Wednesday's Romancing Christmas Guest Author Post on the Giveaway BlogHop!

It's Wednesday, which means it's Anju Gattani's Guest Post !

Click on the picture for more blogs to hop to, more books to register to win! 

And don't forget to enter WriterMason's Giveaway entry form here. There is another Rafflecopter entry form at the end of this post too. 

Today let's meet.... 

amazon   barnes&noble   peerless bookstore

 Anju Gattani 

Sheetal Prasad has it all: youth, beauty, wealth and education. But when this modern, Indian woman surrenders love for honor and marries into India’s titanic ‘royal family’, these very advantages turn against her and she is stripped of her freedom.Meet the Dhanraj’s—a powerful family bound together by a web of lies where infidelity, greed, secrets and hidden identities lurk beneath the lush tapestry. The Dhanraj’s have plenty to hide and will do what it takes to mask the truth from the world.As Sheetal peels back the layers of deceit, she confronts a haunting reality and is threatened by the blazes of passion she ignited.

"I think the phrase that probably suits me best is ‘all over’… not because I’ve lived and travelled in several different countries but because I’m usually all over the place at any one time.  Some call it multi-tasking, others would say I’m juggling, but I know the truth! J The characters in my debut novel, DUTY AND DESIRE, and other books to come, are the same… we seem to share the sweet-sour mix of not being able to contain ourselves in a specific mould and not sit quietly on a shelf.

What started as a story, a single book, in 2002, shortly after we moved from Singapore to New Jersey, USA, ended up becoming a spider-web of tales as my characters took up a life of their own and eventually some began demanding stories (a book) of their own too. 

 I still remember waking up after a quick nap one afternoon, just before I had to go pick up my (then) kindergartener from the bus stop and the fast-paced action scene I had just day-dreamed about.  That stuck with me for several weeks.  With about 10 years of international freelance journalism experience, having written for magazines in Hong Kong, Singapore and India, I thought I had it figured out, it was just another seed of thought for another article.  Loads of research and after reading up on writing the fiction novel I realized this idea might just be a book.  In January 2002, with a lot of confidence from my husband and Mom (in Hong Kong) and my stomach churning somersaults at the prospect of such a daunting task, I put pen to paper (literally--all my original manuscripts are still hand-written) and began writing the story. 

A year and half later I finally wrote THE END only to realize it was the beginning of another book in the story.  Since then the characters in the ‘Winds of Fire’ series have spiraled more and more books, each one bringing to the page his or her own story, conflicts and unique issues. 

Two of the leading characters in DUTY AND DESIRE carry international blends with perfection.  For example, Sanjeet Dhanraj, the leading male.  He wears and carries an international ensemble – created and designed by India’s leading fashion designer, Arjun Khanna: www.arjunkhanna.com  Then there’s Sheetal, the leading character in DUTY AND DESIRE; her ensembles have been created and designed by India’s leading fashion diva, Anita Dongre: www.anitadongre.com... all according to Indian fashion today.  Sanjeet and Sheetal are glamorous on the surface but struggle with inner conflicts of modern vs. traditional values.  Their story explores this and many, many other themes. 

I hope readers will enjoy DUTY AND DESIRE and post reviews online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble… because the current work-in-progress deals with cross-cultural issues and “fitting in” on a whole different level. "

Find Anju on FaceBook: Anju Gattani Author

Find Anju on Twitter: @Anju_Gattani

My website: www.anjugattani.com

Amazon page: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=anju+gattani&x=0&y=0

Barnes & Noble page: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s?keyword=anju+gattani&store=allproducts&page=%2Findex.asp&prod=univ&pos=&box=

In addition to a download copy of Duty and Desire, Anju is giving to one lucky winner a fictional  

invitation to the Wedding of the Century! 

"Marriages made in heaven are solemnized on earth in Duty and Desire
Anju Gattani 
Cordially invites you to grace the marriage of 
Sheetal Prasad
Grand daughter of Late Shree Kishan and Shreemati Asha Prasad
Daughter of Mr. Rana and Mrs. Neha Prasad 
Induslink Corporation 
with 
Sanjeet Dhanraj
Grandson of Late Shree Ranvir and Late Shreemati Saraswati Dhanraj
Son of Late Mr. Ashok & Late Mrs. Rashmi Dhanraj
Dhanraj & Son"

Included are Anju's acknowledgements and source list for the designers and advisors she consulted for Duty and Desire, as well as the schedule of pre wedding events. 

All enclosed in a silk envelope with gold trim. 

Winner will need to provide their snail mail address for delivery! 

I'm sorry this picture doesn't do it justice! It is beautiful and exotic and very special! 

Tomorrow: Get out the tissues for Linsey Lanier's 

Somebody Else's Daughter

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