Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Guest Post & Giveaway: Haunting Jasmine by Anjali Banerjee


Today it is my privilege  to welcome Anjali Banerjee to Pudgy Penguin Perusals. Anjali has a new book out titled, Haunting Jasmine. Giveaway details at the bottom of post. But first, let's see what Anjali has to say.


Writing a novel: the joy of research by Anjali Banerjee

Thank you, Kaye, for hosting me on your delightful blog. I’m a huge fan of penguins—I wish I could be more like these devoted and fascinating creatures. A little research turned up a few cool facts about penguins. They mate for life; their eyes work better underwater than they do in the air; they spend up to 75 percent of their lives at sea; and of the 18 species of penguins, the emperor penguin is the largest, weighing up to 90 lbs, and the fairy penguin is the smallest, weighing only two lbs (from http://birding.about.com/).

I love doing research when I’m creating novels as well, and if I’m not careful, I become immersed in the reading and investigation and nearly forget to write my books! I almost got lost in a real, haunted Victorian mansion while doing research for my current release, Haunting Jasmine. In the story, a newly divorced, harried L.A. businesswoman agrees to run her beloved aunt’s bookstore in a Victorian mansion on a rainy Pacific Northwest island while her aunt is in India. Little does Jasmine know that the dusty, cluttered old bookstore is inhabited by the highly emotional ghosts of dead authors. I had fun touring the real haunted house, mapping the layout, and imagining what the rooms would look like furnished with antiques, Tiffany lamps and bookshelves.

But which dead authors would I choose? After much thought – and research – I picked a few famous names that American readers would easily recognize: Jane Austen, Edgar Allan Poe, Shakespeare, Beatrix Potter, and more. I found some intriguing information about these authors. For example, we don’t know precisely what type of illness led to Jane Austen’s death at such a young age (she passed away at 41). She may have had Addison’s disease, a type of tuberculosis of the adrenal glands, or more likely a lymphoma like Hodgkin’s disease (cancer) based on her symptoms. Claire Tomalin considers the possibilities in a most engrossing biography called Jane Austen: A Life. In Haunting Jasmine, Jane Austen appears in her healthy form as a faint apparition who imparts worldly advice to Jasmine – from one who has loved and lost.

Similarly, I discovered that Edgar Allan Poe wrote an early volume of poetry that was not at first attributed to him. Only a few copies of the book still exist, and each one is worth a fortune. I learned about Hemingway’s favorite writing instruments (pencils), Beatrix Potter’s flocks of Herdwick sheep, and a Victorian chimney breast mirror that belonged to Dickens. These concrete details bring dead authors to life in my novel as iconic spirits who help Jasmine reinvent her life, rediscover her love for books, and fall in love with an enigmatic young stranger.

What will I discover next?



 To celebrate the release of Haunting Jasmine, Penguin Group USA is generously allowing me to host a giveaway for one copy of Anjali's new book. Open to US & Canada. Deadline to enter is February 25th at 5 PM (est) Be sure to include an e mail address in your comment.


If you cannot leave a comment and would still like to enter ( I don't
allow anonymous comments) just send me an e mail with Haunting
Jasmine entry in the subject line. Include why you want to win and your name and preferred e mail contact. Send to florida982002[at] yahoo.com and I will enter your comment for you.

As always, bonus entries can be earned by:

+ 2 being a follower, Tell me under what name you follow
+3 tweeting  or posting about and linking to contest (sidebar is ok) Just be sure to give me the link in a comment. Good luck!

49 comments:

  1. This sounds like an excellent read - and the reviews on Amazon have totally convinced me of that!
    kpbarnett1941[at]aol[dot]com

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  2. +2 - GFC follower as Karen B.
    kpbarnett1941[at]aol[dot]com

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  3. did someone say Pacific Northwest island...bookstore....?

    caitemaire@hotmail.com

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  4. I really like it when authors do alot of reasearch, it shows in their books. I would love to read this, it sounds really good.
    twoofakind12@yahoo.com

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  5. +2
    I follow on GFC and Google Reader as, I believe, caitemaire..or caite...I should check.

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  6. Kaye, I would love a chance to win this one; it sounds so good!

    BibliophilebytheSea AT gmail DOT com

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  7. Thanks for this lovely giveaway.saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

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  8. Thank you for the great comments! Kaye, thank you again for hosting me on your blog.

    A couple of minor corrections (I'm always copy editing!). My last sentence should read "What will I discover next?" Not "discover UP"!

    Also, my surname is spelled with one "n," so if you do a search for the book, it will come up under "Banerjee."

    Thank you!!

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  9. I'm so sorry to have spelled your last name incorrectly, Anjali. It's all fixed now. Thank you for letting me know.

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  10. Wonderful book which interests me greatly. thanks. rojosho(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  11. Looks like a wonderful book!

    freda.mans[at]gmail.com

    +2 old GFC follower (fredamans)
    +3 tweet; http://twitter.com/#!/fredalicious/status/37532656296005633

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  12. Ooh Kaye this sounds fantastic. I love the sound of the Victorian mansion and the ghosts! I love ghosts!

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  13. I have the book and plan to start reading today. I'm looking forward to it. Advance reviews are positive.

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  14. No problem at all, Kaye! I'm grateful for this wonderful opportunity, and it looks as though you have many loyal followers on your blog. I'll post a link on my blog as well.

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  15. What an interesting and original premise. It sounds like an excellent read!

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  16. First, can I just say that I want a fairy penguin now!!

    Loved this guest post and I'm all over this book.....sounds fantastic and I love how much research she did to write this one.

    stacijoreads@gmail.com

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  17. What a great post! I love that she did research for your blog. Thanks for the giveaway. milou2ster(at)gmail.com

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  18. Kaye, this sounds like so much fun! I would love to win a copy! Thanks for hosting!

    Suzanne
    quzy(at)mac(dot)com

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  19. I am definitely a GFC follower!! I think I'm either abookishgirl or just Suzanne.

    Suzanne
    quzy(at)mac(dot)com

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  20. Kaye, I posted about this giveaway on my sidebar! You can find it here:

    http://chickwithbooks.blogspot.com

    Suzanne
    quzy(at)mac(dot)com

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  21. Looks good...thanks for the giveaway.
    mtakala1 AT yahoo DOT com

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  22. Thanks for the giveaa=way. This sounds like a great book.
    Love & Hugs,
    Pam
    pk4290(at)comcast(dot)net

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  23. I follow your blog via GFC/Pamela Keener
    Love & Hugs,
    Pam
    pk4290(at)comcast(dot)net

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  24. Loved the reviews of Haunting Jasmine and just finished reading Anjali's 'Looking for Bapu' which was also an excellent read (I reviewed it on my blog)

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  25. I'd love to read this. Thanks for the chance to win one.
    ericandsarita(at)gmail(dot)com

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  26. +2 following with GFC
    ericandsarita(at)gmail(dot)com

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  27. +3 tweeted the giveaway http://twitter.com/#!/chickitsarita/status/38393881401888768
    ericandsarita(at)gmail(dot)com

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  28. Looks like a great book!
    kellywestlund@yahoo.com
    Kelly

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  29. Sounds like a great plot. Count me in

    I'm a follower. I'm Harvee at Book Bird Dog

    harvee44 at yahoo.com

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  30. This looks like a great book to add to my "I don't have to review it, just enjoy it TBR" Pile...thanks for the chance!

    kdhaney at gmail dot com

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  31. +2 GFC follower for LONG time and glad of it!

    kdhaney at gmail dot com

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  32. This sounds like a wonderful tale--I can't wait to see what other dead authors show up. Thanks.
    JHolden955 at gmail dot com

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  33. Longtime GFC follower (holdenj)
    JHolden955 at gmail dot com

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  34. I enjoy books about bookstores and, being originally from India, I'm drawn to books by South Asian authors.

    monagarg@yahoo.com

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  35. GFC follower as Mona Garg

    monagarg@yahoo.com

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  36. Great giveaway!

    GFC follower - hnwhitlock2000

    hnwhitlock2000 @ gmail.com

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  37. Please enter me for this

    chocolate and croissants at yahoo . com

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  38. gfc follower

    thank you

    chocolate and croissants at yahoo . com

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  39. Interesting interview. Books sounds like an intruiguing read.
    lgm52@hotmail.com

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  40. Interesting interview. Books sounds like an intruiguing read.
    lgm52@hotmail.com

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  41. I love books with ghosts anything paranormal haunted in it.

    I am a GFC follower under the name book flame

    Posted a tweet on twitter http://twitter.com/#!/bookflamereview

    bookflamereviews@gmail.com

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  42. Thanks for the giveaway! This looks like a great book!

    +2 GFC follower

    susanna dot pyatt at student dot rcsnc dot org

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  43. What an intriguing premise, please count me in!

    delilah0180(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  44. +2 Google follower!

    delilah0180(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  45. I'd love to read this book - please count me in!
    Thanks for the giveaway~
    megalon22 at yahoo dot com

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  46. +2 - GFC follower (CherylS22)
    megalon22 at yahoo dot com

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  47. I first noticed this book while browsing at B&N. The cover caught my attention. Since then, I've read good reviews about this book. Please enter me as well. Thanks.
    mybookandcouch@gmail.com

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  48. I would love to read Haunting Jasmine! Please enter me in this giveaway.

    +2 follow via GFC (Sarah E)

    +3 Tweet: http://twitter.com/BookLoverSarah/status/40728487065165824

    bookloversarah1 at yahoo dot com

    Sarah E

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  49. Sounds great! Please count me in. Thanks so much!

    +2 I follow

    +3 Blogged:
    http://cerebralgirl.blogspot.com/2011/02/book-giveaways-in-blogworld-2-19-11.html

    nfmgirl AT gmail DOT com

    ReplyDelete

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