Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
@cdivakaruni
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Award-winning Indian-American author, poet, speaker, & activist. Professor of creative writing at U Houston. Newest books: An Uncommon Love, Independence.
Houston * Berkeley * Kolkata
Joined April 2009
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Thank you
@MsKajalAggarwal
for reading and recommending my books
#PalaceofIllusions
and
#BeforeWeVisittheGoddess
and your kind note to me after reading
#TheForestofEnchantments
. I
#appreciate
. 🙏
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Delighted that
@MsKajalAggarwal
reads my books.
#HappyBookLoversDay
You can always spot her with a book 😍😃♥️😘
Hapy Book Lovers Day
@MsKajalAggarwal
Mam 😃😃🥰
You're my most favorite bibliophile 😄😘♥️
#HappyBookLoversDay
#KajalAggarwal
#kajal
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#HappyMothersDay
! Wishing you a safe & peaceful time with your dear ones.
As
#Sita
says in the
#ForestofEnchantments
, the purest love in the world is between mothers and children.
(Painting:
#JaminiRoy
, 1 of my favorite artists)
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Agree with you so much!
@MsKajalAggarwal
#girlpower
"And though she be but little, she is fierce." – William Shakespeare
Not just today but every day, let's raise awareness and empower girls to face challenges, stand up for herself, provide a safe, enabling and encouraging environment.
#BetiBachaoBetiPadhao
#NationalGirlChildDay
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Friends, I found this poem meaningful, motivating & timely. Hope you will, too.
#Gibran
#poetry
#inspiration
#corona
#amreading
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I'm glad to launch the Common Cover Pic of
@MsKajalAggarwal
for her birthday on request of her fans and team
@wekafawa
❤
A
@madbirdstudio
design
#HappyBirthdayKajal
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I am seriously considering writing a novel about
#Radha
. Readers, what do you think?
#amwriting
i wish someday my favorite
@cdivakaruni
maam writes on Radhe's story just like the palace of illusions and the forest of enchantments.
#paanchali
#Sita
ma
#Radha
ma
#Rakhumai
women in indian mythology❣
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Congratulations
@MsKajalAggarwal
! Wishing you every happiness.
#marriage
Congratulations to
@MsKajalAggarwal
Mam and Gautham Kitchlu in advance for a beautiful venture ahead as a couple from team
@wekafawa
❤️
May you guys explore the best in life and live being an epitome of Love together 💞
#KajalAggarwal
#kajal
#kafawa
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Friends, my new novel
#TheLastQueen
will be officially released on Jan 20, Guru Govind Singh ji's birthday! (Excited!) But
@crossword_book
has it on a special sale already here:
@HarperCollinsIN
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A rare photo of my
#grandfather
, Nibaran Chandra Ghosh, with me. He told me stories from the
#Ramayan
&
#Mahabharat
when I was little. He inspired me to become a writer & create books like
#PalaceofIllusions
&
#ForestofEnchantments
& write about Bengali folktales. Thanks,Dadu🙏.
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I love this use of the mask as fashion statement. Friends, wear yours! And congratulations to
@MsKajalAggarwal
on her wedding, with wishes for much happiness.
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Honored to receive this lovely comment about my upcoming novel
#TheLastQueen
from
@DalrympleWill
: "A stunning & moving reimagining of the life of one of the most remarkable women in N. Indian history. In
#TheLastQueen
, Chitra Divakaruni is writing at the very top of her game."
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Cover of my
#Sita
novel,
#TheForestofEnchantments
. It will be out Jan 2019.
What a beautiful cover
@cdivakaruni
. Can’t wait to read
#TheForestOfEnchantments
@HarperCollinsIN
@DiyaKarHazra
@jilpanz
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This is a great quote, and a great mindset. We grow together. An educated, empowered
#woman
empowers her entire family.
#EqualRights
#BetterWorld
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Seventh day of Spring
#Navaratri
. We cannot go to temples because of
#quarantine
/
#stayhome
, but we can pray/meditate in our hearts. To all my friends: is another
#auspicious
image of the
#Goddess
: beautiful Madurai Meenakshi. Enjoy!
#Healing
to all. 🙏🏿
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So delighted and honored to share the news that my novel The Last Queen has won the
#BestFiction
of 2022 award from
#TheInternationalAssociationofWorkingWomen
.
@HarperCollins
@HarperCollinsIN
@DiyaKar73
@jilpanz
@ShabnamSriv
@EliseCapron
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Today is special to Lord
#Shiva
. Pranams to Him and prayers for his blessings to us all for healing. Here is a blessed image of Him as
#Chidambaram
#Nataraja
, Lord of the Cosmic Dance of Regeneration.
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Happy
#Navaratri
/
#DurgaPuja
to all who celebrate this goddess festival. We need her
#blessings
now more than ever, when women are facing so many challenges.
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On
#womensday2021
, let us
#readwomen
and recommend women writers! Who are some of your favorites?
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Divine Lord Shiva in Kashi Vishwanath temple.
#Auspicious
even to view this image. May the Lord bless us all with peace, prosperity, and the ability to see Him in all.
#newyearwish
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Today, celebrating
#WomensHistoryMonth
with my favorite mother-and-child painting. Can you guess the painter's name?
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Happy to see actor
@kritisanon
reading
#ForestofEnchantments
!
@HarperCollinsIN
@ShabnamSriv
@DiyaKar73
@irocksid
@jilpanz
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Info about my upcoming novel, INDEPENDENCE, about 3 sisters navigating their way through the Partition years, is now on my website. The novel has been optioned for a film! Out in India in Nov 2022. In USA in Jan 2023.
@harpercollinsin
@WmMorrowBooks
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Dear Friends, Wishing all of you a Very Happy
#Diwali
. May your lives be filled with light and joy--and many good books!
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So excited for you,
@MsKajalAggarwal
who will be a mom soon! Wishing you all the best on this new
#adventure
of
#motherhood
. You will perform it beautifully, as you do with all your roles.
#KajalAggarwal
#NishaAggarwal
shares her excitement for
#KajalAggarwal
's baby
#Tollywood
#TollywoodActress
#Kollywood
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Friends: I noticed that my
#TwitterBlueTick
has disappeared. I don't believe in buying my reputation, so I'm leaving things this way.
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Happy
#Navaratri
to all who celebrate! May the Divine bless us all with health, joy and peace.
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Posting an old favorite by Gibran. "On Children." What do you think of his ideas--as a parent, and as a child?
#poetry
#wisdom
#advice
#Children
#parenting
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New book cover for USA release of my newest novel,
#TheLastQueen
, from
@HarperCollins
, about the beautiful, spirited, brave Maharani Jindan Kaur who fought the British until her last breath. A love story and a novel of resistance. So excited to post this on
#WomensDay
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“A situation in itself,” he said, “is neither happy nor unhappy. It’s only your response to it that causes your sorrow.” Friends, I hope these lines by Krishna from
#PalaceofIllusions
resonate for you. 🙏
#quotation
#Corona
#attitude
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Very excited about my novel
#ThePalaceOfIllusions
being made into a
#movie
. Friends, please send your good wishes and positive energy to this project.
A special day for us today - we're proud to announce that Dipankar Jojo Chaki & I have acquired the rights for Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's
#ThePalaceOfIllusions
and are excited to turn into a cinematic experience, from Draupadi's point of view. More details to be out soon!
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Fingers and toes crossed! I would love
@deepikapadukone
to make a
#movie
based on one of my novels. She would be perfect at portraying a strong
#female
lead.
#ThePalaceofIllusions
#TheForestofEnchantments
OMGGG . Deepika has read the PALACE OF ILLUSSIONS and she said she would like to adapt that to a movie since it is a female take on the whole story. woah.. She said I have marked my territory now no one else can do it..
#OfftheCuff
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It is crucial for a culture to have many women role models of different kinds - especially complex women who go through difficulties and emerge stronger. That is a big reason why I write.
#TheLastQueen
#PalaceofIllusions
#ForestofEnchantments
.
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@cdivakaruni
@MsKajalAggarwal
Along with
@MsKajalAggarwal
Mam I too started reading your works
@cdivakaruni
Mam. I never thought I'll be loving Ramayan so much.
#ForestOfEnchantments
kept me glued like anything (Couldn't help relating Kajal Mam to Sita 🙈) Currently reading 'The Mistress Of Spices'. ♥️
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My new novel on Sita,
#TheForestofEnchantments
, has become available on
@amazon
#kindle
. On 79% discount right now! Pls tell friends. Thanks
@HarperCollinsIN
@jilpanz
and
@HarperCollins
for making it happen.
@thatgirlfromdar
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Delighted to hold my newest book in my hand. Pub day India: Nov 30. Early reviews call the book "dazzling," a "must read," and "her finest yet." Fingers crossed as we go forward. Friends, please send good wishes. 🙏
@HarperCollinsIN
@jilpanz
@DiyaKar73
@ShabnamSriv
#Independence
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Happy
#Shivaratri
to everyone who celebrates this most auspicious, most beautiful festival, my absolute favorite. Here is Lord Shiva's above in Kedarnath, which I was blessed to visit with my mother.
#OmNamahShivaya
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A very happy birthday to
@MsKajalAggarwal
! Sorry the wishes are a little late because I have been traveling but they are very heartfelt.
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Happy Monday to all, and blessings of Lord Shiva, the auspicious one. Here he is in the historic Somnath temple.
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A thought-provoking
#poem
(excerpt) by
#KahlilGibran
. It really hit me after I became a mother:
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My upcoming
#novel
,INDEPENDENCE,is the tale of 3 sisters in India in 1947,a tumultuous,exhilarating & tragic time when they learn what independence really means, & what we must be willing to pay for it. Out in
#India
in 2022
@HarperCollinsIN
.In USA 2023.
@jilpanz
@DiyaKar73
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Here in Houston, Texas, I stand on the land of the Karankawa nation and honor their memory.
#TheBodyRemembers
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My
#novel
Palace of Illusions is going to be made into a
#Movie
! Excited!
#Writersofinstagram
#ChitrabanerjeeDivakaruni
,
#News
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Dear
@MsKajalAggarwal
, I would love to know what you think of the book!
@HarperCollinsIN
@cdivakaruni
@crossword_book
@HarperCollinsIN
Omg!! Cannot wait to read this 😍 huge congratulations! ❤️
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#PalaceofIllusions
has been optioned for a movie! So exciting!
@cdivakaruni
@EndemolShineIND
@irocksid
every book yours ought to be made in a movie: loved loved palace of illusions and would love to see that
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What a beautiful way to live our lives. "The Self in me is the Self in all."
#inspiration
#spirituality
If you do not look up to anything, and you do not look down upon anything, you will see everything the way it is.
#SadhguruQuotes
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#creativity
. What a joy and a blessing it is. I wish my Twitter
#friends
lots of positive creativity in 2019.
#writinglife
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Q. What books have helped u along life's path?
A. 2 very different books: 1. The Little Prince by St. Exupery and 2. The Dalai Lama's The Art of Happiness. They gave me so many pointers on making it through
#challenges
. And to be
#peaceful
. Which books have helped U?
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Last time we heard her saying that, given a chance she would love to be a part of a movie based on the book
#PalaceofIllusions
by
@cdivakaruni
and now this news. A classic movie is surely on its way.
@deepikapadukone
#Mahabharata
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I made this healthy Indian snack mix (chanachur) for my family a few days ago. I took Puffed rice, roasted nuts of several kinds, curry leaves, fried dals, Roasted Gram, Raisins, masala boondis And a little chilly powder, a bag of khatta meetha mixture, …
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To celebrate
#February
, month of
#love
, here is a beautiful poem by
#Tagore
, who remains one of my inspirations: "I seem to have loved you in numberless forms."
#poem
#amreading
#writersoftwitter
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These wise & beautiful lines from one of my favorite poets,
#MaryOliver
, resonated for me. I share them with you.
#coronavirus
#poetry
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Thank you dear
@MsKajalAggarwal
. Appreciate your kind words & support. Not only are you a wonderful actress & amazing & beautiful human being, but you are such a great reader. I am sure you will teach your child to love books, too.
#reading
#motherhood
#mskajalaggarwal
Thank you so much my favourite. I respect you so much, not just for your incredible work but also for the fabulous person that you are. Lots of love! 🤗❤️
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Honored to receive an award for Excellence in Creative Activity from
@UHouston
. Thanks to my university, our president Renu Khator, my department, and especially our amazing creative writing program for all the support over the years. 🙏
@uhenglishdept
@uhcwp
@UHpres
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Delighted to receive this beautiful award for my novel
#TheLastQueen
,about the amazing life of Maharani Jindan Kaur. This is the Best Book 2022 award from
#TheInternationalAssociationOfWorkingWomen
. The book will be out in the US in May.🙏
@HarperCollinsIN
@HarperCollins
@jilpanz
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So happy to get this note from you
@MsKajalAggarwal
. So glad you enjoyed
#reading
#TheForestofEnchantments
, and I will definitely watch your movie
#Sita
when it's available in the US.
@HarperCollinsIN
@DiyaKarHazra
@sab_bakwaas_hai
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So happy to see this!
#Ganga
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For all
#Parents
: this really resonated with me (though I'm not sure it's from
#MotherTeresa
!) In my experience as a
#mother
, it rings true. It's also true for all the mothers in my books!
#motherhood
#children
#childrearing
#parenting
@DiyaKar73
@sree
@MsKajalAggarwal
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Thanks
@MsKajalAggarwal
for reading my books! Coming soon, in 2018: My novel on Sita. Hope you'll like that one, too.
#amwriting
Happiness is finding one of your fav authors books on set while shooting😍
@cdivakaruni
#oleandergirl
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Soon to be a
#movie
! Send good energy please, friends.
#PalaceOfIllusions
Book 36 of 2018: The Palace of Illusions by
@cdivakaruni
. A wonderful retelling of the Mahabharata from Draupadi's point of view. The book beautifully describes the 'relationship' between Draupadi & Krishna and Draupadi & Karna.
Highly recommended!!
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Amazon(IN) lists Palace of Illusions as 1 of 100 books to read in a lifetime! (The rest of the list is pretty good, too! :)
#amwriting
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Happy Valentine’s Day!
1.
#PalaceOfIllusions
: "We cannot force ourselves to love, or to withhold it.The heart is beyond control."
2.
#TheForestOfEnchantments
: "Love isn’t doled out, drop by drop. It doesn’t measure who is worthy and who isn’t."
Which definition do you prefer?
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Happy
#InternationalWomensDay
! I celebrate with a quotation from the ancient Sanskrit MANUSMRITI, & a painting from
#JaminiRoy
.
"The gods are happy where women are respected;
where they are not, all actions are fruitless."
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Delighted to be at the iconic
#JaipurLiteratureFestival
in Jaipur for the inauguration of my novel.
#Independence
, Jan 22, 11 am. Hoping to see many reader friends. Photo: from opening night celebration at the beautiful
#Rambagh
palace.
@harperbroadcast
@JLFLitfest
@jilpanz
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"Some people think of reading only as an escape. Books are much more. They are a way of being fully human."Sontag
#amreading
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Thought provoking article pointing out some important ironies about pro-Hindutva communities abroad.
Often people ask me, being a Hindu why do I despise Hindutva politics - I am not an atheist, rather a temple-going practicing Hindu. Here I explain why I hate Hindutva's hate of Minorities!
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Please read original Valmiki where he mentions hunting animals by Ram and Dasharath family. Ram's family as Kshatriyas hunted & ate meat. In our ancient puranas and epics, even the sages (e.g Agastya) ate meat. Their satvik nature was powerful & not compromised by what they ate.
@cdivakaruni
disrespecting our Devi Sita through this book the forest enchantments .. in which you r telling that Shri Ram is arranging dinner for mata Sita where they include meat of goat and boar. They r Satvik This is totally wrong .ye hamaare bhagvaan ka bahut bdaa apmaan h..
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I chose this powerful quotation from
#AmritaPritam
as the epigraph with which my novel,
#Independence
, begins. It is true of history in general, and especially of India's
#Partition
--and of the three sisters who are at the heart of my book.
@HarperCollinsIN
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Thank you, Kajal. And thanks for reading my books & telling people about them.
@MsKajalAggarwal
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WOWOWOW. Thanks
@deepikapadukone
. & thanks
@irocksid
. This is on the top of my wish list! I hope Deepika will consider
#TheForestofEnchantments
also as she will transform people's traditional notions of
#Sita
and illustrate her true
#power
.
#movies
@TheStoryInk1
@PanMacIndia
Look what I found
@cdivakaruni
.
@deepikapadukone
choosing
#PalaceOfIllusions
as her book of choice for a film.
#OffTheCuff
with
@ShekharGupta
#DeepikaPadukone
@TheStoryInk1
#TheStoryInk
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So glad that people are still reading my novel
#PalaceofIllusions
and finding it worthwhile.🙏
#women
#Mahabharat
#Draupadi
#afteralltheseyears
@PanMacIndia
"The Palace of Illusions" by
@cdivakaruni
was the highlight of my week. The journey through the Mahabharata from Draupadi's perspective and touching upon the way of life , the incidents, scenes and life was very realistic. The Queens helped women start their own business.
My…
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Honored to be on this
#Award
list with
#TheForestofEnchantments
and honored to be in such good company.
@HarperCollinsIN
is a great
#publisher
!
@jilpanz
@DiyaKar73
.
@harpercollinsin
tops the chart with maximum number of books that made it to this year's
#AGBLFBookPrize
. Have you read any of these titles? Let us know which is your favourite.
#BookPrize
#AttaGalatta
#BLF2019
#Favourite
#ReadersOfBangalore
#NammaBengaluru
#Books
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“Lord Ram asked Hanuman, "What are you, monkey or man?" Hanuman bowed reverently & said, "When I do not know who I am, I serve You and when I do know who I am, You and I are One.”
― Ramcharitmanas.
Lots to learn here! Happy
#HanumanJayanti
to all who celebrate this.
#Knowledge
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Remembering our dearest Juno. Gone 10 years now, but always in my heart. She sat next to my writing desk every day, encouraging me as I wrote. We found her at the wonderful
@HoustonSPCA
. They say we rescued her, but in truth she rescued us.
#bestfriends
#dogs
#DogsofTwittter
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88K followers today on
#Twitter
. Thanks to each one of you, especially my readers. 🙏
#writinglife
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Friends, I have updated my website landing page! Please take a look and let me know how you like it. THERE IS ALSO A PRE-ORDER LINK FOR MY UPCOMING NOVEL, INDEPENDENCE, THERE.
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Honored to be listed as 1 of the 5 top women writers in India (along with
#GitanjaliShree
, whose work I love) by
#businessnewsthisweek
@HarperCollinsIN
@neel5
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