Winter Garden author pens second novel in series

It was Judy Blume’s “Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing” that made Amar Shah fall in love with writing when he was in only the fourth grade. 

As a young adult, Shah went on to become the youngest writer for NBA magazine “SLAM,” where he had the opportunity to meet basketball legends including Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant. 

His first big journalism assignment in high school was getting into the gymnasium of Dr. Phillips High School to watch the Chicago Bulls practice. His achievements in writing continued as his career progressed in markets including ESPN, Fox Sports, the NFL, The Wall Street Journal and the Orlando Sentinel.

Now, Stoneybrook West resident Shah’s culmination of experiences has helped him to nurture his love for writing to accomplish one of his lifelong goals: writing and publishing a book. 

The Emmy Award-winning sports author brings the thrill of the game — paired with big dreams, life lessons and heart — to life through his “Play the Game” series, which is published by Scholastic and gaining national recognition. 

Both the first book in the series, “The Hoop Con,” and the second book in the series, “Take the Shot,” were released this year. The third book, as well as Shah’s graphic novel memoir, “Wish I was a Baller,” will be released within the next year. 

“I’ve always wanted to be a writer,” Shah said. “I did journalism all throughout high school, college and had the chance to work for some really big companies in my adult career. I was able to learn a lot of different skill sets throughout the years, but the love was always writing and books. … Having my book published and in the hands of kids is a dream come true. It’s still hard to believe it’s happening.”

‘I WISH I WAS A LITTLE BIT TALLER, I WISH I WAS A BALLER’

Although Shah was born in New Jersey, he grew up in Central Florida, primarily in the Dr. Phillips area.

He attended Windermere Elementary, Southwest Middle and Dr. Phillips High schools. He went on to attend the University of Florida and, upon graduation, worked for ESPN in Bristol, Connecticut, for two years before moving to California. He lived there for 11 years and worked for the NFL.

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When his oldest child was born, he earned a job with the Orlando Magic and moved back to Central Florida. He then worked for the Orlando Apollos.

Although he decided to leave the sports industry to explore content creation in hospitality, he never forgot his dream of wanting to write a book. 

“As people, we all have these starts and stops throughout our lives,” he said. “I was wondering when I would finally have the chance to discipline myself to actually do it, and I think after my son was born, I knew I wanted to do something for him, for our kids.”

He started writing his first book, “Wish I was a Baller,” in 2016. It was a coming-of-age memoir about his thrilling high school journalism career covering the NBA. One of his favorite memories of this time is landing a one-on-one interview with O’Neal and developing a friendship with the basketball legend. 

“I wanted to write about my sophomore year of high school,” he said. “It was around the time of 1995, 1996. The whole story was about how this kid, me, was trying to use journalism and covering the NBA to become popular, when I still didn’t even have the guts to ask the girl I wanted to go out with to prom.”

Shah spent about five years working on the book and finished it around 2020. He was turning 40 years old at the time and referred to the book as his “mid-life crisis.”

After completing the book, he knew he needed to obtain an agent. He went through about 17 rejections until he found someone willing to take a chance on him: Jas Perry. The pair revised the memoir and began to submit it to publishers. 

“We got one bite from Scholastic,” Shah said. “The editor there said he liked my voice, but it skewed towards more of a young adult audience and they wanted to stay more towards the middle-grade fiction area. He told me he had a sports series he wanted to develop but didn’t have the writer for it. He asked me to write a couple of chapters and an outline.”

So, he did. 

About six to seven months passed with no updates. Shah was in Texas shooting a documentary when he got a call from Perry.

“My agent told me there was good news and bad news, and I asked for the bad news first,” he said. “I was told the editor was leaving Scholastic, but the good news was his boss wanted to give me the three-book deal. Usually, you need to write a full novel or book to get an offer, but I somehow wrote maybe two sample chapters and an outline, and, all of a sudden, my dream came true.”

Shah hosted a book launch event in March at Writer’s Block Bookstore in downtown Winter Garden to celebrate the release of the first book. The second book was published only a few months later in October. 

The books introduce readers to main character Raam Patel, who is eager to prove himself after not making the middle school basketball team, a feeling Shah is all too familiar with. 

Shah said he loved reading sports books growing up, but he never saw himself in any of the characters. His own books inspire children to embrace their “Mamba mentality.” 

“I wanted to create a character based on me or someone like me,” he said. “I wanted kids to be able to see themselves in these characters I was creating and believe in themselves and their dreams. I didn’t want them to see themselves as just another side character in someone else’s book. That sense of empowerment really helped drive my inspiration for writing these stories.”

The books also pay tribute to Shah’s life and the West Orange County community, with little anecdotes scattered throughout that he believes give the stories authenticity. 

For example, his wife, Tejal, was a Bollywood actress when she was in India, so Shah made Raam’s mother a former Bollywood actress. Stoneybrook West — where Shah and his family have lived since 2017 — also is referenced as Storybrook West, complete with a story of the golf course’s closing and reopening and a multitude of visits from local wildlife. 

“I wouldn’t have been able to write this book if I wasn’t living in Stoneybrook,” he said. “That neighborhood is as much of a character in the books as any. I love this community, because it reminds me of how I grew up. I never thought I would come back to live in Orlando, but you always end up landing exactly where you’re supposed to be. I think being back in Orlando has been one of the best creative decisions for me.” 

After revising the memoir to become a graphic novel, “Wish I Was a Baller” was sold to Scholastic as a separate book. 

Both the graphic novel memoir and the third book in the “Play the Game” series are planned to be released in the summer of 2025. 

“The books are about resilience,” Shah said. “They’re about showing grit and falling down and getting back up again. I think the message with Raam, the main character, is that no matter what happens to you, you can control your own fate. … Throughout this process I learned you really have to have the mental strength to go through rejection. It’s hard when it’s your own life you’re putting out there, but all it takes is one person to enjoy your work, see the vision and sign you. For me, it was all about the journey, not so much about the destination.”

'MAMBA MENTALITY'

“The Hoop Con” has been selected for this year’s Scholastic Book Fair, and Shah had the opportunity to see the book at the annual event with his two children — Rohan, 9, and Annika, 6 — who attend Whispering Oak Elementary School.

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Rohan even dressed up as the main character in the book for Halloween.

“It was one of the greatest feelings in the world,” Shah said. “Watching kids pick up my books is pretty amazing. It really gives meaning to what you do. Seeing these kids be inspired by these books leaves me feeling awestruck.”

Shah said he is incredibly fortunate his wife has supported him going full-time as a writer, and she has made a lot of sacrifices for him to be able to chase his dreams.

“I feel like I’m living my dream right now, and I don’t take that lightly,” he said. “When someone is going to invest in reading your book, they’re coming on an adventure with you. You want to make sure you’re a really great host, a really great guide and they enjoy your trip.”

Currently, Shah also teaches a sports media and entrepreneurship class at his alma mater, UF.

His current goal is to continue to get his books in the hands of more readers, as well as to continue to write books and develop his brand. 

In addition, he is directing a documentary on “The Patel Motel Story,” which unravels the amazing and untold story of how three undocumented immigrants from the villages of Gujarat state in India came to America and inadvertently started an empire. 

When not working, Shah enjoys working on projects around the house, spending time with his family and following New York sports.