was determined to rise above the stereotypical jabs at her because of her socialite status. Frankly, she was awesome.

When I first met Jesse and Dirk, well, let's just say I laughed a lot. They are two great characters who are strong and fight for what they believe in. (Even when we see that things aren't all as they seem...). Jesse was kind and patient, even when things went awry, and Dirk was entertaining and the perfect image of what is meant to be "Dirk."

Needless to say, those three and the other Slayers' personalities made me feel for them as they struggled to live up to who they are and what they are meant to be. Being a teenager is already hard, and having to save the world and kill dragons just makes life so much more complicated. And yet, even after everything, they manage it.

One of my favorite things about Slayers is that it is a clean and an all around fun read. There is the right amount of action to keep you flipping pages and enough drama to keep you wondering what will happen to who next?

I will not give anything away, but I must admit. There was one part in this book that I was NOT expecting at ALL and I had a mini freak out. That's when you can tell an author is a fantastic writer--when they make their story so real, that you can't help but react in an actual physical "HOLY CRAP I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT JUST HAPPENED" moment.

I feel that Slayers deserves a five out of five. If you like fantasy and dragons then this is a perfect read for you!


If you want to buy a copy of this book from amazon, click here.

If you want a copy from Barnes and Noble, click here.

Saturday, January 25, 2014

The Fantastical Tour Launch!!



The Tour:

January 26 @ Blogs everywhere: Launching the Tour

January 27 @ Mythical Books: Shadowskin by Bethany Cassel

January 28 @  Wonderings of One Person: Beyond the Hollow by Kristy Tate

January 29 @ I Am a Reader, Not a Writer: Enchanted Fairytales by Cindy C Bennett

January 30 @ A Backwards Story: EnchantedHero by Alethea Kontis

January 31 @ Bookworm Lisa: The Fairytale Keeper: Avenging the Queen by Andrea Cefalo

February 1 @ Blogs everywhere: The Grand Finale






January 27 @ Mythical Books

Shadowskin 

Cursed with a deadly touch, Pomona never thought she would leave the royal gardens of Norarchland, where she uses her magic over plant life to make the gardens flourish. But when she discovers a magic mirror beneath the roots of an apple tree, she learns a horrifying truth: the life of the beautiful Princess Nevea is in danger, and Pomona is the only one who can save her. Pomona flees with the princess into the dark forest, where she is taken in by the mysterious Selene Magna and her huntress companion, Callisto. They claim that the Tenebrari-short, magical beings responsible for Pomona's curse-are trying to conquer all of the kingdoms of Archland. Even more, Pomona is destined to play an important role in their defeat. The cursed gardener must now embark on a journey far beyond her imagination to stop the Tenebrari, or else she and all those she cares about will be cursed forever.





Bethany Cassel lives in a land surrounded by forests and cornfields, and she was lucky enough to grow up in the same house all her life. Falling asleep to the sound of waterfalls and seldom-disturbed quiet provided the perfect environment for her to develop her passion for writing. Inspired by the beautiful landscape around her, Bethany created Archland, a world with deep forests, rolling hills, and fierce winters, home to dozens of fairy tale characters.



When she is not writing, Bethany is a voracious reader, known to finish the likes of "Seraphina" by Rachel Hartman in two sittings (it was a great book)! Her favorite writers are, in no particular order, Sir Thomas Malory, J.K. Rowling, John Keats, Victor Hugo, Kendare Blake, Jay Asher, Toni Morrison, and Marissa Meyer. This list is by no means complete. She is about to earn her Bachelor's of Arts in English from SUNY Geneseo and plans to continue her education in literature in graduate school. Besides all things literary, Bethany enjoys archery and bow hunting, drawing, playing piano, and volunteering with ministries in her community. She currently lives in Western New York with four dogs, twenty-ish chickens (she lost count), a lizard, and a couple of frogs.






January 28 @  Wonderings of One Person



Beyond the Fortuneteller's Tent (Beyond #1)







When Petra Baron goes into the fortuneteller’s tent at a Renaissance fair, she expects to leave with a date to prom. Instead, she walks out into Elizabethan England, where she meets gypsies, a demon dog and a kindred spirit in Emory Ravenswood.

Emory must thwart the plans of religious zealots. His mission is dangerous, his enemies are fanatical, and Petra Baron is a complication that Heaven only knows he does not need. Or does he? Although Emory is on Heaven’s errand, he learned long ago that Heaven does not always play fair.

As Petra slowly falls for Emory, she wonders if he really is who he seems, or if he is just as lost as she is. How can they have a future while trapped in the past? Or is anything possible Beyond the Fortuneteller’s Tent?




Beyond the Hollow (Beyond #2)



Petra Baron and her immortal boyfriend, Emory Ravenswood, are living their happily in modern day Orange County, California, until Dane shows up: a heart-stoppingly handsome man from Petra's past. Petra can't remember Dane, or anything else about her time in Tarrytown, New York two hundred years ago. But Emory does remember, and he knows she's lucky to have forgotten all about Dane and the nightmarish episode in 1810.



After Emory disappears, Petra is determined to find him again. Yet she doesn’t know whether Dane can lead her to Emory, or to the nightmare she can’t remember. The one thing she does know is that once upon a time really means two hundred years ago, and that if she wants to find Emory the first place to look is Sleepy Hollow, 1810.


With a collection of Washington Irving's writings in her hand, and a prayer that some nine-pin-playing ghosts will give her a drink of the same magic ale they gave Rip Van Winkle, Petra heads into another time-defying adventure.


Kristy Tate


Kristy studied English literature at Brigham Young University and at BYU's International Center in London. Although a long time resident of Orange County California where she lives with her family, Kristy's heart belongs in her hometown of Arlington, Washington, AKA Rose Arbor--the fictional setting of her popular Rose Arbor series.



For updates on Kristy's upcoming novels, please visit her blog at kristystories.blogspot.com and sign up for her newsletter, where discounts and freebies are sure to happen.




Other books by Kristy:
The Rhyme's Library (2013 Kindle Book Review Awards semi-finalist)
Hailey's Comments (an Amazon Breakout Novel quarter-finalist)
Stealing Mercy
Rescuing Rita
A Light in the Christmas Café
Losing Penny

Enchanted Fairytales

Enchanted Fairytales is a series of short stories based on beloved fairytales. The stories are written as if the fairytales never existed. are contemporary, some are paranormal, some have elements of fantasy or magic. 


Beautiful Beast: After a cruel prank, Calli is forced to move into “Monster House” to befriend the beast. Alex is determined to hate Calli, who he believes is there to get a peek at the beast. Calli must convince Alex that she isn’t there to harm him, and that her feelings for him are very real.



Red and the Wolf: A sudden increase in the violence and frequency of wolf attacks in the forest surrounding Piera has all of the residents on edge. Ruby, contending with the news that Rafe has come home after leaving her three years earlier, and staving off the advances of his brother Lowell, doesn’t have time to deal with wolves - until she finds herself fighting against a wolf for her life.



Snow White: Snow White, sent into the forest to be killed, escapes. She stumbles upon a tiny, magical kingdom called Fableton, where time stands still for its trapped residents. Phillip, blinded centuries ago by a vengeful love, believes Snow is the key to breaking the curse and freeing them all.



The Unmasking of Cinderella: Forced into servitude by her wicked stepmother, Amella longs for the simple freedoms her stepsister takes for granted. When she bumps into Char - literally - her world is suddenly turned upside down. Amella begins to believe that she can have a life she previously thought nothing more than a dream with Char by her side.



The White Swan: Cursed to live as a swan by day by the jealous Benno von Rothbart, Odette desires nothing more than to tell Victor what’s happened, but can’t out of fear for what Benno might do to him. Victor discovers her secret and together they try to break the curse. But the cost of doing so might just be too much.



Goodreads * Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Smashwords * Createspace


Cindy C Bennett is the YA author of several books. She lives in Utah with her two daughters. Both of her sons have married, giving her two more daughters (in-law). She loves gooey cookies, dark chocolate, and cheese popcorn. She hates housework and cooking, and has no plans to become a domestic goddess. She occasionally co-hosts a geek podcast with her son, called Geek Revolution Radio. Her favorite pastime—other than writing—is riding her Harley.



Other books by Cindy: 
Rapunzel Untangled, 
Heart on a Chain, Geek Girl, 
The Experiment, 
Whispers of Razari, 
Immortal Mine, 
In the Beginning, 
Reluctance, 
Watched


January 30 @ A Backwards Story




Enchanted


It isn't easy being the rather overlooked and unhappy youngest sibling to sisters named for the other six days of the week. Sunday’s only comfort is writing stories, although what she writes has a terrible tendency to come true.



When Sunday meets an enchanted frog who asks about her stories, the two become friends. Soon that friendship deepens into something magical. One night Sunday kisses her frog goodbye and leaves, not realizing that her love has transformed him back into Rumbold, the crown prince of Arilland—and a man Sunday’s family despises.



The prince returns to his castle, intent on making Sunday fall in love with him as the man he is, not the frog he was. But Sunday is not so easy to woo. How can she feel such a strange, strong attraction for this prince she barely knows? And what twisted secrets lie hidden in his past - and hers?



Hero



Rough and tumble Saturday Woodcutter thinks she's the only one of her sisters without any magic—until the day she accidentally conjures an ocean in the backyard. With her sword in tow, Saturday sets sail on a pirate ship, only to find herself kidnapped and whisked off to the top of the world. Is Saturday powerful enough to kill the mountain witch who holds her captive and save the world from sure destruction? And, as she wonders grumpily, "Did romance have to be part of the adventure?" As in Enchanted, readers will revel in the fragments of fairy tales that embellish this action-packed story of adventure and, yes, romance.

New York Times bestselling author Alethea Kontis is a princess, a goddess, a force of nature, and a mess. She’s known for screwing up the alphabet, scolding vampire hunters, turning garden gnomes into mad scientists, and making sense out of fairy tales.



Alethea is the co-author of Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark-Hunter Companion, and penned the AlphaOops series of picture books. Her short fiction, essays, and poetry have appeared in a myriad of anthologies and magazines. She has done multiple collaborations with Eisner winning artist J.K. Lee, includingThe Wonderland Alphabet and Diary of a Mad Scientist Garden Gnome. Her debut YA fairy tale novel, Enchanted, won the Gelett Burgess Children’s Book Award in 2012 and was nominated for both the Andre Norton Award and the Audie Award in 2013.



Born in Burlington, Vermont, Alethea now lives in Northern Virginia with her Fairy Godfamily. She makes the best baklava you’ve ever tasted and sleeps with a teddy bear named Charlie.





January 31 @
Bookworm Lisa


The Fairytale Keeper: Avenging the Queen



Anonymous, nameless, Adelaide Schumacher should have been lost to history. Medieval girls do not make legends. If they are lucky to live long enough, they make babies.



Adelaide’s mother, Katrina was the finest storyteller in Cologne, but she left one story untold, that of her daughter, Snow White. A rampant fever claimed Adelaide’s mother just like a thousand others in Cologne where the dead are dumped in a vast pit outside the city walls. In an effort to save Katrina’s soul, Adelaide’s family obtains a secret funeral by bribing the parish priest, Father Soren.



Soren commits an unforgivable atrocity, pushing Adelaide toward vengeance, but the corruption in Cologne reaches far beyond Soren, and the cost of settling scores quickly escalates. Avenging the mother she lost may cost Adelaide everything she has left: her father, her friends, her first love, and maybe even her life.



The Fairytale Keeper casts the famous villains, heroes, and damsels of Grimm’s fairytales into Medieval lives. Seamlessly weaving historical events and Grimm’s fairytales into a tale of corruption and devotion, The Fairytale Keeper, leaves the reader wondering where fact ends, and fiction begins.





Read the first part of the novel for FREE:
Andrea Cefalo is the award-winning author of The Fairytale Keeper series. The Fairytale Keeper series is a Medieval tale of corruption, devotion, and the origins of Grimm’s fairytales. It was a quarter-finalist in Amazon’s 2013 Breakthrough Novel Contest and has been recommended by Riffle, Copperfield Review, and other various independent reviewers. The second novel in the series, The Fairest of All, will debut in 2014. When Andrea isn’t writing, she enjoys blogging and tweeting about the Middle Ages, teaching authors how to effectively use social media, and presenting in schools. She resides in Greenville, South Carolina with her husband and their two border collies.




February 1  – Grand Finale


Tour-Wide Giveaway!!



January 26 - February 10

There are FIVE chances to WIN!!

Winners will be drawn randomly, entries will be validated and the IP Addresses checked for shipping qualifications to award winnings in order of preference, if indicated. See Rafflecopter entry. Additional restrictions on Rafflecopter apply.


1 - Signed print copy of Shadowskin by Bethany Cassel plus a signed sketch of the Main Character by the author! (US Only)


2 - eCopies of both books in the Beyond series by Kristy Tate: Beyond the Fortune Teller's Tent & Beyond the Hollow!  (International)


3 - eCopy of Enchanted Fairytales by Cindy C Bennett! (International)


4 - FIVE Signed paperbacks of Enchanted by Alethea Kontis plus swag! (US Only) (That's five winners. Woop!)


5 - eCopy of The Fairytale Keeper: Avenging the Queen by Andrea Cefalo! (International)



a Rafflecopter giveaway





Are you a blogger and want to receive information about new tours? Go HERE.
Are you an author or publisher and would like to have us organize a tour event? Go HERE.

Friday, January 24, 2014

Incurable Insanity Grand Finale!!


The Review Tour for
An Incurable Insanity by Simi K Rao!

Welcome...

We offer flowers in traditional welcome.
You are our honored guest...

You saw The Exotic Tour... you got a taste for the beautiful culture and the romantic attraction of our spunky young characters... now we've reviewed it and have shared the Prologue and first four chapters with you. Did you miss any of them? Read them now!

1/13 Launch - Prologue

"Her heart fluttered when she heard the sound of the key turn in the lock. She quickly adjusted her maroon silk sari with the yellow border, the one that had caught his eye, and waited eagerly for his footsteps..."

Mel's Shelves - Chapter 1, Part I and Review

"I wasn't impressed with Shaan at the beginning. We find out why he married Ruhi, which didn't paint him in the best light, either, but he shows a lot of growth and maturity as time goes on and redeemed himself to me in the end. There were some crazy, dramatic parts and also some calm, tender moments. I look forward to reading more of Ms. Rao's books in the future!"

Tressa's Wishful Endings  - Chapter 1, Part II

"Ruhi closed her eyes; she could now repeat every movement, every word by rote. He was a creature of habit…and she was bored.

What was supposed to be the most exciting time in every young woman’s life had turned out to be the worst…Well, not really. He wasn’t mean. rather he was the perfect gentleman, too perfect!..."

My Love For Reading Keeps Growing  - Chapter 2, Part I and Review

"This really is a sweet love story. I found it very hard to put down. I love reading about different traditions and cultures, even if it's fiction. I love how each MC talk to themselves in their head. We always make things out to be worse than they really are in our minds, and this book made me chuckle sometimes because there is a lot of "in head" struggle, fighting, and talking. Silly things that make you want to find out if they are every going to get the nerve up to say to each other!"

Beck Valley Books  - Chapter 2, Part II

"It goes without saying that the youngest Ahuja was by no means lacking in looks. He was unusually handsome, of good build, and above average height who liked to maintain an athletic physique with regular exercise. But despite being inundated with innumerable suitable matches, each willing to part with unbelievable amounts in dowry, he had steadfastly declined. In fact, he had even refused to pay a visit to his hometown until now. His hand finally being forced by the news of his dadaji’s terminal illness, whose final wish was to see his youngest grandson married and settled in life..."

Deal Sharing Aunt  - Chapter 2, Part III and Review

"This was a great look into the life of married couples in India. It was a nice romance story that the author really showed the readers about India and all its customs."

Colorimetry  - Chapter 3, Part I and Review

"This book is a must-read for anyone interested in Indian culture!!  It's a thousand times better than any text book on the subject and should be a required compainion. Lol. It's similar to being immersed in the culture. It's also a must-read for romance lovers and everyone looking for something unique. And exotic."

Laurie’s Throughts and Reviews  - Chapter 3, Part II



“Son? Is it okay if I call you beta?” his father-in-law asked him; he had kind eyes.


Shaan looked over to his wife (what an odd-sounding word), and she mouthed a silent, “Please.” Then she smiled, her eyelashes drifting down in shy discomposure, carrying on as though this was one of the happiest days of her life..."


Books with Bree  - Chapter 4, Part I

"He has agreed! Oh, Mama, he has agreed!

The happiness and relief was so immense that Ruhi wanted to jump up, grab her mother, and do a little dance around the room like she had done on the day she had won her first ever trophy at school..."

Vvb32 Reads  - Chapter 4, Part II and Review



"I found this to be a gentle romance read set in Los Angeles, California and India. Being that I grew up in the L.A. area, it was a treat to read about some of the sights mentioned.


Things start off rocky with plenty of back-and-forth tugging of the heart and playful banter sprinkle these pages."

Dividing by Zero  - Chapter 4, Part III and Review


"Worth reading – the storyline is both humorous and sentimental, and I cared about the characters and what would happen to them. Ruhi in particular experiences a lot of personal growth as she adapts both to a new culture and the unexpected limitations of her marriage. (I was rooting for them to work things out, but you’ll have to read the book for yourself to see if that’s what happens!)"


An Incurable InsanityAn Incurable Insanity

by Simi K Rao

Paperback, eBook, 376 pages

Published October 8, 2013 by Tate Publishing





Her heart fluttered when she heard the sound of the key turn in the lock. She quickly adjusted her maroon silk sari with the yellow border, the one that had caught his eye, and waited eagerly for his footsteps.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven... Yes, exactly seven steps before he stopped, hesitated for a few moments, then removed his shoes one by one and arranged them neatly side by side on the shoe rack.

She smiled. He had been mindful of taking his shoes off every day now. "I am not used to it, but I will if you want me to. It's probably a good thing to do anyway."

As he settled down, he would pick up the TV remote and, without looking at her, would say in his smooth baritone, "So how did you spend your day, anything interesting?"

Shaan Ahuja found himself bowing to tradition and agreeing to an arranged marriage to the beautiful Ruhi Sharma. He went through the motions but had no intention of carrying through on his vows. His last foray into matters of the heart with an American girl had left him scarred and unwilling to try again. Thoroughly disillusioned and disgruntled he wasted no time in making his intentions clear to Ruhi on their wedding night. But, he was completely unprepared for what his new wife had in mind.




Simi K. Rao was born in India and has been living in the United States for several years. The inspiration for An Incurable Insanity came from what she has seen transpire among and within the immigrant community. Some of the experiences included are her own; some have been garnered from friends and casual conversations with acquaintances...



I am a physician–and to many I may appear serious and solitary. But once people get to know me better, they often think that I am frank, down to earth, with quite a quirky sense of humor. And that is what I bring to my writing—read and you shall see.


I was born in the dead center of India, but had the privilege of spending time both in the north and south. Therefore I have been able to sample and absorb to some extent the vastly diverse cultures and languages of both these regions (the very quality that imparts tremendous richness to our country’s heritage,) —a phenomenon perhaps not seen anywhere else in the world.



After immigrating to the United States in my early twenties and spending several years in this country, whenever I travel back to my homeland now, I find that I appreciate my roots a lot more. Still there is so much to see and learn, that a lifetime won’t suffice.





Tour-Wide Giveaway


1 Signed Print Copy + Swag Pack!  (US Only)
4 Signed Print Copies of An Incurable Insanity (US Only)

5 eCopies of An Incurable Insanity (International)


a Rafflecopter giveaway


Are you a blogger and want to receive information about new tours? Go HERE.
Are you an author or publisher and would like to have us organize a tour event? Go HERE.