By Radha Sathe, Cultural Arts Commission of Flower Mound alternate
Writer, Artist, Dreamer, Sleeper… that’s how this young artist describes herself.
Advika Rajeev is a rising senior at Flower Mound High School hoping to major in biomedical engineering and artificial intelligence in the future. When this 17-year-old is not drawing or sketching, she’s writing.
Advika, also called Aadi, says words are a way for her to express herself and create a new world full of possibilities. One of her biggest passions is writing, and she has published two books to date, both of which are available on Amazon.com.
Her first book, “All the President’s Horses and All the President’s Men” was a fantasy novel, while her latest book, “Of Dreams and Ink” is a short story/poetry collection. The average age of a first-time novelist is in the mid-to-late 30’s according to multiple publishing sources.
Advika, who describes herself as a “voracious reader of urban fantasy” and other genres as well, began writing her own fantasy stories in middle school. With several unfinished manuscripts in a drawer at home, she was encouraged by her parents to finish her 400-page novel, “All the President’s Horses and All the President’s Men.”
Over more than two years, she dedicated her free time to completing the story and readying it for release on Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). In addition, Advika shared that of all the stories she has written to date, she “liked this one the best.” Advika felt a story that people could relate to would have a better chance of being read, so she chose the White House as her first novel’s setting.
When Aadi handed me a copy of her second book “Of Dreams and Ink” she said “I wish for much, maybe more than I will see / But I will never stop believing / For there must be someone else to whom / My unfinished dreams can become reality.” The book is a short story and poetry collection about a world of twisted fantasies, valuable lessons, and a land of limitless possibilities.
Advika is the founder and editor-in-chief of a student-led newsletter, The Thinker’s Chronicle (www.thinkerschronicle.com). It is a bi-weekly newsletter aimed at presenting a youth’s perspective on events around the globe. It is 100% student led and Advika says they are always looking forward to hearing more voices join the cause. She goes on to say that “while we (the students) may not be brokering international alliances or winning Grammys just yet (although kudos if you are!), this world is our future. We have something to say about it and we deserve to be heard.”
In her free time, Advika loves to draw portraits using charcoal and colored pencils. As a hobby, she loves to de-stress with her pencils and some music. Art is more like a hobby for Aadi. She has never entered a competition nor has she taken any formal classes other than the art class she took in high school as an elective.
You’ll find some of her art at https://advikarajeev.wixsite.com/advikarajeev/portraits. To reach out to Advika directly, her contact information is available on the website. This is a young and accomplished artist who we think will grace our world with beauty and significance.
When asked what one thing she would like to share with other young novelists, Advika shared her favorite quote, “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”– Dr. Seuss
Radha Sathe serves as an alternate on the Cultural Arts Commission of Flower Mound.
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