The Power of the Pen: CIS student donates profits from her first published book to children’s charity

 

Shriya Asha Sharma may only be 10 years old, but she has big dreams — and an even bigger heart. In January 2021, she realised her dream of becoming a published author, with the release of her first book “Unicorn Adventures: The Dark Forest”. She has also pledged to donate book sale profits to the Singapore Children’s Society. We sat down with Shriya to find out more about how she harnessed her creativity to make a difference to society.

Tell us about your book.

This book is about friendship, skills and adventure. The story is set in the magical land of Unitopia and follows the adventure of three unicorn friends: Miso, Milky and Mocha. The three friends each have a special skill and, using their combined skills and smarts, they try to overcome the various challenges in the cursed dark forest.

Why did you decide to take such a big step?

I love reading and have always been fascinated by authors like JK Rowling and Shannon Messenger. I talked to my father about a story idea I had, and he encouraged me to write down my thoughts. When I started writing, I didn’t think we could get the book published. As I kept working, the story took shape and became a proper book. So, what seemed like a big step was actually just a series of small steps.

What inspired you to pledge your book sale profits to a charity that supports education for underprivileged children?

As I embarked on this writing journey, I became aware that many children around the world don’t know how to read because they don’t have access to education. The COVID-19 pandemic and school closures have sadly worsened the situation.

How long did you take to write and illustrate it?

The writing process took about nine months. Once I’d finished, the next step was publishing. My father did a lot of research to find a publisher and professional illustrator. I then worked closely with the editor and illustrator to create the final version of the book. This was a challenging but interesting process as I had to share the description of the characters with Rebecca, our illustrator, to really bring them to life.

To purchase Shriya’s book click here. For more information on CIS and our primary school literacy programme click here.