Spotlight & Giveaway: Prince of Typgar: Nujran and the Corpse in the Quadrangle by Krishna Sudhir, MD, PhD

 

Photo: Goodreads

 

Today I would like to welcome author Krishna Sudhir to The Burgeoning Bookshelf.

So let's get started and find out a little more about Dr Sudhir and his writing.

 

About the author

 

Krishna (Krishnankutty) Sudhir is a physician, cardiologist and educator. Born in Chennai, India, he has lived and worked in three countries, including India, Australia, and the United States. He is currently based in California’s Bay Area, where he is a senior executive in the medical device industry.

In his academic career, he has taught undergraduate and postgraduate students at major Australian and American universities. He is passionate about educating the general public on health and medicine, and has authored several TED-Ed videos in the health care field. Sudhir has traveled extensively across Asia, Australia, Europe and North America, and is deeply interested in cultures, languages, and cuisines across the globe. He enjoys watching movies, listening to music, reading detective novels, and cooking Indian food. While well-published in the medical field as the author of over 180 publications, the Prince of Typgar series is his first foray into the world of fiction.

Congratulations on your latest novel, Prince of Typgar: Nujran and the Corpse in the Quadrangle! Tell us what the book is about.

This is the second in the Prince of Typgar series, a sequel to Nujran and the Monks of Meirar. The series is set in an alternate universe, an earth-like planet Syzegis in a distant galaxy. At the end of the first book, we leave Nujran as a teenager who has traveled with his teacher, Amsibh, experiencing romance, conflict, friendship, betrayal, and loss. We begin the second book on the campus of the University of Western Foalinaarc, where a body has just been discovered. Who is this girl, and why is she dead? Could it be linked to the mysterious illness sweeping across campus, affecting most of the teaching community? Why does Amsibh come to the school, and what does he need to protect Nujran from? Through what twist of fate is Nujran reunited with his old friends, the Monks of Meirar? And why does Nujran end up being a captive again?

Nujran and the Corpse in the Quadrangle picks up where your last book, Nujran and the Monks of Meirar, left off, but it can also work as a stand-alone. Why did you decide to return to Nujran’s story and what will fans of your first novel be most excited by?
 

I felt there was more of Nujran’s story that needed to be told, and I wanted to have readers go along with him on all of his new adventures as he begins college. In this book, there’s drama in plenty with fugitives on the run, turbulence on the university campus, fresh intrigue, a new romance, a strange kidnapping, an escape from prison, and a rescue mission where things don’t quite go as planned. In short, this sequel is another fast-paced adventure that will hold readers spellbound!

What makes your books stand out from other young adult fantasy novels?

The most unique aspect is that this book is written from an Indian-American voice, that pulls from stories of kings, queens and princes in Indian mythology to create modern fantasy fiction. There are not many YA novels that originate from Indian thinking and tradition, so I was happy to bring that to readers. Plus, it’s set on another planet in a distant galaxy, with elements of not just sci-fi and fantasy but also magical realism, making it a captivating blend of multiple young adult genres. An alternate universe, with multi-ethnic characters, many with unusual abilities, will likely attract fans of the Marvel and DC entertainment films and comic books. Plus, I hope young readers from Indian and other immigrant backgrounds who don’t see their culture widely represented in YA novels will enjoy that aspect as well.
 

Why did you decide to feature multi-ethnic culture and Indian mythology in your novels?

We are a multi-racial, multi-ethnic country, but we don’t have enough minority voices in literature. As an Indian-American writer, I bring a unique perspective to storytelling, drawing from my love of Indian mythology, the Arabian Nights and other epic literature in the diversity space. I am honored to be able to bring these to young readers of all cultures, and I hope they can not only enjoy the stories, but learn something about other cultures – or even their own – along the way.

You are a cardiologist and a professor – what made you want to write YA novels?

The ideas for the books came from multiple directions. Raising two boys (who are now almost 26 and 24), I read a lot of young adult fiction. We perused the Harry Potter novels together, a delightful shared experience. When they were younger, I learned to spin a lot of yarns, mainly as bedtime stories. And going further back in time, there was my own childhood and early adult fascination with the Indian epics—magnificent tales of princes and warriors woven into stories.

With your medical and teaching career, in addition to being a parent, when do you find the time to write? 

I love this question because it has a fun answer! Before COVID, I traveled often for my job. The entire first novel in the Prince of Typgar series was written on United Airlines airplanes. Most of Nujran and the Corpse in the Quadrangle was as well, before quarantine kept me home for the tail end of the process. The cabin of an airplane is an unusual, but perfect place to lose yourself in a new universe through writing!

 

What’s next for you? Will you be writing another book in the Prince of Typgar series, or something fresh?

The series is planned as a trilogy, so there’s one more novel after this one. That final one will be the culmination of the story. Nujran’s adventures will continue, you can be sure there will be more intrigue and conflict, and hopefully my readers will stay with me through the end of the series.

Giveaway 

(Enter via the form below)

Smith Publicity are offering an eBook giveaway of the first two books in the trilogy 

 

Prince of Typgar: Nujran and the Monks of Meirar

Set on the planet Syzegis, in a distant galaxy, Nujran is the spoiled pre-teen son of King Rababi and Queen Roone in the kingdom of Typgar. Enter Maestro Amsibh, a gifted teacher with extraordinary qualities, and the prince’s transformation begins.
But, why does he have to leave his sheltered life at the palace and his gorgeous friend Zaarica, with the maestro and two bodyguards? Who are the mysterious Monks of Meirar, and what strange powers do they possess? What motivates Hoanan, the villainous politician, who wants to unseat the king and usurp the throne? And amidst all the turbulence in Typgar, can Nujran find his way back home?
With numerous plot twists and turns, the reader will be transported on a fast-paced adventure with our young prince, where he encounters romance and conflict, friendship and betrayal, while building strength and character through his experiences in the real world.

 

Prince of Typgar: Nujran and the Corpse in the Quadrangle

This is the second in the Prince of Typgar series, the much-anticipated sequel to Nujran and the Monks of Meirar. At the end of the first book, we left Nujran as a teenager who has learned much through his journeys alongside his teacher Amsibh. He experienced romance, conflict, friendship, betrayal, and loss. He grew up along the way.
We begin the second book on the sprawling campus of the prestigious University of Western Foalinaarc, where a body has just been discovered. Who is this girl, and why is she dead? Could it be linked to the mysterious illness sweeping the campus and plaguing the teaching community? Why does Amsibh come to the school, and what does he need to protect Nujran from? Through what twist of fate is Nujran reunited with his old friends, the Monks of Meirar? And why does Nujran end up being a captive again?
The stakes are higher than ever before, with fugitives on the run, turbulence on the university campus, a new romance, a bizarre kidnapping, a perilous escape from prison, and a rescue mission where things don’t quite go as planned. Corpse in the Quadrangle is another fast-paced adventure that will hold young readers spellbound!

 

This giveaway is now closed and the winner was ..... Karen S

Wishing you a Merry Christmas from The Burgeoning Bookshelf - 2020

 

Book Club Book Review: Something Like This by Karly Lane

Something Like This

by

Karly Lane

 

 
Publisher: Allen & Unwin

Publication date: 1st December 2020

Genre: Rural Romance

Pages: 340

RRP: $29.99AUD

Format read: Paperback

Source: Courtesy of the publisher via  Beauty & Lace Book Club

 

About the book 

 

Jason Weaver just wants to be left alone. It was a tough transition from his army days to civilian life, and he's looking forward to settling into a solitary life.

Tilly Hollis is working two jobs to save for her dream career: running an equine therapy program. Tilly loves her horses more than anything, and after losing her husband and business partner just a few years earlier, she's determined to make it work on her own.

When Jason walks into the cafe where Tilly works, they're immediately drawn to one another. But can they overcome their pasts to find a future together?

 

My review

 

Best selling Australian author Karly Lane’s latest offering in the Rural Romance genre, Something Like This, combines Karly’s love of romance with her love of horses to give her readers yet another unmissable rural romance story.

Anyone who has read a Karly Lane novel will know her two biggest loves are horses and romance and Something Like This combines both loves. Even if your not a horsey person (which I’m not) you will love Tilly and Jason’s story. It is more than just horses it is a story of pain, loss, suffering and the power of love.

Through Healing Hooves Horse Therapy, Tilly brings together a group of troubled teens, on their last chance, and a few wild brumbies saved from culling. The teens are taught to work with the horses and I’m not sure who was taming who but both boys and horses are offered a new chance at life. It was moving to watch these reluctant teens open up and Tilly’s life long dream come to fruition.

Jason Weaver was planning a quiet life fixing up the old house he had purchased. His time fighting in Afghanistan had left physical and emotional scars and Ben Tirran seemed the perfect place to send time alone. That is until he drops into the local cafe and meets Tilly. Now he can’t keep her out of his mind.

Jason is such a likeable character, even when he was being grumpy and disagreeable. I immediately warmed to him and Lane has a remarkable way of invoking empathy in her readers for even the most moody and socially disagreeable of characters.

Tilly is awesome. She has had tragedy after tragedy thrown at her and yet she was vibrant, determined and strong. What an inspiration! Her story will break your heart.

Jason and Tilly were complete opposites neither really into what the other liked but their personalities complemented each other and they were both willing to compromise which I thought was a realistic founding for a relationship.

Horses form a large part of the story in Something Like This and even as a non horse lover I was fascinated by the idea of capturing and taming wild brumbies rather than culling. Lane’s Knowledge and love for these wild horses is evident.

In Something Like This Karly Lane explores the healing power of animals. I have heard of pet therapy where dogs are taken to hospitals, nursing homes and schools but introducing horses as therapy was new to me. Other areas explored were small town gossip, genetic diseases, mental health of people with a disability, communities helping each other and working towards a dream.

Karly Lane is firmly on my must read list.

5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ plus that extra ⭐ for a character named Veronica 💖 (even if she was a mean girl).

Meet the author

Photo: Goodreads

Karly Lane lives on the mid north coast of New South Wales. Proud mum to four children and wife to one very patient mechanic, she is lucky enough to spend her day doing the two things she loves most - being a mum and writing stories set in beautiful rural Australia.

 

This review first appeared on the Beauty and Lace website.

 

Challenges entered: Aussie author challenge  #AussieAuthor20

                                 Australian Women Writers Challenge #AWW2020

 

Other books I've read by Karly Lane

 

 

 

 

Book Review: Daylight by David Baldacci

Daylight

by

David Baldacci 

 

 
Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia

Publication date: 11th November 2020

Series: Atlee Pine #3

Genre: Crime / Thriller

Pages: 404

RRP: $ 32.99AUD

Format read: Paperback 

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 

About the book 

 

FBI Agent Atlee Pine's search for her twin sister, Mercy, coincides with military investigator John Puller's high-stakes case, leading them both into a global conspiracy from which neither of them will escape unscathed.

Ever since Mercy was abducted after a brutal incident when the girls were just six years old, Atlee has been relentless in her search for the truth. Now, just as time is running out on her investigation, she finally gets her most promising breakthrough yet—the identity of her sister's kidnapper: Ito Vincenzo. Last known location: New Jersey.

As Atlee and her assistant, Carol Blum, race to track down Vincenzo, the run into Pine's old friend John Puller, who is investigating Vincenzo's family for another crime involving a military installation.

Working together, Pine and Puller pull back the layers of deceit, lies and cover-ups that strike at the very heart of global democracy.  And the truth about what happened to Mercy is finally revealed.

And that truth will shock Atlee Pine to her very core.

 

My review

 

Daylight is book three in the Atlee Pine series. In previous books Atlee has relentlessly dug into her past to reveal startling revelations about her parents. Her main agenda is to find out what happened to her twin sister, Mercy, who was kidnapped when they were six.

 

Currently on leave until she can sort out her personal demons, Atlee is joined by colleague and close friend, Carol Blum. Carol gives a calming presence to Atlee's, at times, bluntness and impulsiveness. Atlee stumbles across a police bust and in true Pine form becomes involved in the case.

 

Baldacci includes plenty of backstory making Daylight fine as a stand alone. However, to get the full experience I would recommend reading Long Road to Mercy and A Minute to Midnight.

In this latest novel Atlee shows that she is not immune to bad decisions as I found she made plenty during this investigation and I found myself shaking my head over some of the situations she found herself in.

 

Working together with CID Special Agent John Puller the pair investigate a suspected drug ring and how this connects to a teenager shot by police. Stopped at every turn, shutdown and shutout by higher powers they work to expose a cover-up of epic proportions.

 

Daylight is fast paced, action packed and suspense filled. Making this a must read for all crime fans.  

 

4/5  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

Meet the author

 

Photo: Goodreads

David Baldacci is one of the world's bestselling and favourite writers. With over 150 million worldwide sales, his books are published in over 80 territories and 45 languages, and have been adapted for both feature-film and television.

David is also the co-founder, along with his wife, of the Wish You Well Foundation, a non-profit organisation dedicated to supporting literacy efforts across the US. He is still a resident of his native Virginia.

 

 

 

 

 

Read my review of A Long Road to Mercy 

and A Minute to Midnight  

 

 

 

Author Interview: Question & Answer with Sherry Shahan

 

 

Today I would like to welcome author Sherry Shahan to The Burgeoning Bookshelf.

Sherry Shahan lives in a laid-back beach town in California where she grows radish and carrot tops in ice cube trays for pesto. As a travel journalist and photographer, she’s hiked a leech-infested rain forest in Australia, ridden inside a dog sled for the first part of the famed 1049-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Alaska, and snorkeled with penguins in the Galapagos. Her travels inspired Alaskan-based adventure novels Ice Island and Frozen Stiff (both Random House). While sheltering in place, she’s taking ballet classes in her tiny kitchen via Zoom.

 Sherry Shahan is the author of Young Adult verse novel PURPLE DAZE: A Far Out Trip, 1965.

 

Purple Daze is a story about love, friendship, and rock and roll. It plays out on a stage shared by riots, assassinations, and war. Why did you decide to focus on this particular period?
 

While cleaning out my office closet, I found a tattered shoebox filled with letters written by a friend who was in Vietnam in the 1960s. I spent hours pouring through gut-wrenching accounts of his day-to-day life in that living hell.
 

It was heartbreaking to watch a close friend turn from a carefree guy who just wanted to hang out with his friends into a hardened soldier. I knew I had to do something with his letters; after all, I’d kept them all this time.
 

The more I researched the 1960’s the more I realized I needed to narrow the book’s timeline. I chose 1965, in part, because of the Watts Riots in Los Angeles. By the time it ended, 34 people had been killed, another 1,032 injured, and 3,438 were arrested. Nearly 1,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed.
 

My friends and I snuck out in the middle of the night, driving the freeways, looking for a break in the National Guard barrier. We were such adrenaline junkies!

 

  

The characters in your story are faced with difficult issues: abortion, drugs, war. Did writing the story using an unconventional form help you tackle these issues?

After reading my friend’s letters, I started messing around with other writing styles. Journals, notes, poems. I wrote character sketches about my crazy friends in high school. Once I began scribbling, it was a constant flashback. Memories assaulted me twenty-four-seven. Bam, bam, bam.
 

I knew I wanted to be inside the head of each character to explore their innermost thoughts and feelings, not just describe them from the outside looking in. I could have done this with an omniscient viewpoint--but bouncing in and out of some many minds could confuse readers. Instead I chose journal entries, letters, free verse and traditional poetry.
 

What stumbling blocks did you encounter writing a novel in verse?


What began as a stream of consciousness had to be shaped into a story with a compelling beginning, middle, end. Each character demanded his or her own story arc. Yet each story had to be woven seamlessly into the whole. Talk about a challenge!
 

I became obsessed with metaphor, assonance, startling imagery, rhythm and cadence. Even white space—meaning the negative space on a page—played a role

in shaping my characters’ emotions. Example:

Ziggy
Fat tits + quick wit

does not = stupidity

if that’s what you think.




Phil
Pages of the new testament fill my pillow,

gospels on a recon in search of a soul.

These two poems are short—yet I think they say volumes about the characters. Even more than if I’d filled a page with margin-to-margin prose.
 

To me, verse mirrors the pulse of adolescent life. Condensed metaphoric language on a single page is a good reflection of their tightly-packed world. Emotions are where teens live.


How did you go about researching Purple Daze? Was your approach different from your other work?


Because Purple Daze is set in a real time and place I read countless accounts of the 1960’s, including The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien. I talked to dozens of Vietnam vets.
 

One guy told me he put a condom over the muzzle of his rifle to help keep out steel-rusting moisture. Yet he could shoot through it. Another guy told me it was common to remove tobacco from packs of cigarettes and replace it with marijuana.
 

During that same time, one of my friends had enlisted in the Navy. He spent his days cruising the Caribbean, getting drunk, and chasing women. Such vastly different experiences expressed the utter craziness of the times. I knew these details would go in the book too.


Amidst the poetry you have inserted certain—for lack of a better term news reports—about what was going on in the world, e.g., assassinations, riots, etc. With so many events to pick from, how did you select what would go in the book?
 

When I read about Norman Morrison, father of three, who set himself on fire to protest the war, I sat at my computer crying. His piece was included late in the copyedit stage.

Norman Morrison

(December 19, 1933--November 2, 1965)


A devout Quaker and father of three young children pours

kerosene over his head and sets himself on fire outside

Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara’s office at the

Pentagon in an act of self-sacrifice to protest United States

involvement in the Vietnam War.

The narrative pieces were chosen because I thought they were fascinating or horrifying or both. I added the story behind Arlo Guthrie’s famed song “You Can Get Anything You Want At Alice’s Restaurant” as a light-hearted anecdote. I could have added more history, but I didn’t want Purple Daze to be ‘text-bookish.’

Ultimately, it’s a story about six friends and their sometimes humorous, often painful, and ultimately dramatic lives.


The book feels very intimate. It made me wonder, is the character Cheryl really you in disguise?
 

There are still small holes outside my bedroom door from a hook-and-eye. That was my mom’s attempt to keep me from sneaking out at night. Like the character Cheryl, I simply crawled out the window.
 

In one scene, Cheryl and Ziggy are piercing each other’s ears. They’re using frozen potatoes to numb them, sort of like an earlobe sandwich. The Animals are wailing, “We Gotta Get Out of This Place.”

And, yep, just like Cheryl, I really did shave between my eyebrows.


Nancy's behavior toward her boyfriend at the end of the novel was interesting. But you don't apologize for her or justify her distance from Phil. Can you talk about that a bit?


Like most circle of friends mine was a jumble of diverse personalities. Nancy is based on one of them. She was much more mature than the rest of us. I guess it never occurred to me to try to justify her pulling away. To me, sending Phil a ‘Dear John’ letter showed a thoughtful decision to take her life in a different direction—a direction that was precipitated by his being in Vietnam.


What do you hope your readers will take away from Purple Daze?
 

While I never consciously write with the intent of hitting my readers with a message, the difficulties facing today’s teens aren’t all that different from those faced in the 60’s. Issues with parents, relationships, love and loss.
 

Teenagers are still breaking away from authority and convention, still forging their way into an unknown future. And, unfortunately, our country is still engaged in a war of choice on foreign soil.

Thank you for stopping by and spending some time with us on The Burgeoning Bookshelf.

 

 About the book

Purple Daze is set in suburban Los Angeles in 1965. Six high school students share their experiences and feelings in interconnected free verse and traditional poems about war, feminism, riots, love, racism, rock 'n' roll, high school, and friendship.Although there have been verse novels published recently, none explore the changing and volatile 1960's in America-- a time when young people drove a cultural and political revolution. With themes like the costs and casualties of war, the consequences of sex, and the complex relationships between teens, their peers, and their parents, this story is still as relevant today as it was 45 years ago.

 

 

Mailbox Monday & Life This Week - December 14th

 

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. It now has a permanent home at the Mailbox Monday blog.

Life This Week is a meme created by Denyse Whelan Blogs where bloggers share snaps of what is currently happening in their lives.

Happy Monday!

It was recently brought to my attention that I hadn't posted a Monday Mailbox for quite some time. I didn't realise just how long it had been since my last Life This Week catch-up. Life has become very busy lately while I try to focus on my scoliosis exercises, increasing from one day a week to four and also walking three days a week. I run a playgroup once a week and I love taking my grandchildren there to socialise with the other children.

 

The local teens had built a bike track in the bush just off the walking path and I was quite astounded to see the the council had closed it down. It really seemed like a harmless bit of fun. The next week fences went up and trucks moved in, and my faith in our local council was restored as the built the most amazing bike track for everyone to enjoy.

 

The almost finished track. It's about twice this size as I couldn't get it all in my photo.

Some of the Christmas lights outside a local church.

I bought these cute cupcakes to celebrate my mum's 83rd Birthday.

My daughter got engaged in January and we were finally able to bring the two families together to celebrate.

 

 Some of the books I've received recently

 

Hideout by Jack Heath

The Left-handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix

The Last Truehart by Darry Fraser

Dark Tides by Philippa Gregory

I would love to hear what books you received in the mail recently!