Ivy Judinson is so tired of her life. With a newly-broken friendship, a plummeting GPA, and mean girls seemingly around every corner, freshman year is pretty much a bust. Her only refuge these days is playing ESCAPE THE WAR on her PC, so when Ivy finds an in-game purchase that claims to let her “live in the game,” she clicks. What she doesn’t expect is to get literally sucked into the game, trapped as a playable character. And the game? It’s an extremely dangerous, war-torn shooter, and if Ivy is going to get out, she’ll first have to survive.

Priyanka Nambiar is a teen author whose manuscript won the International Writing Contest of Stone Soup magazine and MacKenzie Press. MacKenzie Press is now publishing her debut novel, Escape the War.

Priyanka says “I have been writing ever since I was five or six years old. My writing has always been a way to escape, a way to vanish into the lush and fantastical worlds I’ve crafted. Now, though, it is wonderful to see activism on current matters being broadcasted via literature. Writing can make a difference, inspire others, and help take steps in bettering our society. I hope to be able to inspire others with activism through my writing like Amanda Gorman does, who I so admire.”

Priyanka has been featured on ABC television, has received a certificate of recognition from the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for her work, and has also been honored by the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards.

Priyanka Nambiar was born and raised in Pennsylvania where she currently resides with her family.