Right after the sixth standard, Archit Nangavaram started a summer writing project. “My English teacher, the previous year had made writing seem fun and so I first tried my hand at poetry. I then started writing the story of Danny Oakwood, an average boy who discovers that he has magic powers,” says the 13-year-old who lives in South Texas.
On sharing some of his work with his family, Archit was encouraged to keep at it, and in about six months, his first book, Ignition: The Chronicles of Danny Oakwood , was ready. The protagonist, Danny Oakwood, has been inspired by characters from the Percy Jackson and the Harry Potter series says the young author, who comes back to his roots in India every six months.
“I made him the kind of person I would love to be in real life, but obviously can’t be,” he laughs, referring to the fact that Danny gets expelled from his dreadful boarding school and goes on to fight a dragon with his magical powers. Apart from writing, Archit is like any other teenage boy — he hangs out with friends and plays basketball, but also spends a lot of time doing school work. The hard work shows: he is a Duke TIP (Talent Identification Program) scholar and has received the President’s Award for Academics.
His first book is part of a trilogy, says Archit, adding that the second book is ready. He will start work on the final book shortly. Ignition is available online on Amazon.com
