And the winner is...

...as determined by Random Number Generator : 3 - Angela!  Congratulations, your copy of Rebel Queen will be on its way soon!

Rebel Queen by Michelle Moran - Giveaway!

Michelle Moran has a new novel out and I am pleased to announce a giveaway on my blog!  Her new book, Rebel Queen, is based in India.  Here is a synopsis:

Synopsis

From the internationally bestselling author of Nefertiti and Cleopatra’s Daughter comes the breathtaking story of Queen Lakshmi—India’s Joan of Arc—who against all odds defied the mighty British invasion to defend her beloved kingdom.
When the British Empire sets its sights on India in the mid-nineteenth century, it expects a quick and easy conquest. India is fractured and divided into kingdoms, each independent and wary of one another, seemingly no match for the might of the English. But when they arrive in the Kingdom of Jhansi, the British army is met with a surprising challenge.
Instead of surrendering, Queen Lakshmi raises two armies—one male and one female—and rides into battle, determined to protect her country and her people. Although her soldiers may not appear at first to be formidable against superior British weaponry and training, Lakshmi refuses to back down from the empire determined to take away the land she loves.
Told from the unexpected perspective of Sita—Queen Lakshmi’s most favored companion and most trusted soldier in the all-female army—Rebel Queen shines a light on a time and place rarely explored in historical fiction. In the tradition of her bestselling novel, Nefertiti, and through her strong, independent heroines fighting to make their way in a male dominated world, Michelle Moran brings nineteenth-century India to rich, vibrant life.

If you would like to win a copy of this new novel just leave a comment on this post between now and Feb. 14.  Make sure you leave your email as well so that I can get in touch with you!  I will be drawing the winner on the 15th.  This contest is open to anyone, anywhere in the world.  Additionally, Michelle will be sending the winner a bangle, similar to the one in the picture below that she bought while recently in India.  I have enjoyed Michelle's books in the past and look forward to reading this one soon!

Guest post by Michelle Moran

I have been blessed in the past to be asked to read Michelle Moran's work and blog on it by the author herself.  She has a new book being released this spring and has approached the blogging community once again to read and review her work.  In anticipation of her upcoming book,Rebel Queen, I am pleased to present a guess post from her.  I will be hosting a giveaway of her new book next week, so look for that as well!

JANAM KUNDLIS

Michelle Moran

 

With every book I write, I discover something about the culture I’m researching which completely blows me away, often because it’s so unusual and something I’ve never encountered before. In the case of my book, REBEL QUEEN, set in India during the British invasion, the concept of Janam Kundlis struck a chord with me, particularly since Janam Kundlis very nearly played a role in my own life and my marriage to my husband, who is Indian. 

Also known as an astrological chart, a Janam Kundli is made by a priest for each child in India. No one is sure when the concept of a Janam Kundli came to be, but as Vedic astrology is several thousand years old, it’s not surprising that my protagonist’s Janam Kundli would have looked similar to my husband’s, even though they were born more than a hundred years apart. A person’s Janam Kundli includes the details of their birth–time, date, planetary alignments. It also includes other things which aren’t so common in the West, such as that person’s probable future career and who they were in their most recent past life (in my husband’s case, a yogi!). 

Reading a person’s natal chart is serious business. Once a person’s Janam Kundli is created, they will keep that document with them for life, producing it when it’s time for marriage. Even today, Janam Kundlis are used to make prospective matches between brides and grooms throughout India, where the majority of marriages are arranged. And woe betide anyone whose Janam Kundli declares them to be a manglik, or a bad-luck person. If that’s the case, as it was for the famous Bollywood actress and former Miss World Aishwarya Rai, one of two options are available. You can either marry another manglik, thus canceling out your bad-luck status, or you can hire a priest to conduct a variety of ceremonies that will make it possible to marry someone who isn’t a manglik like yourself. This last option, however, is only available if the non-manglik person’s family finds the risk acceptable. In Aishwarya Rai’s case, her in-laws obviously felt the “risk” was worth it, and in 2007 she married a tree before she married her husband, thereby canceling out her bad-luck in this way. 

Why a tree? Well, this was something I very nearly discovered myself when my own Janam Kundli was made. Apparently, like Aishwarya Rai, I too am probably a manglik, meaning marriage for me would most likely end in the divorce or death of my spouse. I say probably because my Janam Kundli was done online. The effect, however, was very nearly the same. Major discussions took place as to whether I would need to marry a tree before the wedding could proceed, or whether my Janam Kundli should be discounted since I am not, after all, Indian, and my Janam Kundli hadn’t “officially” been made by a priest. 

In the end, it was decided that my husband should take the risk and go for it. I never had to marry a tree or even choose among a variety of clay urns for my groom. Either option, apparently, is acceptable, as it’s believed that a person’s manglik dosh can be canceled out if the manglik person’s bad luck is spent on the first marriage. Thus, the bride first marries a clay urn or a tree, then either breaks the clay urn or chops down her tree-husband in order to become a “widow” (in some places, the tree is allowed to survive). After this, the second marriage is ready to proceed without a hitch. 

There are varying interpretations of this ceremony, and even though it didn’t end up affecting me, a person’s Janam Kundli can alter their destiny, just as I describe in the beginning of REBEL QUEEN. It’s cultural gems like these which make researching historical fiction such a pleasure, and it’s these type of details which I try to include in each of my books. As a writer, my hope is that they pique the reader’s interest along the way, and as a reader, they are the sort of facts which help ground me in another place and time.

I have been reading but...

This March Break I re-read a Jodi Picoult book (the Tenth Circle) and really enjoyed it.  But I haven't had time to read for fun lately because, I've been reading:

Yes, I have taken the plunge into graduate studies and have started my Master's degree.  Why not add to the business of working full time and raising three children during hockey season?

What Am I Reading Now? 2014 begins!

A new year and new books.  Or at least some new book goals.  I am currently plodding along through the Game of Thrones.  I bought the first four books last Christmas (a year ago), started the first book last summer and kept picking it up and putting it down.  This Christmas break I picked it up again and have finally started to get into it.  I just find it has a LOT of characters and storylines to follow.  As soon as I get into one the point of view changes which frustrates me to no end.  But my goal is to finish and carry on the series.
The 2014 read I am really looking forward to is the third book in the Dustlands series by Moira Young.  I believe it is coming out in May.  The Dustlands books are by far my favorite of the Dystopian YA books that are so popular right now. 

My favorite author, Francine Rivers has a new book 'A Bridge to Haven' out in April that I am looking forward too.
A friend of mine has recommended the Uglies books that I will probably pick up as well.
What are you reading this new year?  What do you recommend?

Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Oops!  I read this in November and forgot to post on it. 
Allegiant is the third book in the Divergent Trilogy, a dystopian YA series.  It concludes the tale of Tris Prior, a teenage girl who has chosen to live in a faction of society different than that of her family.  Just as she has chosen her faction to train in and be a part of, the society that she grew up in has started to crumble.  Tris is considered a dangerous person as she is 'divergent' meaning that she does not have a clear aptitude for just one faction, but three.  The other main character in the series is Tobias who is one of Tris' trainers.  He and Tris have developed a romantic relationship. 
This book is different from the others as it changes point of view between Tris and Tobias each chapter.  I did find this confusing at first as I was used to reading everything from Tris' point of view.  Having now completed the book I understand the author's purpose in writing this book that way.  There were many elements of the society around them that needed to be explained and the best way to do that was to use the two different characters.
I did enjoy this series and would recommend it to others.  I look forward to the movies coming out (the preview for the first I saw at the theatres before Catching Fire).  It is well worth your time.

Beyond Belief - My Secret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape by Jenna Miscavige Hill

From the outside Scientology is one of those weird things that you wonder what it is really all about.  It is very secretive and the concepts that have leaked out just seem so bizarre that I wonder how exactly do people buy into this?

Scientology has been very good at PR and marketing.  It has the celebrity thing going for it, or, at least it did.  John Travolta is still a good frontman, but the bizarre behavior of Tom Cruise hasn't helped their cause recently.  You also have some well known scientologists leaving, most recently actress Leah Remini has made a public exit.  

I was very interested in reading this book.  In fact I was surprised to see it to publicly visible, knowing how much the people on the inside try to hide and downplay what happens on the inside of their world.

Jenna Hill is a survivor of the worst of Scientology.  She was brought up in it.  Most of her family have been Scientolgists at some point in their lives.  Her parents both held high ranking positions and her uncle is David Miscavidge, the current leader of it all.  This is Jenna Hill's personal accounting of her life. She was raised by the so-called church, living at the Ranch for most of her childhood, apart from her parents.  The story she has to tell is worth reading.  It is in many ways very sad.  Hers has been a life of controlled by others and full of brainwashing.  It amazes me that this organization continues to run with charity status attached considering all the atrocities it has inflicted on people.  I am glad that this young woman survived and found her way out.  She now helps run the website http://exscientologykids.com/ .  I highly recommend this book.  It is a fascinating look into one of he most talked about cults of our time.