Mina Khan is a Texas-based writer and food enthusiast. She grew up in Bangladesh on stories of djinns (pronounced "gins"), ghosts and monsters. These childhood fancies now color her fiction. She daydreams of hunky paranormal heroes, magic, mayhem and mischief and writes them down as tales of romance and adventure. Her first published work, The Djinn's Dilemma, won the novella category of the 2012 Romance Through The Ages (published) contest.
Places to find Mina:
Huge thanks to Dani for hosting me today! I’m thrilled to share some of the inspiration that went into my paranormal romance novella, A TALE OF TWO DJINNS, which is celebrating its first book birthday. Woot!
So what are djinns & why do I write them?
“Djinn,” can also be spelled genie or jinn and basically refer to same thing. They are super-natural creatures made from “smokeless flames.” The word “djinn” derives from an Arabic root word meaning “hidden” and they live in a parallel hidden dimension.
Growing up in Bangladesh, a lot of my bedtime stories featured djinns…just like a lot of kids in America grow up on stories of monsters under the bed or something. So djinns are a part of my story psyche and those childhood tales inspired Two Djinns and many of my other stories.
Of course, I had to add my own twist. So I decided to classify djinns according to the elements. I have written about air, earth and water djinns and even a few who combine different elements.
In A Tale of Two Djinns, my hero Akshay (Shay for short), prince of the earth djinns and a battle axe of a warrior, was inspired by Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar.
He’s so earthy & HAWT…and pairs so well with water =) So of course, I had to match him with Maya, the princess of the water djinns, daughter of his enemy. My inspiration for Maya…
(yes, Angelina Jolie =))
Here’s what Maya thinks about Shay:
Shay was dangerous. Not dangerous like a soldier armed to the teeth. That she could handle. Dangerous like a man who could seduce a woman with his warm sunshine scent and mischief-filled grin, rock hard abs and love for fairytales. She pulled in a deep, shuddering breath and let it out. Then she placed her hand in his. Warmth sparked at their touch and rolled through her essence as she climbed aboard the carpet. (yes, there is a flying carpet in the story!)
And here’s what Shay has to say about Maya:
“You have beautiful hair.”
“It’s straight and boring.”
The combing stopped. No, please don’t stop. Don’t stop.
“You really don’t see yourself, do you?”
Shagaard had mirrors, and she glanced in them at passing. “What do you see?”
“A beautiful woman.” Akshay wound her hair around one hand, pulled it to the side. He kissed her exposed nape. A soft sigh escaped her. “A woman with silky soft hair that shimmers blue black.”
Another kiss, this time on the side of her neck. Then he let her hair slide free of his grasp. “It’s like running my fingers through night in all her glory.”
What inspired me to bring Shay & Maya together, pit earth djinns against water djinns? Nature.
A TALE OF TWO DJINNS is a sexy paranormal Romeo & Juliet story with genies, feminists, kickass action & adult fun. A special note: 50% of the proceeds from the sale of A Tale of Two Djinns are being donated to UNICEF. If you’re interested in knowing why, please check out my Karma post.
So who or what inspires you?
GIVEAWAY! I’m very excited to share Shay & Maya’s story with you so I’m giving away a copy of A Tale of Two Djinns, a shiny genie-lamp key chain, a genie tote, a genie notepad & some dark chocolate. Good luck!
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Akshay, warrior prince of the earth djinns, earns the title of Crown Prince at a high cost when he loses his best friend in a battle against ancient enemies, the water djinns. Heartsick, he escapes to Earth to mourn and lose himself in drink
Nothing gets the biological clock ticking (and elders lecturing) like almost dying in battle, so Maya, princess of the water djinns, travels to Earth for some no-strings-attached sex to fulfill her duty and produce an heir. But the beautiful and tough warrior gets more than she bargained for when she meets Shay.
Their not-so-simple one-night stand is interrupted by assassins and the world, as they know it, is changed forever. As Maya and Shay pull together to survive, both are determined to have their happily-ever-after and bring peace to their worlds — warring families, shadow assassins, and nosy busybodies be damned.
Purchase: | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords |
Mina Khan's
TALE OF TWO DJINN
Anniversary Blog Tour
Check out what's up for grabs.
Up For Grabs:
- 1 lucky person will win a copy of A Tale of Two Djinns and a tote bag full of goodies.
To Enter:
- Please answer the question: So who or what inspires you?
- Please fill out the Rafflecopter form
Good Luck =)
HEA's inspire me, which is probably why I read so much. : ) I've read a lot of paranormal, but haven't come across a book with genies before. I am excited to read this. Sounds really good! Thanks for a chance to win a copy.
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting Leslie! HEAs inspire me to and that's one of the reasons I love to read and write Romance. And genies are a lot of fun :D. Good luck!
DeleteMy mom! She overcame a lot of obstacles,,,
ReplyDeleteYes, Moms always come first. Mine is going through some difficult times with grace and courage. And I love her to bits.
Deletecourage - honesty - inspire me
ReplyDeletewould love to win and read
PicardsMom at yahoo dot com
Good luck PM! And yes, those are inspiring aspects of the human spirit. The human spirit is what moves and inspires me.
DeleteMy writer friends like you Mina/Rashda. I loved A Tale of Two Djinns. And I'm waiting for the next one!!! And that's a very good picture of you.
ReplyDeleteTeresa R.
Aww, thanks Teresa! I'm writing as fast as I can. Actually, I'm working on 2 books right now...so there will be 2 new reads...at some point...soon ;D
DeleteThe things I see around me everyday inspire me, although I am especially inspired by the resilience of people in dealing with the everyday and the extraordinary.
ReplyDeleteSo true Tara. I think a lot of time we get so busy that we go through life without really looking or appreciating.
DeleteMy family inspires me. My kids have such faith in me it makes my heart sing. They are adults now and always tell me it is never too late to do what I want.
ReplyDeleteYour kids sounds like very wise adults :)
DeleteMy sister inspires me. She has three kids, a full time job and MS. She just keeps going until she can't anymore, kind of like the Energizer bunny.
ReplyDeleteWow, your sister is one busy lady! Very inspiring!
DeleteBooks, authors and strong people.
ReplyDeleteAgree, agree, and agree! Nice to meet you Olga! :)
DeleteI loved A Tale of Two Djinns! Bought the ebook a while back and would love to win the print copy for my boyfriend who is still 'old school' ;). I get inspired by people that follow their dreams no matter what the obstacles. I have to say at the moment, my niece inspires me most. She knew from the age of 12 that she wanted to be a doctor. At that age I was contemplating whether I'd marry either Parker Stevenson or Shaun Cassidy of The Hardy Boys fame *lol*. She's now 18, about to graduate HS at the top of her class, works full time (since the age of 14) while maintaining one of the highest GPAs of her school, and has been accepted to the school of her dreams. And she still has time for a social life as well. And to top it off, she's also nice and considerate. I had energy like her when I was her age but not like she does. :)
ReplyDeleteAww, thank you Jacqui! Your niece sounds awesome :) Good luck!
DeleteHas to be my Mother. Mothers are amazing.
ReplyDeleteWoot! Another vote for Mom! :) Thanks for visiting Mary!
Deleteinspirition is all around us, some days it my Mother other days it the sunrise or my dog. It's all around us.
ReplyDeleteTruth! So glad you stopped by Sherry :)
DeleteFood / ingredients inspire me. Like a really lovely cheese...
ReplyDeleteOMG, you must be a cosmic sister or something. I'm a food writer for my day job and I love being around food --from grocery shopping to cooking to eating to writing about it. Definitely inspires me :)
DeletePeople who help others inspire me!
ReplyDeleteSunlight inspires me to get things done - so happy spring is almost here!
My children inspire me
ReplyDeleteThose motivated people at the gym. I'll get there one day!
ReplyDeleteMy mom, music and books.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the chance to win!