Mohanalakshmi Rajakumar, author of Love Comes Later, launches her book tour

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& giveaway contest!

Devastated at the death of his wife in a car accident, Abdulla dodges his family’s attempts to arrange another marriage. As the eldest in his Qatari family, his efforts last only a year; he acquiesces to another match but only because his fiancée is in London finishing a Master’s degree. Any delay is welcome but as her graduation date approaches, Abdulla knows a reckoning is coming. Can he go through the motions to please his family? Or should he call it off? Deciding to talk to the woman he will soon marry, he makes a secret trip to London, hoping he can convince her to dissolve their engagement. But all is not simple in London—where is Hind . . . and who is Sangita?

Love Comes Later is a thoughtful and entertaining look into cultural differences as we follow the story of Abdulla, Hind, Sangita and Ravi—four people struggling to balance personal happiness with tradition. A literary romantic rollercoaster you should definitely add to your summer reading pile.

Love Comes Later is available for Kindle at Amazon.

About the author

Mohanalakshmi Rajakumar is a South Asian American who has lived in Qatar since 2005. Moving to the Arabian Desert was good in many ways, since that is where she met her husband, had a baby, and made the transition from writing as a hobby to making it her full-time gig. She has published three e-books this year: Mommy but Still Me, So You Want to Sell a Million Copies, and Coloured and Other Stories. Since she joined the e-book revolution, she has dreamed in plotlines.

Find the author online:

Mohanalakshmi Phongsavan, PhD
http://www.mohanalakshmi.com/

Twitter: @moha_doha

------Interview by Robyn Chausse

WOW: Hi Mohana, welcome to The Muffin and congratulations on Love comes Later. You’ve successfully addressed some intense issues in a way that includes and invites cross-cultural discussion. When did you decide to be a writer?

Mohana: I decided to call myself a writer last year when I quit a full-time job working for a publishing house in order to devote more time to my own work. I had been writing for over ten years, but when you leave full time work, you need a legitimate reason, so it seemed a good time.

WOW: You have a PhD—How did your formal education fit into this plan?

Mohana: I actually found my passion for creative writing just at the time that I was applying for PhD programs. I had also submitted applications to Master of Fine Arts programs but the PhD offer at the time was better. I did take one MFA class during my course work for the other degree and found the MFA students very unwelcoming. Their reaction burned me on writing for about six years. Lucky for me, things don’t stick forever.

WOW: What are the main messages you would like to express through your writing?

Mohana: I’m interested in the dilemmas of the individual: I want to take the reader into the world of people they might not otherwise know. Whether it’s a group of friends who have grown apart or how people fall in love, I also like to investigate how an event happens and the reactions by all those involved.

WOW: What have you learned through your cross-cultural experiences?

Mohana: Flexibility and empathy are keys if you’d like to understand why people do things differently than you might. Having an open mind is difficult if you feel threatened or like you need to be superior to someone else.

WOW: In Love Comes Later, you shine a light on tradition—our roles within society and our family. What are your thoughts on the balance between tradition and change as in the growth or evolution of a society?

Mohana: My own life has been an exploration of this balance. I didn’t pursue medicine or science as my parents might have wanted; I didn’t marry someone of my background as people might have expected. The best advice I have is to do what feels right to you as a person for your personal happiness or satisfaction. If it doesn’t harm anyone else, all the better. Those who love you will ultimately want what you want—to be a happy, fulfilled person.

WOW: You’ve self-published several titles—any words of wisdom to share?

Mohana: I came to self-publishing after years of academic titles people seemed impressed by but which no one ever read. I wanted to get to readers and avoid the runaround I saw happening to talented authors from my front row seat inside the publishing industry. I haven’t been disappointed.

You can’t skip the editorial, design, marketing or promotion—in fact, in some ways it’s harder because you are doing it all yourself—but if you are tired of meaningless agent rejections and have quality work to put out there, self-publishing is a serious option.

WOW: What are you working on now?

Mohana: I am writing a novel set in 1969 Laos, exploring a girl’s journey into motherhood against the backdrop of the secret war the US was conducting in Laos in tandem with the war in Vietnam.

Also hoping to edit and revise my very first novel project which ironically is taking the longest to get ready!

WOW: Kudos for jumping right into the topics others would shy away from! We’re looking forward to your next novel.

Book Release Celebration! Love Comes Later will be available FREE for three days only (July 30 – August 1, 2012)


---------Blog Tour Dates

August 3 @ Thoughts in Progress
Mohana talks about how to write from a different perspective (gender, religion, race). Mason shares her review of Love Comes Later. Enter the giveaway!
http://www.masoncanyon.blogspot.com/

August 6 @ Words from the Heart
Get to know Mohana Rajakumar! Linda Neas shares her interview with the author and reviews Love Comes Later.
http://contemplativeed.blogspot.com/

August 8 @ CMash Loves to Read
How do we fall in love? Mohana tackles this age-old question!
http://www.cmashlovestoread.com/

August 9 @ Gwen Hardin
Join us for Gwen’s review of Love Comes Later by Mohana Rajakumar
http://gwenhardin.com/

August 10 @ Monique McDonell
Learn more about Mohana Rajakumar in this fun author-to-author interview with Monique McDonell!
http://moniquemcdonell.weebly.com/

August 15 @ All Things Audry
Join Audry for a review of Love Comes Later by Mohana Rajakumar
http://www.allthingsaudry.blogspot.com/

August 22 @ Jennifer Greenleaf
Find out what this Maine author thinks of Love Comes Later by Mohana Rajakumar
http://www.jennifergreenleaf.com/

August 23 @ Woman on the Edge of Reality
Join Linda for her “Thursday Throng” feature! Today is an all-telling interview with Mohana Rajakumar and a review of her novel, Love Comes Later. Chance to win a copy of this compelling novel!
http://womanontheedgeofreality.com/

August 24 @ Me and Reading
Is marrying outside of your race/religion/ethnicity a good or bad idea? Why or why not? Join the discussion with Mohana Rajakumar and enjoy Inga’s review of Love Comes Later. Enter to win a copy of Mohana’s book!
http://www.ingasilbergbooks.com/

To view all our touring authors, check out our Events Calendar here.

Get Involved!
If you have a website or blog and would like to host one of our touring authors or schedule a tour of your own, please email Robyn or Jodi at blogtour@wow-womenonwriting.com.

Prize Giveaway Contest:
Enter to win! The winner will receive an ecopy (.pdf or mobi file) of Love Comes Later plus a print copy of the anthology Qatari Voices! Just enter the rafflecopter form below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


The giveaway contest closes Friday, August 3 at 12:01 AM EST. We will announce the winner in the Rafflecopter form  the same day and follow up by e-mail.

Good luck!

PS. Also be sure to check out the Kindle Fire giveaway in the post before this post!

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