Nina Popović, young children’s writer from Ottawa

This year, 14-year-old eight-grader Nina Popović from Ottawa successfully published and presented her first book written in English, Runaway. The book is available in bookstores around Ottawa, as well as on Amazon and as a Kindle version.

Maksim: How did you get the idea to write this book, and when did you start writing?

Nina: I started writing in the summer of 2013, during summer break. Stories are constantly spinning around my head, and when school finished, I had time to put them to paper (that is, in the computer!)

Maksim: The main character is a girl your age. Why does the story take place in England, and not in Canada?

Nina: At the time, I was reading the Harry Potter series, so in my mind I was already in England. Also, I felt that life in England was easier to describe than life in Canada.

Maksim: The book has a lot of surprises. Was that your intention?

Nina: Of course! I don’t want the reader to fall asleep while reading my book. All my favourite writers, like J.K. Rowling, James Patterson, and Mark Twain, also use surprise twists to keep their readers’ attention.

Maksim: What was the hardest thing about the process of making a book?

Nina: The countless revisions. I really hated having to go back and change some parts that, according to my editors, simply did not work or were not realistic.

Maksim: What did you do with the money from the book sales?

Nina: I gave half to my dad to cover the publishing costs, and the other half I gave to the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario. I have been their patient since birth—I have had at least six or seven operations—and when I heard that they were collecting money for a surgery unit, I thought it would be a great way to give back for all the care I have received.

Maksim: When can we expect Runaway, Book 2?

Nina: I started writing it a month ago. I have the ambitious goal of finishing by the end of the summer. So, maybe in spring of 2017.