Book Review-Sundari Venkatraman's Matsya

DASHAVATAR

MATSYA: The First Avatar

by

Sundari Venkatraman

Blurb

Lord Brahma is highly disturbed when the four vedas are stolen from him the moment he goes to sleep at the end of the kalpa. It’s Asura Hayagriva who’s gotten away with the sacred scriptures.

Lord Vishnu offers to go to the creator’s rescue and takes the guise of Matsya, the fish.

King Satyavrath lands up with a tiny gold fish when he’s offering prayers to the Sun God one morning. Is the fish all that it appears to be?

How can Satyavrath help the fish?

Read more to find out the reason for Lord Vishnu taking the avatar on earth as Matsya.

*This is a straightforward story of the first avatar of Mahavishnu, retold in simple English just the way it’s written over the ages. The target audience is the youngsters, children, who don’t know all that much about Indian mythology. It’s also for those parents who are keen to read aloud stories to their children and are looking for suitable books on mythology.

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About the author

Sundari Venkatraman is an indie author who has 16 titles to her name, all Top 100 Bestsellers on Amazon India, Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Amazon Canada and Amazon Australia in both romance as well as Asian Drama categories. Her latest hot romances have all been on #1Bestseller slot in Amazon India for over a month.

Even as a kid, Sundari absolutely loved the ‘lived happily ever after’ syndrome as she grew up reading all the fairy tales she could lay her hands on, Phantom comics, Mandrake comics and the like. It was always about good triumphing over evil and a happy end. 

Soon, into her teens, Sundari switched her attention from fairy tales to Mills & Boon. While she loved reading both of these, she kept visualising what would have happened if there were similar situations happening in India; to a local hero and heroine. Her imagination took flight and she always lived in a rosy cocoon of romance over the years. 

Then came the writing – a true bolt out of the blue! And Sundari Venkatraman has never looked back.

My Honest Review:

Romance Queen Sundari Venkatraman pens a mythology...

And it's absolutely awesome just like her romantic novels...

The details, her writing style is really so simple and addictive that a reader is left wanting for more.

Matsya is a short read and I really can't wait for the other nine parts of the book to release.

Loved reading it and it is a must read not only by adults but also a good read for young generation for whom mythology is like an alien language.

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I For Indie Author (Guest Post by Sundari Venkatraman)

    Today’s post is a guest post by well-known Indie Author Sundari Venkatraman.

    Sundari requires no introduction. She is a well-known author, known for her romantic novels like The Malhotra Bride, The Madras Affair, etc and her recent mythological book MATSYA: The First Avatar (DASHAVATAR Book 1). Sundari is the author of 26 titles as of April 2018

Sundari with some of her creations in paperbacks (Sigh!!!)

• 19 novels/novellas
• 2 collections of short stories
• 2 short reads (one romance and one story from Indian Mythology)
• 3 collections

One can contact her at:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.in/Sundari-Venkatraman/e/B00IBEUJV2

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorSundariVenkatraman/

    My first book was The Madras Affair and I just fell in love with Sundari’s work. I re-read her books especially when I am low and want an instant mood lift. Even though she writes romance, each story holds a hidden theme; about women, their various difficulties and problems. Like for example, The Madras Affair was about widow remarriage as a backdrop to romance.

Now it's better to hand over the mike oops pen to the author and let her writing do rest of talking. Over to you Sundari...

I for INDIE AUTHOR

Thank you so much, Aparna, for the opportunity to write a post on your blog. And of course, I have chosen a topic close to my heart, that of being an Indie author.

Some might say that Indie is synonymous with being a self-published author. But I wouldn’t agree with that statement. A self-published author is one who has published book/books by himself and that’s it. While an Indie author is one who has not only published book/books but takes charge of her whole writing/publishing/marketing journey, one who is the sole decision maker, one who takes complete responsibility for her book/s out there. All bouquets and brickbats belong solely to the indie author.

This definitely places a lot of weight on the author’s shoulders, but believe me, at the end of it all, it’s an amazingly satisfying journey indeed.

After trying to woo traditional publishers for 14 long years, I was introduced to the idea of publishing on Amazon KDP by none other than Rubina Ramesh, and as they say, the rest is history.

Today, I am the most successful Indie Author in India and I feel so fulfilled for being one. Being able to publish at my own pace, with a lot of encouragement from an ever-expanding base of readers and fans, makes me so glad that I have gone indie.

Writing is a lonely profession, they say. It draws energy only from self-motivation. So, how do I keep at it, day after day? It’s my dashboard on Amazon that’s updated hourly. When I watch the sales graph going up day after day, see tens of thousands of pages read, all I can say is that I am highly motivated to write and publish more and more.

WARNING: Just because it’s easy to publish doesn’t mean that shoddy content will make one a much-read author. Well edited and proofed content is the most important ingredient of a good book.

I am #PoweredbyIndie & #ProudtobeIndie

Review-An Autograph For Anjali by Sundari Venkatraman

            Another wonderful masterpiece by Sundari Venkatraman…

Sundari is famous for penning romantic novels, and now-a-days she is trying her hands in different genre. An Autograph for Anjali is one such experiment of hers, which has thriller, suspense at beginning with romance as backdrop.

Jayant, a typical Indian male who is pampered by his mother and two sisters before marriage, and expects his wife to do the same and be at his beck and call all the time. Though he keeps himself updated with recent technologies and happenings in business, he, never in 20 years of marriage updated his ideas about domesticity. In this matter his thinking still belonged to 18^th century.  According to him, his wife should not have any life beyond him. He treats his wife and mistress as doormats under his feet. Though a top rung businessman, he was a failure as a husband.

Anjali, wife of Jayant Mathur, pretty, fierce, but oppressed by her husband, has her head above her shoulders inspite of being a rich businessman’s wife. She instills good values in her only son Arjun, whom she doesn’t want to become like his father, callous, dominating and calculative. Inspite of being under Jayant’s dominance and influence, Anjali tries to keep herself sane. But her patience wears off when she sees him crossing his limits and openly flaunts his mistress Seema at a party where she is invited. What happens next is worth a read.

Seema, Jayant’s executive assistant and latest mistress is a character not described much.

Arjun, Anjali and Jayant’s nineteen year old son, though he loves both his parents very much, he knows both his parents are poles apart and his Mom got a raw deal from this marriage. He shares a friendly relation with his Mom and is a constant support to her and vice versa.

Parth Temptation, thy name is Parth.  (Loved this).

Parth is that knight in shining armor who rescues Anjali and supports her during her emotional upheaval and helps her cope depression and gives her the respect and love she deserves.

These are the main characters around which the story revolves. The story opens with a murder, and then proceeds to full blown romantic track. Though I loved the story there are few points which I felt out of place or hard to digest.

Dr. Nalini’s identity is hidden from Anjali. But when she visits Dr. Nalini’s house-cum-clinic she is bound to see the nameplate or something which might reveal her true identity.

When Dr. Nalini first visits Anjali, she introduces herself as a friend. Even though Anjali is depressed at that moment, doesn’t she feel it odd after Dr. Nalini leaves, as who invited her to her house, etc?

Though Arjun loves his mom and respects his father, isn’t it little hard to digest that he call ups Parth and asks him if he can join Anjali on her Greece trip?

I would certainly have loved to read more about Anjali’s childhood and life before marriage, Seema’s life before Jayant, little more on Parth and also on Arjun’s childhood (which I think will come out in the sequel Arjun’s Penance).

Also the climax was abrupt and sudden. I would have loved if there was little more suspense or little more drama to give the story a suitable ending.

 Other than these little things, the story is a perfect blend of suspense and romance. Also the manner in which the dreaded D word – Depression is explained or handled in the story is well commendable. While reading, you feel hatred for Jayant, pity for Anjali, fall in love with Parth (sigh…), feel proud of Arjun and get irritated by Rana. Each character is well developed and explained.

My final verdict…must read once if you want to read some light hearted romance mixed with suspense.

Title : An Autograph For Anjali

Author : Sundari Venkatraman

Available on : Amazon.in

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book from the author in return for my honest review.

Review-Tales of Sunshine by Sundari Venkatraman

            Tales of Sunshine is a collection of ten short stories. Each story explores a different aspect of life.

            Tales of Sunshine is Sundari Venkatraman’s new release. Sundari is a well-known author, famous for her romantic novels. But recently she has also been trying her hands on different genre. Tales of Sunshine is one of her experiment.

Tales of Sunshine definitely has the flavor of Love, but of different shades. Not only does each story has love as a backdrop but also gives us an advice, each story, its title has a moral which touches the reader’s heart.

Tales of Sunshine explores love between two sisters, a mother and her kid, grandparents and grandchildren; so on and so forth. While reading you can feel an instant connection as most of stories depict our day-to-day incidents, which happen in every household.

For example in Exam Fever, Maya the mother is worried about her daughter Renu’s exam or in Breaking Free from the Mould, grandmother Gayatri is worried that her grandson Aarush is spoiling his future and will fall behind the rat race by choosing over languages instead of opting for some competitive exams.

“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.” – Bernard M Baruch

In Ray of Sunshine, Raj is worried not about losing his job but the removal of dozen other people working under him. He is upset about the difficulties they will face rather than his own. Life Goes Out of Control is a typical story of fight between ambition and fulfilling parent’s dreams. Preeti wants to become an artist. Her life revolves around colours, canvas and easel. But her parents want her to fulfill their dreams by becoming a CA (Mom’s dream) or an Engineer (dad’s dream). Neither of them is bothered to know what she wants to become or where her heart lays.

A Promise Given is a heart touching story of Sachin and Aparna. Both meet at rehab where they are trying to come over drug addiction. Sachin is a typical rich spoilt brat, who doesn’t want to recover.  Aparna, who inspite of having gone through severe pain since a very young age, is full of smiles and life and tries to help doctor in helping Sachin recover.

Rakesh Nath’s Recovery is a bit spooky story. As the name suggests it's about Rakesh Nath’s road of recovery. But the plus point of this story is it gives a valuable lesson to all of us who are busy in running race of life. While we are so into race of making money, buying house and settling down in life that we neglect the little joys which life has to offer. But by the time we realize it, it's too late. This story is one of my favorite from the collection.

Until Death Us Do Part, is a thoughtful, heart wrenching story of Rekha and Sagar.  I loved William Shakespeare’s quote

“It's not in the stars to hold our destiny, but in ourselves.”

But what I didn’t like about this story is it gives a wrong message to masses. If Rekha wanted to end her abusive marriage, she could have considered other options. She was an educated woman, but the path she chose was not right.

Is Grandpa Home? is a story of tug of war a man faces when he has to choose between his wife and his father, also of a grandson’s love towards his grandfather. Day Dreaming Mercenary is a story of two sisters Rita and Reema. Rita who is a model feels Reema is just after her money as she does nothing but lazes around. One fine day when Rita follows her sister, she is spellbound when she sees what Reema does with her money.

Last but not the least, The Elephant in the Room is about two friends belonging to diverse financial background. Shruthi who has all the riches in the world and Nandita who belongs to middle class family. Shruthi likes to show off her riches and achievements to Nandita while on other hand she conveniently chooses to ignore Nandita’s achievements and hard earned success.

“Cutting people out of your life doesn’t mean you hate them. It simply means you respect yourself. Not everyone is meant to stay.” - Unknown

My take on book…. “MUST READ”. While some stories help us analyze our life and make it better while some make us sit back and set us thinking. What I loved the most is Sundari has revealed the suspense or important part at the end, which keeps the reader guessing.

Sundari, I am already a fan of your writing. I request you to keep writing and experimenting with different genre more often. J

Title : The Tales of Sunshine

Author : Sundari Venkatraman

Available on : Amazon Kindle  

Disclaimer: I received a free e-copy of the book from the author in return for my honest review.

Review-The Madras Affair by Sundari Venkatraman

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The Madras Affair 

by 

Sundari Venkatraman 

Blurb 

Sangita Sinclair was not always this successful & passionate lady, heading the NGO “Penn Urimai” for downtrodden, abused and homeless women….

When Sangita catches the eye of Gautam Sinclair she is a simple, homely girl; utterly unaware of her charms & capabilities. She has the devil’s own time in overcoming her inhibitions, hesitation, and her family’s orthodox and outdated rules before recognising her love for Gautam.

Will Gautam be able to solve Sangita’s Dilemma or will she be forever trapped in her past?

Meet Gautam 

Gautam has an Indian mother and American father. Built like a giant, he has brown hair and brilliant blue eyes. 

Gautam lives with his maternal grandparents in Besant Nagar, Madras. He used to run a business with his father in Washington DC. Giving up his high-flying career, he chooses to teach at Loyola College in Madras. Yeah, Gautam had fallen in love with the city in Tamil Nadu during his visits to his grandparents. 

Despite his American upbringing, he’s comfortable living in the same house as his grandparents. And does he love teaching! 

He’s attracted to Sangita at first sight and pursues her relentlessly. 

Read The Madras Affair to find out if he’s able to get together with the love of his life. 

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What Reviewers Say 

Meet Sundari Venkatraman

Growing up on a heavy dose of fairy tales and comic books, Sundari fell in love with the ‘lived happily ever after’ syndrome. It was always about good triumphing over evil and a happy end. 

     

Soon, into her teens, Sundari graduated to Mills & Boon romances. And that got her thinking – how about such breezy romances in Indian settings? Her imagination took flight and she always lived in a rosy cocoon of romance over the years. 

     

Then came the writing – a true bolt out of the blue! Sundari had just quit her job as a school admin and was taking a break. She was saturated with reading books. That’s when she returned home one evening after her walk, took some sheets of paper and began writing. It was like watching a movie that was running in her head – all those years of visualising a perfect Indian romance had to be put into words. The dormant romantic storyteller in her finally found its calling and The Malhotra Bride was born. While she felt disheartened when publishing didn’t happen, it was her husband who encouraged her to keep writing. 

   

 In the meanwhile, she landed a job as copy editor with Mumbai Mirror. After working there for two years, she moved to the Network 18 Group and worked with two of their websites over the next six years, as content editor. 

    

 Despite her work schedule, she continued writing novels and short stories and had them published in her blogs. She also started blogging voraciously, writing on many different topics – travel, book reviews, film reviews, restaurant reviews, spirituality, alternative health and more. 

    

Her first eBook Double Jeopardy – a romance novella – was published by Indireads and has been very well received by readers of romance.  

    

In 2014, Sundari published The Malhotra Bride (2nd Edition); Meghna; The Runaway Bridegroom; Flaming Sun Collection 1: Happily Ever Afters From India (Box Set) and Matches Made In Heaven (a collection of romantic short stories) in form of ebooks.

My Honest Review :

This is 2nd book of Sundari which I have read, (1st being The Malhotra bride). I loved the way she writes. In this book she has highlighted the plight of a south Indian girl who is ignored by her parents and who fights the demons of a torturous marriage and equally torturous widowhood, and finds love and self-esteem which she actually deserved.

What I loved about The Madras Affair is the way it’s written. The book highlights the suffering of Sangita who is ignored by her parents as she is a girl and the mental agony she undergoes as a widow. The way Sundari has woven the story of Sangita, and shown two sides of society is highlight of the story. Gautam’s character too is loveable and it’s like every girl’s dream come true. While reading the book you fall in love with Gautam, feel sorry for Sangita and her plight, feel angry on Sangita’s parents for their orthodox and partial behaviour & feel grateful to Gautam’s grandparents for being so broad minded. Sundari has woven character’s which you generally find in typical South-Indian village.

While reading you feel you know the characters as they are portrayed with a realistic touch. In short anyone will love to read Madras affair. Simple yet heartwarming love story of Sangita and Gautam.

                                                                                                                    

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