Mistletoe Magic – The Book Launch

After everyone who read Gulmohar Love and Gulmohar Valentine, screamed enthusiastically, “More... we want more love stories! Why did the novel end so fast?” I decided to put my pen to paper (read ‘type on my laptop’) once again. So, I rolled up my sleeves and got down to serious work, I mean building up a romance story. It involved a lot of research work, hours of day dreaming, writing, phrasing and re-phrasing. I won’t say I didn’t see days when I just sat with my laptop whiling away the time waiting for an idea to pop up. Anyway, consistently I persisted and Mistletoe Magic was published on 14th February 2023. Though it was a matter of great joy and pride something was still missing. Any idea what?

A Book Launch!

Yes, so we had a great book launch on 23rd April 2023.

The venue was familiar but the preparations were elaborate. After all it had been four years after my second book’s launch. The pandemic had caused things to go haywire for a long time. Much thought went in to make the event a memorable one. From the entrance to the exit... each and every thing was planned meticulously. A selfie point with the words in gold ‘BOOK LAUNCH’ flanked by the reviews of the previous five novels was one of the attractions. A quiz based on my six novels was welcomed by the guests, who eagerly answered questions and received their prizes.

How can I forget the special guest of the evening Deepti Chinaria (Mrs. Rajasthan 2021), who so warmly accepted the invitation to preside over the book launch! Her presence was of great import as the climax of the novel occurs on the ramp. Dressed in a bright red gown and donning her winner’s crown, Deepti Chinaria looked stunning as she interacted with the guests and graciously agreed to click photographs.

It was a dream come true to have General Kulkarni, the Director of Mayo College, Ajmer gracing the occasion and agreeing to launch Mistletoe Magic. What more could I ask for? His blessings at the event made me feel so blessed. Bishop - Elect Jaipur Rev. Fr. Joseph Kalarackkal beseeched the Holy Father to shower His blessings on all my works especially this latest novel and I couldn’t help but thank God for all His graces in my life.

After I had read an extract on soul mates from Chapter 12 of Mistletoe Magic to the accompaniment of the soulful music played on the guitar by Nitya Rochani, this budding singer rendered Christian Perri’s ‘A Thousand Years’ beautifully. The audience was mesmerized. A surprise speech and song by her during the course of the evening left me feeling overwhelmed.

Excellent book reviews by Arya Sharma and Divanshi Utwani added to the joy a writer feels. As I sat listening to them talking about Gulmohar Love and Gulmohar Valentine I could feel a tiny fountain of happiness bubbling somewhere deep down in my heart. It was wonderful to hear them describe their reading experiences and share certain parts they enjoyed the most.

And, I couldn’t believe my eyes when a huge cake made its way into sight... A surprise gift from my friends! I didn’t know what to say or do. I was lost for a few moments. Not everyone is blessed by good friends. God has been greatly merciful to me! A couple of them played the role of event planners - visualizing, discussing and working on ideas with me for the Launch. The result was... yes, magical and breathtaking!

When I say breathtaking, I can’t forget to mention Poornima Kapoor, the illustrator and cover designer of all my novels. She brought the evening alive by her charming persona and refined voice in the capacity of the emcee. Over the years Poornima has metamorphosed into a confidante. Perhaps, without the endless conversations we had over weeks to string the evening together things wouldn’t have been that riveting.

My heart filled with gratitude to be surrounded by those who mean so much to me and those who value me. Some of them had travelled from different parts of the country to be with me. With one of the most memorable book launches done and dusted I’m looking forward to a short break before taking up the next project.

Dear readers, till the next one comes about; do get your copy of Gulmohar Love, Gulmohar Valentine and of course my latest in the genre... Mistletoe Magic. And, please don’t forget to give my works a rating and review on Amazon, Flipkart, here on my website or social networking sites. Your feedback will help me to know what you like and write more in the direction.

Looking forward to your valuable words and insights!