What do Amina Akhtar and Sonali Dev have in common? Well, for one, they are both fantastic authors in their genres of thriller and women's fiction. And, two, Mindy Kaling selected to publish both "Almost Surely Dead" and "The Vibrant Years" by her imprint, Mindy’s Book Studio (in fact, Sonali's book was the first chosen in October 2023)! So, join us for this conversation between two authors at the very top of their writing game.

About the Books:

ALMOST SURELY DEAD (just released on February 1, 2024)

Dunia Ahmed has been missing for more than a year, and no one knows if she’s dead or alive. But her story unfolds thanks to The Disappearance of Dunia Ahmed podcast, which has its mass of listeners transfixed, and its hosts cashing in on “Find Dunia!” merchandise sales. The product of a traditional and strict upbringing by Pakistani immigrants, Dunia is a single, thirty-six-year-old pharmacist living in New York City. She’s struggling to cope with the death of her mother, her estranged relationship with her sister, and her broken engagement. But all sense of self is shattered when someone tries to push her in front of a subway train—with the clear intent to kill her. When her would-be murderer winds up dead himself, Dunia hopes that’s the end of it. But then there’s another attempt on her life...and another. The police suspect that it’s someone close to her who is pulling the strings. And as childhood superstitions and veiled memories seep into her reality, she becomes convinced that the someone?or something?that’s after her is unstoppable, unless she goes to extremes.

THE VIBRANT YEARS:

When sixty-five-year-old Bindu Desai inherits a million dollars, she’s astounded?and horrified. The windfall threatens to expose a shameful mistake from her youth. Desperate to keep the secret, Bindu quickly spends it on something unexpected: a condo in a posh retirement community in Florida.

The impulsive decision blindsides Bindu’s daughter-in-law, Aly. At forty-seven, Aly still shares a home with Bindu even after her divorce from Bindu’s son. But maybe this change is just the push Aly needs to fight for the segment she’s been promised for years at the news station where she works.

As Bindu and Aly navigate their new dynamic, Aly’s daughter, Cullie, is faced with losing the business that made her a tech-world star. The only way to save it is to deliver a new idea to her investors?and of course they want the half-baked dating app she pitched them in a panic. Problem is, Cullie has never been on a real date. Naturally, enlisting her single mother and grandmother to help her with the research is the answer.

About the Authors:

Amina Akhtar is a novelist and former fashion editor. Her satirical first novel, #FashionVictim, drew critical acclaim. Kismet, her second book, was set in the stunning and creepy world of wellness. Almost Surely Dead is Akhtar’s third novel.

Akhtar has worked at Vogue, Elle, the New York Times, and New York Magazine, where she was the founding editor of the women’s blog The Cut. She currently lives not too far from the Sedona vortices.

Sonali Dev’s first literary work was a play about mistaken identities performed at her neighborhood Diwali extravaganza in Mumbai. She was eight years old. Despite this early success, Sonali spent the next few decades getting degrees in architecture and writing, migrating across the globe, and starting a family while writing for magazines and websites. With the advent of her first gray hair her mad love for telling stories returned full force, and she now combines it with her insights into Indian culture to conjure up stories that make a mad tangle with her life as supermom, domestic goddess, and world traveler.

Sonali lives in the Chicago suburbs with her very patient and often amused husband and two teens who demand both patience and humor, and the world’s most perfect dog.

Sonali’s novels have been on Library Journal, NPR, Washington Post, and Kirkus’s Best Books of the year lists. She has won the American Library Association’s award for best romance, the RT Reviewer Choice Award for best contemporary romance, multiple RT Seals of Excellence, is a RITA® finalist, and has been listed for the Dublin Literary award. Shelf Awareness calls her “Not only one of the best but one of the bravest romance novelists working today.” Check out her latest release, Lies and Other Love Languages.

Presented in partnership with the Ashland Public Library.

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