Silently Falling in Love: Race - #Wattys2017

Author's Note

I started the first book in the series Silently Falling in Love over four and half a years ago. I had to look up the dates on Wattpad to see when had I actually started the series. I didn't realize that it took me that long to write these three books! It doesn't feel like four and half years.

I can't believe how many of you have stuck with me and have had the patience to wait for my updates. I did not start with the intention of writing a trilogy. I honestly didn't even know if I was going to finish the first book, I just felt like writing and I had no idea what people's reactions would be, so to have so many of you stick with me on this long adventure has been a huge gift to me!

I want to especially call out those of you who read, voted and commented on my books. I could not have finished this without your help and your comments. You made me want to write the next chapter.

Thank you @ishi42, @ardento, @dezertroze, @pravnica, @sreyashichandra, @AradhayaMehra, @hymard, @Archu10, @geethu_sweetie28, @shachiseth, @sneha2222, @Saurna

ishi42, @ardento, @dezertroze  @pravnica @sreyashichandra @AradhayaMehra, @hymard @Archu10,

@geethu_sweetie28 , @shachiseth @sneha2222 @Saurna

(Sorry I had to re-enter all of these names - I don't think they linked the first time.)

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I hope I did not miss anyone. I tried to go back through all three books and re-read the comments and these are readers I saw give me so much valuable feedback! I cannot say Thank You enough.

I think most of you have figured out what I was trying to convey through these three books, but, here is my summary of what I wanted to convey:

· Nature versus Nurture

o I'm fascinated by nature versus nurture – how much is who we are innately compared to what can be changed. I tweaked both Anjali and Alex in each book because they are shaped by the environment they are in and events that happen to them. Anjali has the most confidence and finds her self quickest in Book 3 because of her experience of going to school far away from home. Alex on the other hand is devastated by Christina cheating on him, but its Anjali's presence that pulls him out and because she's a part of his life earlier in Book 3 the negative impact is minimized.

· Fate/Karma versus Free Will

o Fate, destiny, karma vs. your own free will. I wanted to show that it was karma that Alex and Anjali were linked together. That was meant to be. But how it all comes together has to do with your own actions and karma combined although you maybe linked together do you make it easy or do you make it difficult. You have a choice in that.

o I only changed one thing in each book. As horrible as it is for Alex to be cheated on, it's actually a blessing. Without Chris' deception he marries her and he really loses himself. What I wanted to convey is that sometimes, horrible things that happen are for a good reason. By showing you the various scenarios you get to see the impact of the event. Anjali on the other hand is gifted with somehow convincing her dad to let her go to school on the West Coast and that forever changes her personality and her destiny.

· Highs and Lows of Relationships

o There are lows in a relationship that is meant to be and there are also highs in a relationship that isn't meant to be. Even when you are meant to be together it doesn't mean it's a bed of roses.

o I didn't want to make Alex and Anjali's journey easy and I wanted you to see them through lows.

o Also, I also didn't want to make Raj and Christina horrible people. Alex and Anjali had some great highs with people that weren't ultimately meant for them. Raj and Christina are not bad people they just wanted different things from their partners and relationships. I think by the end of the Book 2 there was some softening towards both of these characters.

o Too often the storybook romances are about all highs for the perfect couple and if there are any lows it's because of extenuating circumstances. Alex and Anjali created some of their own lows. And their relationship with the wrong partners wasn't all that bad either. They had some great times with the imperfect partner.

· Traditional versus Modern Value Systems

o At times Anjali doesn't realize how modern she is and Alex doesn't realize how traditional he is. I wanted them to get into conflict with themselves.

o Reality is that we are all along a spectrum and I don't like putting people in boxes. Josh was in a way too modern for Anjali, but on the other hand in Book 3 Karthik was way too traditional for Anjali, making her somewhere in between.

o I wrote this book especially for those of us that come from traditional cultures but live in a modern world we have this new path that we must navigate. For that matter my book Gossip, Weddings, and Manipulation also deals with this. And I started that while writing this trilogy.

o There are some traditional things that we really need to let go of and there is some stuff we need to hang onto no matter how modern our daily lives become. I wanted to play with the conflict that so many of us have to navigate. It's not easy and I hope the messiness came through in the books without being too preachy.

I did these books because I wanted a romance that was more realistic. Too often the characters are black and white. The hero and heroine are good and the antagonists are so obviously bad - abuse, greed, infidelity, etc. But in reality couples don't work out often because of the grey in life. I hope you saw more grey in the book because that's what I wanted to cover.

Once again thank you so much for hanging on for so long and supporting me. I really cannot even begin to find the words to explain how you all made me feel so wonderful throughout this creative process!

*Suit Suit song is the tribute to Anjali in a sari!!

Gauri Devi