I first heard of the British Pakistani author Kamila Shamsie in 2012, although by then she’d been published for over a decade. I spotted a story about her in The Guardian after she’d spent a few days at Artangel’s A Room for London project, when a boat was mounted on top of the Southbank Centre, […]
It was a joy to play with some flash fiction today, courtesy of Charli Mills’ wonderful community at The Carrot Ranch. Those of you who have read this blog since the early days, when I was just starting to build relationships with other writers on Twitter, know flash fiction has always been a love of […]
I wrote this piece of flash fiction a few months ago, and at first I wasn’t going to share it. I don’t often talk about religion here, unless it comes up in the context of my characters. There are so many facets of identity, and for me, being Muslim is one of them. Personal faith […]
When I was twelve years old, sleepovers were a giddy affair of crumpled clothing, whispered secrets and superhuman effort forcing sleeping bags back into their cases. Then came a run of horror movies and it seemed no adults really had oversight over what we watched. I expect we were very sneaky. In quick succession, we […]
I’m nearing the end of the first draft of Hidden Colours, my second novel, scheduled to be released in late autumn. The novel is set in modern day Berlin. My husband is from Berlin and we studied there together, and sometimes we dream about living there again, but that’s a story for another day. I’ve […]
A very long time ago, I read Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility. I’ve not revisited the novel in years – the last time was seeing the 1995 adaptation featuring Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet (and oh, how I still miss Alan Rickman) – but this week memories of it surfaced while I worked on my current novel. […]
One midsummer’s day, after the seasons had become muddled, I walked in hail to our local park and found a woman huddled underneath an old oak tree. She didn’t have language, but when beckoned she followed me back to my home where I fed her hot soup and told her I would provide for her […]
Sometimes I come to a blank page because I have something to say; at other times, I come here because my mind needs excavating before I can move forward. Today is one of those days. Writing fiction is a strange beast. Readers have an idea of what it might be like: writers working on their […]
I’ve been meaning to blog for weeks, and before I knew it, over a month had passed. Blogging is like meditation for me. Like Julia Cameron’s morning pages, or journaling, or yoga. It leaves my head clearer, my spirit lighter, and I’m happier when I’m regular in my practice. If only the clock would stop, […]
There is something seductive about crossing the threshold into a new year. It’s the same feeling as opening a new journal, or writing on crisp letter paper, or sliding under clean bedsheets. A fresh start holds promise. It’s like a new relationship: full of romance and possibility. Humans like symbolism. And yet, I am different. […]
The baby is a year old, and though he is not sleeping through the night, I’m finally starting to feel like my own person again. This littlest one of ours has had the most demanding baby year, or perhaps it has been harder for us all because he has had to slot into the needs […]
On days like this I paint a smile on my face that doesn’t reach my eyes but you wouldn’t know I stitch myself together – Frankenstein, a wind-up doll – though I’d rather be under the duvet curled like a foetus The howling wind and rotting leaves a reflection of my mind where monsters dance […]
How can it be here already?! But it is, it is! It’s the launch day for my debut novel, All the Tomorrows. A huge thanks to Lane Diamond at Evolved Publishing for believing in the book, to my magnificent editor Jessica West, and D. Robert Pease for his cover art. I am so excited and […]
This post appeared first on my publisher’s website. Look out for my favourite lines from the novel this weekend. I’ll be posting them on my Facebook page, Twitter and Instagram. Just message/tweet me a page number from 1-289 and I’ll respond with a tiny snippet. Committing to a story idea is a funny thing, at […]
This post appeared first on Rambling Lisa’s Book Reviews. A huge thanks to Lisa for hosting me. Visit her website for a giveaway and scroll down after the article for an exclusive excerpt of All the Tomorrows, which launches in two weeks! All the Tomorrows is written mostly from the perspective of newlyweds Jaya and […]
I’ll tell you how I’m feeling today, if you tell me too. Not for us, the false niceties papering over our humanness. Not for us, the filters to smooth out our skin on social media, to give the grey pallor of our faces a sunlight hue. I’m tired and overwhelmed, and I know it will […]