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Showing posts with label guest post. Show all posts
Showing posts with label guest post. Show all posts

Saturday 16 July 2016

Quirks Of Writing A Period Drama: Guest Post by Author Lynn Steward

Of the enormous number of genres we have, historical fiction presents itself to be one of the most amazing to read, for period dramas transport us to another era altogether.
They also happen to the trickiest to write, and Lynn Steward, author of What Might Have Been tells us about the quirks of writing a period drama, including what research goes into writing it



Here's what she has to say,
"Tons of research! I easily spent a year and a half researching – a minimum of three hours a day, and more than thirty hours many weekends.  I studied historic events, iconic women, not only as individuals, but how they related to each other, and interiors of famous locations, such as B. Altman, Café des Artistes, Kenneth Salon, etc.  I drew inspiration from archived newspaper articles in The New York Times and The New Yorker.  Most important, I painstakingly organized  the notes and articles by dates, preparing spread sheets of timelines. Quickly reaching for the right file is crucial when an idea is sparked at the keyboard."


Well, this certainly gives us an idea of what it is like to pen down a literary fiction.

Here's more about the book and author:

ABOUT THE BOOK
 
As a fashion buyer at one of New York’s most glamorous department stores, Dana McGarry is a tastemaker, her keen instinct for fashion trends and innovative ideas coupled with a razor sharp business sense. But like the elegant and conservative store that employs her, Dana is caught between two eras—between being liked and standing her ground, between playing by the rules and being a maverick. Dana is sensitive and beautiful, but what you see is not what you get. Behind the cool and attractive facade, Dana is both driven by her need to control yet impeded by her expectation of perfectionism. As she competes to replace women at the top of their game, she is challenged by jealous colleagues. And when a wealthy love interest wants to open doors and support her ambition, she embraces Coco Chanel’s mantra of “never wanting to weigh more heavily on a man than a bird.” As the women’s movement paves the way, Dana finds a path to the career she wants at the expense of happiness that was not meant to be.

Steward captures the nuances of 70s life in New York City and provides the perfect backdrop for an independent woman determined to make her mark. What Might Have Been is a story that transcends any period.

TitleWhat Might Have Been
Genre:  Literary fiction/women’s fiction
Author: Lynn Steward
Website: www.LynnSteward.com 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lynn Steward, a veteran of the New York fashion industry and a buyer on the team that started the women’s department at Brooks Brothers, created the Dana McGarry series, set at a transformational time in the 1970s world of fashion and in the lives of multigenerational women. What Might Have Been is the second volume in the series. A Very Good Life, Steward’s debut novel, was published in March 2014.

Twitter: @LynnStewardNY
This Guest Post is a part of the Book Tour hosted by DDS at b00kr3vi3ws


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Friday 13 December 2013

Book Review: How I braved Anu aunty and co-founded a million-dollar company by Varun Aggarwal


Guest Reviewer: Geetika Ahuja

About the Book:


Varun is a recent engineering graduate. His hours are filled with friends, pub hopping, and 'stalking' his love interest on Facebook. Through it all though, Varun harbours ambitions of becoming a successful entrepreneur. Meanwhile, Varun's mother, who is disturbed by her son’s lack of focus on life, enlists her good friend Anu Aunty to put him on 'track'. The meddling Anu Aunty is more than willing to take up this assignment. How Varun dodges Anu Aunty's nosey, irksome ways, en route to realizing his entrepreneurial dreams, makes for a story worth reading.

About the author:







Varun Agarwal is a filmmaker, entrepreneur and a bestselling author. He is 25 years old and has three companies to his credit - Alma Mater , Reticular And Last Minute Films. His comapny Alma Mater is India's largest provider of merchandise and memorabilia to schools and colleges. He has directed the likes of Preity Zinta and AR Rahman in music videos and his films have over a million views on Youtube.He has been featured on the cover of India Today and numerous other periodicals as well as on the CNBC Young Turks Show.



Review

A 22-year old guy, jobless, whiles away his time at home by Facebook stalking girls. What do you picture him doing a year down the line? Definitely not heading a million dollar company.
Meet Varun Agarwal, our very own Steve Jobs in the making. His story is similar to thousands of unemployed youngsters in the country, yet different. Why, you ask? Because unlike others, he didn’t wait for opportunity to knock on his door. He, instead, went on to create opportunities.
Varun and his encounters with Anu Aunty present the saga of a typical Indian household. Anu Aunty is a metaphor for the mindset characteristic of most Indians. She could be a neighbour, a relative or anyone adept at nipping all mushrooming ideas in the bud, gracing households with their ominous ever-taunting presence, forever ready to lay roadblocks to hinder you from chasing your dreams.
Varun is comfortable leading a mediocre life, that is until Anu Aunty and her kitty party minions enter his life, taking it upon themselves to set him right. And how do they plan to do that? By coercing him to land a techie job. But, instead of simply bowing down to their pressure, he decides to tread the unconventional path.
Thunder. Lightening. Rain. Old Hindi movie soundtrack. Cue drama.
In a society which swears my work culture, any defiance of social expectations is hailed as rebellion. Varun Aggarwal gives a beacon of hope to those souls who have silently tucked away their dream to make it big as an entrepreneur under the mounting load of family expectations.
Varun gives a practical guide to entrepreneurship suited to the Indian context, bearing in mind kahani ghar ghar ki.
 Don’t shun the book just because you think it’s not your thing. The book isn’t just another MBA lesson. It is much more. Hidden in Varun’s tale is the reflection of a life many of us are leading, or are being forced to lead.
Peppered with interesting anecdotes, it makes for a good read. He has a knack for presenting everything á la Bollywood style- with a hint of exaggeration. At many points, you actually feel as if you’re watching a movie.
Though Varun claims to be a storyteller and not a writer, I’d suggest you still pick up the book, for his storytelling skills still outscore the writing skills of numerous Indian authors on Flipkart falsely claiming to have written national bestsellers. Sigh.
So, that idea that your mind has been hinting at, that lingering dream you’ve been stashing away, go reclaim it and make it big. And when you do, thank Varun Agarwal for inspiring a love for entrepreneurship in you and re-igniting that spark.
In the end, I’ll you with two words-Carpe Diem-seize the day.


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