Anika Ann Anil generates and shuffles sporadic ideas for upcoming poetry and stories right before bedtime. She records little bits of information in her cherished notebooks after awakening. She has been doing this since she was six years old. Her parents had no idea that their daughter would become a published novelist and that these “snippets” would eventually develop into a complete book.

The 12-year-old’s debut book, The Magic in Poems and Stories, was just published. It is a collection of all of her previous works.

Like all writers, Anil’s desire to write is a result of her reading habits. While other children her age preferred screen time, Emily, a fan of the Harry Potter series, decided to read books instead.

“Anil has always been an avid reader. Even when she was young, she had a curious mind and often asked a lot of questions. Perhaps she found a way to figure out the answers on her own through reading,” says Lizabeth Abraham, her mother.

Ruskin Bond and Sudha Murthy are at the top of her list of favourite writers. “Their stories are naturally humorous and profoundly reflective,” says Anil.

The youngster credits her parents for instilling a love for reading in her. “They are my source of motivation. They encouraged me to write and sometimes, gave me suggestions to improve my work as well. But they never pushed me to incorporate any of them. They wanted my writing to be authentic. This way, I felt that I had the room to make mistakes and grow,” she says.

Abraham, who owns a Montessori preschool, has integrated reading into the kids’ class time routine after being inspired by her daughter’s propensity for reading and writing.

“I have noticed how reading makes these children more and more curious about their surroundings and the world. I have hence bought more books for these children,” she says.

Apart from reading and writing, Anil loves dancing as well.

When asked if she wanted to pursue a career in English literature in the future, the young author says in a confident tone, “I want to be a voice-over artist too, but mostly an author.”