Writing a book is a long, tedious process meant for grown-ups but Mumbai lad Maitreya Wagh is already an author, at age 14. His debut fiction novel titled Investigations Redefined: The Family Fork (Power Publishers, Rs.299) a crime and suspense thriller — released at  Crossword book store, Grant Road, Mumbai on January 28 — is moving up the Mumbai best-seller list.

Born in Mumbai, Maitreya spent his early years in Australia and developed a broad international outlook. When he was just five years old, his parents Vaibhav, an engineer with telecommunication giant AT&T, and homemaker mother Archana signed him up for a writer’s workshop conducted by Phil Kettle, author of the Too Cool series. “When I was seven, I set myself the goal of becoming a published author within the next ten years. With the publication of The Family Fork early this year, I’ve beaten the deadline by three years,’’ he says.

Investigations Redefined — a 260-page thriller — recounts the adventures of siblings Mark and Hershel whose college days are filled with adventure and crime-busting. The brothers are on vacation in Paris when they run into a bunch of dangerous criminals. “My childhood visits to some of the major cities of the world has helped me understand foreign cultures and human behaviour,” says Maitreya.

Currently a class VIII student of Mumbai’s Gokuldham High School and Junior College, Maitreya is really excited about his first novel which was rejected by all major publishers before it was accepted by the Kolkata-based Power. “It’s very thrilling to be a young author, but it has also changed my perspective towards writing. Now instead of just writing for my own enjoyment, I have to write to please my publishers and readers. This requires lots of research, reflection and re-writing,’’ says Maitreya who has started writing his second novel — also a crime and suspense thriller.

Although writing is his first passion, the young author intends to study engineering after class XII, while continuing to write for personal and public pleasure and satisfaction. Meanwhile, he has assigned the entire proceeds of his first novel to the Bangalore-based India Literacy Project, a not-for-profit organisation that supports education and literacy NGOs.

Praveer Sinha (Mumbai)