Abby Spencer Goes to Bollywood by Varsha Bajaj

I had never thought of writing this story from alternating viewpoints till then. I read the first two chapters aloud and I was excited. The chapter I wrote that day became chapter 2 in the finished book. Karina has had some issues with Chris and his friends, and I wondered how Chris felt about it. One day I sat down at my desk and I decided that I would write a chapter from Karina’s friend Chris’s viewpoint. I also know that a draft is not going well when writing feels like a chore. My sympathetic critique partners and writing friends held my hand through these attempts, offering feedback, chocolate and lattes. At one point, I remember trying to write the story in verse. While I found Karina’s voice early, something felt missing. I started doing it with my middle grade work too. Magically every flaw becomes apparent when I read aloud. I started doing this a few years ago with my picture books. The story begins at the beginning of her seventh-grade year. Karina is a twelve-year-old girl who lives and attends school in Houston. The early drafts of this story were told solely from Karina Chopra’s viewpoint.

Count Me In (Nancy Paulsen Books) is therefore an uplifting story, told through the alternating voices of two middle schoolers, in which a community rallies to reject racism. I felt compelled to write a story that would address this, and help readers process the events going on around us.Īt the time I also saw people coming out and speaking against hate and supporting each other. In the following years, the prevalence of hate crimes rose, and I was alarmed at the reported escalation in bullying in schools. The story stayed with me because it could have been me, or someone from my family or friends. It was unfortunately not the first such news story I was reading. Singh, a practicing doctor and professor from Columbia University, was attacked by a group of young men in upper Manhattan. She uses the mirror that is her story to reflect light and hope on the path ahead. With Count Me In, Varsha is not simply holding up a mirror to our world. Varsha’s essay below certainly reminded me of the opportunity a writer has to respond to and reflect upon current events. It is my honor to host Varsha Bajaj today, as she shares about the genesis of her latest novel, Count Me In (Nancy Paulsen Books, Penguin Group).

Abby Spencer Goes to Bollywood by Varsha Bajaj