Author. Finally.

I’ve been staring at this screen for the past 30 minutes, trying to process one simple fact that my first novella is officially out there for the world to read!

I can’t find the right words and for once, I’m not complaining. It’s a nice kind of speechless.

When I started blogging more than a decade ago just for fun, I never imagined it would lead me here. I was never the classic writer type. I wanted to be around cars all day, every day. I still do. But life rarely sticks to the plan we made when we were ten.

Yes, I’ve written before. Yes, my stories have been published before.
But a whole book with my name on it?
That hits different.
Being able to edit your bio to add an author tag is a feeling I hope everyone gets to experience at least once.

The funny part is that this wasn’t even the first book idea I had. The original one came to me during Covid and is currently sitting in my drafts, staring at me like a plant I haven’t watered in months.

Will I finish it someday?

Maybe.
Maybe not.
Maybelline.
(Sorry, I tried to keep this wholesome but my favorite 9gag joke deserves an appearance here.)

This novella started as a short story about a teenage detective who idolises Sherlock Holmes, wants to be the world’s greatest detective, and has to constantly find his way around his younger, smarter, and unapologetically cunning sister.

I don’t have a sister in real life, and I’ve always had a peaceful relationship with my elder brother, so of course I wrote the complete opposite. And honestly, that freedom made it so much fun. I had no real-life reference points holding me back. I just let the story run wild, and for once, I followed it.

Two chapters in, I realised this wasn’t just a short story anymore. It could be bigger.
So I tried. And for the next three years, between blogging and life and responsibilities, I slowly shaped it into a manuscript.

At one point, I even dreamt of turning it into a comic book. You can blame the years I spent renting all the Raj and Diamond comics. I still think the story would look amazing in panels, but that dream rests beside the Covid project in a peaceful digital graveyard. (For now.)

Then came the cold emailing. The long silence. The waiting.
And almost a year later, I finally held the book in my hands.

While I was writing this novella and looking for opportunities to publish it, around the same time, I found my way to Substack and discovered an unexpectedly brilliant community. Writers who made me think harder, write better, and push myself when motivation was running dangerously low. The support here has never felt transactional but always human.

To every reader who dreams of writing a book someday, I genuinely hope you get to reach this moment. Not because of the achievement, but because of what it teaches you about patience, faith, and the strange joy of seeing your imagination become something real.

I really hope you enjoy this novella. I hope it makes you smile, laugh, maybe even feel a bit nostalgic. Your encouragement, appreciation, and kindness here have carried me through many should I even be writing? evenings. I hope you give this book the same chance and love that you’ve given my essays.

And even if you don’t read it, please help spread the word.
You never know who might be looking for a story about a wannabe detective locked in a lifelong battle with his genius sister. Maybe someone will read it and pick up a clue or two to win their own sibling fights.

You can buy the book on Amazon.

Buy on Amazon

It would mean the world to me if you could please share your reviews on Amazon and Flipkart and share it on your social media accounts.

1 share = 1 prayer (or is this equation a bit too old now? Anyone from Facebook here?)

Looking forward to your reviews and discussion. Happy reading!

P.S. I know yearly bonus is around the corner, just saying.