Important Announcement

My second novel (under my real name, of course) has finally been published.

 

Hi, people. Some of you – those who go way, way back – may remember that in 2008 I’d written a book I've sporadically mentioned over the years, elsewhere. Well, that book – The Call Of The Khokkosh – has finally been published after being rejected by I don’t know how many publishers. Ultimately, Power Publishers from Calcutta decided to take pity on me, and accepted it (and while I’m on the subject, let me take this opportunity to thank my old friend Priya D’Souza for sending me word of them).

Let me say right off that this is not my best work. It’s a light-hearted fantasy, but not the swords-and-magicians stuff one thinks of these days whenever one hears the word “fantasy”. I can assure you that there are no swords, no unicorns, and most certainly no magic in it. None.

I wrote it in just 26 days, with only a day’s break in between, and it doesn’t have any profound thoughts in it. However, it’s not my worst work either, and I believe it does deserve a readership.

Khokkoshes are ogres from Bengali mythology that were familiar to those of us who were born in the seventies and earlier, before the advent of 24-hour TV and the demise of reading among kids. They were only one of several demonic/ogre figures in Bengali mythology, the most prominent of which were the man-eating Rakshasas. Khokkoshes are usually described as either being smaller and weaker than Rakshasas, or creatures so formidable that they are to Rakshasas as Rakshasas are to mere human beings. Either way, they are inimical to humanity.

Those of you who’ve known me for a while are aware that I love subverting tradition, so instead of murderous, predatory, anthropophagous Khokkoshes straight out of the myths, I decided to make them sympathetic characters, and construct a tale round that premise. I’ve just included one human, and she is (sorry to disappoint you) not evil, as my human characters are all popularly supposed to be.

I won’t go any deeper into what it’s about here; but I will say that when I re-read it, I found some political subtexts I hadn’t consciously included when I was writing what I imagined to be an adventure yarn aimed at teenagers and up. You can either take it at face value, or as an allegory; the choice is up to you.

I’m not asking you to buy the book. I wouldn’t do that! But I’d be happy if you could see your way to mentioning the fact that this book exists, and where it can be purchased. Publicity is the life-blood of writing, it seems to me, and if this does well, I have an incentive to go on writing.

Here are the sites you can get hold of it:

From the publisher's own website: http://www.power-publishers.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&category_id=8&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=59&vmcchk=1&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=207

From the website set up for me by the publisher: http://billpurkayastha.com/

And from the e-purchase website, Flipkart.com: http://www.flipkart.com/books/9381205334?affid=pinakipina