Eleven-year-old Induwari Wickramasinghe from Lyceum International School in Gampaha is looking forward to launching her debut novel ‘Eva and the Winter Nymphs’ on 10 September. The launching ceremony will take place at 12 p.m. at the Kandy City Centre. Induwari has been contributing short stories and illustrations to The Sunday Morning Little Stars since last year. She is also an illustrator and a music enthusiast who is dreaming of polishing her writing skills to become a successful author.
Q: Induwari, can you tell us about yourself?
A: My name is Induwari Udanya Wickramasinghe and I am 11 years old. I live in Weliweriya, Gampaha with my family. I have a brother. I go to Lyceum International School in Gampaha and I am moving on to grade seven this September. I like listening to music but mostly I like reading and writing stories. I love listening to songs, playing the organ, and singing.
Q: What kind of music do you listen to?
A: Pop music and classics like Beethoven and Mozart.
Q: Do you only play the organ?
No. Playing the organ is not my favourite thing. Since I spend most of my time in front of the computer writing stories, I don’t have much time in my schedule for playing an instrument. However, I sometimes enjoy singing while playing the organ. I go to piano class. I can play a few basic pieces since I am fairly new to learning this instrument.
Q: What is the last book you read?
A: I am currently reading the ‘Little House’ book series by Laura Ingalls Wilder and I am on the fifth book now. I just started the fifth book actually. Before that, I read ‘Famous Five’, ‘Malory Towers’, and my favourite book series ‘Harry Potter’ by J.K. Rowling.
Q: ‘Harry Potter’ is a book that has a lot of magical elements. ‘Little House’ is based on a real-life story. How do you find the difference between these two genres?
A: The two book series are very different from one another. ‘Little House’ is about Laura’s life experiences in old America. ‘Harry Potter’ is based on the magical alternative of our normal world. There is a big difference and I like it. But I think I like the magic in ‘Harry Potter’ a little bit more than the real-life stories.
Q: Is there a specific reason for you to like ‘Harry Potter’ more?
A: Well, when I start reading a ‘Harry Potter’ book, I can’t stop reading it. I love how J.K. Rowling has written the book and how she imagined all the magic. I also love how dialogues are formed in ‘Harry Potter’. They are very natural. It’s written in a way that children actually talk.
Q: What inspired you to start writing?
A: I started writing when I was in grade four. I was in a different school then. There, the teacher once told us to write a story and I attempted it. I think that’s the first story I ever wrote. Then I kind of realised that I am a good writer.
After coming to Lyceum, I met my friend Savidula, who is also a writer. We share a lot in common and she encouraged me to write more. In my free time, I started writing more and I joined ‘Amuthu Iskole Writers’ Club’ which is supervised by Ramith Dheerasekara.
Q: How does writing make you feel?
A: I like to write on the theme of magical fantasy. It makes me feel relaxed and happy most of the time. I put my worries aside when I write.
Q: Tell us about the book that you are planning to publish.
A: Well, it’s a book series called ‘Eva’s Adventures’ and this is the first book of the series and it’s called ‘Eva and the Winter Nymphs’. It’s about 10-year-old Eva whose eyes are completely silver in colour. She has to cover her eyes all the time; when her eyes are exposed to others, she gets into trouble. The books talk about how she faces her challenges and how she stops the bad things from happening because of the winter nymphs.
Q: You also designed the cover for the book.
A: The members of ‘Amuthu Iskole Writers’ Club’ usually ask me to illustrate their stories. I started to draw when I was really young. It was my first hobby. So I decided to do the cover for my book as well. I still do illustrations for the stories other members send me. That’s something I really enjoy doing.
Q: What’s your ambition Induwari?
A: I would like to become an author but I want to become an artist as well. There is a lot of debate going on inside my head so I haven’t really decided what I want to become when I am older. For now, I just do what I am supposed to do.
Q: So, what’s your short-term goal?
A: Publishing my book and seeing people reading and enjoying my book. I hope my book will become a success.
Q: Any supporters you want to thank?
A: My mother and my father help me a lot. They helped me a lot in publishing this book too. My friends encouraged me and supported me. Also, I want to thank Ramith Dheerasekara for teaching me how to write and for supporting my skills. I also want to thank Neo Graphics for doing an amazing job with my book. I really like how they’ve designed the book.
Q: Do you only play the organ?
No. Playing the organ is not my favourite thing. Since I spend most of my time in front of the computer writing stories, I don’t have much time in my schedule for playing an instrument. However, I sometimes enjoy singing while playing the organ. I go to piano class. I can play a few basic pieces since I am fairly new to learning this instrument.
Q: What is the last book you read?
A: I am currently reading the ‘Little House’ book series by Laura Ingalls Wilder and I am on the fifth book now. I just started the fifth book actually. Before that, I read ‘Famous Five’, ‘Malory Towers’, and my favourite book series ‘Harry Potter’ by J.K. Rowling.
Q: ‘Harry Potter’ is a book that has a lot of magical elements. ‘Little House’ is based on a real-life story. How do you find the difference between these two genres?
A: The two book series are very different from one another. ‘Little House’ is about Laura’s life experiences in old America. ‘Harry Potter’ is based on the magical alternative of our normal world. There is a big difference and I like it. But I think I like the magic in ‘Harry Potter’ a little bit more than the real-life stories.
Q: Is there a specific reason for you to like ‘Harry Potter’ more?
A: Well, when I start reading a ‘Harry Potter’ book, I can’t stop reading it. I love how J.K. Rowling has written the book and how she imagined all the magic. I also love how dialogues are formed in ‘Harry Potter’. They are very natural. It’s written in a way that children actually talk.
Q: What inspired you to start writing?
A: I started writing when I was in grade four. I was in a different school then. There, the teacher once told us to write a story and I attempted it. I think that’s the first story I ever wrote. Then I kind of realised that I am a good writer.
After coming to Lyceum, I met my friend Savidula, who is also a writer. We share a lot in common and she encouraged me to write more. In my free time, I started writing more and I joined ‘Amuthu Iskole Writers’ Club’ which is supervised by Ramith Dheerasekara.
Q: How does writing make you feel?
A: I like to write on the theme of magical fantasy. It makes me feel relaxed and happy most of the time. I put my worries aside when I write.
Q: Tell us about the book that you are planning to publish.
A: Well, it’s a book series called ‘Eva’s Adventures’ and this is the first book of the series and it’s called ‘Eva and the Winter Nymphs’. It’s about 10-year-old Eva whose eyes are completely silver in colour. She has to cover her eyes all the time; when her eyes are exposed to others, she gets into trouble. The books talk about how she faces her challenges and how she stops the bad things from happening because of the winter nymphs.
Q: You also designed the cover for the book.
A: The members of ‘Amuthu Iskole Writers’ Club’ usually ask me to illustrate their stories. I started to draw when I was really young. It was my first hobby. So I decided to do the cover for my book as well. I still do illustrations for the stories other members send me. That’s something I really enjoy doing.
Q: What’s your ambition Induwari?
A: I would like to become an author but I want to become an artist as well. There is a lot of debate going on inside my head so I haven’t really decided what I want to become when I am older. For now, I just do what I am supposed to do.
Q: So, what’s your short-term goal?
A: Publishing my book and seeing people reading and enjoying my book. I hope my book will become a success.
Q: Any supporters you want to thank?
A: My mother and my father help me a lot. They helped me a lot in publishing this book too. My friends encouraged me and supported me. Also, I want to thank Ramith Dheerasekara for teaching me how to write and for supporting my skills. I also want to thank Neo Graphics for doing an amazing job with my book. I really like how they’ve designed the book.