Discover the joy of reading with Book Clubs and Book Fairs
Discover the joy of reading with Book Clubs and Book Fairs
What inspired you to write The Party Diaries series?
I grew up around weekend parties organized by my parents and their friends. Our relatives lived far away, so our community became like an extended family of sorts.
Parties bring us together. They make us feel happy and connected to each other. I wrote the first book and an outline for The Party Diaries in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. For months, we had to stay in our homes, and we had to find creative ways to gather.
During that strange time, I felt inspired to create an early reader series about parties, friends, emotions—and the desire to do something meaningful. The Party Diaries are about a girl named Priya who wants to help the planet, one awesome party at a time. Priya has to be creative, handle surprises, learn new things about party planning, and face her anxiety.
What do you enjoy most about writing The Party Diaries series? What were some challenges that you faced while writing?
What I enjoy most are coming up with all the fun party details, like the theme and DIY crafts. I also love researching endangered animals to include in each book. I try to pick animals that might be less familiar to readers, like quokkas, pangolins, manatees, and African Wild Dogs (from The Party Diaries books 1-4). I want to create more awareness around the animals and the organizations that help them.
My biggest challenge while writing is to capture all the emotions in The Party Diaries just right. It’s sometimes hard to put what we’re feeling into words. And I think Priya’s emotional journey is an important part of connecting with her friends, family, and clients. And hopefully with readers, too!
What do you hope your readers will take away from The Party Diaries series?
I hope you take away a smile and a good feeling after you read The Party Diaries. Beyond that, it’s icing on the cake if you feel curious about something you found in the book.
Maybe you’ll want to learn more about endangered animals, or make a to-do list, or plan a party. Maybe you’ll try some of the party food or follow the step-by-step instructions for a DIY activity in the back. Or maybe, hopefully, you’ll come away feeling like you can create joy and meaning with your family and friends in your community. Because it’s not about having extraordinary skills or spending money—it’s about recognizing a need and doing what you can to create joy for yourself and share it with others.
What does your writing process look like?
My writing process has two parts or ways of working, and I go between them. The first part is me writing on my own. The second part is working with the fabulous team at Scholastic.
First, I spend time thinking and planning. I’ll make an outline on my computer. Once that’s done, I’ll send the outline to my amazing editor. Then we’ll go back and forth, swapping drafts from a rough outline to a finished outline. Then I’ll spend weeks and weeks turning a first draft into a final draft with art notes. Then that finished manuscript goes to the art director and illustrator.
By the way, I feel super lucky that the universe sent the perfect illustrator for this series—Aaliya Jaleel!
There are so many fun details, from desi snacks to fabulous outfits to Bollywood cameos! Aaliya does a phenomenal job, and I feel super lucky to have her illustrating The Party Diaries.
Priya is a character with many different passions, one of which is her commitment to the Earth’s health and endangered animals. Why was that important for you to touch on in your books?
When I was in third grade, there was no YouTube, Instagram, or TikTok. My teachers had to wheel in a TV/VCR on a cart, which looked like a huge box the size of two microwaves stacked on top of each other. One of the videos I remember watching over and over in school was The Rain Forest Rap. It has a catchy hook: “Ah! All that beauty! The rainforest! The tropical rainforest!”
It’s been on my mind ever since— “Ah! All that beauty!” Our planet, our oceans, and all the amazing creatures who live on this incredible planet— and we need to protect all that beauty.
Like Priya, I think each of us can make a difference, even if the challenges we face seem huge and overwhelming. And like Priya, I believe we can create lasting positive changes by acting together. When we get creative, when we reach out and involve the people around us, even seemingly small ideas become big steps towards a healthier planet.
Priya is an excellent party planner! What made you choose party planning as her business venture?
It’s important to do things that matter to us. It also feels good to use our skills to do what we love. With party planning, Priya gets to do both. She has a passion for nature conservation and loves doing DIY crafts, so starting her own party-planning business seems like a natural step. She decides to launch Priya’s Parties with a birthday bash for her aunty that will double as a fundraiser to help endangered Australian quokkas.
It’s very clear to any reader that Priya loves her family. Was there any inspiration from your own life when it came to writing about Priya’s family and her relationship with them?
Yes! The home I grew up in was full of artistic and creative energy, and it felt like a hub for friends and activities. My mom kept a lot of craft supplies around the house, so it was easy for my sister and me to make things. My dad was curious and supportive, and my parents and their friends encouraged my different schemes, from bake sales to science projects.
I was also encouraged to keep a diary. So from a very young age, I knew that writing in a diary was a great way to express my fears, deal with my emotions, and confess my secrets. And I learned that writing things down could help me stay organized, feel less overwhelmed, and figure out what I wanted to do with my life.
BONUS QUESTION: What’s your favourite part of a party?
In The Party Diaries, Book 1, Priya says, “I sat in a corner and watched everyone. That’s actually my favorite thing to do at parties.” And I totally relate to that. I love being in the party and looking around and just absorbing the mid-party energy, when everyone is settled in and having a good time.
I also like taking pictures. After each party, I’ll share my best photos with a thank you message, whether I’m a guest or a host. Maybe that’s my favorite part? Being in the afterglow of a really fun party the next day.
I suppose that’s actually kind of my hope for readers of The Party Diaries, too. I hope you feel like you’ve been a part of something festive and something meaningful. And you’ll carry that joyful afterglow out into the world.
You can find The Party Diaries #1: Awesome Orange Birthday here!
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