Wednesday, September 7, 2016

Ten Days in October by Ashish Malpani - Guest Blog and Giveaway


This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Ashish Malpani will be awarding $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Five Things You Might Not Know About Me

Sharing five things about me did turn out to be a fun and interesting exercise. Often I wonder if I were to stand next to my old self at fifteen years of age, will that shy and introvert boy recognize me? Growing up in a small town in rural India, unlike my lawyer parents I wasn’t the one who was reaching out to people, talking to them and making friends. I kept it to myself and often stayed quiet even in a group setting. But now when I look back, I think I spent more time in observing how people behaved and reacted to things. May be the places, the people, the smells and the behaviors that I observed then got recorded into my brain and come alive through my writing.

I get the inspiration and energy to write from those around me. I can never picture myself locked in a cabin and writing for days. I need human interaction to foster creativity. After a day full of interactions, as the clock ticks past 9 p.m. together with some music in my earphones and a warm cup of coffee is the perfect setup for my fingers to start beating the keyboard. That is the reason why I have not missed any social engagements throughout the process. I do believe that this has influenced my characters and exploring their social behavior has definitely made them more alive.

Talking about music, I do like mystic music especially the Sufi music even though largely I consider myself as Hindu atheist. It does present an interesting contradiction of psyche. When I look at a larger picture though, I believe that such contradictions exist in each and every one of us and we have to find a way to deal with them. I have challenged my characters with such questions and immersed myself in their psyche to find the answers. The protagonist Shivaji Chavan in ‘Ten Days in October’ has to navigate through such contradictions and formulate his own philosophy of life.

Don’t be surprised if I say that I have not experienced a writer’s block while writing ‘Ten Days in October.’ I feel that having the engineering and marketing background really helped me here. I took a fairly structured approach to writing the novel. Starting with one liner for the novel, I outlined the whole story, characters, chapters and scenes. To be honest, it was also the deadline set by my wife to finish the novel that forced me to charge ahead and not go off-track. I personally think, having self-discipline and schedule is critical to writing process. Some may argue that it limits creativity but then I must say that it was the other way round for me.

I do believe that as an author my role is not to just tell a story but to connect with my readers and force them to think. I have tried to achieve the same in ‘Ten Days in October’ and based on the feedback I have received so far I will like to think that the effort probably resulted in some good discussions. The story of ‘Ten Days in October’ is loosely inspired by real life events and makes a commentary on one of the glaring social issues we face today. I intend to continue writing with thought provoking socio-economic issues at the center stage.

'5 a.m. phone call broke Police Inspector Shivaji Chavan’s sleep informing him that local jeweler Anil Kokate, was found hanging from a tree on the banks of Pravara River in a small town of rural India. Although the signs point to an open and shut case of suicide, Chavan suspects foul play. While trying to find the missing pieces of the story he finds more hidden skeletons and comes across astonishing & cruel past of the victim. What begins as a routine investigation quickly turns darker, ruthless and pressing. Can Chavan handle the pressure of his superiors, local media and frightened masses? Can he navigate the system to reach the killer? Can he solve the moral dilemma when he comes face to face with the killer?

Enjoy an excerpt:

‘Haramkhor! What a way to ruin a beautiful morning!’ Inspector Shivaji Chavan thought as he rode his bullet to the river bank of a rural town in India, where local jeweler Anil Kokate was found hanging from a tree. Chavan’s sleep was disturbed by the phone call informing him about the suicide but his initial investigation makes him suspect foul play. While trying to find the missing pieces of the story he finds more hidden skeletons. The routine investigation turns darker, more deadly and pressing. Can Chavan handle the pressure of his superiors, bribes and local media and navigate the system? Can he solve the moral dilemma when he comes face to face with the killer?

About the Author:
Ashish Malpani is an Indian-American freelancer and blogger. Born in Sangamner, a small town in rural India, he spent much of his adult life in Austin, Texas. A technology product marketer by trade, Ashish earned his MSE from Purdue University and MBA from the University of Texas. Ashish fell in love with reading and traveling at a young age. As a kid he had two dreams in life: to write a novel and to travel around the world. Thirty eight countries and counting, Ashish has explored various cultures and captured the world through the lens of his camera with his wife Samta and son Ayan.

Author website: www.ashishmalpani.com
FB: www.facebook.com/authormalpani
Twitter: www.twitter.com/ashishmalpani

Buying Links:

Paperback (US Edition $7.99): https://www.amazon.com/dp/1533500975/
Paperback (UK Edition £5.49): https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1533500975/
Paperback (Germany, France, Spain & Italy Edition €7.79- €8.02): http://www.curiua.com/p/ten-days-in-october/9781533500977
E-Book (Kindle Edition WW $5.99): http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GNOGWTE
Smashwords (iBook/ Nook etc. Edition): https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/639343

a Rafflecopter giveaway

39 comments:

  1. Thanks so much for the opportunity to win

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  2. congrats on the tour and thanks for the chance to win :)

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  3. Great post - I enjoyed reading it! Thanks for sharing :)

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  4. Thank you for hosting. I will love to hear any feedback on the book. And yes good luck to the participants.

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  5. Thanks for the giveaway; I like the excerpt. :)

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  6. I love the fact that your wife set you a deadline.

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  7. Thank you for taking the time and offering us this great giveaway. I appreciate the work you did to bring this to us.

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  8. Happy Friday! Have a good one and thanks for the giveaway!

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  9. Happy Monday! Make it a great one and thanks for the great giveaway

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  10. Good Morning! Stopping by once again to thank you for offering us this giveaway

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  11. Thank you for the opportunity to win, greatly appreciated

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  12. Good Afternoon! Hope your day is great and thanking you for the giveaway as well.

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  13. I really enjoyed reading the entire post, thank you!

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  14. Rainy morning so far here in Michigan. Hope you have a sunny and fun weekend. Thanks for the great giveaway!

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  15. Happy Sunday and hope it's an excellent one for you and your family. Thank you once again for your hard work you put into bringing us such amazing giveaways.

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  16. Hope your Monday is great and thanks for the opportunity at winning this giveaway

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  17. Have a great Tuesday and thank you for the opportunity to win

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  18. Happy Friday! Hope it's a good one for you and thank you for the opportunity at winning this giveaway

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  19. Hope your Saturday is terrific and fun! Thanks for all you do and for bringing us such great giveaways.

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  20. Hello! Back again to thanks for all the amazing giveaways given to us and I certainly appreciate all the work you put into this to bring us these giveaway. Y'all are amazing!

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  21. Sure hope your not tired of hearing from me again but want you to know I appreciate the opportunity to win. Thank you!

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  22. Friday!!!! The day so many look forward to and the start of a big work weekend for me. Thanks again for the chance at winning

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  23. Have a fun Saturday and thank you for the opportunity to win

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  24. Have a Blessed Sunday and thank you for all you do for all of us.

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  25. Happy Monday! We'll make it a good one even if it is Monday. Thanks for the opportunity to win this giveaway.

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  26. I also read the synopsis of this book and wonder how he'll do face to face with the killer.

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  27. Good Morning! Have a great day and thanking you again for the chance at winning.

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  28. I love books with suspense like this one! Thanks for sharing, and Im looking forward to checking it out.

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  29. Hope everyone who is in the path of Hurricane Matthew is safe and just want to thank you for this giveaway.

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  30. I am off to work soon so stopping by, wishing you a great Saturday and saying thanks for the giveaway.

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  31. Finally, I am back I keep messing up but here today to say thank you for this giveaway

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  32. Have a terrific day and I want you to know I DO appreciate you bringing us these great giveaways, thank you.

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  33. Hope your Saturday is filled with fun and thanks for all you do for us offering us these giveaways

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  34. Off to work soon for me but hope you have one awesome Sunday! Thanks for the opportunity at winning.

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  35. I have missed you lately, my appologies but back to say thank you for the chance at winning.

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  36. Thanks so much for the great giveaway and opportunity to win.

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  37. Were the characters based off people you know in real life?

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So... inquiring minds want to know: what do you think?