Second Chances

By Anju Gattani

They say cats have nine lives but life doesn’t offer a second chance, at least not in the world of publishing. One book gets one release date, your baby’s out in the world and there’s no turning back. 

Now, what if I told you that’s not true. Would you believe me? 

What if I told you that ‘Duty and Desire’ glimpsed the world in 2011 but will now make a grand entry in June 2020 as the debut to the Winds of Fire series. 

I still find that hard to believe. However, when I retrace the double decade journey, priceless pieces of advice from editors and agents—several who chose to represent and others who didn’t—the numerous phone calls with award winning and experienced authors and emails from industry professionals, the experience has been  more than a journey. I feel as if I’ve lived another life parallel to my own. 

Don’t all writers? 

‘Duty and Desire’ has been resurrected more times than I can remember. The story went through countless rounds of revision prior to its initial debut. I fleshed out characters, re-routed plot, story and time lines and streamlined motives; I learned the craft to writing fiction. 

At least I thought I had. 

I had originally developed the story as a series but the Big 5 saw my story as a book without a shelf. So ‘Duty and Desire’ found a home with a tiny press, saw the light of day and survived despite the publishing house’s demise shortly after. 

Second time round a fierce agent found a feisty publisher who shared my vision, understood the market potential and took the Winds of Fire series by the horns.  

They say all it takes is one. Not nine. Not two. Just one. One agent to ‘get’ your work and fight for the project. One publisher to have the vision for the story, the author and the arm to execute, market and distribute. 

I had two. An agent and a publisher. A pair? A double dip? A second chance? 

I drafted an arc of the Winds of Fire series, reconstructed the story from scratch, transitioned characters over time lapses from one book to the next, and orchestrated multiple story strands, threads and plot ropes. I managed an exploding cast of characters, explored hidden rooms in my fantasy world and flew back and forth across continents. This time I wasn’t alone. I was working under the guidance of two editors. 

A pair. A double dip? A second chance? 

We planted more seeds, strengthened the story foundation, added more depth for key players to grow, to fall harder and secondary characters to support the struggle and change. Some supporters would blossom and others would die…the law of life. I learned the art of writing fiction. Yes, there’s an art to it!   

I watched other authors churn out book after book while I remained stuck on the same story as if trapped in some time capsule. I was going insane. I was convinced I would die a writer’s death if I didn’t stop the madness. 

Surely the story couldn’t survive another birth. Isn’t one hard enough? 

Neither the story nor I surrendered. We were at each other’s throats, pushing through the fog for clarity to get to THE END, but no light whatsoever at the end of our tunnel. 

At least that’s what I thought. 

Despite being a wife, mom and having a day job, the story and I revised, revisited and again died in despair. The colossal workload blocked our vision. We fought. We battled. We shed blood. Then we stopped. We realized we were not alone. We had a publishing team. Once again we were both resurrected and this time round we reasoned with each other. On 20-20 hindsight and after 19 years of togetherness, we came to a truce. We had to make our relationship work. There was no turning back. 

We persisted with our journey on the dirt road.  

Forward to present day 2020 now here we are in hibernation waiting to be reborn: ‘Duty and Desire’ on June 2 as the debut to the Winds of Fire series. Myself, the author, hovering on life nine parallel to my own. 

Have you, a reader or writer lived more than one life? Who with? 

—  

Anju Gattani

A fiction author, freelance journalist, fiction writing instructor, blogger and former newspaper reporter, Anju was born in India but grew up in Hong Kong. She has also lived in Singapore, India, Australia, New Jersey, Connecticut, and finally dug her roots in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband, 2 dashing boys and a rebel lion-head rabbit. 

Anju has been published in cover stories, fiction, feature, news, interviews, travel, perspective pieces and more, in publications across Hong Kong, India, Singapore, and the U.S.  

‘Duty and Desire’ her debut in the Winds of Fire series, is slated for release on June 2, 2020. Anju hopes her books will Bridge Cultures and Break Barriers. 

For more about Anju visit her at: 

Website: www.anjugattani.com 

Facebook: Anju Gattani Author

Twitter: @Anju_Gattani

Instagram: Anju_Gattani27

DUTY AND DESIRE

To uphold family honor and tradition, Sheetal Prasad is forced to forsake the man she loves and marry playboy millionaire Rakesh Dhanraj while the citizens of Raigun, India, watch in envy. On her wedding night, however, Sheetal quickly learns that the stranger she married is as cold as the marble floors of the Dhanraj mansion.

Forced to smile at family members and cameras and pretend there’s nothing wrong with her marriage, Sheetal begins to discover that the family she married into harbors secrets, lies and deceptions powerful enough to tear apart her world. With no one to rely on and no escape, Sheetal must ally with her husband in an attempt to protect her infant son from the tyranny of his family.

Preorder HERE

 

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