Have you ever dreamed of seeing your name printed on the front cover of your own published book? Meet Maxim Pathirana, the boy who turned this dream into reality. 

Dascar could see that the light was willing to escape, to escape the world. 

 

 “It was his moment.  

 

“He sent five black streams into the sky, into the atmosphere. 

 

 “They merged together, swirling and swirling, breaking and fragmenting the clouds above.  

 

“He sent five more, and they combined together. 

 

 “The swirling grew larger and larger.  

 

“It expanded more and more. 

 

 “The sky shrank and shrank.  

 

“Until everything stopped.”  

 

Extract from ‘The One They Have To Fear 

Writing has been prominent since 3400 B.C, providing a foundation for centuries of literary expression, established by the countless authors who transformed literature into an art form, converting strings of letters written with soot ink into powerful transcripts recording human development, and human creativity. 

For many young people, pursuing dreams of being an author may seem years away, which may seem sensible, considering that a new author writing their first book has an average age of 36. 

However, Maxim Pathirana, aged fifteen, debases the notion that age is a factor limiting one’s ability to write. 

Maxim Pathirana, a Year Ten student at Wilson’s School, is officially an author, with his fantasy novel, The One They Have to Fear, now available for purchase. 

Maxim cultivated an interest in literature as a child, enjoying the works of various authors.  

He was particularly inspired by J.K Rowling’s ‘Harry Potter’ collection and Derek Landy’s ‘Skulduggery Pleasant,’ acquiring a taste for the fantasy genre. 

He began authoring short stories in Russian, as well as what he would describe as “nonsense” poems, at the tender age of eight. 

He would then upload these short collections onto his blog.  

With age, Maxim’s writing abilities grew exponentially, and so, with the support of his family, he began his novel The One They Have to Fear, during the quarantine period of Covid-19.  

He finished the novel while still in primary school, after hours of writing per day. 

Upon receiving great praise and encouragement from his family, Maxim decided to approach publishing houses.  

His road to success, however, was not always smooth. 

He found difficulties developing and improving the story's plot and having to face the long, tiring discussions with publishers, editing, and other administration processes. 

However, his unwavering spirit did not falter. 

Instead, these challenges created an increased sense of determination and perseverance within him, encouraging him to face obstacles and overcome them rather than flee from them. 

Having agreed a deal with the renowned Pegasus Publishers, his novel was published and launched on the twenty-sixth of September.  

Maxim was happy and eager to share his advice for aspiring writers. 

Just be yourself; your ideas can be as nonsensical as you like as long as it is personal to you. 

 

“I think that aspiring writers should try to not fall into the traps of clichés and use typical conventions of writing and they should try to just be themselves and write what they believe from the heart or mind, in their own style.” 

Maxim Pathirana is proof that, with enough hard work, dedication and passion, anything is possible, no matter how “nonsensical” your dream is. 

For aspiring writers and young people in general, Maxim’s success should be an inspiring wakeup call to pursue your dream, irrespective of its magnitude. 

The One They Have to Fear is available for purchase at Waterstones, WHS Smith, Amazon and more; fantasy lovers, this is the book for you.