Blog Review: Circle of Souls by Preetham Grandhi

I hope everyone had a great Independence Day. The freedoms I have always enjoyed in this country are very precious to me. Sadly, we are quickly losing those freedoms, and hopefully the holiday has renewed the fighting spark in all of us and ignited a burning flame to do what we can to get back the freedoms we've lost and hold on to the ones we still have. It is, after all, a God-given gift, and we must show God our appreciation for that gift by fighting for it.

Book Spotlight

This past week I had the privilege of reading A Circle of Souls by Preetham Grandhi. For those of you who like a good psychological murder mystery with a touch of the paranormal, this is the book for you. The story kept me glued to my seat and biting my nails. I couldn't put it down, except for a couple of times to calm my thumping heart down:-) The characters were exceptionally real and believable, and you could definitely see the knowledge and psychological background of the author through the entire story. It was also interesting to learn a little of Hindu beliefs, but I can't say anymore about that. You'll just have to read the book:-)
The novel has even garnered a ringing endorsement from Judge Judy Sheindlin!
"The seminal work of this fine author kept me glued to my chair until the adventure was over and the mystery solved. A great read!"
See, great minds think alike:-)

The Book
The sleepy town of Newbury, Connecticut, is shocked when a little girl is found brutally murdered. With the murderer on the loose, the police desperately look for any clues to lead to his identity. Meanwhile, a psychiatrist in a nearby hospital is also in a desperate search to find the cause of seven-year-old Naya Hastings' devastating nightmares. Afraid that she might hurt herself in the midst of a torturous episode, Naya's parents have turned to the bright young doctor as their only hope. When these two situations converge, they set off an alarming chain of events. In this stunning psychological thriller, innocence gives way to evil, and trust lies forgotten in a web of deceit, fear, and murder.

Preetham was kind enough to answer a few questions for me and I'm excited to share his answers with you!

Jewel: Tell us a little about yourself.

Preetham: I was born and raised in the southern city of Bangalore India. I then
immigrated to the United States from Bangalore, India to pursue a
career in child and adolescent psychiatry. After my graduation from
Yale I have been the chief of service for House 5 at Bronx Children’s
Psychiatric Center here in the Bronx NY city. I am devoted to helping
young children gain insight into their emotional and behavioral needs
and empower them to maximize their inner potential. I also have a
private practice and reside in Westchester County, New York, with my
family.

Jewel: When did you begin writing and why? How did you come up with
this amazing story? Was any of it from personal experience?

Preetham: It was a few months post 9/11, and I was looking at the biographies of
the people who had lost their lives. I began to wonder if there was a
larger meaning to their lives. All of a sudden, a story flashed into
my mind, and I quickly wrote it on a piece of paper. I knew then that
I needed to write a story that was larger than life. It needed to
communicate the essence that there is a bigger purpose and meaning to
our passage on earth.

I knew that in order to capture and convey such a message, the book
needed to be captivating, interesting, and thrilling. I realized that
a story based on the work I do would be the right place to begin. I am
a child psychiatrist and had just started a new job. During my
fellowship, I worked with children with numerous psychosocial issues
and had many life stories to tell. It was at that moment that I
decided I could write a book that would capture all these thoughts.
That was how A Circle of Souls was born.

This book is what you can call "fictional realism." A lot of the book
is from real life experience. But of course, only I know which is fact and
which is fiction. This book will keep you on the edge until the very
end and will leave you thinking about the larger sense of individual
purpose and destiny.

Jewel: Are you working on any other writing projects now?

Preetham: I have many more ideas and will begin working on my next book soon and
once A Circle of Souls is off the ground.

I really appreciate Preetham taking the time to allow us to get to know him better. A Circle of Souls can be purchased from Amazon.com, Cedarfort.com, or your local bookstore. To contact Preetham or learn more about him, visit his website at www.acircleofsouls.com

Only 7 more days until the release of the Place In This World ebook, the sequel to TheJourney!
If you haven't requested a free copy of The Journey ebook, click on the link to the right and get your copy today!