Blood Caste. Shylashri Shankar
(Canelo Crime.2025)
One of the great pleasures of running the Spotlight First Novel Award is sharing the news of a promising new writer breaking through. Billed as the crime debut of the year, Blood Caste by Spotlight winner Shylashri Shankar was always one to watch.
Blood Caste was the runaway winner of Spotlight 2022. It jumped out of a great shortlist because it contained all the key ingredients for success.
What are the key elements of successful fiction?
Shylashri’s novel updates the murder mystery and casts fresh light on familiar territory. Blood Caste is set in India at the time of the British Raj. It presents a fascinating picture of a city at a pivotal moment. This is one of those instances of an irresistible combination of a wonderfully evocative title and a fresh take on traditional tropes—the impact of the British in India (from an Indian viewpoint) with that most British of forms—the detective novel. The introduction of the Ripper, so far away from Whitechapel draws out a web of connections that throws fresh light on both Empire and subject.
Spotlight First Novel Award
Spotlight First Novel Award was set up to support new writers at the sometimes tricky limbo prior to publication. As part of the award, Shylashri won a Stage-One mentoring package and a profile page. She joins the growing list of previous winners now published, including Zoe Gilbert, Kate Swindlehurst, Philip Bowne and Anne Madden.
Shylashri Shankar on Spotlight.
‘I absolutely loved working with you. I learned so much and gained a lot of confidence in my writing.’
How does mentoring work?
Mentoring is a wonderful way for experienced writers to pass on their knowledge and skills. The writer gains valuable distance from their work and the mentor is challenged to articulate key aspects of the writing process anew. Blood Caste was always a novel with potential for broad international appeal. In our sessions we talked about how best to realise that potential, given the scale and ambition involved. We follow a tried and tested two-tier approach, which also usefully prefigures the way publishers work with writers.
Read more about Shylashri Shankar, Blood Caste and the Spotlight process here.
What happens next?
Of course, the key ingredients are just the starting point of turning a manuscript into a publishing success. Writing a novel and seeing it through to publication takes passion, commitment and stamina. What happens in the process to full realization? How do you know when your manuscript is ready to face the world?
We asked Shylashri Shankar for a few tips:
On building confidence and instilling depth
‘The unconscious contains many stories, all fully formed. The process of writing and finding an aspect of oneself uncovers a particular story. I used meditation to connect with my unconscious, did proprioceptive writing (pose a question and then write for twenty minutes whatever comes into your mind), and practiced reading slowly and with my body. So use any method to dig deep within yourself to find out what you want to say, then find a good teacher who can help you learn the craft of saying it, trust the process, finish the story, and above all, have fun with it.’
The journey to publication
‘Make the book the best you can, believe in its worth, and send it out to competitions, and hope for the alchemy of luck and timing that guarantees success with agents and publishers. While I was lucky enough to land an agent quickly (winning the Spotlight Award helped, I think), the submissions to publishers took time. In the first round, I received some similarly worded rejections—they couldn’t connect completely with my main character. I realised why and revised. In the next round, several editors were enthusiastic, but there were other factors at play including a health crisis, a shrinking niche market for historical fiction, the presence of other similar authors in the publisher’s stable etc. But all it takes is one resounding ‘yes’ when your book connects with an enthusiastic editor and the whole team. It is crucial not to give up hope and to keep believing in your book, but at the same time it is also crucial to begin working on your next novel. Focus on the things you can control and forget the rest—that was my mantra, and it made the whole process fun and creative.’
Next Steps
As Blood Caste makes it way into the world, we wish Shylashri continuing success with the next stages, and the adoption of the next new crucial skill set—publicity!
Blood Caste is already attracting rave reviews.
‘Engrossing and evocative, extensively researched and tightly plotted, Blood Caste is an atmospheric exploration of a series of terrible murders in the princely state of Hyderabad, during the times of the British Raj.’
Harini Nagendra, author of The Bangalore Detectives Club series
Blood Caste is available for pre-order now.
Read more about mentoring packages here.
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