Posted on by Sonia Dogra

Happy 12th IWSG! Celebrating with ‘A LITTLE BIT OF LOVE’.

Welcome Readers and fellow IWSG members!

It’s a special first Wednesday of the month as the IWSG turns twelve today! I am excited to co-host, and many thanks and congratulations to our captain Alex J. Cavanaugh, the administrative team and all members.

The Beginning

Alex started the Insecure Writer’s Support Group in 2011 and launched the monthly blog posting on September 7 that year, and it has been going strong ever since.  This group acts as a form of therapy, letting writers post about situations where they need encouragement, or to offer words of encouragement to others if they have experience. It’s a home for writers in all stages, from unpublished to bestsellers. The group offers support in terms of newsletters, anthology contests, free guides and has been featured in the top 101 websites for authors. (from the IWSG website)

If you’d like to know more, please visit the IWSG website here.

WRITING NEWS

In writing news this month, I was lucky to win a critique prize for my early reader chapter book, during the #DVpit critique giveaway. I’m so touched and happy with the insightful critique and patience of author Patchree Jones.

And now, over to this month’s question.

September 6 question: The IWSG celebrates 12 years today! When did you discover the IWSG, how do you connect, and how has it helped you?

I’m a relatively new member of the group, having joined in 2019, when a blogging friend Susan Baury Rouchard introduced me to the IWSG. Ever since, I’ve hardly missed a month of posting.

Through the IWSG, I joined the WEP by Denise Covey, which organizes a friendly prompt-based writing contest every alternate month. I have learnt and grown immensely as a writer by participating in the WEP. What’s more? I have a collection of ready flash fiction with me!

It wouldn’t be wrong to say that the IWSG newsletter and articles published on the website have helped to enhance my craft.

The most rewarding experience has been making friends from the writing community, and learning to appreciate my writing through their journey and kindness.

So, many more years to the camaraderie and spirit of the IWSG. Happy Anniversary!

The co-hosts joining me today are J Lenni Dorner, Pat Garcia, Sarah – The Faux Fountain Pen, and Meka James! Do visit them and show some love.

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A LITTLE BIT OF LOVE by ARVA BHAVNAGARWALA

I would now like to introduce you all to a new romance novel that was released yesterday, on September 5.

Written by Dr Arva Bhavnagarwala, A Little Bit of Love is the story of Afrah, an up-and-coming teacher and Sadiq, a doctor. With the backdrop of a troublesome meddling family, cultural expectations, and the Mumbai floods and local trains, this story shows just how much love can change our lives.

PUBLISHERS: Shush Imprint of Shaherazad Shelves, a New York based publishing house. ( www.shaherazadshelves.com )

Arva joins us today, to talk about her book.

Dr Arva Bhavnagarwala, Author ‘A Little Bit of Love’

  1. Tell us about the genesis of ‘A Little Bit of Love’. How long did it take for the book to see light of day?

 A LITTLE BIT OF LOVE had first taken its roots in my mind as soon as I’d finished writing the first draft of another manuscript. I wanted to explore something different, but wasn’t sure if I could pull it off. I was new to writing fiction. So, I let it rest in my head. But with each passing day, the characters I’d imagined became more defined and their story became clearer. Finally, in September 2021, I sat down to write it. I began querying in early 2022. After a grueling eleven months, and a complete rewrite, it found a home with a small publisher. I signed with Shaherazad Shelves in March 2023.

2 .‘A Little Bit of Love’ is a romance novel, set in India. How is it different from other romance stories as well as from books with an Indian setting.

A LITTLE BIT OF LOVE is not just a romance. It also explores love of all kinds—love of siblings, parents and friends. The circumstances that bring and separate the protagonists are inspired by real events, and that I feel is what makes this story different from the usual romances. It also deals with Afrah—one of the main characters—having vitiligo. Things around vitiligo are now changing, but this story is set in the early 2000s, wherein it was still looked down upon.

This book is about two ordinary people, struggling with their lives, families, and striving hard to achieve their dreams. Basically, any Indian in a typical lower middle- class setting. It doesn’t preach anything. It’s a warm read that would make a reader smile.

3. Does your story challenge any beliefs or perspectives? If yes, what?

Most of the characters are Muslims in this book. They practice their religion, but I’ve tried to show it in a subtle way. Each family has their own set of expectations, and how the protagonists deal with those, forms the crux of the story. It doesn’t challenge any beliefs as such, but doesn’t stereotype them as well.

4. Tell us something about the publishers, Shaherazad Shelves and the process of selection?

My publisher is the Shush Imprint of Shaherazad Shelves, a New York based publishing house founded by two Muslim sisters. They aim to diversify the bookshelves all over the world, one book at a time.

I can’t really comment on the process of selection, because it is subjective. But I queried them in December ‘22, and received a full request in January ‘23, and an offer by January end. So, I think what matters is the story and a little bit of luck!

5. How important was professional editing to your book’s development?

I didn’t get it professionally edited when I began querying. It was all self-edited—learning from craft books—and a few trusted beta readers. Once my publisher picked it up, it went through multiple rounds of copy editing and proofreads. The end result being a thoroughly polished version of the book.

6. What is the next project you are working on?

I rewrote the first manuscript that I had shelved because of the low word count. It is also an Adult Contemporary Romance in which an introverted doctor strikes an unlikely friendship with a charming actor and falls in love with him, unaware of the visible secret he so cleverly hides.

I’m taking a break from querying for the time being, but am excited to get this second book out there too!

Thank you, Arva! We wish your book all the success.

PURCHASE LINKS

You can order your copy of A LITTLE BIT OF LOVE from the following purchase links.

Barnes and Noble (US): https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-little-bit-of-love-arva-bhavnagarwala/1143564952?ean=9781960323095

Waterstones (UK): https://www.waterstones.com/book/a-little-bit-of-love/arva-bhavnagarwala/9781960323095

Bookshop:https://bookshop.org/p/books/a-little-bit-of-love-arva-bhavnagarwala/20145574?ean=9781960323095

Amazon: https://a.co/d/h3iHlUb

Amazon India: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0CCK4NQZK

You may follow Arva on Twitter/X , Instagram or on WordPress and reach out to her for any questions about her book, the writing craft or publishing.

Thank you all, for stopping by. Do tell me about your IWSG experience in the comments section. Until next time, happy writing!

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68 Replies to “Happy 12th IWSG! Celebrating with ‘A LITTLE BIT OF LOVE’.”

  3. Thanks for co-hosting this month! And congrats on winning the critique prize! I joined the IWSG in 2015. Other writing communities I’ve joined haven’t been as longlasting as my time with the IWSG. And I can’t imagine how my writerly life would be without this wonderful group.

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  5. Congratulations on winning the critique! And the more posts I read about IWSG, the more convinced I am that it is pretty darn special.

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  10. The WEP has come onto my horizon through other members of this wonderful community. As someone who is time poor and commitment heavy, it remains on my to do list, but it is firmly an item I plan to get to.

    I’ve enjoyed our interactions and wanted to thank you for them and for co-hosting this month.

    @DebsDespatches posting today from Fiction Can Be Fun

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  11. The IWSG has such a wonderful sense of community, which is hard to find in online groups. Being a part of the group has kept me moving forward (like a snail…) on this crazy writer journey.
    Thank you for co-hosting this month, Sonia!

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  16. Ah, this is such a wonderful group, isn’t it? I think I discover someone “new” each month!
    Congratulations on the critique! Those are so wonderful to have for your work and your confidence 🙂
    The book sounds lovely! Best of luck to Arva!
    – Jen

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  17. Congrats on winning that critique. It is always helpful.
    I like romance, but I’ve never read one set in India. Maybe I should start with A Little Bit of Love.

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  18. Four years is not a newbie! I’m glad you found the group. Such a lot of support for writers of all stages. Thanks for hosting!

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  20. Hi, Sonja! I’m really glad that you joined the IWSG! And kudos to you for co-hosting. It’s a fun job, even if it can be time intensive. I volunteered to co-host early on and continued to do so. It helped me meet and learn more about the other members. I love the camaraderie in the group. Like a lot of things, what you put into it impacts the value you get out of it. I enjoyed learning about Dr. Arva Bhavnagarwala’s book. It’s always fun and informative to read the stories of people who live in a culture different from mine. I hope Ava has lots of success with her book! Happy IWSG Day!

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  21. I love the many connections this blog hop has built for people over the years.

    Grats on winning the critique, and grats to Arva on her release. Woot woot!

    Thanks for co-hosting!

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  22. I don’t even remember how long ago I first joined IWSG. I know I was part of a different writing blog hop, and a bunch of members of that blog hop started talking about IWSG, so I thought I’d check it out. It’s been really good for me ever since. Helped keep me writing during some pretty dark times in my life.

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  24. I was so happy when you joined and started sharing your writing with the group. Congratulations on your WEP win! I’m way behind in reading last month’s contributions, so I’ll have to get busy and stop in.

    Thanks for co-hosting today, Sonia.

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  33. Congratulations to you on winning the critique prize and to Arva on her new novel. I was introduced to IWSG through you. I participated once. But I try and read your post every month.
    Wonderful interview. That sounds like a fun story.

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  34. Great interview of what looks like a cool book. Happy 12th anniversary day.
    “The only thing you absolutely have to know is the location of the library.” – Albert Einstein quote
    September is library card sign-up month! Get one, use one, and be grateful such places exist.

    J Lenni Dorner (he/him 👨🏽 or 🧑🏽 they/them) ~ Speculative Fiction &Reference Author, OperationAwesome6 Debut Author Interviewer, and Co-host of the #AtoZchallenge

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