Anuja Varghese 🇨🇦🏳️‍🌈🍉

IT’S MAY!! That means… my book comes out THIS MONTH AND I’M HITTIN’ THE ROAD!! 📖🚗🚞✈️📖 Come celebrate and eat samosas with me? LAUNCH WEEK: May 27 at @anotherstorybookshop in conversation with @thisstoryaintover (link in bio for tix) MAY 28 at @joie.de.livres.mtl in conversation with @arizonaoneill (check bookstore site for info) MAY 29 at @evermore.booktique in conversation with @cartersully (check bookstore site for info) MAY 31 in #hamont at @theatreaquarius in conversation with @shalini.writes (link in bio for tix) For all other events - watch this space for details! 👀 #booktour #akoca

🔥6 MONTHS!!🔥 Today is exactly 6 months till A KISS OF CRIMSON ASH drops in 🇨🇦 CANADA with @penguinrandomca (red hardcover) & 🇺🇸🇬🇧USA/UK with @orbitbooks_us (yellow paperback) and I can’t wait to welcome y’all to the world of AKOCA!! 📖💋🔥💋📖 But 6 months is PRETTY FAR.. what can you do NOW?? 🔥 Pre-order it!! Link in bio to pre-order! It counts for first week sales, lets booksellers know they should be stocking it and makes a HUGE difference in a book’s early success. Fill out the pre-order form (link in bio) and I’ll send you some fun stuff! 🔥 Add it to your Goodreads 🔥 Ask your local library to order it 🔥 Got bookstagram accounts you love? Share it! Help make sure it’s on their radar! Lots more stuff to come and news to share over the next few months. Thanks for being on this journey with me! ❤️ #bookstagram #romantasy #fantasy #diversebooks #queerbooks #desibookstagram #canlit #2026

We’re celebrating love today… so what better day to share this STUNNING character art from A KISS OF CRIMSON ASH by the insanely talented @morganemgl ❤️❤️❤️ Please allow me to introduce Taara and Payal. Taara is a newly crowned and newly married young queen. Her whole life has been shaped around faith and duty, but now, for the first time, she’s following the call of something that might be stronger than both… Desire. Payal is a streetwise bard who gets tangled up with the royal harem. She knows her role - to sing, to spy, to seduce. But the closer she gets to the queen, the harder it is to fight the real feelings that weren’t part of the deal. Every detail of this is so gorgeous… the water beading on skin, the jewels, the LONGING in this moment before a first kiss.. I CANNOT STOP LOOKING AT THEM!! 👀💖👀 A KISS OF CRIMSON ASH leads with Taara and Payal’s swoony (and spicy!) love story, set against the backdrop of a lush magical medieval India-inspired world. Coming May 26, 2026! #romantasy #sapphic #bookstagram #fantasy #romance #diversebooks #loveislove

May is STACKED with cool #canlit new releases… including mine! 😊 The full @cbcbooks list of 40 (!!) books out this month features: 📖 NOT ALL DRAGONS by @davidlywrites 📖 THE LAST CONTRACT OF ISAKO by @fonda.lee 📖 COUNTY ROAD SIX by @khardcase 📖 WAYS OF LISTENING by @cadenceweapon 📖 OPIOIDS & ORGANS by @arizonaoneill 📖 A KISS OF CRIMSON ASH by meeeee! And lots more!! 📚📚📚📚 #bookstagram #newbooks #writingcommunity

✨ Join us for an unforgettable evening celebrating the launch of A Kiss of Crimson Ash by Anuja Varghese! ✨ We’re thrilled to welcome Anuja Varghese in conversation with Carter Sullivan for a night of readings, discussion, refreshments, and book signing magic at Evermore Books. ❤️‍🔥 We’ll also have a special sneak peek from local author Amanda Connolly’s upcoming romantasy, The Lure of Wolves and Whispers. 📍 Evermore Books 📅 Friday, May 29 ⏰ Doors open at 6:30 PM | Event begins at 7:00 PM Come celebrate stories, romance, and community with us. Tickets in bio. We can’t wait to see you there! @intheglebe #OttawaEvents #RomantasyBooks #BookLaunch #EvermoreBooks #OttawaBookstagram #RomanceBooks #IndieBookstore #FantasyRomance #BookishEvents

2 WEEKS TILL A KISS OF CRIMSON ASH IS IN THE WORLD!! A perfect time to share this beautiful blurb from bestselling author @shalini.writes 😊 “A STEAMY START TO AN EPIC RIDE.” Yes. Yes, it is. 😉 Shalini’s Ancient Rome-inspired slow burn romantasy THIS MONSTER OF MINE was one of my fave reads last year and the sequel THIS BLADE OF OURS is one of my most anticipated reads this year!! It’s out June 30! You should pre-order it! (Just pre-order both of our books, future you will be thrilled!) Shalini and I will be in-conversation at @theatreaquarius in #hamont on May 31! Link in bio to reserve your seat! #bookblurb #romantasy #canlit

You’re invited to join us as we celebrate @anuja_v new book on Wednesday, May 27th and as we prepare to launch our book club with @writingsformydaughters 📚 I’m going to give away 10 free tickets to this event - all you have to do is message me (Vijayita)! First 10 folks will get a ticket and the rest are invited to purchase a ticket in the link in Anujas bio to join us!! See you there?

Join us on Thursday, May 28th, 2026 for a Q&A with Canadian author Anuja Varghese, moderated by Arizona O’Neill! A Kiss of Crimson Ash is a swoony, steamy, and queer medieval India-inspired romantasy with themes of forced marriage and found family. Your ticket includes the book (the ticket is the price of the book!) and a glass of wine offered by the publisher. You can get yours at the link in our bio! // Rejoignez-nous le jeudi 28 mai 2026 pour une séance de questions-réponses avec l’auteure canadienne Anuja Varghese, animée par Arizona O’Neill ! A Kiss of Crimson Ash est un roman fantastique romantique, torride et queer, inspiré de l’Inde médiévale, qui aborde les thèmes du mariage forcé et de la famille de cœur. Votre billet comprend le livre (le prix du billet correspond au prix du livre !) et un verre de vin offert par l’éditeur. Vous pouvez vous procurer le vôtre via le lien dans notre bio ! @anuja_v @arizonaoneill @penguinrandomca #romantasybooks #forcedmarriage #booksigningevent #mileendevents #bookstorecafe

May is short story month.. and I LOVE SHORT STORIES!! A little #canlit #shortstory countdown: 📚 10 collections I’ve loved in recent years by @beingkirti @ssb1983 @vincent.anioke @jaclyndesforges @garybarwin @westheadjessica @gothicsyntax @sydneyhegele @ay.jay.gee @saeedteebi 📚5 collections shortlisted for the @thewritersunionofcanada 2025 Danuta Gleed Award which celebrates excellent first collections of short fiction (and for which I had the honor of being on the jury!) and LOOK AT THIS SHORTLIST!!! Congrats to @c.l.gals @tracey.lindberg.3 @haikuboxer @mikkajacobsen & Catherine Hunter for collections that moved, inspired and impressed us! 📚3 anthologies edited by @jjamesdupuis & A.G. Pasquella, @davidlywrites & @dzompare and @rachelkramerbussel that I was lucky enough to be in! From futuristic food, to queer horror, to 🌶️🌶️🌶️ - there’s truly something for everyone in these collections! 📚1 short story collection that I wrote, @shivhearne brilliantly edited and @houseofanansi published. ❤️

⭐️ A STARRED REVIEW FROM @publisherswkly for A KISS OF CRIMSON ASH ⭐️ PW is one of the most respected sources in the publishing world and a starred review is a MAJOR WIN!! Triumphant, bold, complex, sophisticated.. I couldn’t have asked for kinder words to describe AKOCA. Thank you PW, for such a stellar review of my debut novel. 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽 “Perfectly balancing the epic fantasy scope with intimate romantic moments, THIS IS A STUNNER.” #starredreview #akoca #publishersweekly #romantasy

Ummm excuse me, what do you mean @spirited_gal says A KISS OF CRIMSON ASH is “my new favorite fantasy book of the year.” 🤯 I LOVE Aparna’s books SO MUCH!! If you haven’t read THE PHOENIX KING and THE BURNING QUEEN (with book 3 in this sci-fi/fantasy trilogy still to come) - you must!! Also - she commissions some of the most STUNNING character art you’ve ever seen. Aaand has been incredibly supportive of me as I wade into these romantasy waters from the start and I could not be more grateful. 🙏🏽🙏🏽💜💜 #bookblurb #fantasy #romantasy #diversifyyourbookshelf

✨arc review ✨ a kiss of crimson ash by @anuja_v i can’t stop thinking about it. it’s the first indian medieval fantasy i’ve ever read, and it didn’t let me down. the story follows four main people who fit together like pieces of a puzzle. tara – she is the princess of abhaya and the wife of garjan. garjan – a prince from nandapore who becomes tara’s husband. bhediya – a courtesan living in chandanee mukan. roland – a clever thief. each character is different, and each has their own problems and weaknesses. because they are so distinct, their lives feel fresh and interesting. one thing i loved a lot was the world building. the author uses many hindi words and names, which makes the setting feel authentic and vivid. at first i felt a bit lost because there is a lot happening at once. many places, many events, many new names. after a few chapters, though, the pieces start to click and the story becomes easier to follow. the friendships in the book are a real highlight. tara, garjan, bhediya, and roland all support each other. their bonds feel genuine and keep the story moving forward. and wow, there are some seriously spicy moments. the romance scenes are hot enough that i kept fanning myself while reading. ⤿ multiple pov story telling ⤿ D&D x bollywood vibes ⤿ dual magic systems: elemental + divine ⤿ royalty, rogues, courtesan, elves ⤿ queer + straight love stories ⤿ diverse cast ⤿ lush medieval india inspired world ⤿ epic fantasy + high heat romance 🏷️ books, romance, read, romcom, reading, recs, indie, spicy, plot, books to read, romance books, book recommendations, steamy books, fantasy, indian fantasy #booksta #bookstoread #bookish #romanstagram #amreading