Join us for the release of BURN THE SEA by Mona Tewari, as she is joined in conversation with Chelsea Abdullah. Your ticket includes a signed copy of the book.

** We kindly ask attendees to please avoid wearing scented products (such as perfumes or colognes) as they can trigger Mona’s chronic illness. **

BURN THE SEA :

A lush historical fantasy that reimagines the Portuguese attacks on South India in the 1500s and the fierce real-life queen’s story, Burn the Sea is an electrifying exaltation of female power and the value of freedom.

To protect her homeland, one queen must fight her people’s historic enemy—once and for all.

Abbakka Chowta never expected to be queen. The youngest of Ullal’s two rajkumaris, Abbakka has spent years in rigorous combat training to become her sister’s blade. But when the monstrous Porcugi attempt to lay claim to Ullal, Abbakka’s world—and fate—are upended. The Porcugi—giant half-men, half-snakes who attack from the sea—haven’t been seen in Ullal since their failed invasion more than fifty years ago. But now, they’re back with vengeance and a choice: pay their tithes or suffer total devastation. Soon, Abbakka’s definitions of strength, subterfuge, and statecraft are put to the test. Will marriage to a neighboring king give her the resources she needs to protect her people . . . or will she watch her homeland be crushed beneath the waves of would-be colonizers?

ABOUT MONA TEWARI:

Mona Tewari lives with her husband, two daughters, and dogs in the
beautiful Berkshires of New England. After graduating from Caltech
with degrees in biology and philosophy, she completed dental school,
residency, and a master’s degree at UCSF. She joined a fantastic
pediatric dental practice where she thought she’d be for a long time,
but life had other plans.

When health issues forced her to stop practicing, Mona turned to writing fiction. She has long been fascinated by the way that narratives create the lens through which we see our legends and histories and how these views shape our present. Plus, as the daughter of two immigrants from India, Mona didn’t see herself much in popular media while growing up, and she is determined to show her daughters that they belong in every world.

ABOUT CHELSEA ABDULLAH:

Chelsea Abdullah is the award-winning author of The Sandsea Trilogy, an epic fantasy series that begins with The Stardust Thief. An American-Kuwaiti writer born and raised in Kuwait, she grew up listening to stories about mysterious desert creatures and wily (only sometimes likable) heroes.
Consumed by wanderlust, she has put down roots in various states. After earning her MA in English at Duquesne University, she moved to the East Coast, where she currently lives. When not immersed in her own fictional worlds, she spends her free time playing video games, doodling characters, and hoarding books she doesn’t have the shelf space for.