A twisted dark mind is always intriguing, especially if it belongs to a female who kills as an artiste. The Raptor Rising by Anjali Joshi is a murder mystery revolving around an alpha woman of beauty and incredible skills, who rakes in millions. She has turned murder into an art and puts a cop under the cross-hairs, little knowing that he too is a Raptor waiting to rise from the dark. The duel is on.
Talking about her book, the author says, “The protagonist — a serial killer — is an alpha woman who is unapologetic and relentless in her kills. Her victims are always alpha males, adversaries who could easily out-power and outmanoeuvre her. Her technique is sex-kills.”
Anjali says, “I use sex as a scalpel to slice into the human psyche; inside is a delightfully boiling cauldron of emotion, intention, instinct and strategy — a wonderful storytelling tool.”
She says her story stands just at the edge of reality. “It’s something that could be pulled off even as we speak. That’s what makes it a gripping and fast-paced read,” she explains, adding, “My writing style is more of visualisation than description — creating a poetic scenario moving across different countries like India, Japan and Hawaii.”
The vibrant hues of the cover are eye-catching. Anjali says, “The cover has received a lot of appreciation. It was created by the American graphic artist John Lutheran. I wanted something in the gothic style but without the dark overtones. I also wanted an image that was not just a book cover but an independent piece of art. And he got it just right.”
It is not only the cover of the book that stands out, Anjali has given a quirky twist to how she promoted the book too. “Being a filmmaker, creating a kickass book promotion video was a given,” she says. The recently released video is drawing readers.
Anjali was born in Bombay and grew up there, but is now settled in Hyderabad. “My first job at the age of 19 was as an air hostess. I spent the next five years wandering like a gypsy across the world, connecting with strangers from different cultures and races. The many faces I saw and personalities I encountered have unconsciously seeped into the characters I create,” shares Anjali who has also been in the film industry for more than two decades. She has worked on various ad films and Bollywood movies such as 16 December, Tango Charlie, Rudraksh and Mukhbiir with director Mani Shankar in various capacities. That’s not all, Anjali is one of the few to work on 3D holographic political campaigns. Till date, her company has done more than 6,000 such campaigns across the world.
Talking of her future plans, Anjali says, “The book will definitely be made into a feature film soon, it’s just a matter of time due to the COVID-19 situation. And, as soon as I finished The Raptor Rising, I started writing a sequel to it.”
