Cox & Quito Publishing

15/08/2021

This post is in gratitude for and in memory of my friend's (Neelam Brahmankar) father Mr. Ushir, also known as Kaka (Uncle) to us, who left for his heavenly abode in May of this year. An accomplished poet and writer, he was very encouraging of budding writers and artists like myself. I am so humbled and honored that he took the time to not only read Reva, my first published novel, but he also wrote a detailed and heart-felt review for the book that was very kindly delivered to me by Neelam at his memorial. His review, while invaluable to begin with, is even more precious to me now. Today, in honor of his birthday, I would like to share his words (the review and his poems) with my friends and family and readers. If I can be even half as generous, talented, and prolific a writer as he was, I think my leap of faith into writing would be well worth the effort. With love and forever in remembrance of Kaka, here are two of his poems that are especially meaningful to me at this time in my life:

More Time to Learn
____________________
When I decided
Only truth will I say
I realized
I have not much to say
I have now
More time to learn
Muse and wander
Watch the birds
Sit back and relax
Listen to others
And further I realize
They know so much
There is less to add
There is more to learn
And lo!
There is more than enough time to learn

Art of doing
________________________
Do service to someone
And talk not to anyone.
Do charity for the cause
Think you have helped
yourself.
The cloud empties itself
And steps aside.
The tree gifts in different ways
Does not know who actually partakes.
Sometimes giving pains
But smile of giving remains.
Giving is actually not giving
Think you are returning.
And feel sorry for being late
And then no urge will remain
to mention it.
Go on doing and don't be
conscious of it.
The earth moves day and night
The breath keeps us alive
without word, silently.
All underscore the art of giving and doing:
DO AND KEEP DOING
GIVE AND KEEP GIVING
WITHOUT A WORD ABOUT IT
________________________________________
Ravikiron alias B.D.Prakash Ushir

05/04/2021

Getting bored? - read a book
Feeling short term melancholy? - read a picture book
Long term case of gloom and doom? - take a class
Have time to spare? - find a bookstore
Visiting a new city? - check out the local bookstore
Need some cute stuff to wear? - head to a stationary store
Thinking of upgrading or reinventing yourself? - go back to school

For those who know me well, these problem-solution pathways of mine should not come as a surprise. I have walked those walks just as much as I have talked them. It is no surprise either when I say that I (and many more) literally feel as though the rug has been pulled from under my feet every time I hear of situations where people, especially little ones, are denied the basic right to books, to learning, and to survival. Unfortunately, that sad truth is not a recent revelation or a newfound realization - I am well versed with issues of power and poverty, but its punch sinks progressively deeper each time I hear of it.

And so, I am volunteering in this particular space, as a monthly blog writer, for a relatively new and highly dedicated non-profit organization called Building Education. The hope as always is to create awareness and induce engagement of the larger humanity in this urgently needed work ... as much as is possible for each individual.

Here is my first blog post showcasing a school rebuilding project, in the remote Chitwan Hills of Nepal, that is now under way. Please read it. I promise that it is much much shorter than my novel, but it will still leave you cheering for the protagonists just as hard, if not harder.

And yes, spoiler alert ... a call to support this and other such works is coming soon:)

Imagine a mountain rising 6000 feet above sea level. Picture the narrow ridge along the peak that looks down, on either side, into valleys that run several thousands of feet deep. Now imagine a first grader walking along that precarious ridge, on mountain trails that are daunting even to an adult. C...

01/03/2021

This book. It rides on the back of history. it invokes the mountains (within and without). And it spotlights women-with-books. All tied together in an exciting plot that triggered my thirteen hours of bingeing on Audible. I even ironed the bedsheets and pillow covers just so I could justify the headphones that blocked out everyone and everything else (I do think the Audible version, in this case, added to the enjoyment of the story).

This historical fiction is about a traveling (packhorse) library run by women in the remote mountains of Kentucky during the Depression era (1930s). Their quest is to get the local population reading and educated, a mission contrary to the interests of the existing deeply-rooted conservative, religious, patriarchal culture. So yes, I guarantee that you will see the face of Mitch McConnell as the characters take shape and form in your imagination. And in that lies one of the biggest strengths of the book - the characters. So thoroughly researched, so uniquely created, and so beautifully portrayed that they materialize real-like in front of your eyes. Best of all, the author, Jojo Moyes, does not attempt to bring all their story lines to resolution. A couple are left to the reader's imagination. And by the time the end of the book draws near, the reader is well equipped and eager to do just that.

This novel was definitely well worth my time. Post-reading, I even geeked out on an hour long interview with Jojo Moyes which gave me some valuable insights as a writer. For one, she is a British author writing about the people of Kentucky. Her successful attempt gives me the courage to venture beyond my own cultural boundaries and experiences in writing. It highlights the importance of solid, extensive, multifaceted research (interviews, visits, books, artifacts etc.). But here is an insight about her process that instantly jumped out at me: apparently, the moment she laid her eyes on this article in The Smithsonian about the traveling packhorse library commissioned by Mrs. Roosevelt and run by women, Jojo Moyes exclaimed to herself 'This is mine' and immediately proceeded to book her ticket to Kentucky. For research.

Now I too have recently read an article that caught my fancy about Aruba ... or was it Bahamas? or Key Largo, Montego ...

10/12/2020

"That's the thing about books. They let you travel without moving your feet." - Jhumpa Lahiri

Since that is the only kind of travel the current lockdown approves, I am happy to share that it just got a little easier.

Friends, please take advantage of the price drop in the paperback and ebook version of Reva (on Amazon.com) and escape to a world of long ago steeped in the wonders of nature and in the comfort of family bonds and community roots.

I promise you - there is no place like Reva's home for the holidays.

Please visit 😊

Reva would also make a perfect gift. After all, it's always fun to travel together:)

Happy Reading!

14/10/2020

For those readers who have waited patiently for the paperback version of Reva to be available in India, I am happy to share that the book is now listed on Amazon.in.

The pleasure of turning page after paper page of Reva's story is just a few clicks away. Happy reading!

05/10/2020

One of the most treasured feedbacks that I am receiving as Reva continues to make her way into people's homes is that the setting, the fictional village of Tarapore, is coming alive in the reader's mind with each turn of the page.

As the author, such appreciation fuels my desire to write. As a student of writing, such an observation validates my effort. Because, in the creation of Reva, the building of a setting that feels like a character was a constant focus. Not only is that goal a basic tenet of good writing, but it is also what drew me into one of my most favorite reads that is now a trusted mentor text - Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier.

The very first line in the novel Rebecca - 'Last night I dreamt I went to Manderly again' - sucks the reader into the romance and suspense of a sprawling English estate on the southern coast of England. There is just no stopping after.

I am hoping that Reva's Tarapore mesmerizes the reader just as Rebecca's Manderly continues to hypnotize me even today.

(Pictured is my first copy of the novel Rebecca, 1965 print, from my mother's collection during her college years)

18/09/2020

The two options for Priya Gadagkar were 'author' or 'writer'.

A business card demanded 'author' (published writing + promoting + writing). Mind choice.

A calling card would've allowed 'writer' (writing + writing + writing). Heart choice.

Bottom line, it's a privilege just to have these options and choices.

14/09/2020

The question that I am starting to hear from readers is, "What was the seed of Reva's story?"
Thanks to Ashish Gadagkar, I am contemplating the complex answer while sipping the fruit in my glass.

What a fun surprise to celebrate the book launch with champagne AND a fabulous, like-named California wine. Cheers!

10/09/2020

Reva, my first novel (an historical fiction) is now out in paperback and ebook version on Amazon.com (United States, Canada, and Europe).

For my friends, family, and readers in India, I am working on getting the paperback version to Amazon India as well. The ebook should already be available.

To put it simply, writing this book has been a five-year-long process of study, self-discovery, growth, and so much joy. I do hope that you get a copy and that you are as consumed in reading the story as I was in writing it.

Thank you all from the very core of my heart. Happy reading!

06/09/2020

A sneak-peek into the coming-of-age story of a young girl growing up in nineteenth century British India.

Available in paperback and ebook formats on Amazon.com

06/09/2020

My first printed copy in early August - an author proof (marked not-for-sale).
Outside the Starbucks where it all began.

06/09/2020

The story behind the name.
Because there is always one.

Quito Rd and Cox Ave are the two big roads that bridge the one mile distance between my home and my 'coffice'. I traversed this bridge countless times as I shaped my novel one season after another, one page at a time.

The discreet corner table (where my muse could always find me), the perfectly crafted 190-degrees-hot cappuccino (for when my muse refused to find me), and the fine foggy buzz that ensued, all needed to be memorialized in my new venture.

'Cox & Quito Publishing' hopes to do just that.

So what's in the name? ... All this.