Samiksha Bhattacharjee
I was seven years old when I sat cross-legged on the bathroom floor, notebook in hand, searching for a story idea. I wasn’t trying to write a novel – just a short story, not longer than ten pages. What I found instead was the spark for what would later become Legal Crime, my debut YA novel.
The story began as a short idea about a runaway girl – someone who would learn to appreciate her family through hardship. Fiona’s journey was born in that moment, but she (and I) would evolve over the years. From that first rough draft to the final published version, the book changed dramatically. It became darker, more emotionally raw, and far more layered than I ever imagined when I was seven. But through every rewrite and pause, it held onto the heartbeat of that original idea.
Writing Legal Crime wasn’t a straight line. I stopped and started. I took long breaks for school exams. I rewrote scenes I had outgrown. And the style itself was a challenge – finding a tone that was bold enough to tackle themes like grief, drug use, underage drinking, and suicide. I used a diary style to make it more personal, and used flashbacks to ensure readers could understand how Fiona had grown up. In many ways, I was growing up alongside Fiona, learning through her the actions that I hadn’t yet experienced.
Legal Crime
The title came from one of the most unexpected moments: an English class on oxymorons. As I stared at the whiteboard full of phrases like ‘Cruel Love’ and ‘Freezing Fire,’ I started jotting down ideas in a scrapbook, and suddenly I wrote ‘Legal Crime.’ It hit immediately – a contradiction that captured exactly what my story had become. My classmate leaned over and said, ‘That’s actually a really good one.’ And I knew I’d found the right title.
When Legal Crime was published, I became the youngest YA author in the UK. That milestone opened up a lot – it led to messages from authors I admired like Karen M. McManus, Angie Thomas, Kendare Blake, Louis Sachar, Renée Watson, and many others who had shaped my reading journey. I was invited to write guest posts, speak about my experience, and share my love for writing with young audiences. But more importantly, it cemented something deeper: I didn’t just want to write one book – I wanted to build a body of work that connects, challenges, and questions. My writing has developed and changed all these years later, but I will never forget my first novel and the publisher (The Conrad Press) who enabled my work to be shown to the world.
Since then, I’ve also launched the State of the Debate, a podcast exploring conversations around issues shaping the world around us; politically, socially, economically and historically. You can listen or watch on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCka378q9pGei337HfwEwinA?sub_confirmation=1), or explore more at https://stateofthedebate.substack.com.
Thanks for being part of the journey so far. I can’t wait for what’s next.
Samiksha Bhattacharjee is a Gen Z British author. She started writing ‘Legal Crime’ when she was seven, and hopes to inspire other young people to start creative
writing too. She also enjoys acting, singing, drawing and talking (a lot). You can find Legal Crime on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08WPNS119/?tag=
She is also the host of the State of the Debate, a current affairs show promoting freedom of speech and discussing the global issues impacting our lives today. You can find her brand new YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCka378q9pGei337HfwEwinA?sub_confirmation=1You can contact her by emailing stateofthedebate@gmail.com and the subject ‘