Curtain Call - An Anthology

Book: Curtain Call

Publishers: Half Baked Beans. 

Compiled & Edited by: Rafaa Dalvi

Pages: 230

Format Available: Print ( Amazon )

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Curtain Call is an upcoming anthology releasing in August 2016. Featuring some of the best names in contemporary short fiction in India, the anthology chooses to avoid the traditional route of sticking to a single theme,  providing the reader with something different to look forward to within each tale.

From historical fiction to romance, horror and humour, there is something for everyone in this collection. 

Bragging rights

So what makes this posse different from the other collections of short stories available presently?

Simply a matter of class, really. 

Between the 20 who have contributed here, you have authors with not 1 or 2 or even 10 or 20 published stories in their combined quiver. You have a whopping 75 published short stories (both Indian & International) and no less than 13 published novels between these authors. That is talent that has gone through literally more than hundreds of short story contests, honing their skills through both success & failure till they got the art of storytelling down to a science.

Previews:

One of the common issues that people have when it comes to buying an anthology collection is that they don't get to know what the stories are all about. How can you decide if you don't know what is in the package you are expected to buy? 

We hear you. 

Which is why with Curtain Calls, the authors decided to give previews of ALL the stories so that you, the reader, can make an informed decision for yourselves. So without any further delay, allow me to present to you the stories and genres you will get with Curtain Calls.

A Crimson Affair by Rafaa Dalvi

Genre: Historical Fiction / Mystery

When a serial killer unleashes a reign of terror in Fatehpir Sikri, Emperor Akbar deploys Birbal to look into the case. When the next murder hits closer to home, Birbal realizes that there is far more to the killer than meets the eye.

Cooking up a Storm by Shawn Pereira

Genre: Thriller

A no-nonsense mob story wherein the protagonist channels his potent desire of revenge and goes up against the tightly knit, well connected Mafioso.

Reminiscence by Mehek Bassi

Genre: Inspiration

We live our life, but we understand it through our memories. Reminiscence is the story of one such man who is lost in his perception of life and death after a bitter breakup with the love of his life and how a memory helps him find his way back. Only it isn't his memory!

Ablaze Within by Sanhita Baruah

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Sanhita's story of a prostitute is not just the story of one woman but a mirror for the average person who does not harm anyone else and leads a normal life with a clear conscience; who has sympathy for the victims of rape but do not do anything to prevent it from happening in the future.

Sitarist of Palem by Sharath Komarraju

Genre: Mystery

Lata, a young woman thin and veinous as a creeper, arrives at the missionary centre at Rudrakshapalem, run by Sister Agnes. In no time at all she becomes one of the group, and begins to play an old sitar for the pleasure of her friends. But inside the strings of the instrument lurk some dark shadows.

Mahua by Dr Vivek Banerjee

Genre: Horror

A young government employee sent to the interiors of Chattisgarh to study the feasibility of the revival of an abandoned Hydro-electricity projects finds himself trapped and doubting his sanity as a sensous but deadly urban legend of the area seeks him out.

Ookleeboo by Diptee Raut

Genre: Fantasy

Ookleeboo looks exactly like a human but is not a human. Rest assured, before the story ends, you will not only understand why but you will also start to love the character... and perhaps hate him a bit too. Welcome to a world completely out of this world.

The Princess Bride by Ekta Khetan

Genre: Romance

Mrinalini was Kunwar Rajeshwar's wife for 25 years. They had a great married life. But did they really? Read this palace love tale and embark on a royal wedding affair.

The Lifeless Sculpture by Bhavya Kaushik

Genre: Romance

The Lifeless Sculpture is a kind of story that will make you question your notion of love, for love is not only about cherishing those precious moments, it is about letting go of that one thing that keeps you together. Redefine your ideas and beliefs with this romantic tale. Inspired from the legendary tale of Pygmalion, the story will take you on a journey like never before.

Another Chance by Dr Dr. Ketaki Patwardhan

Genre: Mystery

What happens when you get a chance to go back in time to undo something which you wished had never happened? Would you do everything possible to change a past that haunts you?

F.L.A.M.E.S. by Amrit Sinha

Genre: Romance

FLAMES is the innocent game of crush that we have all played in our school days. But what happens when we start taking it a little too seriously... when we fall prey to our own teenage fantasies?

Boys will be Boys by Dr Roshan Radhakrishnan

Genre: Humour

Succeeding in love is no easy task especially when you have friends who give you the worst possible advice on how to woo a girl. Prepare to be scandalized as you peep into a private conversation between a self-proclaimed love guru and his conflicted apprentice as the latter recounts the events of his date last night. There will be lust, there will be love and by Jove, there will be laughter!

Office Visit by Bruce Memblatt

Genre: Horror

A high school guidance counsellor gets a shocking visit from a student who quite literary matures beyond her years.

My Fair Ghost by Renu Sethi

Genre: Humour 

What do you do when the one who knows how to push your every button suddenly dies... and then returns to be with you? Faced with a choice between a living breathing human and a pudgy familiar ghost, who would you pick?

Mistaken Identities by Deepa Duraisamy

Genre: Humour / Romance 

It all started with a teeny weeny white lie and before she knew it, Renu was in way deeper than she had ever imagined to be as a simple overnight journey turns into an emotional roller coaster of events. Caught between her mind and her heart, will Renu be able to get out of the comical mess that she created herself? Or will Raj call her bluff?

Agent W by Rahul Biswas

Genre: Spy Thriller

A spy must go to great lengths to serve his country. He is pitted against an adversary who will stop at nothing to have his head. As if this was not enough danger already, he also has a traitor amongst his own people. Time's running out for our Agent W as the noose steadily tightens around his throat. It's a high stakes game and Agent W has everything to lose.

Time after Time by Aniesha Brahma

Genre: Supernatural

All Nikita wants for her birthday is a wrist watch. She’s not too sure that her parents would fulfill her wish. When siblings, Nikhil and Nikita, meet an old man selling trinkets, neither of them think it could lead to much. But things begin to go horribly wrong when Nikhil buys an old watch off him and gifts it to his sister for her birthday. What keeps happening Time After Time to the pair now? Read this short story to find out.

Office Games by Suresh C

Genre: Humour

When two candidates are vying for the same job at an office, things are bound to get testy, especially when you have such contrasting characters and professional skill sets. So when one of the candidates finds out a secret of his competitor, you can just bet he will find a way to use it to his advantage.After all, all is fair in love and war... and this is war! 

The Last Rock on which the Universe Collapsed by Siddhesh Kalbe

Genre: Science Fiction

With no alien or any other life-form contacted in more than 1000 human years, Captain Mahajan is on the verge of proving the fermi paradox and confirming that there are no aliens in space. However, on the last bedrock of the universe, he stumbles upon another living, breathing human being. What he finds out forces him to challenge the boundaries of the existing universe.

His Leela by Kartik

Genre: Inspiration

Can the scars of the past ever be healed? A broken old man lives a life of despair and desolation spreading the misery around to everyone, especially his devoted and hardworking wife until suddenly someone unexpected enters his life and changes his perception forever.

Final Thoughts:

We, the authors, hope to make you laugh. We want you to leave you teary-eyed. We want to inspire you. We want to make you think out-of-the-box. We want you to believe in love but we also want you believing in ghosts and the supernatural.

Above all else, we want you - the reader - to enjoy yourselves. 

You can follow and interact with the authors at the book's Facebook Page Curtain Call 

And of course, if you liked what you read here, don't forget to take that first step and grab your copy here via Amazon.