The year 2020 was such a boost to me as a writer! With a poem published by OUP, a picture book, a chapter book, a middle-grade book and a collection of short stories, how could 2021 even hope to compete?
Even so, with two publications, an award shortlist, a book going into reprint and tons of reviews, 2021 was quite lovely too!
How Big Is a Whale Shark?
I wrote my first nonfiction picture book! It wasn’t easy, but I enjoyed the process tremendously. Best of all, though, are the stunning illustrations. Mandar Mhaskar made How Big Is a Whale Shark? what it is with a beautiful colour palette and humorous illustrations. I love the artwork!
Of course, the best part about being published on StoryWeaver is the number of languages into which the book gets translated. It’s already available in four languages and will soon (hopefully) be out in print!
The Best Idea of All
The Best Idea of All, published by Karadi Tales is my second chapter book. I love writing books of this length and I hope to write and publish many more! The first review of this book appeared not so long ago, and I’m waiting for it to reach more readers.
A little about the book:
Holi is around the corner! Antara, Tarini, and their friend Saira want to do something different. So they get plotting and come up with a wonderful idea. But will all go to plan?
Watch a reading of the book and make natural colours with me!
Neev Book Award Shortlist
Another highlight of my year in writing was being shortlisted for the prestigious Neev Book Award 2021. The Clockwala’s Clues didn’t win the award, but being on the shortlist for the first time was all kinds of special. I also thoroughly enjoyed the panel discussion about books for emerging readers with the other shortlisted authors.
The Clockwala’s Clues also went into its first reprint in February 2021 – just a couple of months after it was published. It’s gathered several reviews, found its way into bookstores, and altogether brought me so much delight!
Reviews
For anyone who writes to be published, the writing journey is complete only when books reach readers. And that’s why reviews are so precious! Here are a few reviews of books I wrote last year, which gave me the boost I needed to keep writing even through the silence of the publishing industry during the pandemic!
There were many, many more, but I’ll stop here. Hoping for a grand year of writing ahead!
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