Fort Hood Shooting - Major Nidal Malik Hasan - Enemy in the Ranks

They say fiction is a precursor of things to happen. What happened in the Major Nidal Malik Hasan shooting case at Fort Hood, is what my novel, Enemy in the Ranks, talks about, Infiltration of anti-national elements in the important establishments of the country. It is yet to be seen whether Major Nidal Malik Hasan was connected with any of the extremist groups. However if indeed he was, imagine the damage he could have caused earlier while being a part of the Army, without actually being blamed for it. Sabotage, espionage anything is possible.

Sooner or later, the terrorists are going to realize, they might even have already, that they can't be going loggerheads with an adversary who is much stronger than them. So the way out for them is to inflict damage while they are a part of the system. I am just thinking aloud, Why would Major Nidal Malik Hasan, if he was indeed an Enemy in the ranks resort to such an open shooting while he could have continued to achieve his aims silently? Maybe his cover was blown. What does a committed man, who knows his life was going to be miserable if he was ever caught alive, do in such circumstances? Well he takes down with him, as many as possible.

Maybe it did not happen that way. Maybe Major Nidal Malik Hasan was just a regular psychiatrist and a patriot who just lost it after counseling so many over the edge people. But the angle whether he was associated with any of the terror groups needs to be investigated for the simple reason that there might be others who are already there. An Enemy in the Ranks is a distinct possibility and we need to guard against it. This is a lesson all countries need to learn and take precaution against. An Enemy in the Ranks is the worst that can happen.

The book Enemy in the Ranks is available online. Buy it at the link on the left top of the page.

Rave Reviews And Journey So Far - Enemy in the Ranks

It's been a month since the fiction novel Enemy in the Ranks was released and despatched for distribution. The book got immediate exposure after being featured in the books section of the Mumbai Daily DNA. Check out the snapshot of the page below



It has still not reached any of the bestsellers list but it has got some rave reviews from readers. You can read them all on my webiste http://www.taprial.in

Here are a few of them

So engrossing, that I got late for office two days in a row!

Racy, fast paced and action packed. Reminded me of Alistair Mclean

Racy and pulsating - and great flow for a first novel!! Lucky that this is all fiction (hope so :-) - the end would definitely give some food for thought. Liked the subtle romance and the bollywood style 'coincidences' /incidental events to push the action ahead!! A thriller definitely!!

I got the book finally. Had little time since Diwali celebrations and kids/wife dragging me around , but whatever little I could read was spell binding , pacy and surely an indicative that your writing skills are top notch. Whatever I read so far , I see a great potential in you .. If I felt that Chetan Bhagat could round of all his narrations , your writing style is no less , in times to come , if you pursue writing , I see a parallel and equally worthy writer in you. Chetan Bhagat watch out !!! Strongly recommended.

Your novel is a different kind of a thriller - an indigenous one, set in the Indian navy -- and i am sure it will do well in the market and find its own readership - This one is from a journalist working with a leading newspaper of Mumbai.

Friends and relatives have also been largely impressed with the book and and say that they loved it and it has been one of the best they have read in a long time. However the veracity of these statements can not be verified, them being friends and relatives. However my biggest and the best critic, my wife, who had not read the book till the time we got the author copies, couldn't put the book down and finished it in one straight reading in about eight hours.

The book is now available in bookstores and many online stores. The online stores where it is available are as follows

http://shop.in.com/fiction/enemy-in-the-ranks-id-206814-catid-1345.htm

http://www.infibeam.com/Books/info/varinder-taprial/enemy-ranks/9788122310870.html

http://www.booksandlotsmore.com/books/main/BookDetails.aspx?bookid=18273

http://www.a1books.co.in/itemdetail/8122310877/ENEMY-RANKS/

http://books.rediff.com/bookshop/bkproductdisplay.jsp?Enemy-in-the-Ranks-Books&prrfnbr=83143349&multiple=&frompg=_

http://www.pustakmahal.com/book/book/bid,,9519C/index.html

The book is competing against the books by the likes of Dan Brown, Hilary Mantel, Jeffery Archer, David Baladacci and Chetan Bhagat but I am sure it will stand up to the big names. Wish me luck!

First Time Author From India

It was in 2005 that I started writing a book, fiction, every living person's desire. Everyone has a story or two to tell and if the want is there he/she can definitely pen a book out of the story, but more often than not the story remains untold because of their own mental blocks and sometimes because writing a book or a novel becomes an overwhelming task after the first ten pages. It requires a great deal of motivation, perseverence and hard work to write a book.

Anyway, I, for one, had too many stories floating in my head and there was only one way to free up the memory, get it out of my system. In 2005 I took the plunge and two years later I had finished my masterpiece. I think everyone who writes his/ her first book thinks that it is a masterpiece.

During the process of writing and then subsequently after finishing it I was always scouring the Internet for resources for the first time author. There are hoards of websites for the first time author to take cues from but somehow there are none from India. No author experiences, no trends, no tips/advice, no elaboration on the procedure and the almost nothing on the publishing market. I wonder why Indian authors hesitate to talk about the travails of getting their first book published. Everyone here has behaved in a manner as if they were God's gift to the literary world and did not have to face any difficulties having their first book published. Read any Interview and you get the Impression that the man or the woman was always meant to be successful.

No wonder the new authors or the first time authors aere totally clueless about the publishing world and don't know the first step towards entering the world of publishing. The competition has become pretty hot here in India with all the major publishing houses establishing shop in the country with Hatchette, harper collins and Penguin leading the way. Add to that the Indian players like Rupa etc the market is open and one would presume that it would be easy to get published, but it is not. None want the first timers unless the book is good enough. So how does one make the good enough if he does not have any one to help and without any experience. All the publishers are looking for a fail safe option. So the chances of someone finding a publisher are next to bleak.

There are many forums and blogs where Indians are putting there creativity to test and I must say there is a huge talent. But this talent will keep languishing in the dark unless someone shows it the way. Not our successful authors. I get the feeling they do not want any competition in the market and hence they keep shut. Not the literary agents in India, who are so few that they themselves do not have time for any more work load than they already have. Not the publishers, oh!!! they got enough stuff coming their way already and as long as the non fiction category is selling and meeting their targets who wants stories.

I am starting this series of posts to generate an interest in the world of Indian publishing and try to work out and share the nuances of the market in India. Comments / discussions are welcome.

Enemy In The Ranks

That's what I have titled my first work of fiction. It has been accepted for publication and work is on towards publishing it. I will post the exact date of release when I come to know that precisely. As of now I am keeping my fingers crossed, which I think most first time authors must be doing.