At an age when most young teenagers are just discovering their hobbies and identities, this young Malaysian author has already achieved what most aspiring writers dream of.
Last weekend, friends, family and teachers gathered together to celebrate Avril Herng and the launch of her mystery series at Subang Jaya, Selangor.
The event introduced two of the 13-year-old’s novels titled Laura Taylors: The Case Of The Phantom’s Emerald and Laura Taylors And The Shadow Of Three alongside two corresponding illustrated editions.
For Herng, the path to becoming a published author began much earlier, when her love for storytelling started with reading.
"A lot of the things that inspired me to write came from reading when I was young,” she shares.
"My mother told me that I could actually write my own stories. When I heard that, I thought, ‘You can be an author?’ I was very surprised and very excited."
From then on, she started creating her own handmade books by cutting pieces of paper and binding them with stapler, before filling them with her own stories and drawings.
“I would make these little books, writing and drawing in them,” she recalls.
“Later on, my mother shifted me to using a computer, which I found easier, and I just continued writing from there.”
Like many writers, Herng admits that not every idea turns into a finished piece. She says she has accumulated a number of projects she picked up along the way, but have never found the time to complete them, that is, before settling on one that helped set her writer’s journey in motion.
“I actually had a lot of unfinished works, until I stumbled on Laura Taylors’ story and just decided to see it through and finish it.”
Her taste in books reveal a wide selection that stretches far beyond her age group. Herng cites authors such as Stephanie Garber, Holly Black, Rick Riordan, George Orwell and Fyodor Dostoevsky among the authors she enjoys reading and who have all, in one way or another, influenced her to start writing for an audience.
Letting the story flow
The first book in the Laura Taylors series is set in London, England, and follows the young titular character as she goes on a journey investigating the disappearance of an emerald belonging to a well-known actress.
Despite working within the mystery genre, Herng says she rarely plans out every detail of her stories beforehand. Instead, she prefers to let the story carry her wherever it goes as she writes.
“I do not know how my stories will end. I just go step-by-step with the chapters and keep making up the story as I go along,” she says.
But one element she particularly enjoys crafting are the twists and turns.
“The most exciting part for me is adding the plot twists,” she explains.
“I always try to come up with twists that readers won’t be able to guess until they reach that page.”
As for the characters in her books, many of them interestingly draw inspiration from the people she met in real life, to which she adds a little bit of flair to fit into the story.
While writing may seem effortless for someone who has already produced several novels, Herng still notes that she faces challenges sometimes – namely, writer’s block.
“When that happens, I usually stop writing for a few days or a week,” she explains when asked about how she usually overcomes this.
She mentions her editor, Vanessa Ng, who also happens to be her elder sister, who constantly helps push her forward.
“Together, we would come up with ideas and I would try writing each one out and see which works best.”
For other aspiring young authors out there, Herng has one main advice for them.
“Keep reading consistently and keep writing the stories you want to tell. At the end of it, you will find you’ve made a book yourself!”
Laura Taylors: The Case Of The Phantom’s Emerald, Laura Taylors And The Shadow Of Three and their illustrated editions are available at selected BookXcess outlets.
