Meet the Creator: REET SINGH, author of Scorched By His Fire

Reet Singh

Welcome to my blog Reet Singh. Your second book The Cure Was Love was released on 1st November 2014 by Mills and Boon, India. Congratulations!

Thank you so much, Sundari!

Sundari: Your first novel Scorched By His Fire happened because you won the Passions Contest held by Harlequin Mills & Boon. What was your reaction when you first learned of the result? Were you expecting it or was it a surprise?

Reet: Gosh! You've taken me back, Sundari, to one of the most exciting times of my life. This was my third Passions contest. The one that Ruchi Vasudeva and Adite Banerjie walked away with – I also participated, and read the shortlisted entries to look for clues to what worked for them. The next year was my year because all the research paid off!
After submissions closed, all I could do was twiddle my thumbs and dream. Then, without warning, I got a phone call from Mills and Boon where a very nice lady asked me if I was indeed Reet Singh. She said she had called to verify my contact details. The penny dropped then, and I just knew I had made the shortlist.
Voting began, to choose the best three stories out of five, when – again – I got a phone call asking if I was alright with public appearances. By then, I had become clairvoyant, so I knew I had made it to the top slot.
So to answer your question, it was a surprise, kind of, but I was prepared also, sort of!
Haha, I know! My brain got all jumbled up then with excitement at the possibility of becoming a Mills and Boon author, and it is scrambled now, probably forever, because the excitement is nowhere near dying away!

Sundari: That is quite a story and a super success at that. Kudos! They say that the first novel usually has traces of the author’s biography. How far does that apply to your book?

Reet: A tiny bit, I won't lie! For instance, I've been to Mauritius, so it was a natural, picturesque location for the setting of “Scorched by His Fire”; I am impulsive and passionate – as was Mita; I have a partiality – ahem – for tall, dark and handsome men, which is why Mita couldn't resist Tanay.
But that's about it. The rest is all a figment of my vivid imagination. Some of the things Mita did, I wouldn't dream of doing - like asking a veritable stranger to pretend to be my fiancé! The idea!

Sundari: Now we know. Could you please present the blurb of your novel as a tweet to my readers, in 140 characters.

Reet: Meet Mita's hot fake fiancé–can enmity in Mauritius become passion in India? #ScorchedByHisFire http://www.reetsingh.in/for-18-and-above.php

Sundari: Good one. I was going to ask you if you plan to come up with a book that has a medical background before I saw the gist of The Cure Was Love. Rudy is a surgeon from New York while Simi is a medical student. So what plans have you for your next one? Would you like to share a glimpse of it?

Reet: I could write medical romance, and maybe I will some day, but for now I'm enjoying the freedom to invent. My next one is going to be based wholly in India – my characters are getting no foreign junkets this time – specifically, I have chosen vibrant and colorful Punjab for the setting. If Mohini and Sameer behave, I might weave a short visit to Mumbai into the plot. Sundari, I might ask you for help with locations etc, you being a Mumbai Gal!

Sundari: You are most welcome! Will be glad to be of help. You have written a book for teens called The Zaken Takeover. Do you have another book planned along those lines in the near future?

Reet: I sure do! The Mystical Amitree is an adventure story. I am currently in the process of completing it; during NaNoWriMo 2014, so expect it to be available in December or January, on Amazon KDP. The story starts in Delhi and moves rapidly to Africa as Arjun, a ten year old boy, goes looking for his missing uncle.  There are all sorts of mysteries to solve on the way, and I am having great fun writing it!

That’s simply awesome Reet Singh. It was lovely having you here on Flaming Sun. I absolutely enjoyed reading your answers. I wish you all the best with all your writing (ad)ventures. Keep up the great work!