Washing dishes and writing words

Posted on July 19, 2017 by Rati Mehrotra

July is the hottest month, breeding
weeds in my tulip pots, mixing
energy with ennui, stirring
deck chairs with thunderstorms.

You can see I’ll never be T.S. Eliot, and for that, I suppose, we should all be grateful. But seriously, it’s that time of year when I can scarcely make myself venture into the balcony to water my weeds – I mean plants – before sundown. The evening stretches late into the night, and then I lean on the railing and admire the lights of my city, and feel fortunate. Continue reading →

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Middle Grade Fantasy Faves

Posted on June 9, 2017 by Rati Mehrotra

I love a good middle grade fantasy. In fact, I sometimes prefer reading children’s books. They can be fun and humorous and don’t demand much and – best of all – I can discuss them with the kids. In fact, a couple of years ago, I wrote the first draft of a middle grade fantasy novel with (for me) surprising speed, in response to their demand for a new chapter every night. More on that later. Continue reading →

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Sumer Is Icumen In (and other reasons to smile)

Posted on May 8, 2017 by Rati Mehrotra

Sumer Is Icumen In is the title of a medieval English round of the mid-13th century. The middle English is pretty hilarious to sing aloud (Lhude sing cuccu!), but it feels appropriate to the day, which must be the first (okay maybe second?) sunny day in the last TWO WEEKS. April showers are supposed to bring May flowers, but what are May showers supposed to bring? Floods, that’s what. We’ve been relatively fortunate in the GTA… Continue reading →

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April News and Reviews

Posted on April 11, 2017 by Rati Mehrotra

News flash! I have a release date for my novel. Markswoman is scheduled for 23 January 2018. A few weeks, and I should have a cover to share. It’s all very exciting.

I’m working with my editor on line edits, and it’s a very interesting process, quite an eye-opener for me. I’ve been writing this book for so long, and have so many versions in my head (and computer) that sometimes I can’t ‘see’ it any more. That’s why my editor’s eagle eye is so critical. I’m loving her suggestions, and can’t wait to share the results with the world. Continue reading →

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Hackers’ Faire: now live at Cast of Wonders

Posted on March 12, 2017 by Rati Mehrotra

Story Day! Very pleased to announce that Hacker’s Faire, my far-future story with cats, cyborgs and buskers mingling in a bombed-out space station in Toronto, is now available to read or listen at Cast of Wonders. The story is narrated by Wilson Fowlie and hosted by Alethea Kontis.

Hackers’ Faire was inspired by the amazing 2014 New York Makers’ Faire. Giant electronic giraffes, robots, rockets and 3D printers galore… I wandered the Faire in a daze, and in the months that followed, drew on that ‘sense of wonder’ to write my own version of a far-future Faire. I hope you enjoy reading (or listening to) it as much as I did writing it. Continue reading →

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Poems on the Underground

Posted on February 22, 2017 by Rati Mehrotra

poemsontheugTwenty years ago, a friend of mine from England gave me a beautiful gift: a book titled Poems on the Underground, a collection of poems that were selected to be displayed on unlet advertising spaces in the London Tube. The reasoning was that the Underground is an inescapable part of life for commuters, and we all have a yearning for poetry, or at least prefer reading poetry to ads. The project was a hit with commuters. And I still have my amazing book. The poems are as vibrant as ever. Continue reading →

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In the Ruins of the Residency

Posted on January 25, 2017 by Rati Mehrotra

This winter, I returned after a gap of some years to visit my old hometown Lucknow: the capital of the most populous and tumultuous state of India, Uttar Pradesh. There were parts that looked utterly different – enormous, walled-off parks with stern statues, bright and noisy malls, a river development and – most surprisingly – the beginnings of a metro.

And there were parts that were just the same – the crowded, cow-dung smeared streets of the old city, the boys flying kites on the rooftops, the myriad little shops and food stalls to tempt the unwary. There were just as many cows as when I was a child, and a lot more people and traffic, resulting in the kind of nightmare congestion that would give road rage to a flying pig. Continue reading →

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Piety, Prayer, Peacekeeper, Apocalypse

Posted on January 10, 2017 by Rati Mehrotra

For a writer, there is no better way to welcome the new year than with a new publication. I am delighted to announce that my story Piety, Prayer, Peacekeeper, Apocalypse has been published by Podcastle and is available both to read and to listen as a podcast, narrated by Stephanie Morris. Thanks to the lovely folks at Podcastle, and to Stephanie for an amazing narration! Continue reading →

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Top Ten Reads of 2016

Posted on December 8, 2016 by Rati Mehrotra

Well, November sure was horrific. In keeping with the world news these days, I’ve been reading some fantastic dystopian fiction – namely, Station Eleven. What an amazing book, elegantly crafted from multiple points of view, jumping back and forth in time – before, during, and twenty years after a deadly flu outbreak that wipes out most of humanity.

I reckon I read over forty books a year, and I deeply enjoy most of them. So it is very difficult to come up with a top ten list for 2016, but I feel I must, in the interest of contributing something positive toward the end of the year – a summation, as it were, that has nothing to do with politics, or reality. So here it is, in order of publishing year. (Note that the books were not necessarily published in 2016. It’s just when I got around to reading them.) Continue reading →

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Story Sales, Readings and more

Posted on October 28, 2016 by Rati Mehrotra

I’ve been focusing more on my novel this year – I’m at the 56K mark on my sequel! – and written rather less short fiction than last year. However, I’ve still gotten quite a few story acceptances in the last few months, along with the usual plethora of rejections. I’ll update my short fiction page by and by, but meanwhile, here is a list of publications I’m looking forward to in 2017, apart from the projects I’ve already blogged about:

Piety, Prayer, Peacekeeper, Apocalypse
A secondary-world fantasy that I loved ‘world-building’. Scheduled to be published and podcast by Podcastle early in 2017. This will be my second appearance in Podcastle – the first was a reprint (Hatyasin), and this one is an original! Continue reading →

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