Tween Twilight Book Launch

For Veruschka in Grade 7, writing is a very important part of her life. In the last week of April 2021, she had her book titled ‘Tween Twilight: A Symphony of Poems’ published. It is now available on Amazon UK and Amazon India, and can be found through many book-reading sites. All the proceeds from the book sales will go towards children’s welfare through UNICEF. Since publishing her book, Veruschka has been featured in the New Indian Express, and she has been on radio 91.9 as an author. We got in touch with Veruschka to learn more about her book and why she wrote it.

My writing is a culmination of my experiences, memories and emotions; and, most of all, my writing is a part of me and who I really am – Veruschka, Grade 7

During the pandemic and the ensuing lockdown, Veruschka felt like she had a lot of time on her hands and began scribbling more and more in her diary for the simple love of writing. Veruschka is believes in the therapeutic power of words and wants to impact all aspects of the world that require change. As she wants a world that empathises emotions and change, she compiled an anthology of 30 short poems, covering topics such as poverty, body image, real beauty, discrimination, racism, ableism, nature and environment conservation. “I always say that words are like a coin – they hold great power to them and have two sides. They can be used to hurt or heal”, says Veruschka, who loves writing for the sheer beauty of the magic, but also believes that you can create anything by writing it.

Veruschka emphasises that her book of poems is a relevant book for today’s society. “The book is a must-read for anyone and especially kids”, says Veruschka who aims at reaching children, teenagers and adolescents. “By 'Tween Twilight' the book reflects which stage I was in when I wrote it”, says Veruschka who started writing her 30 poems in September 2020, when she was 12 years old – feeling like she was about to become a teenager. “I had realised the world around me and the problems we face in today’s world”, explains Veruschka. Being written during the COVID-19 pandemic, she also wanted to provide the strength that everyone needs to go through this together – generally addressing the Coronavirus and celebrating, for example, healthcare workers.

Publishing the book was a long process that took about 7 months and this meant that patience was key and started the process by finding the right publishing house. “Since I am a first-time author I researched a few self-publishing companies and I went with Partridge India”, says Veruschka who made the choice with the support of her parents. The foreword for the book has been written by Ms Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Chairperson of Biocon and Dr K.P. Gopalkrishna, Chairman of NPS institutions and TISB.