Hello beautiful people!

It's been ages since I last blogged...

I don't know if I've lost the touch or not, but I am seriously working towards building this blog presence here. One could almost say that in the past few months, I've had a lot of time to think and process things, and now I know which direction I have to take. Have I found my way? Maybe... Life is a journey to be undertaken and explored, and mine continues, with what hopefully is a new beginning here.

So who am I? I can tell you that in the past, I have been many things. But that's the past, innit? It's the present, and the future, that really matters.

So I am Zee Monodee, and yes, that's my real name. Zee is a shortened version of my name, actually, and the one everybody uses to address me. I say this because in the past, I have used pen names to represent my works. These are the ones you could've known me by: Aasiyah Qamar & Nolwynn Ardennes. And these are the books I've had come out:


But then it became time to take stock of my life, to figure out where I was going and how I was getting there. Some incidents (that I won't delve into here, as they haven't been pleasant) have shown me the true face and facet of many a person and components of my life and career. In a way, I am glad these incidents happened, because after the hurt and the bleeding, it was actually kinda liberating. No more pretense - I would just be me and that was that!

So here I am - me. Who's me? Total domestic non-goddess, computer and Internet slave, imperfect mum, struggling wife, and also a woman on the fence because I have one foot tied to tradition and culture and the other embracing a no-barriers globalised world (okay, picturally, I am sitting on that fence, yes!).

And what about my writing? Well, it's right there with me on that fence. Some of it lies in the realm of tradition and culture, some of it is fully globalised, and some is a mix of both. Think Bend It Like Beckham for the culture/lifestyle and love issues, Wanted for the action and edgy feel, It's Complicated for the comedy vibe, and a crossover between them as my brand. Doesn't make sense? Well, stay tuned as I'll talk more about my writings here!

What else can you expect? For a first, I'm gonna try blogging every day of the week. Yes, I mean that!

Monday - catch some mishaps and other happenings of the weekend where life, mommi-hood and writer's crazy lifestyle are concerned. Warning - these could get very personal!

Tuesday - a little something about my current WIP. Can be a link, a few words from my neurotic muse, or else it can be a spotlight on a story/book/movie that has grabbed me and made me want to share.

Wednesay - the writing day. Not to dredge up the past but I did contribute to a writing blog not so long ago and I have worked as an editor for a while. I'll post some writing-related tip/analysis/advice here. Use or lose!

Thursday - I admitted that I'm an Internet junkie. Among my treks, I come across a ton of articles that help me to understand people and write better characters. Here's where I'll feature one such link every week.

Friday - my writing-of-the-week recap day (or the day when my CPs can come kick my arse for not getting much done!)

Oh yeah too - I write romance (if it doesn't have an HEA, not from me!). I don't write erotica or erotic romance (though I'm no prude and my stories do contain love scenes) and one of the settings you will find in a good many of my books is Mauritius, the island where I live, in the southern Indian Ocean (will tell you more in other posts).

There you are - my 'plan' for the future. I hope you'll find this place nice & informative enough to come by often. Do not hesitate to drop me a comment or two - the more the merrier!

From Mauritius with love,

Zee