In Conversation with the Budding Author: Yamini Prashanth

Meet the budding author, Yamini Prashanth.

Yamini with her parents 

"Mishti" is a children's novella written by this 12 year old author, which is going to be published by Unicorn Books private limited and will be launched very soon. Yamini wrote "Mishti" when she was 11 years old. Her second book, which is a collection of short stories, is expected to hit the readers' desk shortly.

 Here is an interview with this young talent, Yamini Prashanth, for our readers.

Varsha: A warm welcome Yamini!

Yamini: Dear Varsha didi, first of all I would really like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your help and support.

                                 

Varsha: In today’s context when everyone of your age group is moving to read the stories like Harry Potter series; it’s encouraging to see a young and talented writer like you. However, are you ever tempted to any other genre of writing? 

Yamini: Yes, I am very tempted to try other genres, in fact I am currently writing a book titled "Daughter of Diana" which is completely different from "Mishti" and is for children who enjoy reading fantasy and action.

Varsha: Tell us what is ‘Mishti’ to you? How did you conceive the idea of writing Mishti?

Yamini: To me "Mishti" is just the life of a normal girl. It is my imagination of a perfect childhood and a perfect life. "Mishti" is inspired by Ruskin Bond. I am a huge fan of his and love the way he makes an ordinary person's life look so extraordinary and lovely. I wanted my main character to be simple yet, fun and interesting.

Varsha: How does it feel to achieve so much at such a young age?

Yamini: I am very thankful to God, for he bestowed such a wonderful talent upon me. I just feel extremely honoured to have gotten this opportunity … as the very thought of some child picking up my book and reading it is so thrilling. I want to thank my family, Unicorn Books Pvt. ltd. and every single person who has been with me in this journey.

Varsha: Tell us how did your interest in fiction develop?

Yamini: The credit goes to my father. He was the one who used to {and still does} tell me stories, carefully chose and buy lovely books for me to read. He encouraged me to read books belonging to different genres. He used to ask me to write the summary of every book that I finished reading. This helped me a lot. He got me the movies of the books that I had read, like Oliver Twist, Mary Poppins, and Treasure Island etc. and took me for a lot of musicals in London. All this helped me develop a love for reading and fiction.

Varsha: You were all of eleven when you started writing. Tell us more about your story?

Yamini: Yes, I was eleven, when I wrote my first book, "Mishti". There are many children like me, who don't like Harry Potter and who would enjoy reading simple, heartwarming stories. I am not averse to mystery/adventure/fantasy. In fact I love Percy Jackson. I finished reading the entire series in one month and am eagerly waiting for the new book to arrive. But before I got introduced to Percy Jackson books and developed a liking for them, I used to make many trips to various book shops and would get frustrated on not finding any book to my liking. Many of my friends said the same thing. I had finished reading all the classics, Enid Blyton books, Ruskin Bond books, Shakespeare, Arabian Nights, Greek, Roman and Indian mythology, Charles Dickens, Rudyard Kipling, R.K. Narayan, .......but what next??  That’s when one evening, after my 11th birthday, during my summer vacations, I decided to write a story of my own. That's how "Mishti" happened.

Varsha: From where do you get the passion for writing? Tell me which facet of writing excites you the most?

Yamini: My passion for writing comes from my love for English and books. It gives a lot of satisfaction when you are able to convert your ideas into words and when you write you just get transported into another world. Your characters are moving all around you and you are both the spectator as well as the wire puller. I love to use different words, especially to express humour. Sometimes, sheer boredom steers me towards writing. When I've finished reading all the books at home, when my studies and homework are all done and dusted, when there's nothing even mildly interesting on television and the weather is awful outside- that's when I sit on my laptop and start working on my book. Being the hyperactive girl that I am, the only option left is some sort of creative work.

Varsha: Name one historical and one contemporary novelist whose works inspired you?

Yamini: Historical- Enid Blyton and Shakespeare are my favourite authors and my biggest inspirations {Comedy of Errors is my favourite!} contemporary- Ruskin Bond and Rick Riordan.

Varsha: Apart from novels, what are your other interests?

Yamini: The only books I like besides novels are comics. I love reading Calvin and Hobbes.

Varsha: Would you tell us something about your upcoming anthology of short stories?

Yamini:  The book is about two children spending a most memorable weekend with their granny who lives in a beautiful beach house, but all alone. The children and granny undertake some pretty routine outings- to the grocery store, library, and the sandwich shack- but what is, most touching is the stories that granny shares with the children. This book is meant for 7-9 year old kids.

Varsha: I am sure there are many more plans; many wonderful creations to come through your creative mind. Tell us what is next in the list?

Yamini: As I have mentioned earlier, I am currently working on a book called "Daughter of Diana". It's going to take me quite some time to finish writing this because it isn't as simple as my earlier books. I have to do a lot of thinking as the story is a little complicated. I am also writing a book called "Mulberry Meadows" which is a story about 5 horses living in a stable.

Varsha: That was very nice talking to you Yamini. Thanks for sparing some time for us and Best Wishes for your future endeavours.

Yamini: Thank you.