Petrificus Totalus

I was wiping down the fridge yesterday (hate cleaning the fridge, why can't we have self-cleaning fridges? Also, I'm an author, surely authors don't have to clean fridges?) when I noticed this A4 sheet stuck to the side with a magnet.  It had a list of dates, neatly demarcated into trimesters, then weeks, week-by-week. It was the list I'd made when I'd first found I was pregnant again (mid Jan). In the time it took for my eyes to scroll down to July 31, I was in full blown panic.

I'm still panicking. I am 32 weeks pregnant. How did that happen?

Make a confession, win fab prize

Many thanks to ibnlive.com for running a rather fun contest. All YOU have to do is make a confession and win a prize.
Here's where you go:

Confessionally Yours Contest

Deboned and loving it

That first time. The momentous instance when your cherry is popped a woman is deflowered and a man deboned. How many fantasies built around it, how many books written, how many movies made! The movies for some reason are mostly comedies and almost always about men. Virginal men are funny. Virginal women coveted if only to be conquered (conquested?)

Much is written about virginal women holding on to their hymens virginity till they meet the Right One. Conveniently, the Right One is always devirginated and a great lover. Or so we are told. Though how does a woman with no prior experience know he's really *that* good is never explained.

Project Bookshelf

I have been naughty. I am supposed to clean the house, or start at least. And a huge part of that cleaning up is sorting out our books and shelves. But. Every time I think of house-cleaning I come up with some interesting avenues/ideas to explore. So.

This particular non-cleaning idea/avenue is called Project Bookshelf (because everything is a project these days). Here are what the bookshelves look like in my house (when not tidied!) I'd love to see your shelves, whether posted here or on your blogs. Please leave a link.

If for nothing else than to make me feel nice that there are other humans with cluttered shelves. :) Here go the shelves...

The Bookadda interview

Thanks to Bookadda.com for interviewing me. The questions were fun and interesting and I did enjoy answering them. The highlight of the interview? Reiterating that I do believe in "Get them by the balls and their hearts and minds will follow." ;)

And oh yes, another few days and my first novel, Confessionally Yours, should be in book stores. If you don't want to wait for the stores, you can order at uread.com or bookadda.com or Flipkart.


Here goes the bookadda.com interview: "Bookadda caught up with the debut author about the release, what she thinks about Indian men and how blogging is different from writing a novel."

PS: 1. If anyone actually sees the book at a store, I'd be much grateful if you could mail the picture to me. Since I am in Melbourne and the book's releasing in India, I won't otherwise get the chance to see it physically placed in a store. Sheepish asking that but hec, this is my first novel!
2. Also, assuming people will read the book and might consider reviewing it, good or bad, if you review the book or know someone who has, please leave the link here (comments) or mail me.

Will Mamta Sharma please shut up?

Book update: Confessionally Yours, my first novel, should be out in book stores soon. In the meanwhile, you're most welcome to preorder with uread.com

I was recently asked by Outlook magazine (ie one of their journo's) to contribute 500 words on how Indian urban women are unsafe and how India is becoming a nation of voyeurs. Below is the original piece that was submitted to Outlook.

Utter crap

I am so extremely exhausted. This is a time I should be celebrating -- second baby in a couple of months, first novel out in another week or so. But I can't because my life's been taken over by shit.

Three weeks now, diarrhoea refuses to go. Last week I had a sudden bout of unstoppable puking that landed me in bed for four days straight. I couldn't move without vomitting...and if I was moving, it was to go vomit more or to have a shit. Now the pukemonster has gone -- regular tablets are keeping it at bay -- but the runnies have taken over my life. Nothing sticks, not even water.

I'm having hydralyte (electrolytes) but I'm very worried about the baby. I've got another 10 weeks to go and in the last two and a half months the baby needs more nutrients. The stool's all green now because doctor says my body is simply passing out all nutrients. (Baby moving fine, heartbeat fine, but what if something's trickling past the placenta?)

So tired of this crap (literally). Doctor cannot figure out what's wrong. Nothing in pathology report, nothing in ultrasounds. Anyone had anything similar? What should I eat? I am scared of food and water now... And I really want to cry, I hate being ill. I've got so many deadlines -- interviews and articles to write and I just don't have the energy. Help someone. Please :(

Beat those bastards

India is NOT shining. Hosting F1 races and flashy IPL is not making us global icons, it makes us look like morons. So flashy, yet so trashy?