This blog is a place where I share some of my favourite books, my writing journey, helpful hints about publishing, insights into writing for different ages, author interviews and more! 

Books have always been my happy place. Adventuring with Enid Blyton and Roald Dahl, solving crimes with Ed Mcbain, falling in love with classics thanks to Jane Austen, made up a big part of my childhood and teenage years.

And then, as an adult, I stumbled across the first contemporary book, written by a Muslim woman, that I had ever seen! Love in a Headscarf by Shelina Janmohamed. For the first time ever, I actually saw myself in a book. Yes, I could relate to the the adventures, mishaps and romances of all the books I’d read before, but seeing someone like me, a protagonist of her own story, was a revelation!

One of the first YA books written by a Muslim, with a Muslim protagonist was Does My Head Look Big in This? by Randa Abdel Fatteh, another pleasant surprise. I’ve been meaning to re-read both these books as I first read them over 15 years ago… but, happily for me, there are now many Muslim authors to read, and my TBR is taller than me! That being said, publishing as a Muslim is still very difficult – more on that another day, BUT we definitely have a lot of great books to choose from.

When I had my own children, finding books with Muslim kids as protagonists was nearly impossible – there was only a handful to choose from. Hena Khan and Naima B Robert were trailblazers in this field. I fondly remember reading Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns with my son when he was so tiny, and Going to Mecca when it was time for Hajj. We now have a brilliant and ever-growing list of Muslim children’s books, but there is a long way to go to catch up to other faith groups. It’s an exciting time to be a Muslim author. Follow along, as I share my own writing journey, and the brilliant books I read.