Samantha Marie Cecilia de Alwis, going by the pen name “Cece Brown”, kick-started her writing journey during the pandemic. Writing has always been a passion for her since her childhood and school days. However, up until the pandemic, she rarely had enough time on her hands due to her busy life and career. Today, she is already the author of her third book, and her second children’s book titled Archie the Blue Whale and his Flatmate, Ditzy the Dolphin, published by The Jam Fruit Tree Publications.
Samantha herself has a special love for Dolphins and Whales and this is showcased in her latest book as she uses her vivid imagination, her love for Sri Lanka and its surrounding ocean to create a beautiful, exciting and interesting children’s story. Samantha’s nieces and nephews and the incidents surrounding them are the core inspiration behind all her characters and stories.
Apart from being an author, Samantha worked in the tourism industry and is an ex-flight attendant. At the moment, she is mostly focused on her writing and is a tutor for spoken English classes. “Since my younger days, I knew I had a gift for writing, but I was only able to properly discover my skill and work on it during the pandemic because of the free time I had,” said the author. It is after the pandemic that Samantha got more involved with beach cleanups as well.
Samantha is a volunteer of the Clean Ocean Force, an environmental protection organisation, and participates in beach cleanups constantly. “I’ve been with them for several years now. I’ve always been concerned about the environment. When I see dirt and garbage on the beaches, I always feel like I should do something about it. Since it’s difficult to do anything just by myself, I decided to join this organisation. Part of the proceeds of this book will go for the Clean Ocean Force as well,” she said. She has also mentioned this organisation in the fifth chapter of her book.
“I usually write in the morning when it’s quiet and calm. Ideas and inspiration flow naturally to me in the morning,” explained Samantha. “Writing children’s stories isn’t difficult for me because all my nephews and nieces inspire me with ideas and stories,” Samantha recalls getting along with children since she could remember and doing a lot of babysitting throughout her life. Her creative imagination and her close bond with children present her with a lot of real-life events that find their way into her stories. Her first children’s book, “Run in the Meadow”, is also a book which includes a lot of mischief and adventure, where the main character is also based on her nephew and niece, with the story built up on actual incidents. However, her first book, “Luv in Flight”, which was published as an ebook, is a romance novel.
“My publisher made the publishing process for Archie the Blue Whale seem really simple and easy. I had so much support in that area,” noted Samantha. However, finding a suitable illustrator was rather challenging for her. This was until her sister, Iyanthie de Alwis, offered to illustrate Samantha’s book for her, to whom she thanked fondly.
The message Samatha wants to give to her young readers through this book is simple. It is to enjoy the environment and have fun while also doing one’s best to protect it and keep the oceans clean. “I’m generally a very positive person and want children to enjoy reading my book. Creating happiness is my priority as a children’s author, because I believe that happiness is a crucial aspect of childhood,” said the author. “There’s so much grief and gloom in the world, so I wanted this book to be positive and beautiful for the kids, and for it to act as a happy medium for them. The more we focus on negative things, the more we notice them.”
However, Samantha explained that this book is also about creating awareness from a young age while highlighting the importance of family and togetherness as well. The book also includes fun and educational facts about blue whales and dolphins to create interest and curiosity in the young readers. She hopes and wishes that many curious kids will pick up her book and acquire awareness, fun and fascination from reading this exciting oceanic adventure.
Words by Gayanga Dissanayake