Sharada Vibhakar
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Children's Author
My Story
The Monarch Effect:
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When mysterious attacks threaten Shaan Taylor’s safety, he flees to his mother’s childhood home for answers—only to discover his family’s past is his biggest threat.
Normal twelve-year-olds don’t black out. And blackouts certainly don’t summon deadly swarms of butterflies. Yet Shaan Taylor’s bizarre blackout does just that, uprooting his life, and forcing him and his sister to escape to the unfamiliar world of Bodhi. Bodhi’s enchanted jungles teem with killer butterflies and menacing, cloaked figures known as “Monarchs.” However, only on Bodhi can Shaan train his mind to dispel his blackouts, and find a magical relic that offers protection against the Monarchs—the tribe that murdered his parents.
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Sharada Vibhakar was born in Elkins, West Virginia, grew up in western Pennsylvania, and spent many of her childhood summers in India. She holds a degree in Economics from Carnegie Mellon University and worked as an equity research analyst before discovering her passion for writing.
The Monarch Effect is her first pre-published middle grade fantasy, winning the 2019 Ink & Insights Masters Category.
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Sharada currently lives in Maryland with her husband and kids. She is the Volunteer Coordinator for the MD/DE/WV Chapter of SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators). An avid gardener, Sharada plants milkweed for monarch conservation and brakes for butterflies.
