Swimming Through Clouds: A Contemporary Young Adult Novel

AWARDS: B.R.A.G. Medallion Recipient 2014
Finalist (2nd Place) NORWA (YA Fiction) 2012
Finalist Women of Faith Full Manuscript 2012
Finalist Wisconsin RWA Honorable Mention (YA Fiction) 2012
Editorial Reviews:
"With beautifully crafted poetic prose, author Rajdeep Paulus weaves fear and tragedy, hope and romance through a story that dictates you endure emotional anguish right along with her characters. A work of art."
~USA TODAY (HEA), Reviewer Serena Chase, author of Eyes of E'veria Series

"Swimming Through Clouds is a tough book. It's about hope and kindness, but it's also about child abuse, human-trafficking, domestic violence, and the isolation that can be part of immigrant life. Despair and cruelty haunt its pages. Raj's most heroic characters find the strength to be compassionate at moments when it would be much easier to stand by and do nothing."
~AMAZON, Feature Story February 2015, Editor at Amazon
Praise for Swimming Through Clouds:

"Tough and touching, resilient and raw -- Rajdeep Paulus has crafted a story of love and abuse with the deft touch of a master. SWIMMING THROUGH CLOUDS is profound, but never preachy. Paulus never allows her characters to be anything less than real and she never averts her pen from the realities that face far too many women and children." ~Tosca Lee, NY Times bestselling author of HAVAH and The Books of Mortals series with Ted Dekker


"Paulus is an exceptional writer! The essence of the human spirit are illuminated through the characters who come to life in each page. Paulus captures the heart of the reader in SWIMMING THROUGH CLOUDS." ~Diana Mao, President of Nomi Network

"Difficult to read, but even more difficult to put down."
~Brown Girl Magazine
"Should be read by everyone... men, women, young, and old."
~Masalamommas Review, Angie Seth
"This patient, subtle romance is intimate and enticing."
~Talking Cranes

"SWIMMING THROUGH CLOUDS is a heart-wrenching story of both suffering and courage. This book will haunt you long after you finish it." - Darby Karchut, author of Griffin Rising and Finn Finnegan


"I'm trapped in the middle of someone's life... And it's only just begun! I need more!!!" ~Teen Reader

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"I live in the in between. Between what if and what is. It's how I manage. It's the only way I know. Everyone has a way. This is mine."


Senior year kicks off when the words on a Post-it note spark a sticky romance between two unlikely friends. Transfer student Talia Vanderbilt has one goal at her new school: to blend in with the walls. Basketball captain and mathlete Lagan Desai moves one thing to the top of his list: befriend the new girl. One Post-it note at a time, Lagan patiently moves past Talia's caution-taped heart, revealing a world where hope seems to lie around the corner she never turns.

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RAJDEEP PAULUS decided to be a writer during her junior year in high school after her English teacher gave her an "F" but told her she had potential. She studied English Literature at Northwestern University and lives in New York with her Sunshine and four princesses. When Paulus is not tapping on her Mac, you can find her dancing with her girls, kayaking with her hubs, coaching basketball, or eating dark chocolate while sipping a frothy, sugar-free latte. Raj writes masala-marinated, Young Adult Fiction and blogs at rajdeeppaulus dot com. Find her @rajdeeppaulus on Twitter.