Taran Dhillon holds a Post Graduate Certificate in Education, earned in London, and she currently resides in the charming West London town of Hounslow where she (like her character Maya) operates a specialized school that recognizes the uniqueness of each student’s gifts and needs. Ms. Dhillon has also provided no-cost counseling to her community for decades, first to her students, later to the parents of students, and ultimately to the greater Hounslow community.

Many attributes of Ms. Dhillon’s heroine Maya, indeed many of the scenes of Maya’s life as presented in the book you hold, reflect the real-life experiences of its author. For example, both Maya and Ms. Dhillon were Indian-born teen brides by way of arranged marriages, both women dwelt for more than a decade in Tanzania, and both have made devoted careers in the education of children.

Nectar of the Grateful Victim is Ms. Dhillon’s first published book, but she is already at work on additional volumes that will expand upon Maya’s story and will share greater detail about the philosophy and practice of Ms. Dhillon’s school and counseling in Hounslow.

Ms. Dhillon is quite fond of quoting Sir Winston Churchill’s declaration that "Success is enthusiasm in the face of repeated setbacks." In fact, Nectar of the Grateful Victim is Ms. Dhillon’s case in point that any one of us may choose between being a miserable victim of circumstances or a self-actualized creator of meaningful and lasting happiness.

Addressing this very issue, Ms. Dhillon recently said in an interview, "I have always believed that each of us steers his or her own life; you can choose the direction you want. In reality, there need be no victims, for we choose whether or not to be a victim. And I agree that we are a product of the past, yet today is easily within our grasp. My doctrine, if you wish to call it that, is to believe in the present... in the now. Furthermore, since each of us has the ability to control our own current actions, but not the actions of others, why waste time trying to reshape anyone else? Instead, be daringly creative by reshaping yourself and, in the process, voluntarily throw away your victim card once and for all."