Congrats, Ritu, and Welcome!
So delighted to have you here today, your book launch day for LION OF THE SKY!
Happy to be here, Dionna. Thanks for inviting me!
Inquiring minds want to know. How did you find your way to becoming a kidlit author?
I have always loved to write, just for the joy of creating with words. As a child, I kept a secret diary and wrote letters to pen-pals, but what I loved most was writing poems whenever I took public transport. One day, I won a poetry competition in high school with a poem that I’d scribbled from the top deck of a moving double-decker bus and won a cash prize! I entered every writing competition I could after that and, to date, my poems have won me money, tickets to Paris, tickets to the cinema, furniture vouchers, and even a Kindle! Though I always seemed to find myself in bookstores and even asked for a typewriter for my twelfth birthday, it didn’t occur to me that writing was written in my future. Then one day, many years after I had become a high school English and Drama teacher…my 8-year-old daughter asked me a homework question...
You’ve piqued my interest! What did she ask you, and how did her question lead to you writing LION OF THE SKY, your debut MG novel-in-verse?
It was a homework question she needed help answering. Why do people migrate? I decided it was time to share with her our family's history. No matter how tragic, I believed she needed to know it.
Share the history, please!
Sure! It began in 1947 as India became independent from British rule, the subcontinent was divided into two countries—a Hindu-majority India and a Muslim-majority Pakistan. The divide left millions of Hindus, Sikhs, and Muslims living in the "wrong" country. Hostilities grew. Mass killings ensued. Millions had to flee to safety, including my grandparents and parents, who survived the largest mass migration in world history.
To help my daughter understand that dark, chaotic, and tumultuous time, I took her to the library. Though we found books about the Holocaust and the World Wars, we couldn’t find one children’s book about the Partition of India. My daughter accused me of making the whole thing up. It broke my heart. For days after our library visit, I thought about the fourteen million people who lost their homes and the one million who died. I decided to write the children’s book I couldn’t find for my daughter. I joined the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and in 2017 self-published a picture book about our family’s history, GOPE AND MEERA–A MIGRATION STORY.
That's an incredible story, a sad slice of history, one many living in the United States may know little about. It's understandable you wanted your daughter to know about it. What does she think of her family history now?
Now all three of my children feel like they’re experts on the Partition! They are very proud of their elders for the determination and resilience they showed in adapting to new cultures and languages, whilst making sacrifices so their children could thrive. My kids also feel empowered with a new understanding that adversity of all kinds can be overcome with courage and the right mindset.
True this!
Happy to be here, Dionna. Thanks for inviting me!
Inquiring minds want to know. How did you find your way to becoming a kidlit author?
I have always loved to write, just for the joy of creating with words. As a child, I kept a secret diary and wrote letters to pen-pals, but what I loved most was writing poems whenever I took public transport. One day, I won a poetry competition in high school with a poem that I’d scribbled from the top deck of a moving double-decker bus and won a cash prize! I entered every writing competition I could after that and, to date, my poems have won me money, tickets to Paris, tickets to the cinema, furniture vouchers, and even a Kindle! Though I always seemed to find myself in bookstores and even asked for a typewriter for my twelfth birthday, it didn’t occur to me that writing was written in my future. Then one day, many years after I had become a high school English and Drama teacher…my 8-year-old daughter asked me a homework question...
You’ve piqued my interest! What did she ask you, and how did her question lead to you writing LION OF THE SKY, your debut MG novel-in-verse?
It was a homework question she needed help answering. Why do people migrate? I decided it was time to share with her our family's history. No matter how tragic, I believed she needed to know it.
Share the history, please!
Sure! It began in 1947 as India became independent from British rule, the subcontinent was divided into two countries—a Hindu-majority India and a Muslim-majority Pakistan. The divide left millions of Hindus, Sikhs, and Muslims living in the "wrong" country. Hostilities grew. Mass killings ensued. Millions had to flee to safety, including my grandparents and parents, who survived the largest mass migration in world history.
To help my daughter understand that dark, chaotic, and tumultuous time, I took her to the library. Though we found books about the Holocaust and the World Wars, we couldn’t find one children’s book about the Partition of India. My daughter accused me of making the whole thing up. It broke my heart. For days after our library visit, I thought about the fourteen million people who lost their homes and the one million who died. I decided to write the children’s book I couldn’t find for my daughter. I joined the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and in 2017 self-published a picture book about our family’s history, GOPE AND MEERA–A MIGRATION STORY.
That's an incredible story, a sad slice of history, one many living in the United States may know little about. It's understandable you wanted your daughter to know about it. What does she think of her family history now?
Now all three of my children feel like they’re experts on the Partition! They are very proud of their elders for the determination and resilience they showed in adapting to new cultures and languages, whilst making sacrifices so their children could thrive. My kids also feel empowered with a new understanding that adversity of all kinds can be overcome with courage and the right mindset.
True this!
(C) Tara Anand, taraanandart.com
"Drawing from family history, Hemnani delivers a wrenching historical verse debut...Compelling stakes ratchet up the tension in this illuminating and harrowing story about displacement, grief, and hope."
Publisher's Weekly Starred Review for LION OF THE SKY
Though the setting of LION OF THE SKY is based on your family’s history, did you still have to do a lot of research?
Yes it did! It was years of research focusing particularly on what happened in Sindh. Unlike the provinces of Punjab and Bengal which were split in two, Sindh was given intact to the newly created nation of Pakistan, where both my maternal and paternal grandparents lived. Like my grandparents, many Sindhis were forced to leave their homeland and rebuild their lives in Hong Kong as immigrants. I dug deep into the research and unearthed many treasures. It was important for my family’s narrative to be historically accurate because it’s an inheritance worth sharing.
Very interesting! Thanks for sharing. Why did you decide to use the novel-in-verse format for LION OF THE SKY?
I fell in love with novels-in-verse after reading INSIDE OUT AND BACK AGAIN by Thanhha Lai. I marvel at how each poem captures a concept, scene, or feeling in a few crafted words using language that’s distilled and powerful. I also appreciate how the format uses blank space to give room for the reader’s discovery of meaning and interpretation. I knew that a novel-in-verse would be the perfect vehicle for telling the story of Raj, my main character, and as I explored this format, the seed of lION OF THE SKY was born.
It sounds like a tug-at-heart read. Despite its setting, does LION OF THE SKY include rays of hope?
Hope is at the heart of this book. It is my hope that this will be what my readers are left with.
Changing the subject a little bit, what did you enjoy about working with your Balzer + Bray editor Alessandra Balzer?
Alessandra was so enthusiastic about working with me that I couldn’t quite believe it! I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the editorial process! Alessandra is extremely organized and systematic, and each round of edits was specific, so whether I was working on big-picture edits or focusing on character, setting, or various themes, I never felt too overwhelmed. Alessandra skillfully asked exactly the right questions that helped me distill what I was trying to say. She was quick to respond with insightful comments and enthusiasm, motivating me to dig deeper and infuse nuance into my writing. Her understanding of the heart of my novel helped me enhance its emotional impact, and her ability to see the potential in every scene, pushed me to explore new creative avenues and take risks with my storytelling. Our collaborative effort has resulted in a middle-grade novel that has exceeded my wildest expectations! I learned so much from the process and am grateful for the invaluable lessons and growth it has brought to my writing journey. I am so incredibly grateful to have worked with such a brilliant and insightful editor and am truly honored to join the fantastic list of authors and titles at Harper Collins/Balzer & Bray!
To be sure! Well, thanks for sharing the story behind your story. It will no doubt inspire many young readers and shine the spotlight on a slice of history that should be learned from and not forgotten. Thanks so much for stopping in, and do keep in touch when your next novel for young readers is ready to roll off the press.
The pleasure has been all mine.
Yes it did! It was years of research focusing particularly on what happened in Sindh. Unlike the provinces of Punjab and Bengal which were split in two, Sindh was given intact to the newly created nation of Pakistan, where both my maternal and paternal grandparents lived. Like my grandparents, many Sindhis were forced to leave their homeland and rebuild their lives in Hong Kong as immigrants. I dug deep into the research and unearthed many treasures. It was important for my family’s narrative to be historically accurate because it’s an inheritance worth sharing.
Very interesting! Thanks for sharing. Why did you decide to use the novel-in-verse format for LION OF THE SKY?
I fell in love with novels-in-verse after reading INSIDE OUT AND BACK AGAIN by Thanhha Lai. I marvel at how each poem captures a concept, scene, or feeling in a few crafted words using language that’s distilled and powerful. I also appreciate how the format uses blank space to give room for the reader’s discovery of meaning and interpretation. I knew that a novel-in-verse would be the perfect vehicle for telling the story of Raj, my main character, and as I explored this format, the seed of lION OF THE SKY was born.
It sounds like a tug-at-heart read. Despite its setting, does LION OF THE SKY include rays of hope?
Hope is at the heart of this book. It is my hope that this will be what my readers are left with.
Changing the subject a little bit, what did you enjoy about working with your Balzer + Bray editor Alessandra Balzer?
Alessandra was so enthusiastic about working with me that I couldn’t quite believe it! I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the editorial process! Alessandra is extremely organized and systematic, and each round of edits was specific, so whether I was working on big-picture edits or focusing on character, setting, or various themes, I never felt too overwhelmed. Alessandra skillfully asked exactly the right questions that helped me distill what I was trying to say. She was quick to respond with insightful comments and enthusiasm, motivating me to dig deeper and infuse nuance into my writing. Her understanding of the heart of my novel helped me enhance its emotional impact, and her ability to see the potential in every scene, pushed me to explore new creative avenues and take risks with my storytelling. Our collaborative effort has resulted in a middle-grade novel that has exceeded my wildest expectations! I learned so much from the process and am grateful for the invaluable lessons and growth it has brought to my writing journey. I am so incredibly grateful to have worked with such a brilliant and insightful editor and am truly honored to join the fantastic list of authors and titles at Harper Collins/Balzer & Bray!
To be sure! Well, thanks for sharing the story behind your story. It will no doubt inspire many young readers and shine the spotlight on a slice of history that should be learned from and not forgotten. Thanks so much for stopping in, and do keep in touch when your next novel for young readers is ready to roll off the press.
The pleasure has been all mine.
Purchase your copy of LION OF THE SKY today
Ritu Hemnani is a journalist, teacher, voice actor, motivational speaker, and a storyteller who hopes every child will discover books where they can see themselves on the pages within, and will know that their stories matter. Ritu recognizes herself as ethnically Indian, and is a British national who calls Hong Kong her home, where she lives with her husband and three children. Ritu is passionate about promoting diversity and nurturing inclusivity and empathy through writing stories that center marginalized communities and encompass universal truths. She is also passionate about spotlighting human interest articles with heart, and collaborating with local literary and charity organizations to promote literacy. Ritu is the author of the picture book, Gope and Meera--a Migration Story. Her debut historical middle-grade novel-in-verse, Lion of the Sky, is set for publication in the Spring of 2024. When not writing or teaching, Ritu delights in family game nights, strumming the strings of her guitar, and paddling through Hong Kong waters on her carrot-colored kayak. Ritu is represented by Rubin Pfeffer of Rubin Pfeffer Content, LLC. To learn more about Ritu, tune in to "An Inheritance Worth Sharing" on TEDx Talk, where she shares the seeds of her writing journey and what inspired her deep dive into her family’s history. FInd her online rituhemnani.com.
