My love for history and literature comes hand in hand. I found reading historical & fiction books gave me an insight into events that occurred in the world along with creating imagination. This was displayed through works of renowned writers such as Shakespeare & Goethe, who made me realize that a good story would be recognized for many years.
Even before my novel was considered for publishing I always had a keen eye for books. Spending many hours in libraries. That’s the spark that I needed to begin my own story. I believe one of my main influences was the fact that I came from a multicultural background. Being British and Pakistani my family would convey stories of the partition of India as well as stories of World war II & the rules of the tyrannical tsars. This gave me exposure to events that I had not witnessed yet were so real as well as inviting me to discover my imagination.
When completing my book I went through the usual process of copywriting, copyediting and then mailing my manuscript to various publishing houses. Of course, there were rejections, that’s a process of life because not everything is handed to you on a plate. I realised it wasn’t my work that wasn’t satisfactory, quite the contrary. It was the fact some places were not searching for that genre or type of novel at the time. One should understand rejection does not necessarily mean you are not good enough.
It’s an unbelievable feeling to know that I’m an author and my novel will be at bookstores for others to read. My story along with imagination shall be shared. I’m overwhelmed at the thought that my characters Zamora, milo & hadar will all be experiencing their adventure with readers, they will be able to jump back in time and witness the historical romance with every scene playing out for them as they turn each page.
I believe one should never stop writing. There is always room for improvement but if you read more and write more you will understand literature has a more in-depth meaning than you think. Your creative ideas should never go to waste. Everyone has the talent to create a beautiful story if only they put pen to paper.
