Once upon a time, men and women entered marriage with very clear policies regarding the division of labour: he would go to work and "bring home the bacon," while she would stay at home and cook, clean, and raise the children. Things aren't the same as they used to be. Modern Indian romance, intimacies, and marriages are far more complicated than assessments and reality television shows portray. In India, arranged marriages are an unique and complex process. People seek a 'soulmate' with whom they can spend the rest of their lives, but they also have specific expectations of the potential bride or groom. There is a strong narrative about finding love, compatibility, and connection, but what stands out is a real intent to replicate class identities beneath all of this. In a country that depends on a spending population, "middle class" is a necessary armour, a shared language, a value system, and, more importantly, a way of life. Life may be unjust, irritating, and disarmingly disappointing on most days. Being middle class, on the other hand, creates character in a culture obsessed with the need to be a part of the rat race. Marriage also places the onus of making sacrifices, concessions, and making the marriage work on the couple. This tale illuminates the unseen and underappreciated aspects of an Indian arranged marriage, the life of a middle-class wife and husband and their shared responsibilities as they navigate through life. Immense amount of desi tadka awaiting your way. *I don't own the illustration on the poster.*

WATTYS 2021 Historical Fiction winner | Writers Of The Past Series. 4000 years ago, in an empire where women were little more than flowers on the wall, one princess cemented her story in history and changed the art of writing for centuries to come. *** Based on the real-life Akkadian princess and high-priestess Enheduanna, this novel explores the life of history's first author. An outspoken visionary with a talent for writing down her deepest emotions, Enheduanna's life is turned upside-down when the god Nanna chooses her to become the high priestess of Ur. As her power in the city of Ur grows, so does her list of enemies. But her own safety is the least of her worries when thousands depend on her to keep the vengeful gods happy, and their land safe. Either way, Enheduanna is not willing to go down without a fight. One way or another, she will carve her own path, and nobody is going to erase her from the pages of history. - part 1 of the Writers Of The Past Series -

Eccentric, troubled and undesirable, the Hargreaves twins Noah and Luna are often referred to as a curse upon mankind by the society of South Kerilia. And society is right. *** Luna Hargreaves is as unapproachable as they come, armed with poor manners, an uncanny interest in the occult and a fearsome bodyguard. All of them necessary according to her as she struggles to fend off the endless amounts of otherworldly horrors following her every footstep, as well as the threat of an unwanted fiancé. Ghostly adventures and unfortunate engagements are one thing, but when Luna and her brother's previously unknown origins begin unravelling in front of them, they soon find themselves with more knowledge than they would've preferred, and their identities crumbling before their eyes. Despite their best efforts to deny the fate designed for them and go about their lives, past drama creeps ever closer, and when a dire situation threatens the safety of their loved ones the twins come to realize they may need to embrace their nature in order to fight it.

Li Xiang is the Priestess of the Moon, she can see read the stars and fortune as well as misfortune to her people. However, the life of a Priestess consists of nothing but loneliness: she can neither leave the palace nor meet with anyone but the Emperor and his advisors. One day a mysterious servant boy named Rui sneaks into her room, daring her to go outside if he wins against her in a game. Upon meeting him, she also befriends a female warrior and a scholar, and realizes life is much more than the palace. When the day comes she can either choose to go down the road her heart truly desires but bring ruin to the kingdom, or ignore the one chance she will ever have to leave this life? *** "My fate has been decided for me." "There's no such thing as that," he said. "We all make our own fate." "But the stars tell me--" I stopped talking when he holds my face in his hands, warm hands cupping my cheeks, brown eyes looking into my eyes. "Then stop looking at the stars. Look at me." A love story about fate, finding one's identity, stepping out of your comfort zone, and, most of all, choosing between your happiness or the happiness of others... [[Word Count: 80,000-90,000]] Wattys Fantasy Winner 2021

When powerful witch Marithyda Skyelorn becomes a participant of the Royal Exposition, the last thing she expects is to fall in love with the Prince--or to be the cause of his death. ***** Every year, the kingdom of Karvoth hosts the Royal Exposition: a corrupt carnival where a race of citizens who possess powerful magic, known as the Touched, are exploited for the enjoyment of nobles. But when Marithyda Skyelorn's grand performance ends in tragedy and pits her against the deranged King, she must make the impossible choice between remaining in exile and participating again in the dangerous competition that ruined her life--to end it once and for all. (Book One of the Skyelorn Chronicles trilogy) [[2020 Watty's winner, Fantasy]] Content and/or Trigger Warning: Some scenes contain violence that may upset sensitive readers [[Word Count: 50,000-60,000]]

In the winding streets of the Persian Empire, a poor girl is chosen to become the third prince's concubine. Aliya Farhad has no interest in the lofty ideas of the palace, the staff, or her lover. Prince Cairo has all the interest in his blue-eyed Arabic mistress. But things change when Aliya realizes that the prince is gaining power - and not in a political sense. After all, it's quite a strange sight to see one's lover gaining cosmic power from a tiny oil lamp. *** A 1001 Nights and Aladdin Retelling.