soniasmusings

My first Book Fair as an author

This is how my first book fair as an author went.

On 29/1/25, I spent an hour at the Srishti Publishers & Distributors stall E-86 and I was delighted to meet its CEO, Arup, after more than a year. My childhood friends made the event more special with their presence. It was a pleasure catching up with fellow authors Prasun, Sourabh Mukherjee Da and meeting Udayaditya Da for the first time. We were more than happy to sign books for each other though I must mention that the first signed copy was bought by my son.

My next destination was The Storyteller stall E-39. Anwesh, who I had met during the previous event at The Storyteller bookstore had come to get an author-signed copy of ‘The Sanyasi who became a King’. Signed some copies of this book and ‘Diary, Deceit and Death’. Mayura, the owner of The Storyteller, made the experience so warm and welcoming. Thank you Vishal Sir and Uttam Dada of Vishwakarma Publications for arranging this.

Kolkata Book Fair 2025

29th Jan 2025 at the Kolkata Book Fair is now etched in memory for life.

Thank you Sristhi Publishers and Vishwakarma Publications for the opportunity. Thank you The Book Bakersl for turning my dreams into reality.

Both my books are available at the Kolkata Book Fair until 9th Feb. ‘You can get The Sanyasi who became a King’ in E-86 (Sristhi Stall) and ‘Diary, Deceit and Death’ in E-39 (The Storyteller Stall)

‘The Sanyasi who became a King’ on the entry banner of Sristhi Publishers Stall in Kolkata Book Fair

From the little girl who would beg her Baba to buy one more book from the Berhampore Book Fair and promise her Ma that she would touch them only after her second term school exams get over to becoming the author of the book displayed on the banner of her publisher’s stall, it’s a journey I will cherish forever. As I see ‘The Sanyasi who became a King’ shining bright on the banner and inside the stall, I can only thank God and my Ma up there for giving me the courage to take the plunge in 2017.

I dedicate this moment to Tuneer, Tanmoy and Baba, my three pillars of strength.

Thank you Arup for sharing these pics. It’s been a joyride working with team Srishti Publisher. And none of this would’ve been possible without the magical touch of Suhail.

I’ll be at the Sristhi Stall E-86 in the Kolkata Book Fair today from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm to meet my readers and sign copies of ‘The Sanyasi who became a King’. If you are around, drop in to say Hi.

Meet me at the Sristhi Publishers Stall E-86 in the Kolkata Book Fair on 29th Jan

Srishti Publishers is coming to Kolkata Book Fair this year. Visit stall no. E-86 to grab copies of a range of books published by them.

My non-fiction bestseller ‘The Sanyasi who became a King’ would also be available at the Sristhi stall from 28th of Jan to 9th of Feb.

On 29th Jan, Wednesday, I’ll be present at the Sristhi Publishers stall E-86 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Come, visit us and grab an author signed copy of my book.

‘The Sanyasi who became a King’ gets the coveted ‘Bestseller’ tag on Amazon

‘The Sanyasi who became a King’ gets the much coveted ‘BESTSELLER’ tag on Amazon. Quite a coincidence that its colour matches with the color of my book cover.

Thank you Srishti Publishers for the guidance.

The true story behind the mystery of the Bhawal Raja set in pre-Independent India is available both as a paperback and an e-book. Grab your copy here –

https://srishti.pub/sanyasi

Book signing of ‘The Sanyasi who became a King’ at the Bahrisons Ballygunge and the Storyteller Picnic Garden stores on 23/1/25

This is what dreams are made of. 🧿

My first book signing event for the non-fiction true crime book ‘The Sanyasi who became a King’ at Bahrisons Kolkata and Storyteller Bookstore happened on 23/1/25..

Book signing of ‘ The Sanyasi who became a King’ on 23rd Jan in Kolkata

I’ll be signing copies of my non-fiction book ‘The Sanyasi who became a King’ based on the true murder mystery of the Bhawal Raja on 23rd January across two bookstores in Kolkata.

Bahrisons Booksellers, Bhowanipore – 2 p.m. onwards

Storyteller Bookstore, Picnic Garden – 4 p.m. onwards

The detailed address for each store is attached.

Come visit the store to meet me and grab an author-signed copy of this true crime story.

Thank you Srishti Publishers for this wonderful opportunity.

Gratitude post for my non fiction book ‘The Sanyasi who became a King’

My non fiction book ‘The Sanyasi who became a King’ was released by Srishti Publishers & Distributors this month. It’s the true story behind the mystery of the Bhawal Raja in pre-Independent India.

This post is my way of expressing gratitude towards all those who believed in my craft, supported my journey, and ensured the book is out for the world to read. Thank you Suhail, Arup, Stuti, Alisha, and Shouvik for making this happen. It’s just the beginning of an amazing journey for my book.

The gratitude video

To Prasun and Rrashima, I’m overwhelmed by your kindness and selflessness. Thank you for the endorsements.

Have you read this murder mystery based on true events yet? Grab a copy now –

https://srishti.pub/sanyasi

About my new book ‘The Sanyasi who became a King’

This raises the question: who would benefit if the sadhu gains the wealth and status of the Maharaja?

The King of Bhawal dies under mysterious circumstances. 12 years later, a sanyasi returns who claims to be the king. But his wife refuses to accept him as her husband. Who is telling the truth?

Read this intriguing true-crime murder mystery set in pre-independent Bengal. Read the book now to find out.

Get your copy of the book from bookstores now. You can also order it online from Amazon:

https://srishti.pub/sanyasi

Last day of vote appeal for Diary, Deceit and Death in the Best Fiction category of PVLF Awards

Here’s one last appeal to vote for my detective thriller ‘Diary, Deceit and Death’ in the Best Fiction category of the PVLF Author Excellence Awards.

Today, Jan 17th is the last day when the voting lines will stay active. It’s an earnest request to all my readers, friends and acquaintances in my network to please vote for this detective thriller to make it a winner.

Steps to vote –

Click on the link below, scroll down to Book no. 4 ‘Diary, Deceit and Death’ and click on the Vote button. A pop up window will appear where you need to enter your name and Mobile number/email ID. Type the OTP received on the same number/ID and click on Verify. You can see the red colour Vote button turn into the Green coloured Voted button.

About the book –

‘Diary, Deceit, and Death’ is a thriller about greed, betrayal, and masked identities of two families spanning three generations in four cities over five decades. The attached video where I read out the prologue should give you a better idea of this detective thriller.

Link to vote –

https://www.frontlist.in/pvlf2025/author-excellence-awards/best-fiction/books/63

Announcing the release of my new nonfiction book ‘The Sanyasi who became a King’

Announcing the release of my new book – ‘The Sanyasi who became a King’, which also marks my debut in the nonfiction genre.

Represented by The Book Bakers and published by Sristhi Publishers, this is the true story behind the mystery of the Bhawal Raja set in pre-Independent India.

Here’s a small synopsis of the book –

May 1909: Ramendra Narayan Roy, the second King of the Bhawal estate, dies under mysterious circumstances in Darjeeling. Twelve years later, an ash-covered sanyasi resembling the deceased King is seen.
The King’s family rejoices, but his wife, Bibhabati, refuses to accept the man as her husband. With support from the British government – which does not want the man to reclaim his lost power and wealth for selfish reasons – she demands proof!
Was the Sanyasi a fraud? If he was the real King, then whose body was cremated in Darjeeling? What role did Bibhabati’s brother play in this mysterious death?
The Sanyasi Who Became a King is a true murder mystery set in pre-Independent India that highlights the intricacies of raw emotions, relationships, power, money and betrayal.