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Tired eyes + cozy knits = a writer on deadline.
Working on my next YA that will be on shelves in 2024. It feels so far away but also I know I will blink and it will be here. Publishing time is weird and I always feel like I’m writing into the future—it was definitely the case with INTERNMENT & HOLLOW FIRES & it feels that way with this book, too. Someone described my books as “ripped from the headlines” and that’s sort of true because I’m inspired by the world around me but writers write because we are dissatisfied with what the world is, because we want to imagine it to be better. But when you’re writing stories that feel so liminal, so close to the bone, the journey to something better can leave you scarred & that shows up in my characters. Imperfect, sometimes slightly broken but eyes toward the horizon, hopeful.
#samiraahmed #revolutionarygirls #hollowfires #authorsofinstagram #writersofinstagram #bookish #bookstagram #yalit #writerslife
‘Tis the season.
The last few days in Chicago have been absolutely gorgeous. The older I get, the more I love the early days of autumn, especially when the last rays of summer sun fade into the crisper evenings of late September. Spent some time this weekend getting the house properly autumnal. My cider donuts and homemade oat milk pumpkin spice latte are at the ready as I head out to the front porch to read while wearing a chunky knit. Yes, autumn, I am all in.🍁🍂🍁🍂🍁
#samiraahmed #revolutionarygirls #hollowfires #amiraandhamza #bookstagram #bookish #autumn #autumnvibes #authorsofinstagram #authorlife
Friends in Skokie (and all over the north suburbs)! I’m excited to be in conversion with a group of amazing middle grade authors tomorrow @skokielibrary! The wonderful folks @the_book_stall have brought us together and will have books for sale at the event! Hope to see you tomorrow at 2pm! Family friendly!
#samiraahmed #revolutionarygirls #amiraandhamza #mglit #middlegradebooks #middlegrade #mgfantasy #bookstagram #bookish #bookgram
Accompanied a bunch of wonderful tweens to the fantastic @conangray concert yesterday, on a perfect autumn night in Chicago. Was I probably one of the oldest people there? Yes. Was it absolutely delightful to see all these young people together, singing, dancing, screaming? YES.
So many things to feel cynical about, to worry about. But last night, surrounded by so much youth and exuberance and raw emotion (two girls next to me were bawling the last 20 mins), it was a powerful reminder of why I write, of all the reasons I want to fight to make this world better for every young person.
Was I reminiscing about concerts from my youth? Definitely. But nostalgia is a killer if you let yourself sit in it too long. Instead I soaked in the vibes and breathed in the crisp night air, looking out at my gorgeous city and the beautiful kids all around me and thought what a privilege it is to be here, to be alive, to see the kids in my life grow up and become exactly who they want to be.
#samiraahmed #revolutionarygirls #conangray #chicago #authorsofinstagram #writersofinstagram
AMIRA & HAMZA: THE QUEST FOR THE RING OF POWER has been out for a week! It somehow feels both longer and shorter than that. Please don’t ask me to explain how the time works, especially in publishing, it’s one of the great mysteries.
Anyway, back at home, tired but grateful from a fun launch week where I got to meet so many readers. It always takes a bit of time to decompress & get back to “real life” and deadlines and I’m very bad at giving myself time off, because of aforementioned deadlines! But trying to take it a bit slower these first two days of the week. Have only written about 900 of the 1800 words I was hoping to hit today but I also ate vegetables, on purpose, so counting this day as a win. (Spoiler: I try to count every day as a win because even on the worst days, I know how lucky I am.)
#samiraahmed #revolutionarygirls #amiraandhamza #mglit #middlegradebooks #middlegrade #mgfantasy #bookstagram #bookish #bookgram #hollowfires #authorsofinstagram #writersofinstagram #authorlife #writerslife
It’s been so much fun meeting readers over the launch week of AMIRA & HAMZA: THE QUEST FOR THE RING OF POWER!
Thank you to everyone—especially my youngest readers— who showed up, asked awesome questions & made me laugh. Thank you to the wonderful indie bookstores that supported me (now & always) & cheered me on: @57thstreetbooks @bookmarksnc @rakestrawbooks @littleshopofstories @novelneighbor! Indie bookstores ftw!
There are signed copies or bookplates at each of those indies if you haven’t yet been able grab either of the AMIRA & HAMZA books!
Appreciate you all so much! ❤️❤️
#samiraahmed #revolutionarygirls #amiraandhamza #mglit #middlegradebooks #middlegrade #mgfantasy #bookstagram #bookish #bookgram #authorsofinstagram #writersofinstagram