Writing under the pen name Penny, author Snigdha Bhushan’s new book Okka Bokka – The Spook, Spice and Cocoa, is out and it has plenty of thrills in store for kids. Inspired by her experiences growing up, each story and character has been crafted to make readers relive those moments.
“It is intended to bring back the wandering imagination to a child’s mind, which I think the tech-driven world has lost,” she begins, adding that there are six stories, all based on characters in her life—including family and friends—but with a fictional, even paranormal, twist. “Think dolls which were as good as family, a bangle-seller thought to be a witch and monster-turned friends. Kids these days are on ‘sleep-mode’ because of their over exposure to information. There is almost nothing left to the imagination,” explains Bhushan. And the reason she wrote a thriller was to get them to use their own minds.
“Detective and thriller series always do well because of the sense of adventure. It gives kids a much-needed boost and sparks off creativity,” says the writer, elaborating that it is the reason horror, thriller and mystery are genres currently dominating the market.
Okka Bokka is available (`650 approximately) on amazon.com