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Achala Rashmini Perera: In her own words

I began writing at the age of 16. My first writing was a poem titled 'The Rainy Day' and following that I wrote another poem titled 'Work in the Farm'. For 18 years I was in Abu Dhabi, UAE - I grew up and was educated there - and I could only see sandy hills and deserts, beaches, cactuses, palm trees, camels and buildings... and nothing was appealing to be written.

I began to see the beautiful nature after settling down in my motherland, Sri Lanka. I was so touched with nature and I love the rain, I enjoy sitting in the paddy fields and watching farmers work.

Everything was so beautiful here and people hardly noticed it, people hardly noticed that there is a sky above and the drops of rainfall from it and the different feelings that arise in every person's heart.

I wanted to show and explain these beautiful things and put my feelings into words and that's what comes from my writing.

The Candy Town was my first children's story and followed my first poetry book titled The Village by the River and the other poems.

I used poetry in certain chapters that would entertain the readers for a moment, as I felt that creating poems in between would compress wide chapters or explanation into creative lines that would have a rhythmic yet meaningful flow, as much a chapter could hold.

And to motivate the young readers, in my writing I have used sounds like 'Toot' for the train and 'Ting-a-ling' for the bells, thinking it would give a picture of what the story would be, though each paragraph has something fascinating to say.

I read a lot of spiritual books based on Buddhism and Christianity. The Tripitaka and the Bible are the two main books that have most influenced in my life. There are great teachings of life and the life beyond taught by the great teachers The Lord Buddha and Jesus Christ.

These scriptures could change every person to the positive form of life and not only that but give a massive understanding of the truth and of life.

Writing is my life. I start my day by waking up at 4:00 a.m. and sit by my table in front of the window. The early morning breeze and the sight of the dawn sky refreshes my thoughts. I sit in front of my laptop and type for about one and a half hours every day before going to college or work.

I am 25 years old. I am currently following a UK degree in Education. I love to spend my time with nature - like listening to the birds singing, picking fruits from trees, listening to the wind and the rain, watching the sky as the weather turns stormy or a night full of stars with a big moon shining on one side and an owl hooting at the other side, walking in the shore and writing poems.

I live in a beautiful village in Gampaha, there is a beautiful lake (Athanagalu Oya) flowing and my home is surrounded by lush green paddy fields, trees and wonderful villagers. In my free time, I love to sit in my mother's studio and watch her paint. Her painting too refreshes my mind.

I wrote 'Golden Fields' because today's young generation does not have the power to tolerate when there is a downfall in life.

For example if one lost his/hers love, failed his/her exams or a lost a loved one, today's youth go to the extreme like committing suicides or becoming addicted to drugs.

Likewise Binara in my story is a boy trapped between love, pain, jealousy, happiness, sorrow and revenge, which led him to take his life down a path endless pain and sorrow, before finally turning it around. My magical instruments are a book and a pen. I don't directly point out anyone's faults or try to correct them, instead I select the most prevailing problem or the most common and include them

in my writings as an advice or maybe a new way to think around it. I think every book is unique, there is a different taste in every new release and it's all in the power of my imagination. Sometimes people are amazed that I look too young and my writings is advanced and creative.