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Young author weaves fantastic tale

Aditi moved a lot as a child due to her father's transferable bank job and that meant several different cities and different schools.

Young author Aditi Krishnakumar just turned two books old with the newest addition to her kitty – The Magicians of Madh. The story line weaves fantasy and mythology into a gripping tale of suspense revolving around the Royal Academy of Science, Magic and the Arts with its two main characters Meenakshi and Kalban trying to get to the bottom of it all. DC got in touch with the author to spill the beans on her life, her love for writing, her favourite reads and more.

Aditi moved a lot as a child due to her father’s transferable bank job and that meant several different cities and different schools. While it could occasionally be unsettling, Aditi thought “it was also nice to be able to get to know a variety of places.”

With her love for books, writing was a natural progression to the author. “I think it's the first thing I ever seriously wanted to do” says Aditi. “I quite like Maths and I'd love to get my Masters in it, though I'm not quite sure when I'll be able to” says Aditi who enjoys painting and swimming as well. “I'm learning to play the piano, which is quite a nice way to relax.” She adds.

Speaking about how she thinks The Magicians of Madh would appeal to the readers, she says: “I like to think that people will have a good time reading the book. It's a light hearted and funny fantasy, not meant to be taken too seriously. While it is aimed at middle-grade readers, I believe that adults too can enjoy children's books and I certainly hope they'd enjoy this one if they read it.”

When asked about where she drew inspiration from for her latest book, she revealed that it came from all over the place. “I've always loved fantasy and mythology, and there are elements of both in the story. I also wanted a strong female lead and the way Meenakshi came into my head, she was a delightful character to write,” she explained.

Well, for a lot of readers, the Royal Academy of Science, Magic and the Arts would definitely make them think about Hogwarts from the Harry Potter series.“It's similar perhaps in being a fantasy with younger leads and a semi-academic setting. Harry Potter is of course much wider in scope.” she explains.

Talking about her two lead main characters in the book, she says: “Meenakshi is academically bright and gifted at magic, but not great with people. Kalban thinks she's a bit naive. Kalban is very good with people and has a great deal of sound common sense. Meenakshi thinks he sees ulterior motives in everything.”

Aditi loved reading everything she could get her hands on as a child.

“All the usual, of course, Enid Blyton and Roald Dahl and so on. The Boxcar Children were a very early favourite.” she reveals.

Aditi loves both fantasy and mythology. She also enjoy science fiction, mystery and historical novels. She’s trying her hands on adventure for her next book but she hasn’t had enough of fantasy yet.

“Codex: The Lost Treasure of the Indus is an adventure story that I'm hoping will be out fairly soon. I'm also working on a couple of other things - one is a fantasy. I'll have to see what shape they take and which ends up being finished first.”, says Aditi.

The author would love to write non-fiction someday when she gets more time for all the research it needs. “It would probably be on comparative mythologies... though it would be hard to live up to Joseph Campbell, wouldn't it?” muses Aditi.

Aditi hopes The Magicians of Madh will make people's days a little better, even if the only way it does that is to amuse them for the short time they read it.

( Source : Deccan Chronicle. )
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