Author Entrepreneur Creative Explorer
About
Rukmini Thakore is a children’s book author who brings humor and heart to stories about emotional growth and identity. Her debut novel explores how young readers can turn setbacks into strengths and embrace their unique cultural identities, all while navigating life’s twists with a touch of magic and fun.
Rukmini holds a degree from the London School of Economics and honed her business acumen at Citigroup before founding two startups. Her first venture, Kakshaa, is a World Bank-awarded organization that provides educational videos to underserved Indian schools. She subsequently established Fitminis, a ready-to-eat snack food startup.
Currently, Rukmini works in Product Management at Harvard Business School and lives in Arlington, Massachusetts, with her husband. Outside of writing, she enjoys playing the guitar, meditating, and discovering new restaurants!
Mira Motto and the Silver Spiral
For twelve-year-old Mira, the thought of losing her stepdad, Ed, is unbearable. He is the one who made Mira a chess whiz and filled the deep void left when her appa abandoned their family. So, Mira’s world shatters when Ed faces arrest for an alleged theft. Her dreams are invaded by a phantom of sadness that turns her chess pieces gray and wrecks her game.
Mira’s hopes rise when she realizes she could use the winnings from a local chess tournament to save Ed. That night, she stands up to the phantom in her dreams and awakens to a pea-sized silver spiral etched on her palm. Her chess vision returns, though briefly, for her doubts turn the spiral white and allow the phantom to strike again. To revive the spiral’s silver, Mira must travel through a magical newspaper from California to India—a place that stirs memories of her appa. Guided by a fellow spiral-bearer, she must overcome the phantom, risking everything she loves: chess, her stepdad, and her happiness.