Blog | Punita Rice on Research, Fiction & Writing

The River’s Daughter is an Amazon #1 Bestseller + Local Event Details

September 11, 2025

I’m so excited to share that thanks to all of you… The River’s Daughter has officially become an Amazon #1 Bestseller in Asian Myth & Legend — and even reached…

Author Event + Book Signing at Barnes & Noble Ellicott City (September 20, 2025)

September 1, 2025

I’m so excited to share that I’ll be at Barnes & Noble – Ellicott City on Saturday, September 20 at 1pm for an author event, signing copies of both The…

The Story of Mirza Sahiba

July 18, 2025

How the story of Mirza and Sahiba inspired "The River's Daughter," a novel of rebellion, magic, and forbidden love.

The River’s Daughter is Here

July 15, 2025

It’s been a long time since I last shared a personal update here! Visitors to this blog are probably familiar with my research on South Asian American experiences in schools,…

Movie Romance Tropes I Love (& how they go with my novel The River’s Daughter)

July 13, 2025

I grew up on Bollywood movies, so I love, love, love romance scenes, especially scenes that capture yearning/longing. And so naturally, some of my favorite kinds of romance tropes made…

My Favorite Time Travel Books

March 18, 2025

Why I love time travel stories, from Sweet Valley Twins to The Time Traveler's Wife, and other stories about time, love, and memory.

Things to Know Before you Self-Publish your Book

March 15, 2025

Self-publishing is easy, but doing it well requires more than uploading to KDP. This guide covers what you need to get right before you publish your book.

Why YOU Should Write a Children’s Book for YOUR Kid (and How To!)

March 11, 2025

When my oldest was a toddler, I made him a book about a bunny who’s afraid of going to swim class (because he, like my son in real life) got…

Should Ed.D. Candidates Write a Book? (And how should they publish it?)

March 10, 2025

An honest guide from an Ed.D. on whether to write a book based on your dissertation, and why self-publishing might beat academic publishing.

The Brown Voices Reversion Saga: Why I Spent 5 Years Fighting to Get My Own Book Back

March 5, 2025

The full story of how I traditionally published my dissertation, watched it get priced out of its audience, and spent five years fighting to revert the rights.

How to Survive an Online Doctorate

March 1, 2025

What I learned doing an online Doctor of Education at Johns Hopkins (while working, sometimes pregnant, sometimes parenting a small kid). Plus advice from my classmates.

How I Studied for Doctoral Comps Using a Chalk Wall

February 9, 2025

I covered an entire wall in my house with chalk and paced past it with a baby strapped to me, reading aloud. Here's why it worked, and what it taught…

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