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For A to Z challenge this year, I have chosen to feature the “Authors of Razzmatazz” as it has always been a desire to not just interview the authors on my YouTube channel but also write about them. The idea is to feature as many authors I can, however, it won’t be possible to include them all. You can watch all the 100 episodes on my channel anytime.
“Razzmatazz with Rashi” is a YouTube show that gives a platform to the authors to introduce their books and share their writing journey. A book is a dream and on this platform we celebrate that journey of hard work and dedication. The show is the winner of the Global Book Community Awards 2020. It has become a trusted platform for authors and running successfully with four seasons and more than hundred episodes so far.
In today’s post we have Deepti Menon and Daisy Bala.
Deepti Menon
Deepti was featured on Razzmatazz for the first time and we connected instantly. Watch this fun-filled episode where she shares her writing journey and some great tips for writers. You will find the links to her books and social media in the description of the video.
About the Author
Deepti Menon has always loved the written word. She began to write at the age of ten and was lucky enough to have travelled around the country as an Army kid. Her experiences during those years helped hone her interest and her flair for writing. Her first book, ‘Arms and the Woman’, published in 2002, takes a light-hearted look at the life of an Army wife. 2013 and 2014 were lucky for her, as many of her short stories were chosen for anthologies. She also has a book of poems, titled ‘Deeparadhana of Poems’, lovingly compiled by her mother, herself a talented writer and ‘Shadow in the Mirror’, a psychological thriller published by Readomania in 2016. 2020, the COVID year, saw an eBook of thriller short stories, again by Readomania, titled ‘Where Shadows Follow – Tales that Twist and Turn’ and four volumes for children titled ‘Classic Tales From the Panchatantra’ (also available in a single compiled volume as well).
Deepti’s latest offering in 2021 is another eBook of thriller short stories titled ‘Shadows Never Lie’ again from the Readomania stable. With this book, she calls herself the author of The Shadow Trilogy.
2022 saw her adding a new genre to her repertoire, as she and a friend, Ms. Kalpana Ramesh, brought out a life sketch of Ms. Nalini Chandran, one of the leading educationists in the country who had founded her own ICSE/ISC school in 1978. The name of this life sketch is ‘Defying Destiny: Nalini Chandran – A Life Sketch’.
Writing has been an endless journey with its twists and turns, often leading Deepti on to the myriad mysteries of life, love and relationships. The thrill of seeing her name in print has only intensified over the years. She believes that Mark Twain had the right idea when he said, “The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.” There has never been a dull moment, never time to regret, according to her, as life is truly worth living.
About the Books
‘Shadow in the Mirror’
It all begins with a death. Nita, a pregnant woman falling from her balcony 
becomes the string that unravels the plot. Her death casts a shadow over many lives; her heartbroken father, her husband and Vinny, a young journalist, drawn in by the whiff of foul play and murder. What follows are stories within stories, eras and worlds colliding with each other, leaving behind splintered relationships and mesmerizing slices of lives that appear to be drawn together and driven apart by the whimsical threads of destiny. As events cast their shadows ahead to link the stories of Vinny, Kavita, Roma, Krish and Nita in an unrelenting knot, a journey starts to uncover the truth. What is the secret that links Nita’s death to the other characters? Will Vinny be able to unravel the mystery of Nita’s death? From intimate diary entries and letters, to bantering over a meal and sharing memories while spring cleaning, this novel de-familiarizes the ordinary, presenting a kaleidoscope of our own pasts, broken edges and pulsating hearts.
‘Where Shadows Follow’
How would you feel if you meandered into a tale and suddenly found it leading you up a twisted path of intrigue and evil? Life is made up of light and shade. Just when you feel that things are in your control, the darkness moves in and edges the light out. That is when the shadows follow, creating an atmosphere of disquiet. The stories in this anthology do just that. They keep you wondering where they are leading you till the shadows catch up with you.
‘Shadows Never Lie’
Are these stories, or scenes out of real life? The human mind is often the most dangerous place to be within, especially when it houses emotions like hate, prejudice, rage, and above all, envy. Shadows Never Lie is a collection of thrilling stories that have a hint of menace patterned on the mysterious outcome of envy and rage. Get ready to delve into the dark recesses of the human mind, that can be twisted beyond imagination.
Daisy Bala
Daisy was featured on Razzmatazz with her book ‘Blossoms and Foliages’ and later in another season with the family drama ‘Patna 800020.’ Watch this fun-filled episode where she shares her writing journey. You will find the links to her books and social media in the description of the video.
About the Author
Daisy Bala is an author, blogger, poet, who writes both in Hindi and English. She expresses her feelings and emotions in the form of poetry and short stories. She has come up with books like ‘Blossoms and Foliages’ and ‘Patna 800020.’
About the Books
‘Blossoms and Foliages’
Blossoms and Foliages is a bouquet of poetry made of blooms and nature’s bounty, condensed into words dripping with crisp freshness and nature’s vivaciousness. It’s my maiden attempt in the book writing sojourn and quite an ethereal one. I enjoyed jotting down my ramblings and monologues in this fresh pick. The 40 poems revolve around the kaleidoscope of seasons, the mid-summer blooms, watching the daisies grow, ushering fall colors and frozen icicles. The verdant foliage, rayed orbs and dappled lights inspired me to gather my floral monologues, intact with the aesthetic juices of nature’s vibrancy. Hope you can drink through your eyes and smell the bluebells as you linger with this poetry bouquet. And it revs you up too!
‘Patna 800020’
Meet Dr Saheb, and the distinctive family members of Geeta Sadan from the neo modern small town of Patna. An upper middle-class nuclear family with incessant, pertinent middle-class issues. The eldest grown-up daughter who stays secluded, unmarried, the second daughter who’s guileless, eager to marry and the youngest daughter who’s too boisterous to marry and settle down. A son who’s the youngest and too busy cracking jokes and a mother who’s straight out of an Indian daily soap, struggling with the side effects of menopause and the pressure of marrying off three daughters. This clan will tug your heart strings with emotions of love, laughter, sorrows, and joy. So come and meet them today at Patna- 800020, as a gripping family drama unfolds.
If you have read any of these books or have watched the episodes on my channel, don’t forget to comment below.
Stay tuned for the next lovely author.
This post is a part of #BlogchatterA2Z 2023.
Dear Rashi, thank you so much for this wonderful gesture. I had an amazing time with you on Razzmatazz, talking about myself (which is something everyone loves to do! 🙂 ) Thank you for the generosity! <3
Thank you so much, means a lot 🙂
Deepti Ma’am and Daisy are such wonderful writers. I remember reading “Patna: 800020” when Daisy released it. Deepti ma’am is an inspiration always, love reading her books on ebook carnival too…
Yes, Patna was a lovely family drama and I agree Deepti is such an inspiration.
Two of my favourite authors. How beautifully you have written about both of them
Thank you for appreciating 🙂
I love Deepti’s blogs and Shadow in The Mirror was one of my best reads of 2022
I absolutely love her writing.
“Where Shadows Follow” sounds great.
Ronel visiting for D:
My Languishing TBR: D
Dichotomy of the Sasabonsam
It is 🙂
Dear Harshita, Deepika and Manali, thank you so much for your kind and heartwarming comments. You have all made my day. Rashi, once again, thank you for this generous gesture! <3
You are the sweetest 🙂