Bronx teen publishes 4th book

At 14 years old, Alissa Deoraj has already published four books.

News 12 Staff

Jan 24, 2020, 10:38 PM

Updated 1,552 days ago

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At 14 years old, Alissa Deoraj has already published four books. 
The Bronx teen started when she was 12 years old, writing a short story called “Luna in the Woods.”
“My mom told me that she had found a way that I could publish my book, and I was really excited because that way I could share it with others,” Alissa says. “So I started typing it and then we put it on a website and before I knew it, it was on Amazon.”
Most of the money she made selling hard copies of her debut book went to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to help children fight cancer.
Shortly after, she went on to publish book No. 2, then No. 3, selling them on the Barnes and Noble website as well.
Her fourth book, “Life Through the Eyes of an Eighth Grade Girl,” was inspired by a health scare late last year. During that time, she said she focused on getting her book out to inspire others.
“I started having fevers and there was a bump on my neck, and we went to a doctor and the doctor said it could be cancer,” Alissa says. “I really just took the negative thoughts and turned them into positive thoughts.”
She finished the book right after doctors determined she didn’t have cancer, but rather Kikuchi disease - a rare illness that leave the lymph nodes swollen and often resolves itself in time.
The last chapter of her newest book describes how she felt undergoing surgery to get that diagnosis. And already, the high school freshman said she is looking forward to book No. 5 and beyond.
“I really want to become a doctor to help kids who are going through hard times,” she says.
 


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