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Anita Shirodkar graduated with a degree in Applied Arts from Sophia Polytechnic in Mumbai, where she was accepted at the tender age of 13. Post graduation, she spent 20 years as an Art Director at various advertising agencies both in India, and abroad. She gave up a full-time job to pursue her role as a mother. Three years ago, Anita discovered her passion for writing and started penning contemporary fiction. After successfully publishing three books, her latest book Aryavir - the first of a powerful, mythological trilogy- The Guardians of the Blue Lotus published in May 2017. Shirodkar divides her time between Mumbai and Dubai and her interests include painting, gastronomy, photography and spiritual pursuits. She is a self-confessed foodie.

Early Life and Education
Anita Shirodkar was born on the 3rd of October, 1960. Hailing from a naval family, she went to multiple schools across India. She then went on to doing one year of schooling in Russia and later completed her O levels from London University. Shirodkar graduated with a degree in Applied Arts from Sophia Polytechnic in Mumbai in 1979. Anita has one sibling- her sister is writer Madhuri Iyer.

Career
Post her graduation, Anita spent 20 years as an Art Director and later Creative Director at advertising agencies in India and abroad. Some of the agencies she worked for are Trikaya (Mumbai), Lintas (Dubai), Pangulf Publicity (Dubai) and Mudra (Mumbai). A spate of freelance design and writing assignments encompassed brochures, corporate identity design, store design, and a coffee table book on India. She has done some freelance work for Khaleej Times and Gulf News (Dubai). Anita worked in destination management at Tour Club, and is currently creative consultant a to Tamarind Global, an Event and Destination Management Company, which gives her the opportunity to indulge her passion for travel. She has spent a lot of time travelling and absorbing all kinds of world cuisine, which has also led her to ghost writing a cookbook for a nutritionist.

"Writing was a natural extension of my creative expression, especially the travel writing."

In 2013, Anita discovered her passion for writing, and started off with a foray into contemporary fiction. Her first book Secrets and Second Chances was published in the year 2014, after which she went on to writing two more contemporary fiction books; Nights in Pink Satin (2015) and Adriana's Smile (2016). Her latest book Aryavir, published in May 2017, is the first of a powerful, mythological trilogy- The Guardians of the Blue Lotus.

Personal Life
Anita and her husband Mahesh Shirodkar have been married for 32 years. Mahesh is in the hospitality, events and destination management space. They have two children; daughter Alisha Shirodkar Aggarwal, graduate of Stern Business School, NYU, Finance and Marketing and son Siddhant Shirodkar, who graduated from Northwestern University and is an independent musician.

Secrets and Second Chances
Tender, bittersweet and moving, Secrets and Second Chances is about the fragile threads that bind a mother and daughter and the brave choices a woman makes to follow her heart. Nandita Dharkar, a strikingly beautiful and talented architect, relocates to Mumbai from Delhi, seeking new horizons and compelling explanations about ghosts from her mother's past. As she revels in her newfound independence and forges new friendships, her job at a prestigious architect firm brings suave hotelier Aryan Rai into her life and she falls hopelessly in love with him, but when her best friend, the carelessly handsome Aditya Arora, suddenly lands on her doorstep, Nandita realizes how fickle the heart can be. In the midst of it all, she is unable to forget the mysterious letter she had discovered in her mother's jewellery box. When she embarks on a quest to find out the identity of the letter writer, shocking secrets about her mother's past come to the forefront. Will this shatter Nandita or will she heal through forgiveness?

Nights in Pink Satin
What happens when a heartbroken newly-wed girl writes an erotic, sexually charged story based on a cougar she knows? Simran Dandekar, the pretty daughter of a rich construction magnate from Nagpur, marries Siddharth, the good-looking scion of the Mumbai-based Raichand family, only to find out that her marriage is nothing more than a financial transaction, her husband is still not over his last heartbreak, and that the high society Mumbai which she has married into is a cesspool of extramarital affairs and torrid sexual encounters! Not one to shy away from taking inspiration when and where she finds it, Simran soon writes a spectacular tale of love and lust, even as she struggles hard to find both in her married life. But things spiral out of control when the anonymously published risqué potboiler becomes an instant best-seller. Just as her relationship with her husband begins to bloom, the controversial Nights in Pink Satin threatens to bring her down! Will Simran's literary aspirations bring her rewards, or bring her into disaster zone? Join Simran in Nights in Pink Satin, a warm, colourful story set in Mumbai's high society with entirely believable characters.

Adriana's Smile
In a plush highrise at Malabar Hill, Gabriella Sarin does a double-take when finds a crack in the precious old portrait of her mother hanging on the wall. Is Adriana trying to tell her something? When art restoration expert Nikki Sood is called to salvage the painting, she stumbles upon an unexpected secret that leads  all the way to a village in Chianti. Nikki also finds herself drawn to Gabriella's charming paying guest Arjun Malik, who may just restore her faith in true love. Replete with rich details of art history and intrigue, with a quiet romance brewing on the side, Adriana's Smile is an unputdownable novel that will leave you turning the pages as fast as you can. Released in e-book form on the app Readify which is currently under the testing phase.

Aryvair - The Guardians of the Blue Lotus 1
Aryavir is not an ordinary prince. Heir to the throne of Kamalkund, Aryavir is a Kamal Akshi - blue-eyed and blessed by the Indivara, a divine Blue Lotus that protects his kingdom. And yet Aryavir harbours a terrible secret about his fate. His family, led by his father, King Chiraksh, is bound by its own web of intrigue and ancient promises. The complexity of the family's past and present allegiances and the secrets each family member hides are set against the fact that Kamalkund has to fight off covetuous kings from across the borders who will do anything to control the powers of the Lotus. Meanwhile, as Aryavir, his faithful tiger Kar and friend Sitanshu fight their own battles, the kingdom is faced by clear and present danger. And the past unravels its mysteries unexpectedly. This classic tale pays homage to India's magnificent mythological heritage and, at its heart, is a story about the eternal human journey.