30 Second story Challenge by Indie Author Land

The 4 Word Challenge

in which we give one of our favourite authors 4 random words - Man, Woman, Airport, Darkness - and challenge them to tell us a story.

Divorced woman, Sandra is late for her the flight of her life to San Fransisco. Soaking wet with New York’s pouring rain, she reaches the airport and barely makes it onto the flight.The man sitting next to her is weird. There is something weird about his eyes; they are deep, intense and focused. Sandra’s wet dress and her chattering teeth are a major distraction. In a matter of seconds, he pulls his jacket forward to find a napkin for Sandra, she notices the reason for his weirdness: a gun. She knows he is a hijacker who has now placed his hands on her lips and is pressing her down with all his weight. In the darkness of the takeoff position, when everyone is tied to their seats with the belts, Sandra is lost deep in the eyes of a strange man who was here to kill her but was just giving her a napkin to wipe her face…

Life is messy as hell and really funny sometimes. The man had practiced this in his mind several times. The takeoff, the announcement of hijacking, the killing of innocent passengers, the taking over of the aircraft and following orders of his boss. But in the flash of a second it got washed away and now all he can think of is a strange woman next to him in a soaking wet, thin piece of fabric, carrying the lost love sadness in her eyes and not defending herself even for a second from the strong arms of this man capturing her to her entirety.

• Shahla Khan, author of I Want Back My SPARKLE (US, UK, CAN,AUS)

Visit INDIE AUTHOR LAND

SPARKLE CONTEST IS NOW ON...

Can you tell us a Short Story?
Can you rhyme a poem?
Can you take pictures?
Have you written a personal essay in a secret diary?

Go to the Contest page to read more and win great prizes. Great opportunity to build your portfolio. 
To find out more, go to http://www.shahla-khan.com/sparkle-contest

Interview with Shahla Khan, author of I Want Back My SPARKLE

Hello again readers,
Its Friday, the 13th and I have great news! You can read more about my book and myself on my interview with Indie Author Land, great books, no middlemen!

Don't forget read the fantastic storyline in the end. Thanks David and Indie Author Land. Please follow the link here Interview with Shahla Khan on Indie Author Land

Love and Peace,
Ciao!

Readers Muse Review on I WANT BACK MY SPARKLE-Breaking the chains of gender slavery

Readers Muse Review on I WANT BACK MY SPARKLE

Hey my beautiful readers,
Glad to see my book reviewed by Shree Janani on their blog. Thanks for the 5 out 5 rating. I agree the book may seem overpriced for the Indian market because of the conversion. But the book will be published in India in January, with a special price exclusive to the Indian market.

Once again, thanks for the great words. I hope I continue to write on matters that matter. I want to congratulate Reader's Muse for running such a meaningful campaign.

Love and Peace
Ciao!

English Vinglish- Praise for Gauri Shinde

Hi my beautiful readers,
Just watched this fantastic film and could'nt help but share my thoughts on it with you guys. It's a sort of compulsion thing, when it's in the heart, it needs an outlet or I might explode into alphabets. Hence, the post :D

Directed by Gauri Shinde, this Bollywood film was released last year (I apologize for watching it soooooo late). To be honest, I only decided to watch because of Sridevi, my all time favorite actress. Since I live in the UK and as a writer and PhD student, stay around books and libraries most of the time, I usually do not keep up with new releases and reviews etc. I had no idea what the film was about and a bleak idea from the namesake suggested that a middle aged woman might decide to learn some English; but the moive is much more than that.

I completely relate to the way Sridevi's family treats her in the movie. The husband does not appreciate her efforts and has reduced her down to cooking. Her teenage daughter is embarassed to be around her because she does not speak in English and has a very simplistic attitude towards life and people. I remember while growing up, this happened in my home too. Although my mother is a Post Graduate in Education and has taught us both kids herself (never got outside help), we still made fun of her sometimes for the accent. For example, the word America, is AM-RI-KA in her accent. Other similar words are RAS-BHA-RI for raspberry or photography is FOTO-GRA-PHY. We still point out and try to teach her the correct pronounciation and she would try to enact me and we all would laugh together.

But I can understand that if my mother would not know the language at all, how would she feel. I remember, when there were parent teacher meetings at my school, my mother would dress nice and be careful around the classroom and teachers in order to make me proud. I was always proud to take my mother around my school and friends because my mother was more qualified than most others. The movie made me see this fact, now, after years, that all those days in school, when I was trying to work hard through my studies, my mother was also working hard to keep up with my progress.

Apart from the motherly angle, as a woman, this movie shows exactly how under-appreciated housewives are. Just because they do not go out of the house and fight with the world, does not make their job any less difficult. In fact it is the most difficult job in the world because the duties are endless, there is no progression and housewives are least appreciated. But the movie shows the efforts of a simple housewife to learn a new language, just to win her family's love. The sad part was that her husband and daughter respected her only after she learnt the language. It is great when a woman wants to learn something, regardless of her age. But it must be heart breaking to learn something to prove your worth to your own family. But I guess, it is real and it does happen in most homes.

I also loved the scene when the visa officer asks Sridevi that how is she going to cope in America if she does not know English. The Indian visa officer says the same way you are living in India without knowing Hindi. That was a very simple and witty answer to these visa people who give hell to poor applicants. And ofcourse, undeniably, Amitabh Bachan was a delight. Both him and Sridevi are real gold, they just never lose their charm. The cast of the English class was also chosen excellently. The inclusion of gay talk, the Chinese and Spanish female students and the Indian and Pakistani male students were all very entertaining. Indians and Pakistanis are literally family when they are abroad. I wish the people living in India and Pakistan could feel that way about each other.

Laurent, the french guy played by Mehdi Nebbou, a French actor was similar to the character of Pierce Brosnan in the Hollywood movie I don't know how she does it. A handsome devil around a middle aged wife and mother. It was beautiful to see that she spoke in Hindi to him and he spoke in French, neither of them understood each others words but understood the emotions. It is sweet that emotion does not need language. It comes from the heart and reaches deep into the heart. We are so afraid in life to open up about our feelings that we just keep burrying them in our hearts. An outlet of those feelings with someone who will get the sentiments behind the outburst can be therapeutic.

After a long time, I have seen a movie which can be enjoyed with the family without vulgar songs and abusive language. It has an empowering message for homely women, that if they want, they can achieve anything in life and they are not less than anyone else. All they need is the will to change things around. It has a message for teenagers to respect their parents for who they are, however they are. Specially mothers. No matter how big of a rocket scientist you are, your mother would always be smarter than you. Hats off to the director and writer for writing such a simple yet powerful script and a big rould of applause for Sridevi for breathing life into the character of Sashi- it wouldnt be the same without her.

Therefore, love your parents for who they are. English does not make them sophisticated, their love does, which they have in plenty. And we must often see movies like this to remind ourselves the power of simplicity and acknowledging our own language and culture.

Love and Peace
Ciao!

COMING UP....AUTHOR INTERVIEW

http://morgenbailey.wordpress.com/2013/12/17/author-spotlight-no-348-shahla-khan

Click 17th December 2013 onwards

Fancy an escape to Alpine Summer?

ARTICLE UPDATE FROM JUNE 2013, CARDIFF TIMES

Its holiday time and June is dancing on our heads asking where we are spending this month. According to Saint Augustine, The world is a book and those who do not travel, read only a page. So combining his travel advice with June blues… we get a deep motivation to travel. But hold on, are you worried about smelly hotel rooms, long waiting queues at monuments and the-never-welcome huge credit card bills? Ne vous inquiétez!!! Or do not worry, just read on to discover an escape to paradise without luxury price tags.

Which city?

Interlaken Switzerland

As their tourism office says, “It’s not unusual for a town to be on a river, lake or an ocean. But for it to sit between two lakes may well be unique. Interlaken - between lake Thun and lake Brienz - can boast such a privileged position. And there’s more. Interlaken is also in the heart of the magnificent Jungfrau region mountain world and affords views of the world-famous icy icons, the Eiger, Mönch & Jungfrau.”

How to travel?

Several options are available to reach Interlaken. Main flights operate from London and Bristol to Geneva and Zurich. From there, Interlaken in easily reachable by train, bus or rent a car option if you can. Flights are less than an hour long and before you even finish that novel half, you will be there. All options are cheap and affordable without digging a hole in our pocket.

Where to stay?

How about a panoramic view of snow covered Alps from your hotel bedroom?

What about a river within literally FIVE STEPS away from your door?

And all this luxury without the luxurious prices?

Yes, you read correct, 3 star hotel but not for 3 star prices. You need to stay at INDIA VILLAGE GUESTHOUSE to enjoy all this. Situated right on the Aare River bank, India Village Guesthouse is next to the Wanniwald forest and 1 km from Lake Brienz and the centre of Interlaken city. The simply furnished rooms offer views of the river and the Bernese Alps.

Free Wi-Fi as well as free private parking is available. The Jungfrau Ski Area is 15 km from India Village. The Interlaken Ost train station is a 3-minute drive away.

You will love the personal service and assistance provided. It is not difficult to find several hotels around, since it is a tourists place but most of them will charge you so much that you wouldn’t have much to spend on shopping or excursions. The hotel is newly furbished and you will feel the freshness of it on arrival. They offer a special pick up and drop off service at no extra costs. What else do you need?

What to do?

If you had enough with the panoramic views and special pampering, you may want to go out and about. Apart from the usual Ski, Sky Diving, Parachute Diving, Helicopter excursions and Spa treatments, there are some secret places to visit, which I found out through the localities. My personal suggestions are:

ü  Harder Klum or the MOUNTAIN TRAIN EXCURSION

On your way to India Village, you will probably notice the weird railway track on the mountain and possibly ask about it. It is a train network up the mountain to Harder Klum which is 1,322 meters above sea level. The train takes 8 minutes from the base to the top of the mountain on a very steep railway track. If you enjoy heights, you will never, in your entire life, forget the spectacular views of the green and white Swiss Alps while ascending on a train!!! There is also a restaurant on top where you can enjoy traditional Swiss delicacies. I indulged in Special Swiss Rosti and some meringue dessert which was mouth watering. There is a secret story behind this spot and the wooden statue hidden mysteriously among the trees. I will let you find the story out yourself and be surprised on your visit.

ü  Trummelbach Waterfalls

Imagine 20,000 liters of water, melted fresh from Glaciers, pouring per second, making their way through hard rock Mountains… This Waterfall is truly the most unique natural waterfall in Europe and a wonder of nature that will leave you in awe. A tunnel lift operates during good weather conditions to take you up to the highest point. The caves are soothing and adventurous both to give you a feel like you are on set of National Treasure movie. For breath taking natural beauty and setting your soul free, don’t miss this excursion.

ü  

What to shop and eat?

All this excursion and travel will make you really hungry and here are some insights to eating around in Interlaken. The town has very few Kebab shops, very close to the train station. Mostly you will find traditional Swiss restaurants. Forget about KFC, Burger King and Mc Donald’s for a while because the locals dislike junk food. Thanks to Film Director Yash Chopra, Indian restaurants are pretty much everywhere and if you fancy an Indian curry in European style, you wouldn’t struggle. My personal advice is to enjoy the local cuisine and awesome desserts.

Interlaken itself is not a shopping haven but because it is so close to Zurich, you won’t miss out on European holiday shopping. The shops in central Interlaken are bursting with traditional Swiss watches, souvenirs, clocks, knives, chocolates and panoramic postcards.

There are a zillion other activities that you can do and places you can visit. Depending upon the number of days and your budget, you can plan your itinerary. This part of Switzerland is beauty written on the face of earth.

It is like falling in love. If you can notice, the grass is greener, the sky is bluer and the air is fresher. I don’t know if it is the magic of the Alps or an emotional gravitational pull for the soul, but what I know is, it is truly Paradise on Earth!

Bon Voyage!