Author Archives: Rati Mehrotra

Unknown's avatar

About Rati Mehrotra

Science fiction and fantasy writer. I blog at: ratiwrites.com Thanks for dropping by!

The tears of the second draft

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Rati Mehrotra

I just finished the first draft of a new 47000-word middle grade fantasy. “Tada!” I thought triumphantly as I tapped out the last line. Now I can relax and celebrate go back and read it and discover just how crappy … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

Fact and fiction, truth and lies: Braco

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Rati Mehrotra

“What you see is not true and what is true is not seen.” Violence and war in fiction can rarely match up to the sordid, devious reality of it. We cannot dream of the depths to which we humans can … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and media, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Enchantment and escape: fantastic books

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Rati Mehrotra

I just finished reading The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne Valente. What a delightful, charming, original book it is! I can’t recommend it enough. I am definitely looking forward to reading the rest … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and media | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Earth Day comes round again

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Rati Mehrotra

Today is Mom’s birthday. Really. She’s 43 today. Well, actually closer to 4.5 billion, but who’s counting? What a pretty doodle Google has come up with today to celebrate! You can click on it and it will show the rising and … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment Matters | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Fragments of (non) sense

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Rati Mehrotra

Woe is me. Even my illustrator, the inimitable Amy, thinks I cannot write. “You use too many sentence fragments!” she scolds. “Try not to begin sentences with ‘and’ or ‘but’”. But Amy! We don’t speak in complete sentences. Must I … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and media, Writing | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

Riddle me this

Posted on April 10, 2013 by Rati Mehrotra

‘The riddles are three, but Death is one’, Princess Turandot warns her suitor Calaf in Puccini’s famous opera Turandot. Undaunted, Prince Calaf answers all three riddles correctly: What is born each night and dies each dawn? (Hope) What flickers red … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and media, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Rejecting the Frivolous Cake

Posted on April 4, 2013 by Rati Mehrotra

Some things are not meant to be analyzed. Poems and rejection slips, for instance. I stare at my latest editorial comment on “multiple points of view” and “episodic plot” and give up after a bit. The latest news from Galleycat … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and media, Writing | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

The serial comma

Posted on March 29, 2013 by Rati Mehrotra

I know. Sounds a bit like “serial killer”, doesn’t it? My editor, the inestimable Marie-Lynn, returned my manuscript liberally streaked with red. “Inconsistent use of the serial comma,” she accused. “Do you know what I mean by a serial comma?” … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing | Tagged , , , , , | 15 Comments

Winnie the Pooh or zombies?

Posted on March 27, 2013 by Rati Mehrotra

Just finished reading ‘Memory of Light’, the fourteenth and last installment of the Wheel of Time series. THANK GOD IT’S OVER. Robert Jordan, RIP. Brandon Sanderson did a stellar job, though we wish it could have been you. Over 4 … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and media | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Frog and faerie

Posted on March 22, 2013 by Rati Mehrotra

In the last week, I have read “The Big Wide-Mouthed Frog” about 150 times to my three-year old. She never tires of it. “Again!” she shouts, with a grin as wide as the chirpy frog’s. I gnash my teeth and … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and media | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment