THE FORBIDDEN DAUGHTER

I have a confession to make: I'm a sucker for anything with the word "forbidden". "The Forbidden Daughter" is a title that makes me want to read the book straight away. We have with us today the book's author, Shobhan Bantwal. Shobhan, how did you come up with the title?

Thank you, Yvonne, for inviting me over to your blog for an interview. It is always a pleasure to talk to folks who are interested in discussing books. They are my passion.

To answer your question, THE FORBIDDEN DAUGHTER as a title just sort of came to me while I started writing the story. The protagonist’s in-laws are forbidding her to have another girl, and that triggered the title right away. It was short and catchy and set the tone for my book.

It is catchy for sure! What made you decide to write this particular book?

A deep interest in women’s issues combined with the love of fiction inspired me to write a book about gender-based abortions in India. I had an opportunity to bring awareness to the issue by weaving it into a story of romance and intrigue and drama. Interweaving a hot-button social issue into a fictional story was the ideal outlet for me.

Now for the question that every fellow author itches to ask: who is your publisher and how did you get the contract?

My publisher is Kensington Publishing and THE FORBIDDEN DAUGHTER is the second book in a two-book contract. The first one was THE DOWRY BRIDE, also based in India and built around a hot-button social issue like this present one. The first book was released last September. My literary agent sold the rights to my books to Kensington. I did not approach them on my own.

I can see that we need a follow-up interview on the topic of "How to get a literary angent who can sell you to Kensington". LOL. What are you/they doing to promote the book?

This Virtual Tour, which includes your blog and various others, as well as another tour, which I completed in September, are my main promotional tools for this book. I am also doing some local book signings at bookstores and libraries, and doing some advertising on selected Internet sites.

What are you writing or planning to write next?

I have another two-book contract with Kensington, and I am still in the planning phase for the third book, so I don’t have much information to share. My editor and I are rolling around some ideas at the moment.

What's the worst piece of writing advice you've ever heard?

The worst piece of advice I have received is that one should strive to write something totally different from what one likes, as a challenge and exercise in creativity. Writing what I actively dislike is not something I can do with any interest, let alone with passion. I did not particularly care for that advice.

I'm with you on that one! Now, tell us where we can get hold of "The Forbidden Daughter".

THE FORBIDDEN DAUGHTER is available at all bookstores in the U.S. and Canada and all online bookstores that are capable of shipping anywhere in the world. Information on purchasing the book is available on my website as well: http://www.shobhanbantwal.com/

For more information about Shobhan Bantwal’s virtual tour, visit – http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2008/09/forbidden-daughter-by-shobhan-bantwal.html
The Forbidden Daughter can be ordered at: http://www.amazon.com/Forbidden-Daughter-Shobhan-Bantwal/dp/0758220308
You can visit Shobhan Bantwal at her website – http://www.shobhanbantwal.com/