About
I caught the writing bug at age five and distributed hand-written autographed copies of my books to classmates in India, where I grew up. After a master's degree in finance from Columbia University, I spent fourteen years as an investment banker before realizing my childhood dream of being an author.
I enjoy writing with a deep curiosity about how place, family, and cultural identity shape a child’s inner world. My projects range from humorous to deeply emotional themes, sometimes drawing inspiration from my Bengali roots, which I'm passionate about seeing more fully represented in children’s literature.
I’m a graduate of UCLA's Novel Writing program, Gotham's Writer's Workshop, Writing Mastery Academy; member of SCBWI, winner of the 2024 Word Editor Mentorship and the 2026 Erin Entrada Kelly Scholarship by Boyds Mills. I'm represented by Jess Regel, Helm Literary.
More about me...
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The R.C. in my name stands for Rajeshwari Chakravarty, and Chizhov is my husband's last name.
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I went to seven different schools growing up, so I was always the new girl in class!
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In my past life, I've been a Bollywood dance instructor and McDonalds teen model
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In my present life, I'm a taekwondo enthusiast, soccer mom and K-drama fan.
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My fictional crush will forever be Mr. Darcy.
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I'm a cancer survivor and support the American Cancer Society, Moffitt Cancer Center and Sloan Memorial Kettering.