Carmel Miranda is a Sri Lankan writer, novelist and doctor. She won the Gratiaen Prize for her work Crossmatch (2020). [1]
She was regarded as bookworm since her early childhood, as she displayed her keen interest as an avid reader by reading books written by Enid Blyton. [2] She also pursued a keen interest in reading comics, including The Adventures of Tintin and Asterix . She also developed a firm interest on the literary works of Agatha Christie. [2]
She attended the St. Bridget’s Convent for her primary and secondary education. She pursued her higher education by enrolling at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Colombo. [2] She studied to become a doctor and after gaining employment as a qualified doctor, she rendered her services at Anuradhapura and Colombo. [2] She then eventually pursued her postgraduate studies in the United Kingdom. Carmel also maintained a rigid work schedule on a rotation basis in West Asia for some time. [2] She also propelled her career prospects as a freelance anaesthetist for a considerable period of time.
Her debut novel, Crossmatch, received praise and critical acclaim, for which it received the Gratiaen Prize in 2020. [3] [4] She was inspired to author the novel Crossmatch after reading one of Daphne du Maurier’s bestseller novels Rebecca. [2] Miranda revealed that her tacit knowledge and expertise in the medical field helped her to execute the storyline for her novel Crossmatch. [5] She spent around three years prior to the publishing of her novel Crossmatch, and she had ample time to finish the novel due to the advent of the COVID-19 induced lockdowns imposed by the Government of Sri Lanka during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. [5] Crossmatch also won the State Literary Award for Best English Novel for year 2021. [6]