I Made the News

Okay, I didn't. But my book, WILDFIRE, is on the front page of the San Angelo Standard-Times. And that's even better! WooHoo!

Feeling stunned, honored and over-the-moon happy!!! :D

And, omg, omg, omg, my Dead: A Ghost Story has been mentioned on Night Owl Reviews in an interesting article titled Get Your Spooks On in Color

Yes, I'm happy dancing!

Love & blessings,

Mina

5* For DEAD: A Ghost Story

My one and only NON-romance, DEAD: A GHOST STORY, received another 5 * review and left me feeling warm and fuzzy and giddy.

Writing outside of your usual genre takes courage. You are afraid of disappointing your readers, you are afraid that your writing may not be up to the new challenges, and you are afraid of taking a leap into the unknown. However, DEAD was inspired by the immigrant women who often live and die in the shadows, it's about abuse and heart break, and it's about freedom and hope.

That's a lot to put into a story and I wasn't sure if I'd accomplished it. Then I received reviews, like the most recent one from a E.P. Beaumont:

5.0 out of 5 stars A real ghost story
February 27, 2013

By
E. P. Beaumont - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)This review is from: Dead: A Ghost Story (Kindle Edition)

I discovered this work by recommendation of Grace, who knows the writer. Never discount the word-of-mouth referral, because this is one of the best stories in any genre or any language that I've read in the last six months or so. Worldwide, ghosts are unfinished business, and Nasreen is no different. Without spelling it out, Mina Khan teases us with many expected ghost-story tropes (the jealous first wife, the murdered innocent, the heartbroken ghost forever bound to its place of death) before unraveling the knot into an unexpected sensation of lightness and liberation. Meanwhile, back in the world of the living, an implied noir tale unfolds after the credits roll.

Brilliant work, all around, with a storyteller's voice that is simultaneously invisible as water (or wind) and a personality of its own. Brava! I look forward to more work from Mina Khan, and right now am off to buy all her other books!

***

I don't know who you are E.P. Beaumont, but thank you. Your reading my stories and taking the time to share your reaction is priceless. Your words made my day. All those hours spent agonizing in my head and sweating blood onto paper as I try to pull a coherent story from the vivid chaos that is my imagination is worth it when I know my stories are connecting with readers. So thank you for sharing.

Crushes: The Secret Inspiration for Romance?

I met Suleikha Snyder on twitter and instantly bonded over books, Bollywood and Bengali food...as well as random exchanges. She's got a bubbly personality that just makes you take notice & smile. She's also directed me to some excellent multicultural reads, so when her second multicultural romance, SPICE AND SECRETS, featuring passionate characters from exotic Bollywood released...well, I had to introduce you to Suleikha :) Enjoy!

Here's Suleikha!

What inspires me? What kick-starts the ol’ writerly engine in the dead of winter? This is going to sound completely cheesy, but there is nothing like a good crush — or a bad crush — to fuel my creative process. To fuel *me*, in general. I know, how Taylor Swift of me, right? But here’s the thing: Falling in love involves a ton of passionate emotion, and when there’s nowhere for it to go, I channel it all into my stories.

 

The saying goes, “write what you know,” and I might not know the “happily ever after” part (yet!), but I tap into the emotions along the way when I experience them. The first blush of infatuation, the throes of a mad passion, the devastation of heartbreak…if you look back at what I’ve written over the past two years, it’s like a Da Vinci Code-esque map of my highs and lows, all spurred on by someone that caught my eye. That someone might be Jeremy Renner or Ryan Gosling or a person in my “real life,” but whoever it is, they wind up being my unwitting research assistant in matters of the heart.

 

 

Jeremy Renner

I love — and hate — all those big emotions, and I couldn’t do what I do without them.

 

My November release from Samhain, SPICE AND SECRETS, is all about overcoming the fear of taking chances, of putting yourself out there to be hurt. Do I know how that feels? You bet. Not in the same context, not with the same kinds of people — former ingénue Priya and brash talk show hostess Sunita are drawn to archetypes that I don’t rub elbows with on a daily basis — but I’ve let that doubt run through my veins, and I’ve worn that emotional armor.

 

I know, I know. Mystery writers don’t kill people, erotic romance writers don’t have kinky threesomes but, I gotta admit, for me, there’s just something to falling in love while I’m writing love…

 

I’m giving away one electronic copy of SPICE AND SECRETS in the format of your choice to a lucky commenter, so please share your thoughts! Am I a little crazy, or is this just my spin on LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE…putting my emotions into my writing, instead of my cooking?

 

 

 
Here's more about Suleikha: 

Editor, writer, American desi and lifelong geek, Suleikha Snyder published her first romantic short in Ravenous Romance's 2011 TOUCHDOWNS anthology. 2012 brought a bevy of releases, including Suleikha's first novella from Samhain Publishing, SPICE AND SMOKE, a Wild Rose Press short story called HEART MURMURS, and a short in Cleis Press' June SUITE ENCOUNTERS anthology. Suleikha lives in New York City, finding inspiration in Bollywood films, daytime and primetime soaps, and Hell's Kitchen wine bars.

 

Fun Halloween Surprizes!

Woot! Let me just tell y'all my new story DEAD is going places....

So, y'all know I love Halloween. The chills & thrills, the candy, the dark & dangerous...esp. in heroes. Well, one author I really enjoy reading is Cynthia Eden...and, man, can she write dark & dangerous hunks. Hot! Sizzling Hot! And she loves Halloween too...so we are over at her blog today for...

a Fun Halloween Giveaway! We are talking ghost stories, handing out chocolate & other Halloween treats...yeah, why wait to celebrate, right? Come visit!

Cynthia's Awesome Blog

Dead was also memoirist Susan Blumberg-Kason's Book of the Week read. Woot! She wrote a very thoughtful  review and it includes cool words like "perfect," "chilling," "empowering," and "shtupping."

Check out Susan's very multicultural blog and the review!

Happy Almost Halloween!

Adventures in Gift Wrapping & Other Firsts

October has been a month of firsts for me and super-busy. But that's good. Sometimes we get into ruts or stick with the familiar because it's easier...and safer. Trying something new is always risky, but it has its rewards. You stretch your boundaries and grow.

One of the firsts I'm proudest of is the publication of my multicultural short, "DEAD: A Ghost Story."

Unlike my other published stories, DEAD is NOT a romance. In it, Nasreen – the Indian-American protagonist grapples with her life and death in West Texas.

DEAD was inspired by the many immigrant wives I met during my time as a business reporter in West Texas. For the most part these women are invisible to the mainstream society for various reasons – language barriers, isolation, and unfamiliarity with their adopted country’s laws and social mores etc. So this story was written to recognize them and to highlight a usually hush-hush part of the immigrant story.

I have readers who love my genie romances, so why not write another one instead of trying on a completely different genre? Because the idea of all the invisible Nasreens in the world sort of haunted me until I’d written the story. In doing so, I discovered a different side of myself, a new voice inside.

If you'd like to check DEAD out, here's the Amazon link.

Another first I'm proud of is putting together my Author's Basket for the Southern Magic Romance Readers Luncheon 2012.

I'm not a crafty person. I can't turn ribbons into works of art, and gift wrapping usually involves LOTS of tape...and the end result isn't pretty. Hey, it's what's inside and the thought that counts, right?

But, I'd promised my Southern Magic sisters a raffle basket and by hook and crook I'd get it done. So I enlisted the DH (he's married to me and doesn't have a choice...plus, he's very practical & task oriented).

I loved the shopping part. A perk of writing genie romances and stories with an Asian flavor means I can have fun getting colorful, exotic gifts. Of course, I over-shopped. But that's okay, my DH managed to fit most everything into the basket in a nice, snug, efficient way. Here take a look:

(The book in the back is a Moroccan cookbook, then other good reads, incense, candles, Christmas decorations and more...um, like I said...I had fun shopping!)

We ran into trouble when it came to wrapping. I measured/guesstimated the cellophane and it was too short. So we had to creatively angle the basket, pull and stretch...and use LOTS of tape. By the end of it all, I wasn't even going to attempt working with a ribbon. Instead, I purchased a pre-curled pretty concoction and stuck in on top!

Now I have got my fingers and toes crossed that the ribbon bit stays stuck...if not, I hope the recipient is too distracted by the goodies inside to notice the missing finery. Whew, I feel like I have truly earned the good times and the several glasses of wine I'll enjoy when I finally get to my first Readers Luncheon.

Share some of your firsts!

Spooktacular Surprises for Halloween

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays because it’s all about letting your imagination run free and frolic in the leaves.

The ordinary world is transformed. Ghoul and gravestones pop up in suburban yards. Scarecrows and carved pumpkins grin at you from pretty porches. There might even be witches on broomsticks and skeletons lurking by the mailbox.

Given that I write about djinns/genies, supernatural beings who can melt into shadows, fly (with or without magic carpets) and grant your most secret desires, I find October inspiring.

This year, I actually ended up writing a ghost story. No romance in it. Just a strange little haunting ghost story that captures an aspect of the immigrant story that is usually left undisclosed. 

Check out the cover:

It's available now at: Amazon

Interestingly, my creativity often comes out in my kitchen. So this year, the family and I came up with this baked, stuffed and very jovial Jack-O-Lantern. Doesn't he look spooktacularly handsome?

To read more about him (and the recipe in 7 easy steps!) check out my 

food blog. 

Also, The Djinn's Dilemma's book birthday is coming up! We'll be celebrating with special events and prizes throughout November. To make sure you don't miss the festivities, please check out the blog before the end of this month. Or fan my Facebook Author Page!