PRESS RELEASE: SECRETS IN THE WIND
Bismillah!
A POIGNANT COMING OF AGE ORIGINAL STORY!
DALLAS, TX — February 15th, 2023. DJARABI KITABS PUBLISHING has officially released the young adult thriller novel titled Secrets in the Wind written by Rumki Chowdhury.
Summary: Asha is a teenager hoping to get to know her Bengali culture on a deeper level by taking a vacation with her parents from America to Bangladesh. There, she meets her cousin, Kushi, with whom she hopes to form an immediate sisterly bond. However, her hopes are crushed when she senses Kushi is hiding a deep and dark secret. She eventually discovers that her cousin is being stalked and tormented by an older male. After Kushi opens up to Asha about the details, Asha wonders if she can help her cousin. Soon, she realizes that Kushi is just one of many young girls who fall victim to stalkers and child marriage in Bangladesh every year. Will Asha and Kushi be able to escape the wrath of one such monster?
Review
“Returning to Bangladesh after many years since her last visit, it’s a pleasure to follow along as Asha catches up with her family, and takes in the delightful surroundings in Secrets in the Wind. Along the journey, Chowdhury delicately reveals a disturbing and too-common social problem that Asha’s relatives have not escaped. Asha’s youthful and uncontrived approach to the situation made for a compelling read. It’s not a fairytale ending, but an honest-feeling one. I hope to follow Asha along on more life explorations or at least enjoy more of Chowdhury’s tales…The first story I have read by a Bangladeshi Author; an Honor.”— Brooke Benoit
The author also shared some of her motivations for writing a novel on the grey areas of Bangladesh. Check them out below.
1. Why did you decide to author this particular story?
I remember hearing about real life stalker victim stories in Bangladesh.
When I began researching deeper into the topic, I realized that it was actually a common struggle among young girls in Bangladesh. Moreover, due to societal pressures of Bengali norms, thereby the lack of support most victims receive from their own family members, these girls often choose to keep silent or are encouraged to keep quiet about their tormentors.
There are many different reasons that trigger the girls to feel ashamed, guilty and consequently, alone in their battles. A lot of those reasons are highlighted in my novel, "Secrets in the Wind." I recently travelled back to Bangladesh and spoke to one such victim. I told her about my novel, and it touched my heart when she said that I understood her situation although I knew that deep down, I never truly could understand her circumstances. She is a survivor, a champion, but in that gain, she had also lost some things. What I wanted to do was show that yes, Bangladesh is a beautiful country with beautiful souls, but like any country, there are those dark alleyways that we need to shed light on.
I can only pray that my own daughters feel that they can turn to me in their time of need and guidance instead of choosing to remain silent for fear of disappointing me.
2. What else do you want the reader or the prospective buyer to know?
I am hoping that "Secrets in the Wind" is one of those stories that propels the reader to ask the tough, deep questions and thus, empathize with the characters. When I read a thought-provoking book, I end up closing it at the end and releasing a long sigh as if my eyelids had just been pulled open. And I hold the book in my hands, looking at it longingly for a bit before putting it down. I want my readers to be able to do that when they have read all the way through to the end of "Secrets in the Wind."
“Every country has hidden gems, but it also has those hidden dark alleyways desperate for light. You can shed that light through the power of written and spoken words.”— Rumki Chowdhury
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rumki Chowdhury was born in Bangladesh and grew up in the USA. She has also lived in the UK and Sweden. With an MA in English Literature from The Queen Mary University of London and a BA in English Writing from The William Paterson University of New Jersey, her literary experiences expand from journalism to publishing companies like Simon and Schuster Inc., Pearson Higher Education Publishing, The Herald Newspaper and The Record Newspaper. Rumki’s previous book publications include So Complicated: A “he vs. she'' romantic comedy/women’s fiction that won Honorable Mention at The New York Book Festival, Second Place at UK’s The Wishing Shelf Award and Finalist for Humor at The Pacific Writer’s Award. She has also authored Her Feet Chime, the first and only Bangladeshi version of a Cinderella story written in English. Moreover, 100% of profits from her poetry book, Unveiled, go to helping the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh via Restless Beings. Another poem was published in Hijri, a collection of stories by various authors. Her memoir was also published in Your Story with Musart, a collection of inspirational stories by various authors. Secrets in the Wind is her first work of fiction/thriller in the YA department. In addition, Rumki provides her own editing services to authors and various media including Bengalis of New York, The World Hijab Day Organization and Hayati Magazine. She is an active blogger on writing advice via www.rumki.com and Social Media @rumkitheauthor.
Secrets in the Winds is available in paperback on Amazon, DKP’s Bookstore, and Fofky's Online Book Café. You can also find the book on Goodreads.
CONTACTS
Djarabi Kitabs Publishing
PO BOX 703733
Dallas, TX 75370
USA
Email: editor@djarabikitabs.com
