I am thrilled to announce that my debut fiction work, Watermark: A Novel of the Middle Ages, has just been released! ?The book has already earned advanced praise from Booklist, the Library Journal and a number of prominent writers.

Watermark is the story of Auda, the daughter of a papermaker in a small French village in the year 1320. ?Mute from birth and forced to shun normal society, young Auda finds solace and escape in the wonder of the written word. Believed to be cursed by those who embrace ignorance and superstition, Auda’s very survival is a testament to the strength of her spirit. But this is an age of Inquisition and intolerance, when difference and defiance are punishable “sins” and new ideas are considered damnable heresy. Auda’s questions about her world, conveyed through poetry written on her father’s paper, brings her into contact with dangerous elements—the ruling nobility, the Church, a band of heretics, and a painter with troubles of his own. When darkness descends upon her world, Auda?newly grown to womanhood?is forced to flee, setting off on a remarkable quest to discover love and a new sense of self . . . and to reclaim her heritage and the small glory of her father’s art.

Check out further details about the book, and read reviews and an excerpt, at http://www.vanithasankaran.com. ?Watermark, published by HarperCollins, is now available in major bookstores and through online booksellers.?Bay Books is carrying copies locally.

Word of mouth is so important for authors these days.  If this appeals to you, or someone you know, please pass it along!