Sonal Bawa Bakshi arrives on literary scene with a dish best served cold

Love, passion, revenge, betrayal, and survival – Canada-based Sonal Bawa Bakshi’s debut mystery thriller has all the makings of a page-turner

Love, passion, revenge, betrayal, and survival – Canada-based Sonal Bawa Bakshi’s debut mystery thriller has all the makings of a page-turner.

Sonal Bawa Bakshi with her debut novel, What Comes From Within. (HT Photo)

In her novel, What Comes from Within, Bakshi, a confessed ‘hardcore feminist’ introduces us to the feisty and fiercely independent protagonist, Nalini Shah, who lives life on her terms and braves the monumental odds stacked against her.

The book also shines spotlight on abuse, traumas buried within that seek an outlet, and unconditional bond between friends, all the while keeping readers on the edge, with a twist lurking around every page turn.

When Bakshi decided to pen a novel, she knew from the start that it had to be a thriller. “I used to be a die-hard romantic, but then, I gradually started enjoying mysteries as they kept me hooked. I would read them in one sitting! Naturally, I, too, wanted to write something that would be ‘unputdownable’. My weekend binge sessions on series such as The Sinner also contributed to my love for the genre,” says the author, who was born and brought up in Chandigarh.

Bakshi, with her editor Vincent Varghese, is working on two other instalments in the series, which is to be a trilogy, where Nalini and her friend Carol will take on demons of the society including child trafficking and child slavery.

Asked if she had any advice for amateur writers hoping to publish their work, she says, “Write from your heart and dedicate at least two hours every day to your project.”

Published by Destiny Media LLP, the book is available on Amazon and Kindle e-reader.