Meet Lavanya Karthik, Creator of Ninja Nani series

   Lavanya Karthik lives in Mumbai where she writes, draws, eats a lot of cake and takes a lot of naps. She is the author of several picture books, including 'Neel on Wheels', which won the Children First Contest held by Duckbill Books and the Vidyasagar Trust. The 'Ninja Nani ' series, published by Duckbill, is her first foray into middle grade fiction.

 She joined us for a live chat on Kahani Takbak Facebook page last weekend. The following are the questions asked  by the participants of the chat:

Since you write in so many different formats--picture books, poetry, graphic novels, novels--what is your favourite reading format?

I love them all! I guess it depends on how I'm feeling that day, as there are days when I read nothing but comics, others when I will turn the house upside down for some specific paperback ..and days when only nonsense verse feels right.

do you think of yourself as an artist who writes or a writer who draws? Or do you just think of yourself as a runner to stops to make marks on paper sometimes?

DId I mention I swim too  :) A writer who draws, actually! I was writing long before I thought of drawing.

How challenging was it to write and illustrate a book? How long did you take to complete each of the Ninja Nani Books?

It was demanding, but in an enjoyable way. And since I was writing it, I could see the illustrations in my head, plot the sections that would be comics, visualise bits where the text would merge with an illustration. Each book was written over a couple of months, then furiously rewritten , after I made some basic changes to the plot and the voice. The drawings took about a month too.

Any particular favourites in nonsense verse?

Sukumar Ray (translated by Sukanta Chaudhury), Edward Lear, Lewis Carroll and the cautionary tales of Hillaire Belloc and Edward Gorey.

When you start writing, does your story ever take on a life of its own, and turn out completely different, with an ending that's different from what you had thought of at first?

Always! Every time! In fact, with the Nani books, I found that even the comics sections took on a life of their own once I began drawing them 

Was your Nani as cool as Ninja Nani?

Yes, but in a very different way. She was a word ninja, with a very sharp tongue and a very dry wit, and always good for a very loud, very inappropriate comment when in company. When I grow up, if I ever do, I hope to be her.

Why did you choose the central character to be a Ninja Nani? Ninja Hattori is popular among kids. Were you inspired by the cartoon character?

Ninja Hattori was definitely on my mind while writing the books , as I used to watch it with my daughter when she was much younger. More than that, it was the fascination kids of that age have with cartoon characters. As for the central character, I wanted both an older family member, and a very unlikely one, to acquire these superpowers.

Have you written short stories before?

Yes. I started off writing speculative fiction for adults and have had several short stories published, online and in print.

Why did you decide to take the leap into writing a middle grade novella?

 I always wanted to write, and middle grade and YA fiction are the genres I've always read the most. It was the genre I felt most comfortable with, once I started on a longer story.

How different is the process of writing picture book from a middle grade novella?

What are the challenges you faced with each of these formats?

Very different… A picture book does not give you the luxury of several thousand words to explore characters, for one thing. You have to be brief, yet convey a good story. And let the pictures do the real talking. Middle grade needs a more detailed plot, more characters, and I always like seeing characters evolving over the course of the plot. You also need a good plot, enough drama and, in my case, lots of silly things to laugh over. Of course, picture books require all of these too, just over the course of far fewer pages.

Who is your favourite creator of graphic novels for middle-grade kids? What kind of graphic novels do you like?

I love the books of Faith Erin Hicks, Hope Larson and Raina Telgemeier. There is 'Anya's Ghost' by Vera Brosgol and the eye-popping 'Space Dumplins' by Craig Thompson, both creators of GNs for adults. And there is the work of Cece Bell, Luke Pearson and Pat Grant. I am not a fan of superhero comics at all; the stories I like are about everyday people dealing with real problems - bullies in school, awkward friends, bad lunch day in the canteen. Oh, and annoying siblings.

Do you have pets at home? Did you have any dogs in your childhood?

No pets at all, sadly. But as a child, I was constantly bringing stray pups and wounded birds home, or sneaking milk out to the neighbourhood cats. I eventually got a pet - we rescued a little puppy, who stayed with us twelve wonderful years.

It is unusual to see two books in a series released at the same time. Did you write both the books in one shot-? Did your publisher ask for the second one after you submitted Ninja Nani and the Bumbling burglars?

No, Bumbling Burglars came first. My publishers thought it would be a good idea to have both books out together, so I promptly sat down and after much wasting of time, eating of chocolate and taking of naps, Zombie Kids was written.

  To read a sampler from  Ninja Nani and  the Bumbling burglars click  here
  To buy Ninja Nani and  the Bumbling burglars click  here


  To read a sampler from Ninja Nani and the zapped zombie kids click  here
  To buy Ninja Nani and the zapped zombie kids click  here

(PS:  I am an  affiliate of Amazon. When you buy the book through the above hyperlink, I will receive a small percentage of sales which helps me run Kahani Takbak, a platform to promote Indian books, author and illustrators.)