Prize-winning author of children’s fiction, Khyrunnisa A. is best known for her comic character Butterfingers which she conceptualised for the children’s magazine, Tinkle. Her books in the Butterfingers series published by Puffin include the novels Howzzat Butterfingers! (2010), Goal, Butterfingers! (2012), Clean Bowled, Butterfingers! (2015) and the recently published collection of short stories, The Misadventures of Butterfingers. Khyrunnisa tells us how her journey as an author began and what inspires her to write for children!
Tell us more about 'The Misadventures of Butterfingers'... how did that happen?
I was excited with the response that Butterfingers got and that was an inspiration for me to keep writing. A lot of people appreciated my effort, said they looked forward to the comic strip. That was just the beginning I was looking for. And now, I am going to be writing more often. Hopefully, the audience will come back with similar feedback.
Does acknowledgement mean a lot to any author?
Being accepted is important to any person. Similarly, receiving appreciation and acknowledgement is important for an author. Because at the end of the day you are writing for your TA, you want them to read, reflect on the novel. Having said that, appreciation is not the only thing that keeps an author going. It is passion to write and be able to express that serves as motivation.
Tell us about a book that you loved as a child
There are many that come to mind but Jerome K Jerome’s Three Men in a Boat is my absolute favourite. Everyone should read it.
Tell us about the story of Amar's. How did that come about?
The first story I wrote for Tinkle was an entry for the Tinkle Original Short Story Competition for adult writers of children’s fiction. The story was ‘Butterfingers,’ and it won a second prize. For seven consecutive years after that, I won the first prize in the competition, but though I created different characters in the stories, Butterfingers remained the family favourite. So, when Tinkle asked me to create a regular character for the magazine, I unhesitatingly decided on Butterfingers. The only change I made was to change the original name of Butterfingers from Mukesh to Amar, the name of my son.
What inspires you to write for children?
I love children and want them to enjoy reading books. There aren’t too many books that are humorous and I believe children are too stressed out these days; they need to laugh more. I write to make children laugh and bring fun into their lives and if I achieve that through my books it would give me the greatest joy.
What is your USP as an author?
Humour and fun are common to all the stories and unlike most books today that have horror, fantasy, mythology or magic in them, mine are cheerfully realistic, fun-filled stories centering around a bumbling but endearing, well-intentioned but disaster-prone hero and those close to him. My aim in writing is to make children laugh and enjoy the stories.
What was the most challenging part about writing such books?
The first story where I brought Shakespeare and Sherlock Holmes together in a totally crazy play put up by Amar, Kishore and their friends – ‘The Play is the Thing: The Case of Hambeth, Prince of Venice.’ – was quite challenging to write.
Who inspired you to become an author?
Quite a few people – my professors, friends and students - had faith in my abilities as a writer and were very encouraging. At the top of the list, are my husband and my son who were especially encouraging and continue to be so. It does wonders to my morale.
When will you next book be out?
In April 2017. It is another collection of Butterfingers stories.
Which book are you currently reading?
I am reading two books now, Rudraneil Sengupta’s ‘Enter the Dangal : Travels Through India’s Wrestling Landscape’ and Paul Verhaeghe’s ‘What About Me? The Struggle for Identity in a Market-based Society’.
Three authors which you feel children should be exposed to?
Roald Dahl, David Walliams and Ruskin Bond.
Have You Read The Butterfingers Series? What Is About Amar That Appeals To You?