Nikhil Kushwaha with his novel in Ranchi on Wednesday. (Prashant Mitra)

Brought up in the dingy lanes of Ranchi, Nikhil Kushwaha is suddenly finding himself in the midst of all the attention, thanks to his debut novel that hit stores earlier this month.

Six Teen Mistakes, The Waxing Moon is receiving rave reviews from all quarters. Priced at Rs 150, the fiction has been published by Frog Books.

The 23-year-old author has dedicated this novel to his late grandfather Ram Lakhna Mahto whom he considers him as his source of inspiration.

“I was never a voracious reader. But my friend Shekhar encouraged me to take up writing and my late grandfather brushed up my English and generated my interest towards literature. Later, my younger brother Vipin gave me read a few good novels to read,” said Nikhil, who completed his Class X from Bishops School at Bahu Bazaar and Class XII from Kendriya Vidyalaya, Namkum.

Talking about inspiration, Nikhil said he had tried to point out the common mistakes that every teenager commits. “These young readers must go through this book to avoid making those mistakes. It will be an inspiration for them,” the writer, who graduated from NIST in Odisha as an electrical engineer, added.

Nikhil started writing his debut novel while he was in the final year of graduation. “It took me nearly four months to complete the manuscript.”

The book is about a young boy whose life changes after he could not secure good grades in his Class X board exam. Following this, he is forced to get admitted to an average government school. In the meantime, the teen falls for a girl who again gives him some good lessons about life.

“The climax, however, is not at all predictable. There is a twist that will change his life forever,” Nikhil said, adding that the story would come to an end in the sequel — The Waning Moon — on which he is already working.

The book is available across India in stores like Crossword, Oxford and Landmark. Besides, one can grab a copy from Book Zone, Good Books and Subodh Granthalaya in Ranchi. Already 500 out of the 1,000-odd copies published have vanished from the shelves.