Nalini
Warriar dreamed of being a writer then forgot the dream for a bit as she went
on to garner a Ph.D in Molecular Biology. While in her lab, the dream came back
and hit her on the head and she’s never looked back writing through her years
as a scientist. After more than a decade in cancer research, Nalini returned to
the creative part of her soul and now devotes her time to dreaming up the
perfect alpha male and feisty woman to appear in her books. Her novel,
Fireflies in the Night, was a Foreword Reviews Fab Award finalist and won the
Next Generation Indie Book Award in 2017. Kirkus Reviews awarded Fireflies in
the Night a starred review and named it Best Books of 2016. She’s working on
her next romance, a Crenshaw Brothers book, to be released in 2020. She lives
in Ontario, Canada.
Status
of Karma’s Slow Burn, in pre-order promotion on Amazon and Smashwords.
Thank
you for having me on your blog, Beverley. I wish everyone a happy and healthy
2020. The healthy part is crucial to the happy part. In retrospect, it makes me
wise as I’m recovering from a cold.
My
new contemporary romance, Karma’s Slow Burn, will be released very soon-1 Feb
to be precise-and I’m in promo fever, getting all the dates right. A lot has
changed from the last time I released a book in 2017. NetGalley is a new
experience for me, as are Smashwords and Booksprout.
Reviews
for my book from NetGalley and Goodreads are in and they are meager in number.
Of the 55+ downloads on NetGalley, a measly 3 reviews have come in: one
five-star and two-four stars. I attribute the low number of reviews to the fact
that I’m an indie author. I can see this from the data on NetGalley where
anything from a traditional publishing house gets more cover likes and even
more reviews.
I’m
not one to run after reviews but Amazon algorithms force me to. I have to think
of it as free publicity even though I’m paying for the listings. For indie
authors like me, the only way to tap into the large pool of readers is to let
them know my book is out there too.
I can count the
pre-order sales on my hands but I’m hopeful it will be positive when my book is
out. All pre-orders have come from Amazon marketplaces and none from
Smashwords, which is another distributor like Amazon. I’m not on Select with
Amazon as this allows me to use other retailers even though the royalty is
higher with Amazon Select. 70% of $0 in sales is still 0, right? Then again as
there have been no pre-orders with Smashwords it is still very much 0 all the
way. Aargh! Now I have to think about
getting on Select again and take my listing off Smashwords.
About Karma’s Slow Burn
I’d just
finished another book set in Bollywood and New York and wanted a change, so I
set Karma’s Slow Burn in an undefined city on the shores of Lake Ontario. There
is a river, the St. Lawrence, which is less conspicuous. I see Lake Ontario
every day and every day I’m struck by how big it is. How it seems to reflect my
moods. Like today, on this mild winter day, the sun has decorated the ice floes
with silver sprinkles, lifting my almost blue mood to a bright red.
Blurb.
Sportswriter
Karma Deepika Huntington is going to hit Rafael Henley, star pitcher for the
Sliders, hard to avenge her husband’s death. Rafael cannot ignore the chemistry
between them and decides a one-night stand is in order. Karma agrees. Just to
get that itch off. But once they get into each other’s pants, things get
complicated. Revenge and guilt take a back seat with sizzling chemistry in
control. Hanging out
with her father, a cross-dressing accountant, a hacker ex-cop, a flatulent
claims investigator or a star pitcher with a hot bod? Karma’s choice in new
contemporary sports romance Karma’s Slow Burn.
Excerpt Karma’s Slow Burn
When she finished the article, Karma called an Uber,
packed her stuff and left the bar to wait for her ride. It was a dark evening,
thick and heavy clouds hanging from the sky. Karma could sense a thunderstorm
coming. The air was moist, filled with an earthy fragrance. She took a deep
sniff. She half-turned when she heard gravel crunching behind her. A hairy arm
snaked around her shoulders. Fumes of alcohol hit her nose. Coarse hair rubbed
against her cheeks. He was huge. Her back rubbed against his soft belly. God!
She hadn’t thought of him at all! Was this the way her beautiful evening was
going to end? No fucking way!
Karma let her bag slide from her shoulder and her body
went slack. With her head hung forward, she bent her elbows and jackknifed them
into the softest part of his belly with all her might. It got a grunt from him
and loosened his arm around her shoulder. She flipped around to face him,
lifted her knee and jabbed it into his groin while slamming her ringed fingers
on his nose.
With a groan, he dropped like a stone even as her legs
gave way under her and she flopped to the ground, sharp pricks from the gravel
biting into the heel of her palms. She didn’t feel the stones tear through the
skin or the burning pain in her knuckles.
“I see you don’t need my help.” From far away, Rafael
Henley’s voice drifted toward her in the night.
In the glow of the streetlamp, she saw him pick up her
bag and walk toward her, the sound of his soles soft on the gravel. He set her
bag on the ground beside her.
“You okay, Karma?” The concern in his voice brought
tears to her eyes.
Dammit!
Words refused to pass her lips. He came closer and
bent down to her level. He took one of her hands in his. She winced and he
frowned. Reaching forward, he put his arms came around her and lifted her to
her feet. She stumbled against him then stilled as he brought her to his chest.
“You’re safe now, Karma. You made sure of that.”
She leaned her head on his chest, her hair screening
her face and her hands trembling. Her blood pounded so hard in her ears and
chest, she swayed on unsteady legs. His arms tightened around her. She wanted
to say something but her lips were still locked. All she could do was fold her
body into the comfort of his embrace and breathe in his clean smell, trying to
erase all memory of the stink of the other man.
He was a solid wall against her wobbly legs. Her
shaking body had him bend down and hook an arm around her knees. Not a word of
protest crossed her lips. He carried her to his SUV and opened the door. He
settled her in the seat, buckling her in.
“Wait, no. Have an Uber.” She managed to croak the
words out.
“What kind of car?”
“White Camry.”
“I see him coming around the corner. I’ll let him know
you don’t need the ride. I’ll take you home.”
Karma did not utter a peep of protest. For once, she
let someone decide for her. When he got in the driver’s seat, he paused.
“Let me see your hands.” He switched the interior
lights on. She refused to comply. He leaned over, grabbed them and turned them
over. She sucked in a breath. “A few scratches and some bruising on the
knuckles. Rewards of a warrior.” He nudged her chin up with a finger and looked
into her eyes. She slapped his finger away. “And we’re back.”
She hated to show him her vulnerable side. She did not
need a knight in shining armor. But she had needed his embrace. And that was
it. Nothing more.
Karma’s Slow
Burn, promo price of $1.99 on pre-order until date of release on 1 Feb 2020.
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