Memorializing my achievements as an author.
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Somehow, it feels like a whirlwind chapter in the story of my life.
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Looking forward to what comes next 😊
Pic credit: @by_jeeves
I just realised I don't have a single post on my feed featuring all my books! So here's my rather amateur canva attempt lol.
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I may be too shy to talk about it, and sometimes feel invisible as an author, but I really am proud of my book babies! 🥰
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I AM KAVI is a middle-grade verse novel and is also historical fiction loosely based on my own experiences. It features a flawed but lovable protagonist dealing with big changes. Released September 2023 by @holidayhousebks
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MY BEST FRIEND'S BANGLES is a picture book about two besties whose moms work overseas and who need to work through feelings of loneliness and jealousy when only one of their moms return. Released June 2024 by @simonkids
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CROSSING THE FINISH LINE is a nonfiction picture book biography about Sri Lankan Olympian Ranatunga Karunananda and the ways we define winning. It'll be out this June from @unionsqandco (preorder link in bio!)
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All the books are set in Sri Lanka, featuring Sri Lankans 🇱🇰
Humbled to be featured in this great piece by Adilah Ismail (@thegutterflower ) in The Hindu alongside some wonderful Sri Lankan writers.
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Graphic credit @shehankarubooks
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Link in bio!
Suba aluth avuruddak vewa!☀️
Puthaandu vazthukkal!🪔
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Although urban living in Colombo as a child and now living out of Sri Lanka had led to us doing less and less customs over the years, it's always nice to honour our heritage and traditions in whichever ways we can.
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So we laid the table and wore traditional outfits, trying to incorporate as much red (the official colour of this new year) as possible, watched the milk overflow on the stove, lit the lamp, and ate kiribath and other traditional goodies together at the auspicious time. Oh, and the kids got cash gifts, although they would say the best gift was getting a day off from school 😏
So many messages from family, friends, and even those I haven't spoken to in years asking if we're okay! This past week has been yet another surreal experience to add to the many we have been through this past decade. Thank you for caring, but honestly, it is a reminder of how much worse it is for most.
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Anyway, for those who haven't got more than a "We're okay!" reply -or none, forgive me 🙈- I wrote about it on my Substack! Link in bio 👆🏾
We are remote learning today and this was one of my 7-year-old's tasks. A basic concept in writing. Something I never knew about till I started pursuing writing as a craft a few years ago, in my thirties! It's not something I learned even in Sinhala lessons, which was the language I studied in.
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What amazing things we would all be capable of if we all had the same resources...
Clink! Clink!
(Post 1/3)
I haven't expressed my love for this story enough on my feed, and I'm about to change that!
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Jealousy is not an easy feeling to understand or explain. Sometimes it's envy, sometimes loneliness, sometimes hurt.
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In this spread of My Best Friend's Bangles, illustrator @maithiliart has captured Selvi's emotions so well. She is feeling ALL the feelings and poor Divya has no idea what she is about to unleash 😅
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My daughter recently told me about an incident at school and when I asked her how it made her feel, she didn't hesitate much before naming it. "Jealous", she said, frankly and unashamedly. I know it's because of this book that she was able to do that and it made me glad.
Just two authors, holding up each other's books. But it's Kiran Desai! 😍
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Grateful to @guqatar for these moments of free accessibility to world class authors 🙏🏾 Their Qalam series is something I will now look forward to.
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Also, she ran out of room to write my name in her unique flowy handwriting 😄
Absolutely enraptured by Adania Shibli's eloquent words at an author talk I attended today. I love that she uses silence as a statement in her writing, about how there's power in what is unsaid. Her determination to challenge the colonised version of what a story should look like and how it's told is inspiring. It's something I've thought of when it comes to my own writing, how we have heard stories as children, and now, as adults, how we have been conditioned to write them for an audience who heard them differently...
It also seemed fitting that I listened to stories relating to the Palestinian Nakba which happened in 1948, the same year that Sri Lanka gained independence from the British, on February 4th. Today.
Many more thoughts to process but had to memorialise this moment!
Got the happy news a while back which I am only getting around to sharing now! I AM KAVI has been shortlisted for the Panda Book Awards 2025/2026, a prestigious award in China where over 40 International schools participate and vote on.
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I love that it's a "celebration of books from around the world with a focus on diversity, equity, inclusion, social justice, and belonging" which are all important themes in I Am Kavi and so important to me personally.
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I have felt a bit adrift since becoming an author, never really being able to share my wins in an environment that celebrates them, but these reminders from thousands of miles away are always a bright spot in my career 🥰
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Also, super proud to be the only Sri Lankan rep in the whole list! So many great books to add to my tbr too! More details at the link on the first pic.
