2025 was a spectacular year as a writer! The highlight was, of course, winning the Crossword Book Award 2025. Everyone knows how slow the publishing industry is, so it was also such a joy to have three books published this year, by three different publishers!
The Crossword Book Award ceremony was a grand, celebratory affair, and the fact that Denise Antao and I won the award for the best children’s fiction was a dream come true. Jury members Deepak Dalal, Deepa Agarwal and Anita Roy had the kindest things to say about our book The Wall Friends Club.
The Wall Friends Club
I’ve always loved epistolary novels, and I was thrilled when HarperCollins accepted The Wall Friends Club, a book written entirely in the form of letters shared by three young girls. With lovely, quirky doodles by Denise Antao, this book for ages 8-10 has received much love from readers and reviewers alike! I recently signed about a hundred copies of the book at the Chandigarh Children’s Literature Festival. What author could ask for more?
Think Big!
After five long years, I finally have another hOle book! I’ve long admired the hOle books, and I’m delighted that Duckbill published Think Big! in October this year. Mihir Joglekar’s illustrations make the book a treat, with joyful characters and a sense of fun and madness on every page.
The first review on Amazon is just here, and it’s lovely! Namrata Sadhvani says, ‘Some books just make you smile – I absolutely love the audacity and grit of little Geet, who wants to conquer the world, one competition at a time. A beautiful read about dreaming, trying, failing and rising again, but always working hard to make your dreams a success!
Nami and Jhalak: Stinkypur Guardians
Just before the end of the year, I managed to sneak in one more publication–Nami and Jhalak: Stinkypur Guardians. Illustrated by Priyankar Gupta, I hope that this is the first of a series of chapter books featuring Nami and Jhalak!
I love the title of the book, and for that, I must thank my editor Prerna Mathur. She insisted on a more catchy title than Saving Nala Park, as this book was originally called, and this one works so much better!
Lit Fests, Author Events, and School Visits
Just like in 2024, it was such a joy to travel extensively to schools and literature festivals! In January, I did a series of author events at Ruh Continuum School in Coimbatore. As the months went by, I did sessions in Delhi, Dimapur, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Chandigarh and Ahmedabad. I was even invited to the opening ceremony of the Asian Literary Festival in Brussels! From the White Owl Literature Festival in Nagaland to the Chandigarh Children’s Literature Festival; from the Neev Literature Festival in Bengaluru to Epicurious in Pune, each lit fest reminded me that we’re still actively creating a reading culture. And that is heart-warming!
My year in writing ended in the best possible way—with me signing a contract for my next middle-grade book, scheduled for release in October 2026. I also already have school visits scheduled for this month. Let’s see what else 2026 has in store for me!
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