Mixtape: A collection of short stories
The palace intrigues of yore. The nostalgia of the 80s and 90s. The heady beginnings of the new millennium. The challenges and opportunities of today. And finally, a future where humankind and technology may arrive at a crossroads between utopia and dystopia.
From an engineering college campus poised to ride the approaching wave of the information revolution to an ancient tale playing out on a galactic scale, these stories will take you on a rollercoaster journey through past, present, and imagined future.
Available on Amazon and Flipkart
Amazon/Goodreads reviews:
“Mix Tape is a beautiful, diverse collection of short stories, each quite different from the other. You can find mystery in “Heavenly Abode”, pathos in “Broken”, intrigue in “Kings and Sons” and sci-fi in ‘Forgotten” and “Roots”, and societal issues in “Girls and Boys” and “The Beached Whale”, all poetically written in vivid stories.“
“A beautiful collection of warm stories. Lucid language and great depth character arcs.“
“Mixtape, is a rare mixture of fantastic stories. As the name suggests, the collection has stories covering diverse subjects and genres including science fiction. Every story in this collection is outstanding.“
Arrivals and Departures: A collection of short stories
Some travel to escape the realities of their everyday existence, others to find themselves. Some journeys cover great physical distances, others are undertaken within the confines of one’s mind. The theme of ‘journey’ runs through the stories in this collection, with the setting being as much a part of each story as the characters that occupy it.
Available on Amazon and Flipkart
Amazon/Goodreads Reviews:
“A beautiful bunch of stories. Vrinda Baliga is a gifted writer. The stories made me chuckle aloud in many places. I felt what the protagonists were feeling. Sunrise over the Kanchenjunga was my favourite. Arribada was strangely haunting. Counting elephants tugged at my heart. Eclipse gave me gooseflesh. I could go on. The short stories are our lives shown back to us with nuance and meaning and with aspects, we might have missed if it had happened to us. Looking forward to reading her other stories.”
“I read all stories at a stretch and must say that they remain etched in my mind . Lovely read.”
“The stories are about journeys and the way it affects the lives of the travelers… The stories are well-researched, whether it is elephant trivia in the first story, Elephants Remember, or the world of gaming in Collision of parallels. The fine mesh of research is the invisible backbone that lifts the stories from being casual references to art form”
Name, Place, Animal, Thing: A collection of short stories
A tour guide at the historic Golconda Fort in Hyderabad. A string puppet show at the annual Rann Utsav. Two families on a joint vacation in Goa. An elderly widower who sees an answer to his loneliness in the marital discord between his daughter and her husband. A new arrival at a school in Chennai. A young introvert staying as a paying guest in Bengaluru.
Populated with ordinary people, familiar locales and everyday situations, Name, Place, Animal, Thing takes you into the by-lanes of India to explore them through the eyes of its diverse characters.
Available on Amazon and Flipkart
Amazon/Goodreads Reviews:
“The stories have the most enchanting and engaging characters: a puppet from the Rann of Kutch, a school girl in Class Five, an old lady who acts in TV ads, a guide in a historical monument, a young couple on a holiday, and many more , who let you glimpse their joys, fears and insecurities.”
“Each story in this collection was a real delight to read! Many of them are set in or refer to Bengaluru where I have spent all my life.. So much nostalgia! And the last story actually mentions the locality where my childhood home is… So many memories!”
“This is a truly delightful collection of short stories. Vrinda Baliga has a way with words – I completely relate to her writing. It gives you a deja vu feeling of daily nuances and thoughts.”
“Another gem by Vrinda. Each story has such astute observations. Vrinda makes the mundane appear meaningful. She also has a subtle sense of humour which made me chuckle every now and then. I felt like I’ve undergone each emotion she has portrayed through her stories. Definitely, a must-read for those who like slice-of-life short stories with humour and some irony.”
Read my stories featured with the best of contemporary short fiction in these anthologies:
“The Crossing” in A Case of Indian Marvels (Aleph Book Company)
“Daughters Come Home” in The Big Issue Fiction Edition (The Big Issue, Australia)
“The Cosmic Dance” in The Best Asian Short Stories 2018 (Kitaab International, Singapore)
“The Collision of Parallels” in The Best Asian Speculative Fiction 2018 (Kitaab International, Singapore)
SHORT STORIES on Amazon Kindle:
FREE for Kindle Unlimited subscribers
