FAQ

A: Written by D. M. De Alwis, the Pawn of Samsara duology is an epic indie fantasy series that reimagines ancient Hindu cosmology and South Asian folklore. It follows Sinha—a righteous, immortal construct of the Greater Gods—and explores themes of karma, destiny, and cosmic warfare as a tyrant king attempts to tear the universe asunder. The series begins with A Lion's Head and continues in A Lion's Pride.

A: The world-building draws heavily from Buddhist cosmology, ancient Hindu mythology, and South Asian folklore. Rather than relying on standard Western fantasy tropes, the books explore philosophical concepts like karma-vipaka (action and consequence) and the cycle of Samsara, weaving ancient myths into a fresh epic fantasy framework.

A: The Pawn of Samsara duology should be read starting with book one, A Lion's Head, followed by book two, A Lion's Pride. The short story, A Water Horse is a stand alone precursor to the next trilogy.

A: Her works, including the Pawn of Samsara duology and upcoming titles like The Eyes of Ess-Vaha and A Monkey's Mask, are published independently through her publishing imprint, Ahasae Tharu Publishing.

A: The Eyes of Ess-Vaha (subtitled The Pink Eye Yaksha) is a middle-grade horror/fantasy chapter book by D. M. De Alwis, illustrated by Chris Ho. It introduces young readers to Sri Lankan Yaksha nature spirits and folklore through an eerie, engaging story aimed at readers aged 8 to 12.

A: All books published by Ahasae Tharu Publishing are available on major online retail platforms including Amazon, as well as directly through local independent bookstores and libraries (where you can request them using the ISBN).

A: Yes, the audiobook for A Lion's Head is available, and audio editions for subsequent titles are in development.

A: While A Lion's Head and A Lion's Pride form a continuous narrative arc (the Pawn of Samsara duology) and should be read in sequence, standalone works like The Eyes of Ess-Vaha and upcoming projects explore self-contained stories within the same broader mythic universe.

A: Yes! Readers can access the short fantasy story A Water Horse: The Lament of Saoirse as a free download by subscribing to the official author newsletter.

A: Ahasae Tharu Publishing is the independent publishing imprint operated by D. M. De Alwis to release her mythic fantasy novels, middle-grade horror, and related world-building works.

A: You can explore the behind-the-scenes (BTS) section on the website for character art, cover reveal breakdowns, and essay-style deep dives into the folklore, or listen to companion discussions on the Myths & Samsara Podcast.

A: While writing the Pawn of Samsara duology, the work underwent over 15 rounds of revisions shaped by an extensive network: writer groups at the Aurora and King City Public Libraries, Firefly Creative Writing workshops, dedicated mixed-genre and fantasy beta readers, and South Asian sensitivity readers from India and Sri Lanka.

I also incorporated constructive feedback from literary agent queries, mentored guidance (via the Writer’s Union of Canada and the Writer’s Community of York Region), and coaching from Firefly Creative Writing. After a well-polished draft went through final editing with Elise Abram and a final assessment by my core beta readers, it was ready. See a list of how many people touched this work. Post-production, I sent advance copies to 15 ARC readers.

The duology is completely standalone providing a complete character ARC for Sinha.

This is just the beginning—Sinha and Isha are invincible characters who will appear in subsequent books and series. The next series will centre on different characters within the same universe. When either Sinha or Isha undergo another major character ARC, you will read about it. That continuation sits in a timeline in a future roadmap.

A: Emotional intelligence and literacy matter. As a second-generation BIPOC Canadian raising third-generation half-brown children, I realized traditional publishing wasn't reflecting their experiences or answering their questions. We need to tell our own stories.

What convinced me to keep my children's books on the market? Watching Early Childhood Educators, Pre-School Teachers, and PSWs stop in their tracks to pick up Which Feeling and Best Friends, asking, "Can I take a picture to send this to my boss?" There is a distinct, unmet need for these books.

That same hunger for diverse, off-beat stories led a YRDSB Public School librarian to pick up The Eyes of Ess-Vaha—proving that in a world inundated by graphic novels, young readers are ready for a curiosity-inducing middle-grade horror about immigrant folklore coming to life right here in the Greater Toronto Region.

A: Here are four reasons I chose Indie publishing over traditional for my Children's books:

1. When inspired by life—I am free to write. As the indie publisher behind Ahasae Tharu, its easier for me to jump ahead and make my works available to the niche readers who will appreciate it. This isn't my bread and butter—but it is a passion. I also like the organic way my books have taken shape while working with different illustrators who I've encountered in the wild.
2. Children's authors are still predominantly white—check your bookshelf. The BIPOC authors who get their foot in have to be some level of culture and social justice warriors. Getting into the Children's literature scene is tough enough for white people. When Chris drew an 'Indian' collar on my t-shirt wearing, work-from-home dad in the EYES OF ESS-VAHA he unleashed my rant. He reflected the push coming from editors to draw 'ethnic' while being tone deaf to reality.
3. I don't want to have to continuously prove myself only to be sidelined. An illustrator friend, of East Asian descent, got his foot in after selling 2000 copies of his indie published illustrated children's book across the GTA in the mid 2000s—proving the demand for his work—and since then he's been sidelined as an illustrator for predominantly white authors with a big publisher. Translation: it's a job with the same list of authors and illustrators on repeat.
4. The publishing industry is too corporate. My experience from reading popular kidlit to my kids—while they meet publishing industry standards (think Grumpy Monkey, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, etc) they're also corporate upsells more focused on product placement than on literacy.

A: I try to get my books and novels in front of as many authors as possible for feedback. Once closer to 'done'—while my children are young—they and their friends, peers, classmates are my initial round of beta readers. I also send copies to teachers and school librarians. Those who advocate for BIPOC authors and OwnVoices tend to read and give me their feedback directly.

The only pushback I've encountered is from people loyal to traditional publishing. Unsurprisingly, getting readers to leave reviews for children's books is difficult.

All of my books are widely distributed and can be ordered via ISBN, Ahasae Tharu is my publisher.

Mythic Fantasy:
A Lion's Head (978-1069401878), A Lion's Pride (978-1069401892), A Water Horse (978-1069666031)

Kidlit:
The Eyes of Ess-Vaha (978-1069401847), Which Feeling (978-1069401809), Best Friends (978-1069401816)

I am available for mentoring, writing workshops, and consulting. Check out my coaching page for more information. Check out my events page for upcoming workshops and meet the author events.