Guest Blogger: Shobhan Bantwal, Author of The Full Moon Bride

Today's special guest is Shobhan Bantwal, author of The Full Moon Bride. Shobhan was supposed to be here on September 8th, but I messed up my calendar. Sorry for the delay in getting this posted.

What makes a marriage-love or compatibility? Passion or pragmatism? Shobhan Bantwal’s compelling new novel explores the fascinating subject of arranged marriage, as a young Indian-American woman navigates the gulf between desire and tradition…

To Soorya Giri, arranged marriages have always seemed absurd. But while her career as an environmental lawyer has flourished, Soorya is still a virgin, living with her parents in suburban New Jersey. She wants to be married. And she is finally ready to do the unthinkable…

Soorya’s first bridal viewings are as awkward as she anticipated. But then she’s introduced to Roger Vadepalli. Self-possessed, intelligent, and charming, Roger is clearly interested in marriage and seems eager to clinch the deal. Attracted to him in spite of her mistrust, Soorya is also drawn into a flirtation with Lou, a widowed colleague who is far from her family’s idea of an acceptable husband.

In choosing between two very different men, Soorya must reconcile her burgeoning independence and her conservative background. And she must decide what matters most to her-not just in a husband, but in a family, a culture, and a life…

Stories or Viewpoints?


By Shobhan Bantwal

I believe that all writers inevitably project in their writing their pet theories and biases, intentionally or otherwise. Even journalists, who are expected to remain objective, cannot help but infuse their articles and blogs with their own personal views. Television has spawned a new breed of journalists who air their political and social opinions without fear of possible repercussions.

Fiction has come a long way, too, since the Internet has turned into a world theater where anyone and everyone can air their opinions on pretty much any subject. As a result, writers have begun to put many of their personal obsessions and hang-ups in their novels. Genres are now blending in the most interesting patterns, with vampires and policemen working together to solve mysteries, women falling in love with men who can turn into wolves, panthers and specters instantly. I often wonder if these writers have a secret desire to live such unusual and mysterious lives themselves.

As for myself, the good thing about being a fiction writer in the 21st century is that I have all the freedom to write what I want—artistic license. As a story-teller I can pick and choose my topics and spin tales around them. The characters and scenes come purely from my imagination but they are often based in reality to some degree. I can write sad, humorous, mysterious, frightening, serious, or crazy stories, so long as they keep my readers reading and wanting more.

I put many of my own anxieties into my novels. For example, I am terrified of snakes. I have always had an obsessive fear of reptiles in general. At least two of my novels have references to snakes and how they scared the dickens out of one or more of my characters. I am also a hopeless romantic, and it shows in my stories. There is always a romance blossoming between my protagonist and her hero. My stories would be bland without that romantic angle, so I pepper them generously with romance.

Besides authoring five novels, Shobhan Bantwal is a freelance writer and award-winning fiction writer featured in publications such as The Writer, India Abroad, Little India, India Currents and New Woman India. She regularly donates a portion of her book earnings to women's charities. For information on her books, contests, events, recipes, photos, contact, and favorite charities, visit her website at http://www.shobhanbantwal.com/ or her facebook page at www.facebook.com/ShobhanBantwal.author.

Author Spotlight: The Unexpected Son by Shobhan Bantwal

What happens when a woman who’s realized her dreams wakes up to a shocking truth? A mysterious letter turns Vinita Patil’s contented American life upside down. It tells an impossible story: she has a grown son in India, a child she was told was stillborn 30 years ago. Now his life may depend on her.

Revealing her secret past to her arranged-marriage husband could mean losing him forever. Nonetheless Vinita is compelled to return to her battle-scarred town in India to meet her hitherto unknown son—perhaps even save his life—and pray for the faith of the family she leaves behind

Read an Excerpt from The Unexpected Son!

Prologue

There was something odd about it, despite its plain and inconsequential appearance. Vinita gazed at the mystery envelope for a long moment, weighed it in the palm of her hand. Her instincts were prickling. It went beyond mere feminine intuition.

She didn’t receive any letters from her family in India anymore. Cheap long-distance telephone rates and email had put an end to that somewhat antiquated form of communication.

The smudged postal seal on the envelope read Mumbai—one of India’s largest and most populous cities—a place Vinita was very familiar with. The envelope had that typical “India” look—multiple postage stamps in various colors and sizes; thin brown paper; and the sealing flap placed over the vertical edge, unlike the American style horizontal edge. But it didn’t look like the occasional wedding invitation or the quarterly statements from the bank where she and husband maintained a small account in rupees.

There was no return address, but it was sent to her attention—neatly hand-printed. She slit it open with her finger and eased out the contents—a single sheet of white ruled paper. Her hands shook a little. She wasn’t sure if it was anticipation or anxiety. Or both.

The message was brief—a few lines penned in blue ink. She scanned it quickly, trying to ignore the tingle crawling up her spine like the cautious progress of a venomous spider. The subject matter was bizarre. The writer’s name was missing. The trembling in her hands edged up a notch.

Only minutes ago, it had looked like any ordinary Saturday morning—a day to recoup after five hectic days of poring over spreadsheets, memos, and databases till her eyeballs ached and her back turned stiff as cardboard.

This morning, lying in bed, through drowsy eyes she’d watched the first shimmering rays of sunlight poke their fingers through the window blinds. The sound of the wind whistling through the pale green spring foliage was a sign of a brisk but sunny April day.

May, her favorite month, was right around the corner. The dogwoods and azaleas in the neighborhood, weighed down by fat, succulent buds, attested to that. Spring was always such a buoyant season, so full of promise. It had brought a contented smile to her lips.

Reminding herself that it was time to emerge from the warm cocoon of the down comforter, she’d sat up in bed, stretched like a slothful kitten, and leaned back against the headboard. She’d managed to grab more than two extra hours of sleep. Her reward for waking early on weekdays.

Her husband was on a business trip to Detroit, and wasn’t due to return until the following week, so she had the weekend to herself. She’d planned to indulge herself by brewing a cup of scalding masala chai—strong tea delicately laced with her own blend of five spices instead of the usual coffee-on-the-run on weekdays at the office. Then she was going to eat lunch at the taco place and do some shopping at the mall.

Working late the previous evening had prevented her from looking at the mail right away. Exhausted, she’d tossed the stack of correspondence on the nightstand, eaten a quick meal of leftovers, and gone straight to bed.

Now, as she sat on the bed in her aqua print pajamas and checked the mail before getting dressed, she wondered if the weekend of self-indulgence she’d been looking forward to was already beginning to wilt and curl at the edges. The tacos and the shopping spree no longer appealed.

Who could have sent her the odd message? An old friend? An acquaintance? She blew her disheveled bangs out of her eyes to read it again, more carefully this time. Perhaps there were clues she had missed the first time.

My dear Mrs. Patil,

I am writing to tell you about your son. He is suffering from myeloid leukemia. Many years ago, I had made a promise that I will never reveal anything about him, but this is a serious matter. A bone marrow transplant is his last hope. My conscience will not allow me to let a young man die without having a chance to try every possible treatment. Your brother may be able to give you all the details.

I leave the matter in your hands.

Best Regards & Blessings,
A well-wisher


Who was this nameless letter-writer? And why had he or she chosen to remain anonymous? Something about the message was disturbing.

How could someone spring something like this on a total stranger? Whose son were they talking about, anyway? Was it possible the letter was erroneously mailed to her? But what if it wasn’t a mistake and she was indeed the intended recipient?

Was this someone’s idea of a sick joke? But then, why would they spend over forty rupees to mail something all the way to the U.S. as a mere prank? Everything about the letter spelled serious intent. This was no hoax …

Read the Reviews!

“Bantwal is a magical storyteller. The characters are so tangible that you miss them when you finish reading The Unexpected Son.” — BookPleasures




Shobhan Bantwal calls her writing “Bollywood in a Book,” romantic, colorful, action-packed tales, rich with elements of Indian culture. Born and raised in India and now an American citizen, Shobhan had an arranged marriage and writes about that topic and other controversial social topics unique to India. THE UNEXPECTED SON is her fourth book.

Shobhan’s articles and short stories have appeared in a variety of publications including The Writer magazine, Romantic Times, India Abroad, Little India, U.S. 1, India Currents, and New Woman. Her short stories have won honors and awards in fiction contests sponsored by Writer’s Digest, New York Stories and New Woman magazines. To read her stories, articles, favorite recipes, and more, go to her website: www.shobhanbantwal.com.

Shobhan Bantwal and The Forbidden Daughter

The Book Connection welcomes back Indian-American author Shobhan Bantwal who first visited us in October 2007. Shobhan's latest release is titled The Forbidden Daughter.

About the book: This is the story of one young mother, Isha Tilak. When a sonogram reveals that their second child is another girl, Isha and her husband Nikhil's lives are forever altered. Their doctor suggests an abortion and her in-laws insist on it. Refusing to comply with their wishes leads to a bizarre chain of events -- Isha's husband becomes the victim of a mysterious murder plot, leaving her alone with one daughter and another on the way. Her only option is to sever her ties to her in-laws and raise her girls as a single mother.

But more danger threatens to rip apart her new life. The stakes become impossibly high -- even for a woman as brave as Isha.

I've asked Shobhan to discuss the social issues that she raises in the book. Here is what she had to say:

While the female fetus abortion plot is a product of my imagination, there is an element of truth in it. Truth can often be not only stranger but significantly more disturbing than fiction. In this case, it may very well be.

Some two decades ago, patriarchal cultures like India discovered that ultrasound or echogram technology could be used for purposes other than what it was designed for. Overnight, the sonogram went from a way of detecting tumors, abnormalities, and life-threatening conditions in unborn children to an easy method of detecting the sex of a fetus.

Consequently, millions of couples in India have allegedly resorted to female feticide with the help of medical practitioners. In a culture where a daughter is viewed as a burden because of dowry and other archaic but persistent customs, ultrasound has become a valuable as well as dangerous tool in empowering families to rid themselves of female children before they come into the world.

The Lancet, a British medical journal, reported in January 2006 that according to a study nearly 10 million female fetuses may have been aborted in India over the past two decades. Besides the moral issues involved in gender-based abortion, the unbalanced female-to-male ratio could lead to severe social repercussions in the future: a disproportionate number of males with no hope of marriage or healthy long-term relationships. Just imagine how that could affect crimes against women!

Under pressure from activists, the Indian government passed The Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PNDT) Act in 1994, banning the use of ultrasound machines to reveal fetus gender. Furthermore, a 2002 amendment stiffened the penalties. And yet, the practice of selectively destroying female fetuses supposedly continues.

When I wrote The Forbidden Daughter, it was not only to draw my readers’ attention to an alarming social issue in the world’s largest democracy, but also to tell a compelling story that brings to light the spirit of a woman, and a mother’s strength and conviction to stand up to societal pressures when it comes to protecting her children.

And as a hopeless romantic, I love stories written in a positive vein and love at their center.

An excerpt and book trailer of The Forbidden Daughter can be found on my website: www.shobhanbantwal.com


THE FORBIDDEN DAUGHTER VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR '08 will officially begin on September 2, '08 and end on September 26, '08. You can visit the author's tour stops at www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com in September to find out more about them and their new book!

As a special promotion for all our authors, Pump Up Your Book Promotion is giving away one FREE virtual book tour to a published author with a recent release or a $50 Amazon gift certificate to those not published who comments on our authors' blog stops. More prizes will be announced as they become available. The winner will be announced on our main blog at www.pumpupyourbookpromotion.wordpress.com on September 26!

This virtual book tour has been brought to you by:

Indian-American Author Shobhan Bantwal Talks about The Dowry Bride

You’re in for a rare treat today. Mainstream women’s fiction author Shobhan Bantwal joins us to talk about her fascinating and suspense-filled novel, The Dowry Bride, which came out from Kensington last month. Shobhan has published short fiction in literary magazines and articles in numerous publications. She also writes plays in her native tongue--Konkani and performs on stage at Indian-American conventions.

Welcome to The Book Connection, Shobhan. It is a distinct pleasure to have you with us.

Thanks so much for inviting me to your forum. You have a warm and wonderful spot for authors and readers to meet and discuss books, and I’m delighted to be a part of it.

Before we discuss The Dowry Bride, I would like to take a few moments to let our readers get to know you. How long have you been writing? Is there a certain aspect of life that your writing centers around?

I took up creative writing rather late in life -- quite recently as a matter of fact. I like to call it my “menopausal epiphany.” It wasn’t exactly a calling, but at age 50, when my menopausal problems included insomnia, mild depression and major surgery, I felt like I needed a creative hobby despite having a demanding full-time job. I started by enrolling in a creative writing course at the local community college. I also began writing short human interest articles for Indian-American newspapers. When they were received well I tried my hand at short fiction. Imagine my surprised delight when one of my short stories won first place in a fiction competition and two other stories won honorable mention in nationwide contests. The writing bug got me very quickly after that point and I wrote two full-length novels, one of them being THE DOWRY BRIDE.

My writing centers around my Indian heritage. They say one should write what one knows, so I try to stick to what I know. With my arranged marriage background and Hindu philosophy, I enjoy writing about those topics and other elements of Indian culture.

You were born in India and came to the United States as a young bride. Can you share what this experience was like? Was it difficult to adjust to a different culture after so many years of living in India?

I arrived on a cold wintry evening in early March 1974, wearing a sari, fancy Indian sandals and a thin coat that did nothing to protect me from the icy New York City wind that whipped up my sari into a balloon and left my unprotected feet frozen into popsicles. Having come from Bombay’s hundred degree heat, that was something! Later, while I waited outside JFK Airport for my husband to bring the car around from the parking lot, I noticed a young couple kissing and groping each other openly (one of them was obviously leaving for someplace and this was a passionate goodbye). Talk about “culture shock.” Both my body and mind took a good battering that day, my first day on American soil. But within a few months I felt right at home. Summer brought on warm temperatures, too. I was a young woman with a mind of my own, so I totally embraced the freedoms afforded by American culture.

You give credit to your parents for giving you an outstanding education and a love of reading. How can parents do that today in a society where everyone is busy running in five different directions?

It’s actually easier to give one’s children both those things in today’s society. Both my parents worked seven days a week while raising five children. They didn’t have many choices back then either, since there was only one decent English school in our small town and one tiny private library that charged a fee for membership and had a very limited selection of books. Whereas now, with easy access to the Internet, free public libraries, great public and private schools, books in print, electronic and audio format, and educational toys, the sky is the limit for middle-class kids. But the important thing to remember is to introduce reading to children at an early age. Less television and video games and more books could make a reader out of any child.



Let’s move on to The Dowry Bride. What is this story about? What is the source of inspiration behind it?

THE DOWRY BRIDE is the story of one young woman trapped in India’s arranged marriage and dowry system and a culture of fascinating contradictions. When the bride, Megha, accidentally discovers her in-laws’ plot to kill her for not producing the promised dowry, she escapes and embarks on a rocky journey to freedom. Her savior turns out to be a kind brother-in-law, the most unlikely individual she could think of. But the growing attraction between them has the potential to destroy them -- a married woman and an in-law in a conservative society.

The source of inspiration was the knowledge that in this day and age, when women have supposedly achieved emancipation, these kinds of atrocities still continue with impunity. I decided to take an extreme case of dowry abuse and weave a story around it.

For those of us who might be unfamiliar with the Indian culture, why is a dowry so important? Is it important enough to kill for?

Dowry is the custom of giving money, gold and diamonds, sometimes real estate and/or livestock, etc. to the groom’s family by the bride’s family. It supposedly started as a way to ensure equitable distribution of property amongst sons and daughters in a patriarchal society. Dowry was given voluntarily as a gift by the bride’s family as a sort of insurance for her future (in case of abandonment by her spouse or widowhood), but somewhere down the line it turned into an ugly system of the groom’s family demanding it and in extreme cases extorting it.

Mind you, dowry is not the norm in India. Most marriages take place with no hint of dowry, but there are some small communities where dowry is very prevalent and is practiced to this day. Large money transactions can lead to greed, and extreme greed can lead to crime. Money can be very corrupting as we all know.

Kiran hides Megha in his apartment after she runs away. Why does Kiran agree to help her? Does he realize the danger he is putting himself in?

There are two reasons why Kiran agrees to help Megha by hiding her in his apartment: first, he’s in love with her and will do everything in his power to save her; second, he is a man of integrity and abhors the idea of dowry and any sort of abuse.

At first, although he knows of the dangers involved in helping Megha, he does not realize the degree of peril surrounding the situation. Later, when he realizes his aunt will stop at nothing to get her way, he comprehends the gravity of the situation.

Megha’s and Kiran’s feelings deepen into more than just friendship. How will readers relate to this change in their relationship? Do you believe they can accept it and wish for Megha and Kiran to be together?

Most people, and especially women, are likely to relate to the change in Megha’s and Kiran’s relationship. I’m a romantic at heart and I’m sure there are lots of readers who feel the same way. If not all my readers, at least a fair number of them are likely accept the tender feelings between the two main characters and wish them well. In fact, I receive plenty of positive feedback from readers rooting for Megha and Kiran and wishing them a “happily ever after” future.

The Dowry Bride sounds like an amazing novel. Where can readers purchase a copy?

Thanks for the kind words. THE DOWRY BRIDE is available through all the bookstores and retail stores in the U.S. and Canada, and all on-line booksellers like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Walmart, Target, etc. Any place that sells books has my book available for purchase.

Do you have any future projects you wish to share with our readers?

I have a two-book deal with my publisher, Kensington Books, so I’m currently discussing some ideas for the second book with my editor. We have not quite settled on the theme yet.

Is there anything you would like to add?

Yes. I’m giving away a “Dowry Bag” to one winner at all my book signings and I will be conducting “Dowry Bag” drawings every now and then through my website as well. To enter a drawing, go to my website: http://www.shobhanbantwal.com By the way, my website also has lots of information on India, some of my favorite Indian recipes, and photographs.

Thank you Shobhan for providing us with insight into the Indian culture and for sharing so much about The Dowry Bride. Good luck with the rest of your Virtual Book Tour. I wish you great success.

Thank you for interviewing me and for the good wishes. It was loads of fun and very stimulating talking about THE DOWRY BRIDE and about myself. I’m enjoying the Virtual Book Tour very much.


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