Teen author Natalia Cheong’s new ebook is the cat’s meow
Natalia Cheong keeps a very busy life. She runs a virtual book club, hosts her own online talk show and, in January, released her debut e-novel “The Cat on the Bridge”. She’s also just 14.
Always wearing a bright smile and taking every opportunity to laugh, Natalia is quite the achiever, balancing her studies, writing, and her role as a youth ambassador for the teen-run social enterprise Ascendance.
“I enjoy my school life, my writing, and working at Ascendance. And when you enjoy something, you will put in time and effort to work on it,” the oldest of three said cheerfully.
A passionate runner and music enthusiast, she’s a truly multifaceted teenager – although her ponderings sometimes make her seem older than she actually is. Case in point: “Sometimes I sit and wonder how I got here. It’s a very unique journey.”
Since her early days, Natalia has been drawn to the world of literature. “I wrote a mystery adventure when I was seven or eight involving a kidnapping,” she shared.
Her voracious appetite for reading, with authors ranging from Enid Blyton and Roald Dahl to C S Lewis and J K Rowling, laid the foundation for Natalia’s unique storytelling style and the talking points of her podcast “Cerita”.
“‘Cerita’ is not just about stories but anything to do with words. I will be talking to storytellers, poets, authors, writers,” she explained.
And through “The Cat on the Bridge”, which recently claimed the top spot in Google Play Books’ children’s ebook category, she’s captivating a whole new generation of young readers.
Reflecting on her achievement, Natalia’s parents, Stephen and Joann Cheong, expressed pride over what their daughter has accomplished in such a short time.
“Honestly, for ‘The Cat on the Bridge’, it doesn’t feel like we did a lot,” Stephen admitted. “She was the main driver of the project – we just stood by the side and watched and cheered.”
The heartwarming “tail” revolves around Toby the cat navigating the Rainbow Bridge – a realm for departed animals. Natalia weaves themes of pet loss, human-animal bonds, and personal insecurities, drawing from her own experiences as a teen.
“I always felt that I had to be perfect to be loved,” she confided in FMT Lifestyle. “So, I put this into the character and the story arc.
“As the character learns from its mistakes, I’m learning from my mistakes as well,” she said, adding that her own pet cat Toby served as her biggest inspiration.
Joann, too, recognises the grown-up skills Natalia has gained through writing – especially “being able to work through her own personal issues, struggles, and questions in a sophisticated yet fun way”.
She added that she is proud of her daughter for having picked up these skills at a young age.
Natalia, in turn, credits her parents for pulling her out of self-doubt and grounding her in reality. “They encouraged me every step of the way, and told me that the most important thing was to finish the book and get it out there, and not worry about how to make other people like it.”
She also acknowledges the support of her mentors at Ascendance, who played a pivotal role in the book’s publication and launch.
So, given the success of her first book, can we expect a sequel? “The writer part of me is not gone. I guess we just have to wait and see if a new book is coming,” she teased.
As for budding young writers, Natalia has these words of encouragement: “Don’t be afraid to write bad stories. And if you start writing something and never finish it, just keep it.
“Who knows, when you come back to it next time and decide to change it, it may be even better.”
‘The Cat on the Bridge’ is available on Google Play.
Learn more about Natalia Cheong’s writings here and follow her on Instagram.
Also check out episode 1 of ‘Cerita’ on YouTube, and find out more about Ascendance by clicking here.
