The novel by Joshua Bijoy, a Malayali boy from Pune, currently tops the Amazon Kindle Edition in the children’s crime and thriller category in the US, Canada, UK, Canada, Australia and India.
At the age of 11, Joshua Bijoy is the author of the best-selling crime thriller on the Amazon Kindle Store in the children’s crime and thriller category. Murder at Leaky Barrel, the first novel by a sixth grade student, is currently topping the US, UK, Australia, India and Canada.
Joshua’s novel in English, which arouses curiosity and mystery, was on the top seller list on the very first day of its release, making him the youngest Indian to have a best-selling novel to his credit. It was published by Booksthakam, a group of Malayali writers.
Son of Suma Sunny, a freelance journalist from Vinthala near Mala, and Bijoy Thomas, associate professor at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune from Kottayam, Joshua used to write poems and stories from a very young age. .
“He was reluctant to show his work to anyone. He used to say that he writes for his pleasure,” says his mother.
Joshua started writing ‘Murder at the Leaky Barrel’ during the lockdown. It took seven months to complete it.
“Friday the XIII. Halloween Night. 1532, Dublin, Ireland. After spending the night in a bar, Edward Brown is on his way back home, where he was murdered. Five centuries later, on Halloween, he awoke from his sleep The thought of taking revenge has come in his mind.”
Taking place in the Irish background, the novel is moving forward with a vengeance and is being investigated five centuries later. This plot by an 11-year-old writer has the potential to captivate any crime thriller fan.
A Class VI student of Ryan International School, Pune, Joshua has been an avid reader of books by Roald Dahl, JK Rowling and Gerald Durrell.
His teachers, especially English teachers, appreciated his exceptional language skills, his mother recalls.
“I have online classes during the day. Then there will be a lot of homework too. So, I spent two or three hours writing in the light, says Joshua.
“You need a natural knack for writing. If you have that warmth when you write, your readers will feel that passion. From there your words will take your readers to the fictional world you have created in the book,” the young author talks about the skill of writing.
Joshua says that his parents, who are fond of reading, inspired him to dive into the world of letters. “My mother is my main motivator. He inspired her to publish the work. The family has now settled in Pune.
It currently tops the Amazon Kindle Hot New Release category in the UK, Australia, India, US, and Canada. The paperback of the book is also available now. Joshua has almost completed two more books. They are in different styles.
Current Books is planning to bring Murder on the Leaky Barrel in Malayalam,” says Suma.
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