Planes, Trains & Cruise Ships! Wow!

by Marcia King-Gamble

Airplanes for a long time were my home away from home. I ate on them. I slept on them. I even served guests on them. Since I was a flight attendant for a major international airline, travel came with the territory.  Home for a while was Hawaii, Seattle and New York. When I wasn’t home, I traveled to exotic ports. Bangkok, Tokyo, Singapore and Hong Kong were just some.

Then I transferred to New York and the scenery changed somewhat. India, the Middle East and South America became favorite haunts. Not only was I inspired by the incredible architecture, I got to shop my  heart out.  Flying out of the east coast meant dancing the night away at a London club, shopping at Harrods, and sightseeing when I could. Did you know some of the best consignment shops are in Paris?  India meant jewelry and  more fashionable clothing, and so did Hong Kong and Bangkok. I still have strands and strands of those wonderful Hong Kong pearls.

Travel also meant sampling the cuisines of the countries we flew into. I ate my way through Paris, Rome, and the south of France. Frankfurt has the best Vienna Schnitzel ever. Rome is the pasta capital of the world and holds the record for flirtatious men.  Barcelona’s museums are not to be beat.  And Rio... well once you experience Rio, you never want to go home. Rio has the best Sunday Market ever. Now back to food.  In the mood for Chinese or an authentic curry?  Count on London to provide you with both.

It's lunch time somewhere. Here I am in Venice enjoying some of  that pasta I mentioned.

Come winter, I followed the sun. Mexico City was a favorite place to land. There, culture is paired with a full bodied red. Try the prime cuts and you'll never be  a vegan  again. The Caribbean provided black sand beaches and delicious spicy food.  By now you should know I love to travel.

Trains are another favorite mode of transportation.  Sleeper trains, especially.  My first experience with a sleeper was in Egypt when I needed to get from Cairo to Luxor.  I boarded a high speed German train that whizzed me through some of the most intriguing countryside.  At the end, a farmer offered to take me off my spouse’s hands in exchange for his livelihood - the six camels he owned!

Since then I have ridden more trains than I care to mention, some luxurious, and some not so much.  What this experience has given me is a better appreciation for Europe. Europe makes traveling by rail so much easier.

Trains are also one of the most scenic ways to see Alaska. If you take the Alaskan Railroad, or for a cushier experience, the McKinley Explorer, you might never come home. Want something less exotic? Then hop aboard The Coast Starlight Express running from Los Angeles to Seattle.  I can’t think of a nicer way arrive in The Emerald City.

As for car trips, well they are just not me. I’m taking liberties here and substituting cruising instead. You unpack once and everything is at your fingertips.  There’s gourmet food, above par entertainment, and a service experience to rival none. I know of what I speak because I worked in this industry for years.

Yeah, I love cruising!

Here's a fun pic of me on last year's cruise.

           

If I've convinced you to pack your bags, then what are you waiting for? Let's go exploring. And if you want a taste of Junkanoo in Nassau, Bahamas, then pick up Tempting Andie, my latest novella.

 

Inspiration from Unexpected Sources

by Shobhan Bantwal

Authors are constantly seeking out story ideas, consciously or unconsciously. Whether we are shopping for groceries, sitting in church on a Sunday morning, showering, or pulling weeds in our yards, our writer minds are always on the prowl for juicy story ideas.

Some of us are disciplined enough to carry a notepad to jot down those ideas that suddenly strike in the most bizarre places like an airport rest room or a crowded restaurant. I am not very diligent about such things, so I have to try harder to recall those thoughts at a later time. And if I can't, I chastise and torture myself for my lack of foresight.

However, we all know that inspiration can come from the most unexpected avenues. A newspaper article, a neighbor's death, a dog's uncanny ability to sense danger, an obscure superstition, or even something as minor as a child's forgotten homework can trigger an epiphany. A writer's mind works in strange ways.

As a sociology major in college, I had always been interested in women's issues in contemporary India. While I had considered them appropriate subjects for serious non-fiction books, I had never thought of them as possible fiction themes.

Years later, when I read an article about dowry deaths, a horrible and contemptible practice that continues to plague modern India, I was inspired to write my debut book, The Dowry Bride. 

Later, when I heard about sonogram technology making it easy for some unscrupulous doctors in India to abort unwanted female fetuses, I decided to use that topic as the basis for my second book, The Forbidden Daughter. Both books were a great way to introduce controversial hot-button social issues via an entertaining and romantic story.

Model in a Sari

The inspiration for The Sari Shop Widow came while shopping at the Little India community in New Jersey, where colorful sari shops abound. The trials and tribulations of my own petite stature led me to write The Reluctant Matchmaker, the story of a tiny woman falling in love with an unusually tall man, and the crazy challenges she faces.

I would love to hear about your book ideas, and who and what inspired you to write them?

Website: www.shobhanbantwal.com   Facebook page

    

Who Says Writing is Easy?

By Shobhan Bantwal

Don't all published writers occasionally come across people who assume that writing novels is simple? Most folks are really awed by the process, but I have met a few who seem to think writing a book is easy, and that publishers will line up at your door to buy it. And pay you a ton of money to boot! This naturally leads to the absurd assumption about huge advances and royalties.

When I tell such individuals how hard it is to write a novel, then find a reputable agent, and eventually sell one's work to a publisher, they look at me like I must be rather dim-witted because it took me a while to sell my first book. Only a fellow writer would understand the trials and tribulations of achieving that special and coveted status, the one labeled "published writer."

Sleepless nights, nail-biting, frustrated sighs, and even a few tears of anguish are all part of getting there. Then there are so many of us who have tough full-time jobs, families, and social obligations that demand attention, leaving very little time to write.

But then after completing the uphill climb to actually getting published there is yet another, steeper mountain to navigate: Marketing and Promotion. Personally I have found that promo and reader outreach are ten times harder than writing the book.

Of course one can hire a marketing consultant and/or a virtual assistant to handle some of the promotional work, but that has its limits too. A few fellow writers who hired high-priced PR agents have not sold any more books than the ones who had neither the budget nor the time for any fancy marketing tools.

While we all work hard as authors and try to find the most cost-efficient resources to publicize our books, it still feels like it is never enough.

So, is fiction writing any easier in today's self-publishing and e-publisher markets? With my limited technical abilities I am absolutely amazed at what some self-published writers have accomplished through Amazon and other avenues.

How many of you have found fame and fortune with these new trends? I would love to hear comments about how easy or challenging it has been for you to "arrive."

www.shobhanbantwal.com

Facebook page: www.facebook.com/ShobhanBantwal.author

Diwali - an Indian Holiday

by Shobhan Bantwal

One can't help but feel the joyful holiday spirit come bounding in this month.  With Thanksgiving around the corner, and Christmas and New Year on the not-too-distant horizon, I decided to share with my fellow genre-ists my own ethnic holiday called "Diwali," the Indian festival of lights.

Interestingly Diwali falls quite close to the traditional Judeo-Christian holiday season, usually October or November.  The Hindu religious calendar follows the lunar cycle, therefore, like the Jewish holidays, Diwali never falls on exactly the same day every year.

Rather similar in nature to Christmas and Hanukkah, Diwali involves decorating the home with lights, exchanging gifts with family members, and of course gorging oneself on rich food. Colorful saris and gold jewelry are also very much part of the holiday festivities.

What is unique to Diwali however is the significance of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity. For most Hindus Diwali begins at dawn, with a ritualistic herbal bath and prayers offered to the goddess, followed by sharing a variety of sweet foods with family, friends, and neighbors. Gifts are generally reserved for family, mainly children (again, similar to Christmas and Hanukkah). Oil lamps and colorful paper lanterns are used for adorning the outside of the homes each evening during the ten-day celebrations.

For businessmen and women who believe that Lakshmi blesses them with financial success, Diwali is the beginning of the fiscal New Year. Elaborate parties and group dancing are part of the annual gala. For me personally, the prayers at our humble home altar and the family being together are the best parts of this unique holiday.

I have included Diwali in some of my novels, so many of my readers have become familiar with the term and the traditions associated with this holiday.

Ever since my husband and I immigrated to the United States forty years ago, we have embraced American culture wholeheartedly. So later in the season, my family also celebrates Christmas with the same fervor as Diwali, complete with decorated tree, gifts, music, and of course food. Who can resist those scrumptious Christmas cookies and cakes?

Now that is the beauty of America's melting-pot culture, where we all get to celebrate a wide variety of holidays, traditions, and most of all, the precious gift of freedom.

www.shobhanbantwal.com

Facebook page: www.facebook.com/ShobhanBantwal.author