When you read the opening lines of A. A. Moses’ first fantasy novel ‘Jamie’s Magical Adventures in Floffinville’, it is instantaneously relatable. It tells us of a young girl who is having ‘one of those days’, days like every one of us have, where nothing seems to go the way you want it to.
It is within these first few pages, that we are introduced to Jamie, 14 years old and average – well as average as social awkwardness can get you – and bullied, and clumsy enough to be tripping over her own feet more often than not.
Jamie is certainly the furthest you would expect to be a champion of any sort, much less a hero. But journeying home that day from school, hopping off the bus and taking her usual 10 minute walk home, she encounters something magical. And so begins an exciting tale of magic and mystery, of adventure and strange creatures called Floffins from a faraway land called Floffinville
Her first novel – yes, there is another! – takes the reader on a journey that is enthralling and engaging.
Moses says, “I feel I grew up with a part of Jamie. The little girl who always dreamed big and needed to find a way to believe in herself. A lot of the magic and imagination around this story was primarily to let my mind roam free with all the ideas that I had floating around in my head through my childhood and teenage years. I worked on Jamie for over seven years and it took the pandemic to give me the confidence boost to finally publish.”
And publish she did, allowing the world to follow the amazing adventures of Jamie and her new found, magical friends from Floffinville… but it is so much more. Moses tells the tale of Jamie, whose relationship with her mother is strained since the loss of her father, and how, in her adventures she finds reconciliation leading to a most heartwarming ending to her tale.
Her next novel, ‘Ella’s Enchanted Yala’ is, dare I say, as inspiring as a fantasy tale can hope to be. The story follows Ella, who, unknown to her, had been chosen as an infant as the champion of the magnificent and mysterious Yala. Her parents knew it but before they could tell her of her destiny, tragedy stuck, leaving poor Ella an orphan.
She was lucky enough to be able to live with her fun-loving Aunt Dee on her farm, but the loss of her parents lay raw on her young heart. Then one day, a mysterious stranger enters her life and whisks her off on an adventure beyond her wildest dreams.
Ella’s adventures in Yala is not all fun, for she is called upon to be Yala’s unlikely hero, facing dangers such as the jungle has never faced before, and it is not just one, but three worlds that face total destruction if Ella fails on her trials.
Exciting and a book that is hard to put down, Moses says ‘Ella’s Enchanted Yala’ was inspired after her first visit to Yala. “I was blown away by the amazing animal and plant life. It was such a memorable experience as I sat in the jeep and made my way through the beauty of Yala, characters, stories and plot lines just flew around in my head and I couldn’t wait to get them all on paper. Yala holds a very special place in my heart.”
“When I was growing up, if anyone asked me who I wanted to be when I grew up I would answer by saying ‘Journalist’. But life got in the way and I ended up starting my career in banking, then I moved into corporate training and teaching contexts. The pandemic actually made me wake up and re-prioritise my life due to many things that came at me like an avalanche during that time. I realised how important writing was for me and it helped me reignite my passion,” says Moses.
“I had a bit of an unorthodox childhood because my parents did not believe in any form of a mould, and a lot of my independent thinking and drive comes from them. They also taught me some very important life lessons that I have carried with me into adulthood.”
Moses grew up reading lots of Enid Blyton and many books based around magic. It was a way for her to escape from reality and deal with some of life’s challenges in a less traumatic way. It’s always nice to be able to go to your own ‘happy place’ when life gets you down and books have always been Moses’ solace. In her words, “They’ve helped me put things in perspective and shown me lots of different shades of life.”
Talking about her next novel, after Ella, Moses says, “I knew the story did not end there and a lot of ideas swirled around in my head. I knew that if I didn’t get them down on paper soon, I would be floating with all this everywhere, so without giving away any spoilers, I’d like to say that my third book is simmering on the stove as we speak. It’s a sequel to ‘Ella’ and has some old and lots of new characters. I love that I can showcase Sri Lanka’s amazing wildlife and fauna and flora in my books. It gives me great happiness to be able to share this with readers and I hope it makes an impact as much as it has on me.”
Moses’ next novel is due early next year, and is an anticipated must-read for fans of her previous books.