TRUE CONFESSION & KRISHNA’S COUNSEL

NOTE: The Kindle Scout campaign for Krishna’s Counsel is over. No further nominations shall be accepted. A Big ‘Thank You’ to everyone who nominated.

True confession—I LOATHE self-promo with a passion! I don’t enjoy nagging and equally shy away from those who badger others to get what they want. If you too were born with a thin skin, I bet you would empathize. Being hypersensitive and hyper-empathetic is not always an asset in a world where external success often hinges on chest-thumping and being pushy.

Anyway, years ago I decided to write in order to channel my turbulent energies. You see, as I studied the nature of both absolute and relative reality, millions of thoughts kept bubbling up from the seething cauldron of my unconscious into my conscious mind, and yet I feared no one person would have the patience to really listen to me. So I melded my love for verbal self-expression with my passion for mysticism and decided to write a series of novels whose theme is enlightenment—and The Moksha Trilogy was born. (https://miraprabhu.wordpress.com/2014/11/16/a-trilogy-of-light-mishi-bellamy-artiste-extraordinaire/)

This is a trilogy only because the same theme runs through each of three novels—moksha, which means freedom/liberation in Sanskrit. Each of my protagonists is an Indian woman who faces horrendous obstacles on her journey towards merging into that inner ocean of peace and love that is our inherent nature. She gets into ghastly predicaments along the way, and just when you think she’s really in for it, she somehow pulls through. Now I know many great authors write novels that end bleakly; I admire them for doing so, but I don’t travel that route myself. While I consider suffering a necessary part of spiritual evolution, I want my writing to inspire those on the inner path. As a result, each of my three novels ends in light.

Whip of the Wild God, my first novel, set in ancient India and enlivened by the ancient philosophy of Tantra, took me 20 years to complete! During that time it went through about seven major rewrites. (Whip has been getting 5-star reviews which you can check out on Amazon.com or on my blog). Krishna’s Counsel began as a seed sometime in the mid-90’s and has just been completed. Copper Moon Over Pataliputra woke up with a roar during my adventurous years in the foothills of the Himalayas and is almost done. Yes, each of my novels represents an immense labor of love.

Many have supported my creative journey—gurus, family and friends, beta readers and editors. Once a psychic called me from London during a phase when I had given up on Whip to tell me that, while he was in meditation, a voice asked him to call me and order me to finish it! Another friend shores me up in a myriad ways despite his crazy work schedule. Yet another rare being who insists on anonymity—since he cares nothing for applause—provides me with technical and other support. Mishi Bellamy offered to do all my book covers. And every one of these beautiful people have helped me for free—since they are aware that the downside of self-pubbing is that the author earns a wee percentage (at least with print books) of profits. I honor these allies by viewing my work as a collective effort.

Recently one of these friends suggested I try out Krishna’s Counsel on Kindle Scout but warned me that getting a contract is a “crapshoot.” Why? Because Kindle does not rate your book purely on merit but rather on how many nominations a writer can get! What happened to the good old days when an agent or publishing house pored over your manuscript, appreciated your investment of effort, research, skill, time and love, and took it on, lock, stock and barrel, leaving you free to write? Today, unfortunately, a writer has to wear too many hats, and since I refuse to leave this little town, I cannot do what a traditionally published author is obliged to do—which is to attend book signings et cetera and promote my work in person. So the best strategy for me is to self-publish, and to do my best, no matter what.

Hours after we uploaded it, Krishna’s Counsel was accepted into the Kindle Scout program! Since then it has been on the Hot & Trending List (which is no guarantee that Kindle will take it on). Only a deluge of nominations can win me a contract, but I’m taking the chance because should Kindle happen to miraculously take it on, I will be able to focus on writing. So if you have not nominated Krishna’s Counsel already (I thank the many who already have done so), I request that you: 

• Go to miraprabhu.wordpress.com
• Click on the large red button on the right hand side. It will take you directly into the Kindle nomination site.
• Click the blue button that reads ‘Nominate Me’. That’s it.

Please do me the extra favor of sharing these three simple steps with friends who might enjoy diving into a mystical saga of obsession and illumination. You will be nominating a novel you have not read, so let me assure you that I have poured my heart into Krishna’s Counsel, which is a patchwork of a thousand stories. Its theme is Lord Krishna’s message to Prince Arjuna on the ancient battlefield of the Kurukshetra—that a spiritual warrior must do the right thing, no matter her personal likes and dislikes, no matter her up-and-down emotions, and with no fear of the consequences.

So here I am, becoming that nag I so hate to be—and, in the process, burning down that insidious sense of mini-me that cares so much about ephemeral things like external success or failure. As Pierre de Teillhard Chardin says: when you have done your best, await the results in peace.

Greetings from Arunachala on this quiet morning, Shiva the Destroyer in the form of a hill whose sacred vow is to help us destroy all that blocks us from realizing our immortal and blissful Self!

Photo Credit: Berndt Kalidas Flory