<!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1073743103 0 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:"Bookman Old Style"; panose-1:2 5 6 4 5 5 5 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:10.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;} @page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} </style> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">Today my guest is Vasant Davé, whose first novel, <i>Trade Winds to Meluhha</i>, is set in Bronze Age Mesopotamia and India.</span></span><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> <style><!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1073743103 0 0 415 0;} @font-face {font-family:"Bookman Old Style"; panose-1:2 5 6 4 5 5 5 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} @font-face {font-family:Georgia-BoldItalic; panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-alt:Georgia; mso-font-charset:77; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:auto; mso-font-signature:50331651 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;} a:link, span.MsoHyperlink {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-parent:""; color:blue; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed {mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; color:purple; mso-themecolor:followedhyperlink; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:10.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;} @page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} </style></span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qJuGnlaUGMk..." imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qJuGnlaUGMk..." width="266" /></a></div><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Welcome, Vasant! I am so glad to meet someone else who is interested in writing about the world's most ancient civilizations in a historically accurate way.</b></span></span></i></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">Thank you for providing me this opportunity, Shauna. I am delighted to communicate with the readers of your blog.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>How did you first hear of Mesopotamia (ancient Iraq)? Of Meluhha (ancient Indus River Valley)? What attracted you to these ancient civilizations?</b></span></span></i></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">Shauna, I'm embarrassed to admit that I was ignorant of Indus Valley civilization till I came to India for higher education. You see, my parents had migrated from India to East Africa before World War II. I was born and schooled in Kenya, where the focus of History was on the British Empire.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">For a long time, I was under the impression that Indus Valley civilization had flourished only around the archaeological sites named Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, both of which are in Pakistan. Once, while on a holiday with my family, I visited the Government Museum at Chennai. As we came out, my attention was drawn by a booklet carrying black and white photographs. Entitled <i>Lothal</i>, it was written by S. R. Rao, a renowned Indian archaeologist. I was amazed to learn that Lothal was an Indus Valley civilization site located in India. However, more shocking was the fact that it was in Gujarat, the state in which I had been living for almost two decades. </span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">The booklet mentioned that during the Bronze Age, ships from Mesopotamia and the Persian Gulf called at Lothal. That's what triggered my interest in these two ancient civilizations.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Why did you choose to write accurately about Mesopotamia and Meluhha, when most novelists writing about these places have just made things up?</b></span></span></i></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">An author's approach depends on the type of readers s/he wishes to address. Some authors have connected the Indus Valley with the occult because they target an audience similar to the readers of Harry Potter. Others have connected it with Hindu mythology. They cater to the tastes of young IT-savvy Indians who have gleaned knowledge of the great epics <i>Ramayana</i> and <i>Mahabharata</i> from commercial TV rather than from their grandparents as my generation did.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">I wished to address those readers who enjoyed a feeling of travelling back in time while reading fiction based on Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt. Since Indus Valley culture existed during the same period in history, I thought I would succeed in catering to their taste.   </span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Did your training as an engineer have any influence on your novel or your approach to writing it?</b></span></span></i></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">Yes, I was naturally attracted to the Bronze Age “engineers” who did town planning, built ports (and forts), harvested rain water, built underground drainage, and used micro-tools to manufacture jewelry.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">My training also motivated me to base the narrative on archaeological evidence. Once the manuscript was ready, I requested several professionals in the field for their opinion. Dr. Shereen Ratnagar, an expert on both of the ancient cultures, agreed to read it with a clear understanding that she would comment only on the veracity and plausibility of the past situation as constructed in it. Her suggestions made it necessary to rewrite substantial portions, but they helped tremendously to make <i>Trade Winds to Meluhha</i> believable.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-62BdJyAFuTI..." imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-62BdJyAFuTI..." width="300" /></a></div><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Did growing up in Kenya or living as an adult in various places in Asia influence your perspective on the ancient world?</b></span></span></i></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">My birthplace, Mombasa, had two ports, old and new. Wooden lateen-sailed ships called dhows anchored at the Old Port. Utilizing the monsoon winds, they travelled between East Africa and Arabia. They held special attraction to me when I was a schoolboy.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">During WWII, all expatriates in British East Africa sent their families to the countries of their origin. After the War, it was very difficult to book a ticket on the only steamship that plied between India and East Africa. In her hurry to get back home, my mother boarded a lateen-sailed dhow with my two elder sisters who were just kids at the time. Somewhere in the Indian Ocean, they faced a storm, and then the wind stopped blowing for several days, thus bringing the dhow to a standstill. My mother used to narrate the harrowing experience quite vividly.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">When I related that incident with the reed ships travelling between Indus Valley and Mesopotamia, my respect grew for those ancient mariners.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>What was your favorite part of writing Trade Winds to Meluhha?</b></span></span></i></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">It was the field research, during which I visited archaeological sites and museums. As I did so, many questions popped up in my mind. When I tried to find answers, I visualized new turns and twists that could be included in the plot.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Are there certain themes or topics you're drawn to as a writer?</b></span></span></i></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">Yes, I am drawn to the cultural heritage of the entire South Asian region, which has many useful things to give to the world. Take, for instance, the phonetic script. Each of the languages spoken in this region is written in a script that standardizes the representation of oral sounds.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">Just imagine that if English were a phonetic script, words like “schedule” would be pronounced in the same way by the English and the Americans. How simple it would have been for Microsoft to convert e-books to audio books! It was comparatively recently that the International Phonetic Alphabet, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NATO_pho..." title="NATO phonetic alphabet"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;">NATO Phonetic Alphabet</span></a>, and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American..." title="Americanist phonetic notation"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;">Americanist Phonetic Notation</span></a> have addressed the issue.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">The ancient South Asians who developed phonetic scripts ought to have been superintelligent. Therefore, I think it worth studying the archaeological remnants of their culture to create absorbing historical fiction.  </span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Do you have any advice for people who are working on their first novels?</b></i><b></b></span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">Having written just one novel, I don't consider myself eligible to advise others working on their first novels. However, I'd share with them my experience and hope that it helps.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">Having a clear idea about how I wanted my novel to end saved me a lot of time and effort. Initially I outlined the storyline in just fifty words or so. Then I went building upon it for several pages till I could split the contents under several chapter headings. Thereafter, each chapter started evolving, sometimes on its own momentum.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">Your readers might like my e-booklet entitled <i>How I Wrote a Pre-Historic Novel</i>. It can be downloaded free from <a href="http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/....  </span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Do you have plans for another novel?</b></span></span></i></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">Yes, I wish to write another novel in which the action takes place in the Indus Valley and Ancient Egypt. Unfortunately, I have not yet been able to find adequate evidence of direct links between those two cultures.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Thank you, Vasant, for your time, and best wishes on your writing endeavors.</b></span></span></i></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">It's my pleasure, Shauna. I'd love to receive feedback from the esteemed readers of your blog.</span></span><br /></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">You can learn more about Vasant Davé and <i>Trade Winds to Meluhha</i> by visiting his Website at <a href="http://vasantdave.weebly.com/"&g.... </span></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">His ebook is available online for Kindle at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006XNEH7U/" target="_blank">Amazon.com</a> and for Nook at <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/trade..." target="_blank">Barnes and Noble</a>. For other options, visit </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://vasantdave.weebly.com/index.ht... style="font-family: inherit;"></span> </div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">Vasant is having a blog tour this week. Please consider visiting his other stops and entering his <b>contest</b>, which is below his blog tour schedule.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Monday, 21 October</span></b></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> </span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">1.   <b>Book Review</b> at <b>Momma Says Read</b> http://<i>www.mommasaysread.com.... A blog providing nontraditional book reviews.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> </span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">2.   <b>Book Review</b> by Kalyan Panja at <b>Paper Tree</b> <a href="http://bookmarkks.blogspot.com/"... style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">http://bookmarkks.blogspot.com</sp..., a book blog from India. Kalyan is a working professional, an amateur photographer and an ardent traveler. His love for books is such that he treasures even those he read as a kid.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> </span> <br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> </span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Tuesday, 22 October</span></b></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> </span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">1.   <b>Book Review</b> by author Nicua Shamira at <b>Terraverum</b> <a href="http://terraverum.wordpress.com/"... style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">http://terraverum.wordpress.com/</..., a book blog from Australia. Shamira has one YA fantasy published as well as a collection of short stories, and two more novels in the works. Besides reading and writing, she loves archery, horse riding, travelling, and painting.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> </span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">2.   <b>Book Review & Promo</b> at <b>Books, Food and Me!</b> <a href="http://thebookishfoodiereviews.wordpr... style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">http://thebookishfoodiereviews.wordpr..., a blog that is a quirky take on books and food.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> </span> <br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> </span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Wednesday, 23 October</span></b></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> </span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">1.   <b>Interview</b> here at <a href="http://www.shaunaroberts.com/"&g... style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> </span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">2.   <b>Book Review</b> by author <b>Martin Lake</b> <a href="http://martinlakewriting.wordpress.co... style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">http://martinlakewriting.wordpress.co... from France. A prolific writer of Historical and YA Fiction and short stories, Martin is the author of The Lost King series. Winner of first prize in the Kenneth Grahame Society short story competition.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> </span> <br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> </span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Thursday, 24 October</span></b></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> </span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">1.   <b>Book Review</b> by Raka Majumdar at <b>Illuminati</b> <a href="http://esotericphoenix.wordpress.com/... style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">http://esotericphoenix.wordpress.com/..., a book blog from India. Raka wears two hats: advertising professional during the day and book reviewer at night.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> </span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">2.   <b>Interview</b> by author <b>J.D.R. Hawkins</b> <a href="http://jdrhawkins.com/"><i... style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">http://jdrhawkins.com/</span>&l....  Hawkins is one of the few women authors on the American Civil War, and her Renegade Series has won three awards, including the 2013 John Esten Cooke Fiction Award and the 2012 B.R.A.G. Medallion.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> </span> <br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> </span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Friday, 25 October</span></span></b></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> </span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">1.   <b>Book Review</b> by Kavya Srinivasan at <b>Crazy world, Crazy mind</b> <a href="http://kavyasrinivasan.blogspot.in/&q... style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">http://kavyasrinivasan.blogspot.in/&l..., a blog from India.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> </span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">2.   <b>Author Interview</b> by Ashok Kumar at <b>Sundry Rhymes</b> <a href="http://www.theuniversalsolvent.net/&q... style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">http://www.theuniversalsolvent.net/&l..., another blog from India.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> </span> <br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> </span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #660000; font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Saturday, 26 October</span></b></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> </span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">1.   <b>Promo</b> by Kristin Plausky at <b>Second Book to the Right</b> <a href="http://2ndbooktotheright.blogspot.com... style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">http://2ndbooktotheright.blogspot.com.... Besides being an avid reader of fiction of all genres, Kristin is a lab technician and a Girl Scout leader.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> </span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">2.   <b>Book Review</b> on <b>Kitaab</b> <a href="http://kitaab.org/"><i>... style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">http://kitaab.org/</span></i..., a book blog from Singapore that focuses on Asian writing in English.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> </span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">3.   <b>Author Interview</b> by Vinny at <b>Books are my Best Friends</b> <a href="http://the-pleasure-of-reading.blogsp... style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">http://the-pleasure-of-reading.blogsp..., a book blog from India that reviews English and Bengali books. Vinny also moderates a YA readers' group on Goodreads.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> </span> <br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> </span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sunday, 27 October</span></span></b></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> </span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">1.   <b>Author Interview</b> by Sheri at <b>Making Connections</b> <a href="http://makingconnectionsgroup.blogspo... style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">http://makingconnectionsgroup.blogspo..., a blog and Goodreads group of the same name run by eight readers and bloggers who are dedicated to helping new authors. They hail from the United States, Canada, and Pakistan.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> </span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">2.   <b>Book Review</b> by Tanya Aneja, a book lover, on <b>Books and Amazing Facts I have Read</b> <a href="http://tanyaaneja.blogspot.in/"&... style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">http://tanyaaneja.blogspot.in/</sp.... Tanya is a grade 8 student from New Delhi, India.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"></div><a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/disp..." id="rc-6289a711" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a> <script src="http://www.shaunaroberts.com//d12vno1... <br /><div></div></div>