Question & Answer Session With Author Katrina Zari

 Question & Answer Session With Author Katrina Zari 

(Author of Warriors of Mirral Series)

Thank you for allowing me to ask you these questions, Katrina, Warriors of Mirral is one of my favorite series so far of 2024. Katrina kindly answered some questions I posed to her via email.  I’m very excited to share her Q&A with you today.

1. Introduce yourself please

Hello, amazing readers. My name is Katrina Zari. I was born in the Soviet Union but have lived in the United States for the last twenty years.

2. How long have you been writing stories? 

I am what you can call – a newbie. I’ve only started writing a bit more than a year ago. Even though I’ve writing stories in my head for all my life, it took me a long time to try and put transitions those tales onto the paper.

3. How many books have you written. 

I have written and published three books which all belong to one series “Warriors of Mirral”

4. Out of these three books, which is your relatable character? 

To be honest, even before I published my books, I was constantly fantasizing and creating stories in my head.  And of course, in my fantasies I had a “strong female character” which I was associating myself with.  So, it would only be right to say that Alissa, being my first “creation” is the most relatable for me.

 5. If you could meet your characters what would you like to say? 

Oh, I already meet all my characters. If fact I talk to them all the time, especially when I write about their adventures.  And I always say to them: “I’m sorry from dragging you through so much and put all that pressure on you. But I just know that you are strong and undefeatable, so I have no doubt you’d overcome any obstacles on your way.”

 6. What is your favorite snack/ Drinks while writing? 

I am an absolute tea junkie! I drink gallons of green or herbal tea every day and wouldn’t survive without my mug of a hot beverage.

7. How long did it take for you to complete writing a single book? 

It took me about two months to complete the first draft. Then another month for internal revisions and another month or two for the editor’s work.

 8. What inspires you to create parallel world and fantasy stories? 

When I was growing up, I spent all my free time in the libraries, reading all kinds of fiction. Needless to say, science fiction was by far my favorite genre. The whole idea of things that differ from our mundane lives always exited me. I could be a fantasy world with magic and brave knights or a space opera and flying among the stars, but the element of “what if” was always my driver.

9. How often do you experience the writer's block and how to you get over it? 

Because I started writing novels for my own amusement, and I had most of the ideas already set in my head, I haven’t experienced the writer’s block until recently. 

After I finished the third book that was supposed to be a final installment for the series, I thought I would take a small break. And immediately I’ve heard from several readers that they would like to read another story, a continuation, and an expanse of the fantastical universe I’ve created.

And when I started thinking about it and gathering ideas in my head, I realized that it could be troublesome, especially when you want to connect with an existing storyline. So, I’ve yet to learn how to work through that, but I’m doing my best.

10. What's the one thing that you want to share with your readers? 

I believe the fact that English is not my native language adds a bit of uniqueness to my writing style. I really hope the readers will find my stories both interesting and engaging.

Thanks for a wonderful interview Katrina, and good luck!

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The Monastery Of Solitude - In collaboration with Roli Books

Book Title : The Monastery Of Solitude ~ 

𝑨 𝑱𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒚 𝑰𝒏 𝑺𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒄𝒉 𝑶𝒇 𝑼𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒚

Author : Moin Mir

Pages : 344

Published by Roli Books

Book Description:

In 242 CE Gordian III, caesar and emperor of Rome marched out at the head of his glorious army with the objective of defeating Persia in war. Embedded in the army was Plotinus, a philosopher who nurtured a secret dream - one of reaching India. Plotinus had long yearned to study the Upanishads and he saw an opportunity to reach as far as Persia with the army and then make his way into ancient India. But his dream lay shattered on the banks of the Tigris.

1,780 years after Plotinus’ failed attempt at reaching India, Moin Mir travels in his footsteps fulfilling his dream of reaching India and reading the Upanishads. Through his travels across India, Egypt, Italy, Greece, and Turkey the author tries to understand the core concept of Plotinian thought - ‘Unity and oneness’. He uses Plotinus’ philosophy to observe how the free will of intellect uses ‘unity’ for good and evil. Intimate conversations with refugees escaping war, innocent boatmen drifting down the Nile, simple farmers, and monks in Greece along with observation of ancient art and architecture inform his thoughts and writing on the concept of the oneness of humankind - its immense power to bring good and yet its vulnerability to the stealth of intellect to destroy and self-destruct.

Book Review:

"𝙔𝙚𝙩 𝙞𝙛 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙫𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙨 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙘𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙣, 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙗𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙤𝙪𝙧"

The book starts with important dates & references to Plotinus's travels and also a brief introduction about Plotinus and his works and how it's connected to this book. The author took his time in elaborating the basic principles and teachings of Plotinus and his dream in the introduction itself. To tap into the thoughts of an ancient period is one thing, but to explore the brilliant mind of Plotinus is utterly incomparable. 

"So the inmost self of all beings dwells

Enwrapped in every form, and yet remains outside"

Certainly, a book that will make you think, however, it is probably not just for the casual read. To get the most from this book you need to set aside the time to fully digest exactly what it is. It is certainly easy to read and with each chapter representing a different journey and topic following along is easy. Those Greeks were always the ones who intrigued and amazed me, I got to know a few more things about them along with the Egyptians. 

"To place being happy in actions is to place it in externals rather than in the virtue of soul"

Well-written and easily readable for those acquainted with philosophy and also for those new to the study. I loved the enthusiasm shown by the author throughout the book, I never expected it to be a super fast read. 

"What is it with me that I endure a long estrangement from my homeland? 

Have I been born fated to live in exile."

Through each journey the author keeps the readers hooked to the book. He started his journey from Rome, visiting important places, following the footprints of Plotinus. He covered Italy, Egypt, Greece and Turkey. Communicating with native people, analysing his own inner thoughts and comparing them with Plotinus's thoughts. 

The author did a commendable work in giving us insights from Upanishads, Enneads and Quron. I'm very much interested in that part, as everything is interconnected with each other. The author carefully curated the pictures for the readers to get the visual effects of his descriptions. 

Rating : 4.5/10

Buy this book from the below website

Roli books website

Amazon

Use the coupon below to get 20% 

"ramya25"

Schizo - Book Review

Schizo 

(Psychological thriller) 

Authors: Aditya Mishra & Arya Shukla

Pages : 177

"His mind remained entangled in the entrapment of his thoughts, torn between the realms of reality and delusion"

Before reading this book, one must go through the Author's note and disclaimer for better understanding. The story starts with David meeting up with a psychiatrist, where we get to know that David is diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenic, episodes of delusions collided with reality making it impossible to believe which one is happening in real. David hearing voices in his mind is definitely not doing any good to him, as it convinces him to be worthless and created some self-hatred. The voice he's hearing is none other than his own mother, spewing hatred in his delusions. 

David's goal is to avenge Richard right from the beginning, he believes that his mother's disappearance has something to do with him. And also the voice that he's hearing, made him belive all his delusions. He clung onto that voice instead of taking pills. 

Going in, know that this book is about a paranoid schizophrenic man, I knew he probably wasn't going to be a reliable character, but I found the story sad more than anything else, maybe a bit of horrific events. Watching him go through his episodes, listening to him and his thought process, (the voice he's hearing) knowing that others were afraid of him especially Richard at the end, was just so sad. 

"He had been both puppet and puppeteer in his own tragic story, an instrument of his own descent into darkness."

He is constantly worrying about he couldn't do anything to avenue his mother disappearance, he's upset, he wants to fix everything, but his illness won't allow him peace, and watching him go through everything, only to realize that some of his most important person he wants in the world would never be realized, were never alive, never spilled any love towards him, well, that was rather difficult for me as a reader. I can't imagine living with this kind of illness, and David's character really wore me down.

Killing and dissecting rats, oh boy that's not what normal people do. It makes me realize that he's not even a person anymore. But as the story develops only from David's point - which, I think was both a blessing and a curse, with the end result, the story of his childhood are left hanging a little bit, something that I despise when I read a story, it'd be great if we get to know some flashbacks instead of just one of a visual about it. Yet, I found myself compelled to read this book to the end and yes, it is a good solid read. 

Rating : 8/10

Till God Wakes - White Falcon Publishing

𝐓𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐖𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬

𝐈𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐨-𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐍𝐄𝐅𝐀

Author : Paramjit Kumar & Monica sood

Pages : 378

Published by White Falcon Publishing

Description:

Paramjit Kumar, an Indian-born author, philosopher, and economist, possessed the gift of speaking multiple languages and had explored numerous corners of the world. In 1945, during his youth, he established connections with Mahatma Gandhi and engaged in peaceful discussions with leaders of the Muslim League and Lord Wavell in concerted effort to prevent the partition of India.

As time went on, Kumar's life mission expanded to encompass the pursuit of global peace and the liberation of Tibet. His endeavours in this direction were blessed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, who appointed him as his special envoy for the cause of Tibetan freedom. Kumar adeptly cultivated international relationships, fostering a shared resonance of ideas among people from diverse races, cultures, and nationalities across the globe. In addition to his socio-cultural activities aimed at promoting unity and national cohesion within India, he conducted extensive campaigns in the name of the world peace.

Among Mr. Kumar's noteworthy prior publications were "Lull before the Red Typhoon," "Scourge From The Sky," and "Lest We Become Slaves," published in 1953. The latter was an exceptional work in which he presciently foresaw Red China's future attack on India. Another notable work was "Roll Call of Death," published in New York. In 1966, while serving as the Secretary General of the Forum for Facts on Tibet and Vietnam, he had the opportunity to inspect the war zone in Vietnam, and his personal experiences there formed the basis for some of the incidents recounted in "Roll Call of Death." Additionally, he published "The People's Guardian," a weekly magazine dedicated to unveiling social injustices and political corruption in India during those years.

Review :

The book is quite informative, long, moving at a pace that allows readers to think and imagine the scenarios that happened in the war period, and definitely it needs a lot of time to focus as it is extremely well researched. Unexpected attack from China, no one has suspected at that time that they'd launch a war against India, now we call it the Sino- Indian War. 

The book is also very well written -- completely absorbing to read, and it gave good, but brief, descriptions of all the major events. While it doesn't attempt to be the definitive description of everything that occurred during that episode, it did shed a large amount of light on some important aspects.

It's a must read for readers who are interested in learning about Indian wars and also for historians. 

Buy this book from the link below, 

https://whitefalconpublishing.com/blog/index.html

Rating - 10/10

The Bloodstained Key - Review

The Bloodstained Key

By Charity Rau

Pages  : 322

Book Description: 

Eighteen-year-old Marianna and her family live in luxury, attending balls every night. Despite being haunted by the death of her mother and the disappearance of her fiancé, Will, she tries to remain cheerful for her sister's sake. When their father falls ill, she discovers her family is in financial ruin and fears her world is falling apart.

An offer of salvation comes from the mysterious nobleman who lives isolated from the rest of the world in his extravagant, yet menacing mansion. Lord Bludington invites Marianna, her sister, and all their friends to his home for a week full of entertainment. He impresses everyone with his charm and wit, but Marianna can’t shake the feeling he is not all he claims to be. However, when her family cannot afford the medicine needed to save her father’s life, she reluctantly accepts Bludington’s proposal of marriage and moves into the manor.Now isolated from her friends and family, she no longer feels welcome in the eerie house. The housekeeper is abrupt, the maids spread gossip and fear her, and the butler appears to be spying on her. Then she discovers a secret that puts her life in danger, and unless Marianna can find the courage to fight for herself, she won’t make it out of Bludington’s manor alive.

Book Review: 

The story is chilling and tragic. This book was set in crazy atmospheric and is guaranteed to raise goose bumps at any rate. This was a very quick read. It's slow going at first, but engaging and towards the ending, I felt, was rather bizarre. I couldn't do anything until I completed this.

The author is great at creating a creepy atmosphere and then wrenching it into something even darker as the page turns with such patience and brooding, quaint characters living a simple life. 

The book reminds me of The beauty and the beast, but it got me gasping at the end. The second book in the series got many more surprises, can't wait to read it too. 

I love Betsy the most, aside from Marianna. Some of the characters are morbidly abnormal. When the tension builds in and the real drama occurs, makes it a compulsive read. The author shows small town dynamics with her unerring writing style. 

Overall, this is an enthralling, if somewhat disturbing, story . This is one of those novels that just draws you in and never lets you out. 

Rating : 8/10