Blog – Page 2 – Anna Bushi

Looking for a romance novel about medieval royal couples?

Look no further than Swayamvara Romance Series.

The series title is inspired by an ancient Indian practice in which a bride had the opportunity to choose her husband from the assembled suitors.

Book 1 has a title – King in Hiding

Princess Lalitha is on a quest to find her father, who fought in a battle against King Dushyant. When Lalitha is injured, a metalsmith rescues her. He accompanies her back to her kingdom, and there is nothing convenient about the feelings Lalitha develops for him. Her father had promised to hold a svayamvara, a groom-choosing ceremony, for her. With no male heirs, Lalitha cannot succumb to temptations if she wants to rule her kingdom.

King Dushyant was fighting to avenge his father’s death. He did not anticipate saving Princess Lalitha or escorting her to her kingdom. While he had hidden his identity from the spirited princess, his icy resolve to keep his heart untouched began to melt.

Neither can afford to surrender to the current of attraction sweeping them. Arriving in Summer 2023.

Want to become a better writer?

While I have always loved to read, I started writing later in life without the benefit of an education in literature. Since I began my career as an author, I have been devouring books to improve my craft.

Here are some of the books I have read and recommend to my fellow authors:

Let’s Get Digital: How to Self-Publish, and Why You Should

By David Gaughran

For any author on the self-publishing journey, this book introduces you to the basics. It is a great starter book that simplifies the journey and highlights the most important aspects.

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life

By Anne Lamott

Anne Lamott welcomes you into her life and bares her mind to you in this book. This is no easy task for most of us. It is almost like shedding one’s clothes and allowing the world to see you vulnerable.

Anne shows a budding writer how to do this with humor and self-deprecation. There is nothing earth-shattering revealed in this book about writing. Most of the advice offered here would be familiar to any aspiring writer or an experienced writer wanting to improve their craft.

Still, I found it useful to read this book, if only to know my struggles as a writer are not unique to me.

Recommend: For aspiring and experienced writers who want to hone their craft.

Characters and Viewpoint

By Orson Scott Card

As an author, I like to read books that help me improve my craft. This book is written in an easy-to-read style while imparting a lot of knowledge. I enjoyed the writing samples sprinkled throughout the book that conveyed information more readily.
For my Land of Magadha series, I choose first-person POV because a few fantasies I had read used it. This book discussed all the POV and its merits. I might use third-person limited POV for my next series based on what I learned here.
I recommend this book for aspiring writers and current writers.

Writing the Blockbuster Novel

By Albert Zuckerman

As an author, I am constantly looking to improve my craft. This book gave me a lot to think about.

Daily Meditations: Writer Tips For 100 Days

By David Garland

This book is available for free on the author’s website. I read it slowly, about a chapter or two a day. Lots of nuggets for writers on how to become better. Highly recommend for novice writers.

How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy

By Orson Scott Card

I write historical fiction currently. I plan to write a historical fantasy series soon, so I decided to read this book. While the marketing sections are outdated, the craft of writing SF/Fantasy is still very relevant and has many useful tidbits about world-building.

Recommend for new authors or new to SFF authors.

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

By Stephen King

f you read one book on writing, make it this. An authentic voice is such an elusive thing. Stephen King does it so effortlessly.

To imagine him facing near-death halfway through the text and still producing such a great book speaks to his skills as an author.

I learned a lot from this book and highly recommend it to all my author friends.

Wired for Story

By Lisa Cron

Stories have been with us since we lived in caves. We crave them and know instinctively as a reader what makes a good story. But this skill does not translate so easily when we are writing.

I realized this when I wrote the first draft of Heir to Malla. I knew the story, characters, and plot very well. I could imagine each scene vividly. But when I wrote it down, I left key parts out. My mind filled the blanks. Unfortunately, since my readers cannot read my mind, they were left in the dark. Thankfully, with the help of my editor, I fixed this in subsequent drafts.

This book spells it all out for us authors—how to craft a story that resonates with our readers—along with common pitfalls to avoid—plus an insight into the human brain.

I recommend this book to all my fellow authors who want to better their craft.

Story Genius

By Lisa Cron

Nothing in this book is earth-shattering. As readers, we instinctively recognize a great story. But that same instinct does not serve us well while writing our first (or fourth) novel. Writing seems to require a different set of thinking neurons.

Author Lisa Cron gives readers a step-by-step blueprint to write a layered, nuanced, and engaging novel.

As we write more books, we will develop our own shortcuts. In the meantime, the techniques mentioned in this book, especially asking Why, will serve authors well.

Recommend for aspiring authors and for ones interested in improving their craft.

Newsletter Ninja

By Tammi Labrecque

Recommend this book to all authors who want to start a newsletter and to authors struggling to engage readers in their current newsletter.

In easy-to-understand terms, Tammi shows us how to engage and keep our fans happy. And unlike other social media, newsletters use one of our existing talents as writers, our ability to create magic with words.

This book is a keeper on my bookshelves.

How To Market A Book

By Joanna Penn

While several of the tactics mentioned in the book are outdated, the overall strategies are still very valid for marketing fiction and non-fiction books. The other neat thing is this book highlights the other books, websites, podcasts, and blogs so an author like me can continue improving our craft.

Here is a sneak peak

I am writing a Historical Romance series based on the ancient Indian custom, Swayamvara. During a Swayamvara, a bride chooses her groom from the assembled suitors.

Here is how Kalidasa, a medieval Indian poet, describes a swayamvara in The Dynasty of Raghu, an epic poem:

The princess chooses.—The princely suitors assemble in the hall: then, to the sound of music, the princess enters in a litter, robed as a bride, and creates a profound sensation.
Dynasty of Raghu by Medieval Poet Kalidasa

Each book in my series will be a stand-alone romance novel about a royal couple. The series is tentatively titled Swayamvara Weddings.

I am close to completing the draft of the first book yet to be titled. Here is a scene between the protagonists, King Dushyant and Princess Lalitha:

He could see her silhouette against the deep blue sky. That foolish girl hopped on her good leg, grimacing with each step. As she tripped, he bounded to her, trying to catch her. Instead, she fell against him, causing them both to tumble to the ground.

As they sped to the earth, he tried to shield her from the impact of their fall. He succeeded by landing on his back with her sprawled on top of him. Her face hovered inches from his, and her lips parted tantalizingly. For a moment, he imagined kissing her. She drove his imprudent thoughts away by pounding his chest with her fist. Curse her. She was a spirited princess. He tightened his grip on her.
Anna Bushi

While waiting for this book, treat yourself to my completed Land of Magadha series.

My top three books for 2022

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King

One of the books I read early in the year remains a favorite. If you read one book on writing, make it this. Or read it as a memoir of one of the greatest writers of our time. An authentic voice is such an elusive thing. Stephen King does it so effortlessly.

To imagine him facing near death halfway through his writing and still producing such a great book speaks to his skills as an author.

I learned a lot from this book and wholeheartedly recommend it.

The Lost Queen by Signe Pike

This is the first book in her trilogy, and I loved this tale about the legendary Merlin and his twin sister. Medieval Scotland comes alive with the author’s vivid descriptions. As I read the story, I could picture the majestic mountains and simpler abodes. I saw the trees that reached the sky and flowers growing underfoot. I could smell the leather and herbs. As a vegetarian, I did not imagine tasting the food, but she described them in detail. The protagonist, Languoreth, is introduced as a young girl in a magical land.

This quote defines her life: “We may not always have the choice we would like. But we always have a choice.”

Her passion and love bring her momentary bliss, followed by worry and grief. She is headstrong and flawed and took me along on an emotional rollercoaster.

The brother-sister relationship depicted here reminded me of my trilogy Land of Magadha, where the siblings are the protagonists. Good to see more stories explore this beautiful relationship.

I look forward to reading the next book in this trilogy. Recommend for historical fiction and historical fantasy readers.

The Hundred Secret Senses by Amy Tan

This book is a slow read. That said, brilliant writing by Amy Tan. Each chapter is immaculate in bringing us into the characters’ lives. The way the story unfolds is masterful.

It is a tale of two sisters, Chinese immigrant Kwan and her American-born sister Olivia. I can still picture Kwan in my head, calling her little sister Libby-ah. As an immigrant, I could relate to many things this immigrant from China does. I don’t have ghost stories to narrate like Kwan, but the tales my grandmother told me as a child inspired me to write.

The relationship between the sisters is raw and real. It simultaneously broke my heart and brought a smile to my face. It is a story of identity, one we are born with, one we show to the world, and the true self that is hidden even from ourselves. We all need a sister like Kwan to be our voice of reason.

What are your favorite books that you read this year?

Perfect book for a cold winter night

Book Review – The Love That Split the World

Reading Emily Henry’s book is like drinking hot chai on a cold rainy day. It warms your insides. Her debut novel is full of tenderness and warmth.

This book is about a teenager with an abandonment crisis. To be young and to feel so deeply is a gift. One we don’t recognize till our senses have dulled. You can feel Nat’s emotions like a tide swell.

I did not pay much attention to all the multi-verse and parallel universes. I love Sci-Fi, but that is not why I read Emily Henry. I read her books for the emotional punch. I loved all the Native American tales in this book. I can easily imagine a grandmother narrating them under the night sky, sitting in front of a mellow fire.

If you want to experience life through the eyes of a teenager where every problem is earth-shattering, and every pleasure is a god’s gift, this is your book.

Listen to Prince in Shadow

I used some cool AI narration technology to create my audiobook. Parvati, the AI voice I chose, sounded very real.

In some ways, she is no different than my fictional characters, Meera and Jay. My characters live in medieval India with no technology, and Parvati is a 21st-century invention. Her accent is modern Indian rather than medieval.

Good news for you, the audiobook is only $0.99.

I would love to hear your feedback after you finish.

Would you read this tale?

I have written over 50,000 words in my new tale of love. The series is based on an ancient Indian custom called svayamvara. In a svayamvara, a princess chooses a suitable groom from among the gathered suitors. Here is a sneak peek:

Princess Lalitha searches for her father, who fought in a battle against King Dushyant. When Lalitha is injured, a metalsmith rescues her. He accompanies her on the journey back to her kingdom, and there is nothing convenient about the feelings Lalitha develops for him. Her father had promised to hold a svayamvara, a groom-choosing ceremony, for her. With no male heirs, Lalitha cannot succumb to temptations if she wants to rule her kingdom.

Neither can afford to surrender to the current of attraction sweeping them. But the author has different ideas for them.

If you are interested in reading my other historical fiction books, start here.

Are you a fan of Happily Ever After?

I love reading books with happily ever after endings. The ten romance novels I have read this year pay testimony to that. Reading a well-written romance novel can feel like drinking a cup of hot coffee while watching the sunrise. No one does it better than Jane Austen. Capital L love her books. Who is your favorite romance author?

However, writing a happily ever after story requires a different mastery. Unlike the Land of Magadha series, where death came without an announcement, the protagonists in my historical romance novel have to survive to the end to declare their passion. I have written over 50,000 words in this tale of love without killing my star characters, though I came close a few times.

The series is based on an ancient Indian custom called svayamvara. In a svayamvara, a princess chooses a suitable groom from among the gathered suitors. Sometimes, there might be a contest, and the prize for the winner is a wedding. In Ramayana, Rama strings a bow to win Sita’s hands.

The slender maiden glanced at him; she glanced
And uttered not a word, nor heeded how
The grass-twined blossoms of her garland danced
When she dismissed him with a formal bow.
The Dynasty of Raghu, by Kalidasa

Looking forward to sharing updates about my work in progress in the coming weeks.

Book Series Review: The Raje Series by Sonali Dev

I finished the Raje series by Sonali Dev. These books are a Jane Austen-inspired Indian American retelling. First off, the brilliance of Austen and her stories are something to marvel at. Centuries after she wrote, the stories still resonate with us. Sonali’s writing brought me joy, and I highly recommend it to fellow contemporary romance readers. Don’t read the books on an empty stomach. You will be raiding your pantry from the mouth-watering food in the book.

Emma Project review (Rajes # 4)

Forget about the Jane Austen adaptation part and enjoy the novel for itself.

Author Dev has written a delightful ending to the Raje series. I enjoyed the dynamic of well-meaning family members trying to break up and dissuade the couple. Ultimately, it comes down to the protagonist accepting she deserves a happily ever after ending. If you are a fan of Austen and the romance genre in general, this book is for you.

You can read my reviews of Recipe for Persuasion (Rajes #2) and Pride, Prejudice and other flavors (Rajes # 1) on my blog.

Who is glad live events are back?

What a great way to spend my Saturday. I hung out with fellow authors and talked about my stories with book lovers. The weather was still summer-like, and there was something magical about sharing my love of reading with others. I am grateful to the readers who stopped by and talked to me. Special thanks to those to purchased my books.

A reader who purchased my complete series reached out to say she has read the first two books and is halfway through the third. She loved the story so far. I have been floating in the air since I heard from her.

I attended a book reading event by author Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni at the Warwick’s book store. Her ability to craft stories was evident in her talk. The one-hour event imparted so many lessons for an author like me. She masterfully narrated her interest in Queen Jindan’s life and how she did her research into the historical period and the queen. I was astounded by how the author set up the scene before she started the reading. Though I have read excerpts from my books, I have never taken the time to explain the background before. Something for me to emulate in the future. The best advice she gave authors is to read great books. That advice is easy for me to follow because I love to read. The best part was getting her autograph on the novel The Last Queen. I cannot wait to read and share my review with you.