She is just a teenager still in High School, but her book, written in spare time, is already a hit with 25,000 copies sold.
Born to a family hailing from Vijayawada, Bhavyasri Kodali, a 17-year-old student at Simi Valley, California, released her first novel “Vindictive” in January this year.
Set in Manhattan, it’s the story of three friends who let their curiosity unravel a dangerous secret behind a friend’s death. Bhavyasri, who takes advanced placement classes, volunteers at a hospital and competes on the school’s mock trial team, aspires to be a doctor. Her book was not pre-planned but the mystery story just grew.
“When I started writing it, I didn’t even plan the plot,” she said. “I didn’t plan what my characters said they would do. I just wrote sentences and when I came to the point that I needed to come up with a name for the character, I just did it and the story just formed as the characters moved on.”
Bhavyasri was concerned about whether readers would take a 17-year-old seriously as an author, but the response to her book has been positive. Her account manager, Renee Layberry, who helped guide her through the editing process, said the teen’s book was very good and the teen herself was one of the most professional and easy-to-work-with authors she’s had.
“She was one of the most cooperative authors that I had,” Layberry said. “She’s really clear and really focused. It was an exceptionally good book. She is mature beyond her years and definitely a gifted writer.”
“Vindictive” is set in New York because Bhavyasri said there’s a “chilly edge” to the city..
Born to Srinvas Kodali and Vijaya Lakshmi, Bhavyasri is planning to write a sequel to her book, even while studying to get a pre-medical degree.
