Vikrant Malhotra came to the United States twenty five years ago. Essentially, he was looking to escape the road that lay before him as an under-achiever, back in the old country, India. He had developed a penchant for story-telling early on, but never got around to compiling his tales into a fully-formed book.
Pursuing a different path upon arrival is the US, he bar-tended, operated a fork-lift and did a variety of odd-jobs to pay his way through graduate school. As his career developed over the 1990s, he realized his new-found ambition and landed himself on a prestigious trading desk at Morgan Stanley. Vikrant thought this would make his "circle" and family proud, and thus fulfill him. A year into the job, he quit. He was just beginning the second leg of his journey, discovering he was a "stranger in a strange land' within the corporate and banking circles.
In 1997, he took a stab at getting back to putting pen to paper. He realized he enjoyed writing stories for children. However, feeling he had betrayed his loved ones by committing lunacy i.e. leaving a well-paid career at a hallowed investment bank, he fled from his passion for story-telling and lurched from one job to another. The one he remembers enjoying the most was turning swim coach; but he had a hard time making ends meet.
New York lost its innocence after 9/11. A move to Florida followed and for many a years, Vikrant found a way to make a living while trading from home on the internet. He started scribbling stories on the side but wasn't fully committed to birthing them yet. In 2012, he met Victoria and found a willing ear for his randomly conceived tales. They usually featured imaginary creatures overcome by profound dilemmas such as - how does one stash away a peanut without your buddies finding out?
Victoria, a biased listener, encouraged Vikrant to write. The Stories of Goom'pa: Book 1 was penned in 13 days. Many months of editing followed as Vikrant discovered that the first draft can be the easiest part of the journey. He now lives in beautiful Delray Beach, Florida and is working on a sequel that extends Goom'pa's adventures. A compilation of short stories catering to his core audience - 8 - 12 years age group - is also in the offing. In addition to having created the kingdom of Palidon for his first juvenile fantasy novel, Vikrant is drafting a whole new world in science fiction catering to an adult audience.

“Malhotra’s debut book for young readers offers a sweet story about a star who falls in love...one that promises more adventures to follow...”
– Kirkus Reviews