War of the Three Kings

Where is my trilogy set?

While there was a Magadha kingdom in ancient India, my book is set in a fictional land of my imagination. Yes, I made my own map.

Magadha, an ancient empire in India, situated along the Ganges river valley, prospered between the 8th century BCE and the 4th century BCE. Gautama Buddha resided in the Magadha kingdom for many years.

My story, though, is set in a fictional land of Magadha and consists of three kingdoms—Malla, Padi, and Saral. This tale emulates the culture, laws, and religions of the 9th century CE to the 11th century CE in medieval India.

Why did I not use a real kingdom for my setting? I thought about it. Since I am writing about royal families and their battles and power struggles, a fictional land allowed me to tell the story I wanted to tell.

Malla kingdom is a composite of many kingdoms in India, including the Chola empire of Rajaraja I. Chola rulers used the symbol of a tiger as their royal emblem, and I borrowed that.

“We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect.”
Anaïs Nin

Land of Magadha trilogy

Heir to Malla: Missing brother. Broken father. Rogue prince vying for her kingdom. Princess Meera is fighting for her land. Will she have to sacrifice her heart to save it?

War of the Three Kings: Deadly secrets! Vengeful king! Can Meera stop her kingdom from descending into chaos?

Burden of the Crown: Conclusion to the story of the Malla siblings is coming in Summer 2022.

Historical fiction allows us to experience the lives of humans of the past and to draw parallels to our present. As you read my books, you will see it resonate with many of our present-day situations. You can emphasize what these men and women went through and see where we have made progress and where we still have ways to go. My books magically teleport you to medieval India from the comforts of your couch. That is the power of fiction. Happy reading!

Don’t miss this sale!

How does a dutiful daughter find the balance between her own desires and the needs of her kingdom? Princess Meera has fallen in love with a noble warrior, Rish Vindhya. But, when her brother disappears, she must make the difficult choice to either follow her heart or protect her beloved land. Can Meera keep her kingdom safe, or is her brother’s disappearance in enemy territory just the beginning of greater troubles?

Buy Heir to Malla

Meera had married to save her kingdom. And in time, she grows to love her generous husband and builds a family with him. Then forced on the run with Rish Vindhya, her old passions are rekindled. What will the dutiful wife do about a love that cannot be acknowledged nor denied? Especially when kingdoms are at stake?

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Cover Reveal

I am excited to share the cover of this book with you.

Snow-clad mountains glistened in the morning rays in the distance. Even after all these years, the view filled me with awe.
Chapter 1

Guess which kingdom this is? Padi, Saral or Malla?

Spoiler warning (for Heir to Malla): Book blurb and an excerpt can be found here.

Book Birthday

This past week, I celebrated a book birthday. I published my debut novel Heir to Malla a year ago. Just two months into the pandemic and new life of masks and lockdowns, I shared the story I had been working on for over five years.

A year later, I have realized how many mistakes I made. I had no marketing plan, no newsletter, and no beta readers. I launched the book into the wild with no clue. Since then, I have joined writing groups on Facebook and learned many things from experienced authors.

I have found a beta reader or two among my avid readers. I will be releasing Prince in Shadow, an Heir to Malla prequel novella, exclusively to my Newsletter subscribers.

For my second book, War of the Three Kings, I have a simple marketing plan, mainly focused on building my newsletter subscription, sales promo for Heir to Malla, and one or two third-party newsletter promotions. I will share more details after the launch.

This journey is a marathon, and I am grateful to my readers for letting me share the stories in my head.

War of the Three Kings

I recently finished my first set of revisions and sent the book to my editor. I hope to publish this book this summer and share the story that has been with me for years.

This tale flowed more easily from my head to my hand. Meera is back as one of our two protagonists. She is a decade older and finding her heart tugged in two different directions. Our other protagonist, who will remain nameless, finds his whole identity called into question.

Flavors, colors, and smells of medieval India seep through the pages.

Writing from the perspective of two characters allowed me to depict battles, dances, voyages, and more.

The women in those times resembled the moon. They had no power of their own and derived their authority from the men around them. How they wield this influence is a theme I explore.

For the men of my tale, danger lurks in every corner. From the kiss of a sword to the kiss of a lady, their heart is in peril.

I will be sharing the first chapter with my Newsletter subscribers soon. Please sign up here.

Writing Update

While I am editing War of the Three Kings, I have also started writing book three. I just wrapped chapter one of the finale. These characters have been with me for over six years now, so I am heading towards the finish line with mixed emotions. I want to complete the stories of Meera, Jay, and others. I want to write other tales about new characters who are whispering in my ears now. But there is sad music playing in the background (in my mind) as I think of the ending and bidding these characters farewell.

In some ways, this does feel like a mother or father sending their child off to college and mourning the lost childhood. In my case, I do have other stories I want to tell. Those nebulous ideas in my head now will grow into faint outlines and then characters with personalities and back stories and story arcs.

War of the Three Kings: Can Meera keep her secrets past and present from destroying Magadha and the men she loves?

Heir to Malla is available on KindleUnlimited and almost everywhere books are sold.

War of the Three Kings

Magadha is at war, and kings are being hunted. Who is next to fall?

Heir to Malla, the first book in the series, is out. If you are new to my series, please start your reading there.

Warning: There are spoilers below for Heir to Malla!

Spoilers! Spoilers! Spoiler!

War of the Three Kings is the second book in the Land of Magadha series.

News of her father’s death shatters Queen Meera’s peaceful life. King Nakul is invading Malla, while her brother, Prince Jay, is fighting a battle in neighboring Sunda. Can she stop Nakul without revealing the deadly secret she holds about her family?

At the same time, Prince Jay seeks revenge for his father’s death, but he cannot tell friends from foes. How can he save Malla and live up to the burden of the Crown when he doesn’t know who to trust?

Book Title Reveal

Drumrolls, please!!!

I am returning to the Land of Magadha in book two of the series, set a few years later, and with many familiar characters. I left plenty of hanging threads in book 1, and I am having fun pulling them to see what unravels and what tightens into a knot.

All book 2 related blog posts can be found here

To celebrate the title reveal, Heir to Malla is on sale for a limited time in US, UK and India. Books make great gifts!!!

Book 2 Progress

I am making steady progress in my second book set in the Land of Magadha. It starts a few years after Heir to Malla and has several characters introduced in book 1.

Heir to Malla is available everywhere books are sold and is a historical fantasy without magic based in the fictional land of Magadha. I am running a free Instagram giveaway for Heir to Malla in the US. Please check it out.

In book 2, our protagonists are older and in power, and their challenges pit duty vs. following their heart’s desires. I am deeply interested in exploring what makes someone a good ruler, and monarchy provides a unique way to explore that.

I have written 40,000 words, so I am about half-way through my first draft. While I am not writing a happily ever after romance, love and hope are recurring themes.

In terms of writing style, I have broad chapter outlines written for the book, and then I let the characters take me where they want to go. I am sometimes pleasantly surprised or shocked by how certain events turn out. This mix of some planning and then letting nature take its course works well for me.

Writing continues to be my refuge in a chaotic world, especially with the pandemic upending so many normal activities.

Until next time.

Book 2 Progress

In Heir to Malla, set in fictional Land of Magadha, you were introduced to Princess Meera, Prince Jay, Rish Vindhya, and many other characters. If their stories captivated you, you would enjoy returning to this world in book 2.

This book starts a few years later and includes many of the familiar characters you met in book 1. Because I have spent many years in these characters’ heads, the story has been flowing more naturally. The human heart in conflict is what I enjoy writing about, and there is plenty of drama to enthrall the readers.

I recently wrote Chapter 12 of the book, so I am about 40% done with my first draft. We see a main character’s chambers for the first time in this book, and I was surprised by it. And had fun envisioning how it looked.

A chapter that simmered in my head for many months was finally penned. I will go back a few weeks later to read it. I hope you like it as much as I did when I wrote it.

The next set of chapters planned essentially completes the first half and will be an emotional rollercoaster to put in words. I will probably read light romances to balance it out.

Until next time.