I grew up in a small town. We had basically one stoplight. Everyone knew what everyone else was doing. But there was a sense of community, a sense of family, where people watched over each other. While small towns differ in a variety of ways, they have those similarities. Pamela Q. Fernandes' new release, WHERE WE COME FROM features an Indian small town which had many things in common with my small Ohio town. Reading her book, I fell in love with the farming life and the community which helped each other during those tough times. WHERE WE COME FROM is now available in ebook and print. This amazing love story between two opposites shows the power of love. Blurb: Where We Come From is a gripping, emotional tale that deals with love in small towns and the harsh realities of an Indian farmers’ life. It raises the question of how where we come from affects the way we love others. After having his future crushed by an ex, who betrayed him and walked away, Surya Atwal places an ad for a bride, a woman who shares his dreams for a home and family. This time he won’t let his heart make the decision. He’ll do it on his own terms without risking his legacy. Ashtami Sial, a no nonsense Delhi girl with a sassy attitude, matches her bangles with her churidars. She’s not afraid of hard work but refuses to be simply a brood mare to a dour husband. She's determined to build a family with love and will do anything to achieve it. Even herding her husband with the cattle, and building the village herself. Life in Rori, a rural village in Haryana where the only neighbors are cattle and chickens, takes hard work and a little luck. Surya and Ashtami butt heads as the harsh realities of farming life threatens their home and livelihood. But the shadow of the woman who ripped out Surya’s heart looms over their marriage and might cost him more than he bargained for. Can Surya risk his heart with someone new and leave his past behind? Or will he lose the one person who fell in love with him at first sight? Excerpt: “Ashtami, this is not your place.” She waited. “So today’s been a waste of time?” “I have to say yes.” “Even though we have chemistry?” “You can call it whatever … physics, chemistry, or biology. It doesn’t matter.” “What’s wrong with me?” “Nothing. You’re great as you are, but there are other things that have to be done here, and you’d fail in all of them.” “Explain.” “I was engaged to a woman exactly like you. City girl, pretty, headstrong, opinionated, had expensive taste. And I was fine with that. Except with time, she wanted me to give up farming, sell the land, and move to Delhi.” Ashtami didn’t turn back, just kept looking straight ahead. “We were engaged for a long time. And we dated before that for years. She had to know I couldn’t give up farming. Yet, she pushed. I said no. Everything turned messy after that.” “I’m not like her. You have no right to judge us the same way. You just met me.” “Yet, I’ve learned from my mistakes. This time I want someone realistic; someone who doesn't have any romantic ideas of farm life. This is not the movies.” “Nobody said it was.” “I’m not going to go bankrupt again.” “Who said anything about money?” “You don’t understand. We planned a wedding. I bought everything, her gold, her clothes, and when she left, she took it all with her. I was buried under loans, still am, and I’m barely making a profit between the banks and the seed. I won’t do it again.” “It’s just money; we can make that back.” “No, it’s not. I nearly lost the land. This is my legacy, my gift to my children. I want them to have what is mine, provided I can keep it in the first place. “You need someone to love you.” “No. I need help. I need a partner. Love doesn’t figure anywhere in the equation.” “No woman would settle for that,” Ashtami said. Book Trailer Here Grab Your Copy Here! |
Melissa KeirGator Girl Extraordinaire Archives
October 2023
|