She Loves Me-He Loves Me Not #Thursday13 with #MFRWauthor @ZeeMahal

Thirteen Things about Zeenat Mahal
Zeenat Mahal has published two ebooks with Indireads in 2013 and SLMHLMN is her third novel. The Contract was an Indireads bestseller.  Her book Haveli was up to number 17 on amazon kindle and The Contract went up to number 9 on amazonIn.

Zeenat loves reading and writing romance and her favourite writers in the genre are Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Julia Quinn, Nora Roberts and Judith McNaught.

1. I've read and enjoyed romance novels for more years than I care to remember. I've read gothic, classic, historical, Regency, popular, YA and all sorts. Can't get enough of it.

2. I've been writing since I was ten.

3. My first 'aha' moment regarding romance writing, which for some reason I thought I'd never do, because let's face it, being South Asian, one is only 'supposed' to do literary writing. But then one day, I thought, you know what, enough of that. It's time to embrace popular literature, despite post-colonialism.

4. One day I hope to get my mainstream novel about Pakistan published. It's titled This House of Clay and Water and half of it made my MFA creative writing thesis. I got a distinction, and I'm very proud of it.

5. Elif Shafak was my supervisor.

6 .My latest book is called She Loves Me-He Loves Me Not and it is a South Asian take on Beauty and the Beast. It's slightly darker than my other novels but it's a HEA which is what I love about this genre. I mean chocolate and a HEA is all it takes to make many of us happy, right?

7. I'm never sure what motivates my stories. Some small thing that captures my subconscious perhaps. 

8. I don't know how it happens but some characters suddenly come together and start living in my head. Some of them are quite annoying. They make me want to write them.

9. Humour is wonderful. I love Susan Elizabeth Phillips and Julia Quinn for their humour even more than for their hunky heroes. Why is it important? I guess, look to Shakespeare? A Fool in most of his plays tells us why. The principles of writing remain the same,no matter what the genre and which category the writer may fall into...master to novice. 

10. I write the first draft in spurts of creativity that might last from a month to a year. Then I go back to the re-writing at least a dozen times.

11. Only when I read the MS a-z and feel that it cannot be made better do i send it to my publisher, who then makes me go back to it if she has reservations. She often does.

12. With children, it is very difficult to write in one go. So I have stopped trying to do that. If I need to write something very badly, like a new plot twist, or a re-write, I do it when they're asleep. Otherwise I do sentence here, a paragraph there. It's not easy but I love them all so much. I can't give any of them up. Neither the kids nor the reading, nor the writing.

13. I'm very lucky :)

She Loves Me-He Loves Me Not

Mainstream South Asian Contemporary

Indireads

Fardeen is Zoella's best friend's oldest brother. He's gorgeous of course and Zee is convinced that one day angels will trumpet their silver bugles and Fardeen's eyes will meet hers.Then the deserts of Cholistan and Thar will burst into bloom (lillies and roses...pink ones). 

She's dreamed this dream since she was ten. Sigh

!Zoella hated that she was so wholesome. People like her were the Harriets of Jane Austen worlds. Forgettable. Disposable sub-plots.  So was it a surprise that she should be in the wrong fairytale with the right man?

Zoella believed in fairytales. She just happened to find herself in the wrong one.

www.amazon.com  |  www.flipkart.com  |  www.indireads.com

A Short & Sweet #MFRWauthor Interview @TheAnnaDurand

Meet Anna Durand.

I'm a writer, reader, librarian, and audiobook addict. I specialize in sexy, suspenseful paranormal romance, including the award-winning Psychic Crossroads series. In my spare time, I photograph flowers, whether they like it or not.

Why did you decide to write romance novels? I realized that what I love most in a book is the romance. If there isn't one, the story feels empty to me, because romance is about more than attraction—it's about emotion and connection. I've written other types of books, but my true love is romance.

What kind of research do you do for a book? I'm always doing research, because I love to read about science, ancient history, and mythology. All of these subjects inspire my romances. So I don't do a lot of research for a specific book, but rather keep my eyes peeled for intriguing ideas that may germinate into stories.

Would you like to write a different genre than you do now, or sub-genre? I'm always itching to try something new. I'd love to dive into fantasy and historical romance but haven't found the time yet. I also have ideas for a mystery, but paranormal romance is still my first love and what I focus on.

Do you feel humor is important in fiction and why? Absolutely! Humor is a great way to deal with stress, and the characters in my books endure a lot of that. My heroines tend toward the sarcastic, but they're never mean, and my heroes have senses of humor too. They may be fighting for their lives, but they can find the humor in even the most mortal of danger.

What do you do to relax and recharge your batteries? I create jewelry, photograph flowers, read, and listen to audiobooks.

Who are some of your other favorite authors to read? I'm a huge fan of Rachel Caine, Ilona Andrews, Lisa Kessler, Jayne Castle, Maria V. Snyder, and Christine Amsden. But I read (or listen to) tons of books by many different authors, from bestsellers to indies.

CONNECT with Anna...
http://www.annadurand.com/
http://amzn.com/author/annadurand
https://www.goodreads.com/annadurand
https://twitter.com/TheAnnaDurand
http://www.pinterest.com/Anna_Durand/
https://www.facebook.com/AnnaDurandFiction
http://www.theromancereviews.com/AnnaDurand
https://www.authorgraph.com/authors/TheAnnaDurand

Tell us about your latest book. What motivated the story? Reborn to Burn is the second story in a four-part series about a young woman who was resurrected from death by some shady scientists. I got the idea from reading about microscopic creatures called tardigrades, which can survive the vacuum of space, but they also can survive dehydration and spring back to life decades later, when enough water hits them. This led to the concept of a mummy being regenerated to a near life-like state. She wasn't supposed to wake up—but she did, and nobody knows why. In the second installment, things get steamy between Dawn (the ex-mummy) and her savior Jake, as they unearth a shocking secret about how she awakened and what she can do.

Reborn to Burn

Paranormal Romance
Jacobsville Books
After three thousand years as a mummy, Dawn awakened to a dangerous new reality where science and the supernatural collide. Her only ally is Jake Maxwell, a mysterious grad student with an unusual talent for evading bad guys. Dawn's resurrection spells trouble and power for the scientists responsible, and they have no intention of letting her go without a fight. But as she flees with Jake, a shocking revelation about her newfound life rocks them both. While their enemies close in, they discover a fiery passion—and a bond deeper and stronger than time itself. But can they outrun the past before their future is shattered? After 3,000 years as a mummy, Dawn was resurrected by Redeo Biotech, and now they'll stop at nothing to control her. As she flees with her only ally, Jake Maxwell, they unearth a shocking secret about her new life and discover a fiery passion. But can they outrun the past before their future is shattered?

AMAZON Buy Link

EXCERPT

Headlights popped on close behind. She threw up a hand to shield her eyes. What was this idiot doing? He must've driven with his lights off until he got within yards of their SUV.
Her pulse raced. No one would do that unless—
Shit.
Jake lurched forward, grimacing as he twisted his body to squint at the back window. ""It's them.""
""Why don't they kill us and get it over with?""
""They need your brain undamaged. An auto accident would be…messy.""
""Charming. But a few hours ago, you said they'd kill me simply for being alive.""
""That's when Saxon was in control. He's gone.""
A chill shimmied through her. Saxon was gone because she'd killed him, to save Jake. Her finger had pulled the trigger, and a part of her wondered whether she'd swapped his life for her own.
""Trust me,"" Jake said, ""the other scientists at Redeo understand the importance of examining an intact, resurrected brain.""
""Great, I feel much better."" She pushed the SUV harder. The other car, its shape invisible behind the glare of the headlights, receded in the mirror.
""It won't be that easy.""
""I know,"" she snapped. Redeo Biotech had created her, in a way, and they despised giving up anything they owned. ""What would you like me to do?""
""Drive faster.""
""You said that wouldn't help.""
""No, I said it wouldn't be that easy."" When she opened her mouth to protest, he laid a hand on her shoulder. ""Use your knowledge. Most of us born into this world don't know it as well as you do. Tap into what you learned during your soul journeys."" He gave her shoulder a light squeeze. ""And drive faster. It'll buy us a little time.""
She rammed her foot down on the accelerator. The car shot forward, pinning her to the seat. The steering wheel shimmied, and she gripped it tighter. The headlights of the other vehicle shrank in the mirror. She released the breath trapped in her lungs.
Headlights surged closer. A powerful engine snarled behind them.
Electric ice zapped through her, clenching her hands and quickening her breaths. So much for buying time.
She stomped her foot on the accelerator.
The other vehicle snarled, revving its engine.
Blood thundered in her ears. Every muscle in her body went rigid.
The other car slammed into them with an explosive crunch. The concussion flung her forward. She clung to the wheel as it jerked in her hands. Christ, no. The seatbelt gouged into her, radiating pains through her chest. She gasped, gritted her teeth, and held on.
An object thunked in the center console. Her gaze flicked to the cup holder, and Jake's gun stashed there.
The attacker barreled his car into them a second time. Their SUV fishtailed. She fought to control the wheel, but the SUV fishtailed again. Skidded sideways. Thwacked over a bump.
And spun out into the night.

Discovering the Amazing Authors of #MFRWauthor

Would you like to find some amazing authors to have as your followers on Twitter?

This month on #MFRWauthor Retweet Day on Twitter, we'd like to invite all Marketing for Romance Writers to give us your twitter name. Example - @MFRW_ORG

Leave your name in the comment section.

We would love then for you to send out a tweet with each others Twitter names.

Example:

Come join the Amazing #MFRWauthor (then list Twitter names of the people in the comment section).

We will also be adding your name to the Amazing Authors of MFRW list on Twitter.

Throughout the month of March, we are going to be tweeting. Come follow the Amazing Author of #MFRW https://twitter.com/MFRW_ORG/lists/amazing-authors-of-mfrw

We will also be asking them to give us their twitter name and encouraging everyone to follow these people.

So if you are looking for new followers. Please Follow us on Twitter and find new authors to enjoy... https://twitter.com/MFRW_ORG

Let's make this a huge event so use the example above and retweet each others Twitter names.

Also support the thunderclap campaign for this event.
http://thndr.it/1FdHg2U

Thanks and here's to everyone having a great year,
Tina