Vanitha Loganathan
Having taught English for an impressive 24 years in Malaysia and New Zealand, Vanitha Loganathan is a dedicated teacher with a Bachelor of Education – TESL (Hons.) and CELTA qualifications. She enjoys teaching children and adult learners.
Beyond her role as an educator, Vanitha is an advocate for compassion and empathy, particularly towards our four-legged companions. While living in Malaysia, she rescued and rehomed many furry friends, adopting four as her own – Lassie, Julie, Puppy, and Girl. With a passion for writing inherited from her father, also an English language teacher, she wrote seven stories about her rescue pets which were published in the leading national newspaper, The Star. She has also written several articles about the welfare of homeless dogs.
Ten years ago, Vanitha crossed paths with a scruffy abandoned puppy who came to be named Lassie. This rescue not only changed Lassie’s life, but also Vanitha’s and her family’s. Lassie’s remarkable transformation from a skinny and timid little one to a joyful and cheeky beloved member of the Loganathans became the powerful inspiration for this picture book, Vanitha’s first ever book.
Through this story, Vanitha aims to foster compassion and empathy in young hearts, spreading love and hope. She hopes it will inspire change in the way children and adults alike perceive and treat one of the world’s most vulnerable beings – the stray dog.
Do you try more to be original, or to deliver to readers what they want?
More original
What is it about your chosen genre that you love?
It is inspired by true events of how I met the protagonist, Lassie. It’s a story very close to my heart as Lassie’s transformation was truly remarkable, and I wanted to share this heartwarming story with others.
How do you select the names of your characters?
The main character has the same name as my dog’s, and the other just came to my mind.
What was the first book that made you cry?
Marley & Me.
If you had to do something differently as a child or teenager to become a better writer as an adult, what would you do?
I would take up a course to write for children and creative writing.
Are there any secrets in your books that only a few people will find? Can you tell us one? Or give us any hints?
So far, no one has discovered it and I haven’t mentioned it to anyone. The illustrator has left his “mark” in one of the illustrations, as he always does in all his work 🙂
Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym? Why?
No, because I want my father’s name to be there and I suppose I can do that only when I put my full name as the author. I want to honour him with his name there as he is the one who inspired me to follow my passions – teaching English, writing and helping dogs in need.
How did publishing your first book change your writing process?
It has made me realise more of the importance of writing, illustrating, designing and editing process.
How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?
I have one half-finished book
Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad or good ones?
Yes. So far, I have got only good reviews and I share them on my social media.