Hey everyone! I’ve had a lovely reader ask about the 'ghosts in the mirrors' and the 'retelling' note I mentioned in the blurb, so I thought I’d share the beautiful history behind Sheesh Mahal here on the board!
This book is a deeply personal, transformative AU mash-up that I actually wrote for my own comfort and sanity during my postpartum confinement. The character blueprints come from two stories that kept me company during that time: Abhay & Kashi's foundation was inspired by Preeti Tiwari's Kashi Ek Prem Kahani, and Samar & Gauri's dynamics were drawn from the classic Royal Romance setup on Pocket FM.
I fell in love with them but wanted to explore their world through a different, deeper lens. I wanted to mash them into one shared universe, give them complex family dynamics, and let them act like the sharp, dignified royals I always imagined them to be. As the blurb says, it's written to explore these dynamics through a healthier, different lens. While Samar's arc holds closer to those familiar beats (about 80%), Abhay's story takes a massive 40% detour into a very different, slow-burn path of redemption and emotional growth.
It's a retelling born from a very tender chapter of my life, and I'm so incredibly grateful to the few of you who are walking through this universe with me!