A Long Break

but I'm back now...

For a while, I wasn’t sure what to write on my blog. And then, I moved to Substack and everything felt more confusing. But now I’m back and will be blogging regularly or should I say stacking regularly.

Right here, is my first post half-way through 2024.

So far 2024 has been a busy year. I had three books come out in the first three months.

First in January, Nikhil and Jay Flying High, the fourth book in the Nikhil and Jay series illustrated by Soofiya was published.

I did a number of events when the book came out, notably during the Imagine Festival at Southbank and at the Winchester Festival too.

Then in February, my first picture book with Walker Books came out. It’s a lullaby inspired by nature and traditional and folk lullabies in Tamil. It’s a book perfect to read aloud. It’s Time to Hush and Say GoodNight is told in verse and beautifully illustrated by Sandhya Prabhat.

Even though it is a lullaby, I loved performing it for toddlers and their parents at West Norwood Library and Discover Story Centre in Stratford, London.

And then the most-awaited first book in the Ballet Besties series, Yara’s Chance to Dance, was out in March. I co-wrote this with Yasmine Naghdi, the principal ballerina of the Royal Ballet and the series is illustrated by Paula Franco. Our second book will be out in autumn, but more on that, in the coming weeks. We launched the book at Brixton Library with the amazing librarian Zoey Dixon and inclusive bookseller Roundtable Books.

Now you’re all caught up with the new book news. And due to this triple bonanza this year, in the first three months, it has been a whirlwind of new book activities, school visits and more. I’m working on many new projects too and I’ll be telling you all about it soon!

Until next time, I hope you get to read these books! Check out my Instagram for some behind the scenes and school visit photos.

I’ll be back with more updates soon! I leave you with a little reading from Nikhil and Jay Flying High.