 | | | Featured author Madeleine Singh, 12, speaks to students at Burton Valley Elementary School during a recent book fair. Photo provided
| | | | | | At age 12 (yes, 12!) with two novels under her belt, aspiring author Madeleine Singh is a young literary force to be reckoned with. She wrote her first novel, "Snowflakes in Paradise," when she was 11 years old. Writing in between swim practice and camp, Singh says the book took her "the entire summer."
"Snowflakes in Paradise" is about a girl who goes to Mexico, where it snows on her golden birthday, that extra special day when someone turns the age of her birth date. In the novel, the protagonist turns 11 on the 11th.
Singh wrote her second novel, "Solarman" over the course of a few months. This story, inspired by her swim team's mascot, is about the legend of Solarman, who falls from the sun to the earth and makes a hole upon impact, thus creating a swimming pool. Singh found the legend intriguing, particularly because of what it leaves out. She developed the short legend into a full-length novel.
Writing "Solarman" was easier than writing her first novel, she says, because the story was already laid out for her. However, what Singh finds most exciting about writing is getting to control the events. Reading is her favorite hobby, but sometimes she reads and wishes the plot would turn out differently. "As an author, I get to influence the story," she says.
A former Burton Valley Elementary student, the Stanley Middle School sixth-grader gave copies of her books to her former teachers, and was asked by the teachers and the PTA to be a featured author at the Burton Valley Elementary Book Fair. She recently spoke at an assembly and read a couple chapters from "Snowflakes in Paradise" to all the third- and fourth-grade classes.
Singh started writing in the fourth grade, after a teacher gave her a creative writing assignment; when asked to write only a few pages, she would write over 20. Interestingly, writing is one of her least favorite subjects, even though she loves to write outside of the classroom.
"In school they make us write the same thing over and over, rewriting rough drafts, instead of writing how we want," she says. Singh prefers her physical education and art classes. In addition to being a burgeoning author, she is an athlete and an artist. She designed the covers for both her books, which were self-published, and even designed and created her own website.
Singh and her parents are currently editing her third novel, "Pals with Paws," about a make believe city where unwanted stray dogs are put up for adoption.
To learn more about Singh and her books, visit www.madeleinesingh.com.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA