Teenage author debuts with a thrilling tale

It was in December 2015 that an interesting story idea struck Aksharaa. She decided to jot it down in her diary. Then she penned her debut novel in about three months, as and when she found time. And on December 18, her first book Lost: The Capture (the first of The Key Series) was released in the presence of Australian Consulate General Sean Kelly, her school’s principal Ajeeth Prasath Jain and jewellery designer Minnie Menon. 

“After school, I used to come back and write down almost on a daily basis. In addition, whenever I got any free time, I would write it. I had pictured out the scenes and kept writing from time to time. It wasn’t very difficult to manage since I had the entire idea worked out and it was only a matter of how I conveyed it,” says Aksharaa. 

The young author tells us that she is fond of suspense thriller shows on television. She recollects that after she finished her first draft, she showed it to her friends at school and her parents. “They really liked it. I hadn’t even thought of getting it published. It was more like a hobby. But, after all of them encouraged me to give it a shot, I wanted to try it and somehow things fell into place,” she says. 

The debut novel is published by Story Mirror and the publishing house says that she is the youngest author they have worked with. On being asked about her favourite pastime and subjects in school, Aksharaa promptly responds, “I like writing in my free time. I also like to read as well. The novel was a result of my love for writing. I’d love to make as much time for it as possible.” 

When we ask her about her favourite subject in school, she puts forth, “I like to study all of them since every subject has its own relevance and significance. But I do find English incredibly easy and perhaps why I enjoy writing.”