CHENNAI: A land of mystery where magic cuts you deeper than the sword, that is David Baker’s Cancatia for everyone. King Haldor, the ruler of Placidius, one of the kingdoms of Cancatia, is an advocate of peace and perfection. By his side is his queen Emeryn, who will go to any extent to save her kingdom. To the place where peace prevailed and people lived in harmony, there now comes the tension of war. If the attack comes, then the king must change himself into a gallant ruler who will defend his throne and fight for his people. “Like Placidius, each of the estranged eleven kingdoms have a story to tell,” comments David. This 15-year-old author who recently launched the first book of his tetralogy, The chronicles of Cancatia: Divided promises to take readers to fantasy lands through his words.
Creating Cancatia
David’s childhood is rich with inspiration from the works of Enid Blyton, Christopher Paolini and JK Rowling. From mystery thriller series to horror stories, he finally stumbled upon the fantasy genre. It was during 2016, the idea for the book struck him. “One day, I was just playing with my sister with a toy sword. I came up with a story randomly and for years I built over it,” he says. He started writing the book during his summer vacation in 2021. “I think I put my vacation to some good use. When school resumed, I focussed on editing and the progression of the story. I used to balance both academics and writing. Creativity runs out if I am not managing efficiently,” shares the class 10 student of Montfort Matriculation Higher Secondary School, St Thomas Mount.
The young writer who is an ardent follower of world history and mythology was inspired by medieval Europe. The weapons, clothing, and architecture influenced him to create his Cancatia. “As I began writing the novel, I adopted certain aspects from other cultures around the world that I liked and knew would go well with the characters I created. The name ‘Cancatia’ simply popped up in my head as I was thinking of the land, and I knew it was perfect.
It was the same with the kingdoms in Cancatia. The names of characters, however, were created on existing words from various languages,” explains David. The book is written in a first-person account where each chapter is narrated by a different character describing what is happening in their kingdom. The writer was adamant about perfecting every aspect of the book including the design of the cover page. He shares, “My idea of the cover was to have a crown with seven stones studded in it, symbolising each of the seven kingdoms in Cancatia. The crown is broken as they are divided. The background has one of the four palaces that are seen in the novel. I had shared a scene describing the palace to my designer, Sunil Joshua D, from the book itself, and explained the concept to him, and he finished it within a week.”
When passion prevails
Speaking about the challenges he faced while writing the book, David says, “I began writing it at different points of time in the story and finally fixed on the best one. However, like the other writers, there were still doubts about whether people would like my work. Getting an opinion from readers I knew helped me get rid of these doubts.”
Apart from writing, David enjoys watching nature, reading, playing chess, painting, drawing, and expanding his knowledge by learning new skills. When asked if he would like to be a full-time writer, David says, “I think it’s too early for me to decide as I am in my tenth grade now. However, if I could do it I would, as I cannot be without writing. It is a part of me and will always be.” He also advises young writers to pick a pen and start writing. “I have also been told by a person that at my age I must read and travel to places, and not write for the world. However, I turned a deaf ear to him and followed my heart. From my experience, if you are planning to write, there are only two best times to begin: yesterday and now,” he sums up.