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Ameer Allie did not know what else to do other than put pen to paper after his mother banned him from social media.
This Grade 12 pupil from Curro Century City High School published his first book, The King's Right Hand, at 17. The story follows the lead protagonist, the king's right-hand man, who, despite the troubles he faces, ensures that his country's interests are protected no matter the costs.
Ameer Allie's fictional novel titled The King's Right Hand. Photo: Supplied/Curro Century City.
In conversation with News24, Allie shared that his inspiration came from a lot of places, especially thriller movies where the reader doesn't realise that they're holding their breath in anticipation.
He revealed, "I'm a history boy, and I liked reading about a small group of people heavily influencing some situation far away."
Allie has been an avid reader from a very young age and has dreamt of being a published author since he was very little, although his journey to becoming one has been quite the page-turner.
His primary motivation for this book was his parents and friends who kept pushing him and his very own desire to finally do something that he could be proud of later on.
"I pushed for just a few pages a day and no more because I knew if I overworked myself, I wouldn't enjoy writing anymore, and we wouldn't have a story," Allie told us.
When writing this book, the 17-year-old says writing his book "wasn't much of a juggle".
"I would get home, finish whatever work I had to do, be it school or stuff around the house, and from eight to ten, I closed myself off and just put pen to paper."
Curro Century City recently hosted Allie's book launch to celebrate this fantastic achievement. Allie's proud parents, teachers and community members attended.
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Ameer Allie with his friends during the launch. Photo: Supplied/Curro Century City.
"At the launch, we sold about 40 to 50 physical copies and a few online copies. We had guest speakers, including the 3-time best-seller Yusuf Daniels who wrote Living Lekka and Living Coloured and the Deputy Director of Economic Development and Tourism, Rashid Toefy, who gave a few words as well," boasted Allie with pride.
The Grade 12 pupil intends to attend university next year, but he also wants to push more sales of his book and write more books.
"I liked the feeling of finishing something myself and myself alone. It's a good feeling, and I want more of that. So I'll do more in the future".
The King's Right Hand by Ameer Allie is available on Amazon.
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