welcome ⁠— to the world of Ants

Nikita Chinamanthur is the author of Ants, published in December 2020 with New Degree Press.

Nikita is based out of the Greater Seattle Area and the Greater Los Angeles Area, depending on the weather. She graduated from Scripps College magna cum laude with an honors major in English and a minor in Mathematics.


“She was short and fat. Check.

She was funny and flirty. Check and check.

She hadn’t ever touched another human besides through a fiber optic connection.

Definite, solid blue check.”

– Nikita Chinamanthur, Ants

A tale of two people meeting virtually, exchanging flirty and racy messages, while never seeing the other’s face.


Ants is about Natasha, a 19-year-old South Indian American, as she navigates through online dating, feelings of displacement, her desi background, insecurities and depression.


Paperback: 978-1-63676-615-7

eBook: 978-1-63676-287-6

Kindle: 978-1-63676-286-9

Request your local libraries and bookstores to carry Ants using the listed ISBNs