New Author

Chapter Two Before I fell in love, I said I would never get married. It was a little game I played with the grown-ups that they seemed to love, and so I pretended to enjoy it too. Even before I was thirteen, people would ask me if I was thinking…

Chapter One It was Sabbath morning, and I stood at the kitchen sink, looking out the window. The early hours were my hours when, especially in late spring, the chill of the night persisted, but the bold morning sun and the clear blue sky promised a perfect day ahead. The…

Chapter Three My world was a world of passion and extremes. The people around me lived their lives from a place of deep conviction and devotion. That passion informed my first images and memories and every stage of my development into young adulthood. I lived and breathed the rules set…

Prologue It wasn’t an easy decision to write this book — the acrid reality of laying myself bare, walking naked in front of the world, in front of friends and strangers alike. I didn’t decide to be a writer. I never imagined I would have the drive, the burning, the…

Who is telling our stories? And how? We better be the ones to do it. — I am so bored with the breaking stereotypes mantra when it comes to Muslim women and their stories. This was the reason Zakia Iman Shabbaz founded the Muslim Women Writers’ Workshop. To create a place where Muslim women can meet, learn, and write together, and in sha Allah publish. Our…

You’re NOT helping new authors here! I emailed my publisher this morning to ask for an update regarding the promotional phase of my book launch. I’ve had a few people inquire when it would be available on Amazon, as they're more comfortable ordering there. The response: Hi Heidi, Your book…

Interview by Emily VanderBent Alexandra Shapiro is a criminal defense lawyer and one of the leading appellate lawyers in the United States. …

New Members Can Leverage The Power of Medium by Using these Quick Tips. — I found this way deep in my drafts and since I like to write about Medium Tips in between my post, I figure I might as wll post this non fancy article. If you are new to Medium, there are some essential tips and tricks you should know to make…

Annoying things I notice when reviewing debut authors’ books. — I’m a book reviewer at a very famous bookish site. We get a lot of requests from debut authors who want to get their first books reviewed, so they can reach their target audience. Our team is very diligent and of course, all of us are avid readers. It’s lots…