Today's interview is with author Papatia Feauxzar. Papatia is the author of many books in the genre of romance and the founder of Djarabi Kitabs Publishing .
As Salaamu Alaikum and thank you for joining us sister Papatia.
Can tell us a little bit about yourself?
1- Papatia Feauxzar is my pen name. I wish to remain anonymous and to any sister who knows who I am, please keep it to yourself. Everything about me always has a French stamp on it because French is my first language. Writing is a hobby as I have a day job. I consider myself well-rounded with flaws. And it's very hard to get under my skin. I do have a breaking point though but I am always in a good mood even when below the layers, it's chaos.
What was the inspiration behind your book, Between Sisters, Svp?
The inspiration behind the book comes from many sources. First, it comes from the daily Muslim lives of many women I came across, myself included. As Muslims, our activities don't differ much from non-Muslims if you take out the required salat we observe daily. At the end of the day, we are all humans and we face daily struggles like any other human being. We have jobs, we worry about finances, we have marital problems, we go out to movies, we read sometimes in the goal of gaining more knowledge, we use social media, we talk like our peers, we eat, we love and the list goes on. Secondly, I also wanted to have an edge because I didn't want my work to be another boring love story with no kick (no drama, etc). And since intimacy is an untapped market in Muslim authored fiction, taboo in the ummah, and that I am comfortable around that area, I went for it. Finally, I was also tired of reading stories where the characters are always rich. They come and sweep a good virgin off her feet. Why can't it be about normal people who have 9 to 5pm jobs or 6pm to late hours or even broke? That's more realistic in my opinion, and it can still be dreamy.
Can you highlight for us some of your achievements and challenges while working on Between Sisters, Svp?
It was challenging writing the love scenes while avoiding spilling the beans on the main character's bedroom secrets or avoiding coming off vapid. It was also challenging to get over the hurdles of self publishing with the editing and reediting process. There is also the wary vibe you get from some sisters not quite sure how to categorize or accept a different kind of writing. From my debut in July 2011, I have definitely learned a lot about writing professionally. And everyday, I learn something new steering me in the right direction Alhamdullilah and getting me close to becoming great and bestseller author :) .
Describe your writing style in ten words.
My style is heavily related on Islam and pop culture.
Tell us five positive words that describe you as a writer.
Spiritual, Loyal, Crazy, Fun, and Loving.
Thank you so much sister Papatia for taking time out of your busy schedule to share your book and publishing experience with us.
Thank you for having me. May Allah reward you for taking a leap of faith in me and my work and not caring if you would be tag 'guilty by association.' ;)
If you would like to learn more about Papatia Feauxzar and her books, please visit at
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