Hope you all are doing good and staying safe. This is just a short post to let you know that my blog has made it to the directory of top Indian blogs for the third time in a row. Thank you, for reading, commenting, and subscribing to my writings. I hope you’ll continue to support me even in the future.
The second book is with the literary agent now. I’ll keep you posted about any further updates related to it
Meanwhile, I’m reading an excellent book for all writers called ‘Writing down the bones’ by Natalie Goldberg. I also finished another masterpiece by Jhumpa Lahiri titled ‘whereabouts.’ I’ll be writing about both these books and its impact on my life very soon.
I spent three hours on a Sunday evening, invested in Samira Joshi’s journey of becoming a Spyder, only to realize that I didn’t want the book to end so fast. What a thrilling book my friend Apeksha has written! In January, I read the first book in the Spyder series, called Itsy Bitsy Spyder, and loved it. It took me four months to start reading this novel since I was writing my second detective thriller. ‘Along came a Spyder ‘ was the perfect book to restart my reading journey.
Along came a Spyder
About the author –
A homeopath turned doctor, Apeksha Rao is a well-known name in the writing world for her literary skills and gripping writings.
Plot –
‘Along came a Spyder ‘ is the story of teenager Samira Joshi, daughters of undercover RAW agents Alka and Ranjit Joshi. She lives with her paternal grandmother as her parents run around to keep our country safe. The book traces her journey as she escapes the conventional path of becoming a doctor and follows the exciting yet challenging route of becoming a spy. She accidentally lands into the den of Spyders, the unofficial training headquarters run by Col. Baldev Singh and his wife, Kakki. Though Baldev is hesitant about letting Samira join the gang, she convinces the boss about her will and skills to stay on. Samira’s mother has taken the u-turn to prohibit her daughter from becoming a spy for reasons divulged later in the book. However, Samira is hell-bent on proving her mother wrong. After a couple of mind-blowing adventures, we discover her disturbing past, which becomes an obstacle in her shouldering responsibilities of her team’s safety. But our protagonist is not the one to give up so easily. She faces her demons’ heads on and proves why she fits in the world of spies with impossible missions.
What worked for me –
It’s a well-researched book that holds the reader at the tenterhooks till the end.
This fast-paced and gripping thriller takes subtle jibes at gender stereotypes. For instance, Samira’s grandmother’s contrasting reactions to her son being an undercover agent against her daughter-in-law’s association with the same profession.
Samira’s character is well-etched out with nuisances and issues of her own.
A hard-hitting climax that portrays how despite their contribution to the country, the agents are often left to justify their actions and decisions.
The technical details of how the spies work in busting their enemy’s network were intriguing.
The author creates an array of interesting supporting characters like Debbie and Milli. I feel Debbie deserves a spin-off with her own story.
Apeksha’s writing is so vivid and detailed that I could visualize the story as I kept reading. Even before the book was released, it made it to the coveted list of writings for visual adaptation. I can’t wait to see the unfolding of events on the screen.
The signed copy
What I wish to see in the future –
The book covers a trajectory of multiple small cases that Samira gets involved in though there’s the main story of her parents’ case running simultaneously. Though Samira has proved her mettle by playing an active part in each of these cases, I would love to read a full-fledged thriller of Samira facing a dangerous antagonist by herself.
Rating and overall feedback –
I would rate this book four out of five (4 stars).
It was entertaining, gripping, and thrilling. I can’t wait to read more of Samira Joshi’s experiences in the future as she follows her parents’ steps to venture into the world of deadly adventures.
Thank you, Blogchatter, for the review copy and Apeksha for the signed copy with a heartwarming message.
The year was 2011. I turned thirty on 29th May and was about to get married in three weeks. I had taken a week off in April for the engagement (ashirwaad, as we call in Bengali), and had applied for 2 weeks’ leave in June for the wedding. So, the birthday celebration was restricted to office colleagues and a couple of friends in Mysore. When I spoke to Ma that afternoon, she insisted that I buy a new set of clothes for my birthday. I laughed it off, saying that I was already getting an ensemble of clothes for my wedding. That was the end of the conversation, or so I thought.
On the day my husband and I left our hometown to begin a new chapter as husband and wife, Ma handed me a new salwar kameez set. During the peak rush of wedding preparations, Ma and Baba hadn’t forgotten my birthday gift. Little did I know that it was going to be my last birthday gift from her. In five months, her love and gifts became a memory for my survival.
A special birthday celebration this year
In the last decade, I’ve restricted my birthday gifts to usually books, journals, pens, cakes, or items related to my writing journey. I never accepted a dress for my birthday. But this year, I made an exception. When Baba asked me to purchase something of my choice, I asked him to buy me a new dress. It took me a decade to get over the fact that Ma would never coax me to get a new dress for my birthday again. Besides, 1.5 years of the pandemic taught me that it is essential to savor every moment with those who mean the world and hold on to them as tightly as possible.
The gifts from the child
Amidst all the gifts, the kid gave me the most thoughtful one. While drafting the second novel, I wrote the plot, updates, and scenes in a journal simultaneously. By the time I sent the story to my literary agent, I reached the last page of the journal. While I got a few amazing notebooks/diaries as gifts, the child made his father search for an identical journal and pilot pen sets so that I feel happy and write a story for him next.
Notebook lover
Tender moments and thoughtful gestures like these make me believe that we still have hope left in the world.
On 29th May, I celebrated my birthday with the three men in my life – my father, husband, and son. After a decade, I asked my father to buy me a new dress on my special day instead of my usual requests for books and journals. When Ma was around, she refused to listen to my resistance; birthdays always meant a new dress. After she passed away, I never found any joy in the ritual of a birthday dress as a gift. Eventually, Baba let it go.
The first birthday cake
But this year, I decided to celebrate for two reasons – I had finished writing my second novel, and I finally had the three special people in my life under one roof on the day. From cutting cakes to ordering food, we indulged in small moments of happiness. But we also shared these little joys with those who keep us going through their support – our cook, house-help, driver, security guard, and a few more helping hands. I’m going to cherish these memories for a very long time.
The second birthday cake
On the professional front, I completed numerous rounds of editing the book and sent the initial documents to my literary agent. We are working on the marketing plan and publisher details. But, I finally decided to take a break from the second novel (BTW, it has a new title; stay tuned for the announcement). The next item on the priority list was to get my first dose of vaccination. Getting a slot on the Cowin app seemed tougher than cracking UPSC exams.
Fortunately, my residential area organized a paid vaccination drive for the 18-44 age group in collaboration with Apollo hospitals. Thanks to an alert and aware husband, we managed to get a slot for me for 3rd June. From document verification to getting jabbed, it took me less than twenty minutes to complete the process. Except for the pain in my left arm that subsided after nearly two days, I didn’t have any side effects.
Vaccinated
June is a month as precious as May since we will complete a decade of our married life on the 20th of this month. While it’s been more than twenty-two years of knowing each other as friends, best friends, and a couple before making it official, the past one-and-a-half years have taught us both to cherish every opportunity of hope and togetherness.
While I’ll resume the work related to the launch of the second novel very soon, I also intend to start writing for magazines, digital platforms, and other mediums going forward.
New adventures in writing
I hope you have taken the vaccine and got your friends and family vaccinated as well. Please help out your support staff who might find it difficult to use technology for booking a slot. And keep the mask on; we can’t afford to lose this battle.
soniasmusings 