Muslim Authored Reads

Today's interview is with Sadia Faruqi, the author of Brick Walls: Tales of Hope and Courage from Pakistan. Ms Faruqi writes fiction, teaches cultural sensitivity, blogs about religion, and organizes interfaith events. You can learn more about Faruqi on her website: www.saadiafaruqi.com Can tell us a little bit about yourself and your book Brick Walls? I am a Pakistani American writer, speaker and interfaith activist residing in Houston, TX with my husband and two young children by the grace of God. Professionally I am a grant writer, and by vocation I am an interfaith organizer, speaking about interfaith and Islamic issues at a variety of venues in the Greater Houston area. In 2009 I published a research-based book on grant seeking, and for the last decade or so I’ve been writing non-fiction about cultural and religious issues. Only recently did I somehow get the urge to write fiction, hence my debut fiction title “Brick Walls: Tales of Hope & Courage from Pakistan.” B...

T itle : Sandcastles & Snowmen Author : Sahar El-Nadi Publisher : FB Publishing, June 1, 2013 Summary : A reflective journey of one woman's search and rediscovery of her faith and spirituality. Review : Click on the following link to read the review for Sandcastles & Snowmen Giveaway : One copy of Sandcastles & Snowmen a Rafflecopter giveaway

Today's interview is with the author of Reclaim Your Heart, Yasmin Mogahed. She is  a freelance writer and international speaker. She also hosts Serenity, her show on One Legacy Radio. As Salaamu Alaikum and Welcome to the Muslim Authored Reads blog. Please tell us a little bit about your book, Reclaim Your Heart. Reclaim Your Heart is a book about freeing the heart from the chains of worldly life. It talks about healing, about coping and about redemption. What was the motivation behind writing Reclaim Your Heart My own life experiences and the lessons I was learning along the way about love, loss, pain and God. I had the wonderful opportunity to hear you read "I Prayed for Peace Today," at the Seattle IlmFest 2015. What inspired you to write that poem? A very difficult personal challenge that I had no control to alter. It made me realize how powerless I really am, and that all power belongs to God. Can you share with us your publishing journey? What wer...

Title : Sandcastles and Snowmen Author : Sahar El-Nadi Publisher : FB Publishing House, June 1, 2013 Book Description: What makes a successful woman indifferent to her faith and what draws her back to it to see the world in new way? Why would a smart woman-of-the-world choose to be a practicing Muslim who voluntarily wears a headscarf, commits to praying five times a day and fasting a full month each year? And how does that decision affect her public life and her international work? S andcastles and Snowmen   explores faith through the story of a woman on a personal journey to search for spirituality, leading her to reconnect with Islam in a new, global context in the turbulent post 9/11 world. Review : Sahar El-Nadi takes the open-minded reader on a true journey to explore and learn about Islam through her own spiritual journey of rediscovery. Born into an Egyptian Muslim family and culture, Sahar El-Nadi still went through a phase where religion was not the m...

Congratulations to Br. Nasheed Jaxson on his debut release...Her Justice. Title : Her Justice Author : Nasheed Jaxson Publisher : University Publication, April 20, 2015 Book Description: Do you know how it feels to lose the love of your life? The beautiful and powerful business investor, Audria Cox, knows exactly how it feels to lose the man that gave her everything; and for that reason she’s willing to do anything to stop it from happening again. In fact, Audria has set her sights on her therapist and desperately desires to gain his heart. There’s only one problem, Audria’s grief counselor, Justice Lowe, is not only very handsome, caring, and the most spiritual man she knows; Justice is also very married. Her counselor’s marriage seems to be a huge distraction, and he appears to be hardly weakened by Audria’s persuasive ploys. That is until a sudden disaster hits his hometown calling Justice to fall right into her web of schemes. With her new love nearly in the palm of h...

Title : Normal Calm Author : Hend Hegazi Publisher : FB Publisher, Jan 1, 2014 Book Description : Amina is an Arab American woman attending one of the best universities in the US. During the spring of her junior year, Amina is raped by one of her friends, making her essentially unmarriageable in the eyes of her parents and, possibly, the entire Arab community. When her mother experiences a nervous breakdown, Amina fears that she is to blame for her mother's condition. Eventually she falls in love with Sherif, but his reaction to her rape proves him to be unworthy. Deciding to forgo love, Amina focuses on her career. When her best friend introduces her to Mazin, however, she sees in him only good qualities. He is successful, kind, generous...but she feels no love for him. When Mazin asks for her hand in marriage, Amina struggles with the idea of settling for a man she does not love. Knowing that he, too, may abandon her when he learns of her rape is another burden she cont...

This Tuesday teaser comes from Normal Calm by Hend Hegazi. I have been dying to read this book and finally have the time to sit in my comfy chair with a cup of tea. Amina was torn; on the one hand, she trusted Rami completely...he was like a brother to her. But on the other hand, she knew it was inappropriate for her to have a guy friend over while she was alone. She was hoping one of the girls or Tariq would say something to Rami and save her from embarrassment, but they said their goodnights and walked away. Hesitantly, Amina opened the door and let Rami inside.

Today's interview is with debut author Hend Hegazi, author of Normal Calm.  Hend is a freelance writer, whose work has appeared in notable Muslim magazines such as Azizah and SISTERS. Please tell us a little bit about yourself. I was born and raised in Massachusetts, USA. I graduated from Smith College with a degree in biology and shortly after, moved to Egypt where I have been for the past 13 years. I’m married and have 4 children. I’m a freelance writer for SISTERS magazine as well as a couple of online magazines. Recently, I’ve delved into the role of freelance editor, which is an endeavor I’m really excited about.   Can you share with us a little about your publishing journey? I have always loved to write, but I didn’t become disciplined about it until I realized that those millions of published authors out there are no better than me! Some are exceedingly more talented and their stories are far better than mine, of course, but the opposite is also tr...

Book Giveaway!! Enter to win a copy of Reclaim Your Heart by Yasmin Mogahed. Read my review of her book here . Rules to enter are 1. Must be 18 year or older 2. Must reside in the US 3. Must fill in the Rafflecopter below a Rafflecopter giveaway

Today's interview is with author Zara J. She is the author of many Muslim fiction novels as well as the owner of University Publications .  Welcome Zara J. Can you please tell us a little bit about yourself and your books? I am the owner and an author of University Publications , a Muslim fiction publishing company specializing in American Muslim Fiction. I've authored Dowry Divas and American Boy. Soon, In shaa Allah I'll be releasing The Submissive Wife, which I'm really looking forward to completing. How long have you been writing? I published my first African American novel in 2012. Since then I've published six titles. I've been writing Muslim Fiction for almost a year. What are some challenges you've had to overcome writing and publishing your work? Learning how to write for your audience was something that had to be developed. You have to have a desire to increase your skill and consistently study new trends and ways to publish...

Check out these tweets from the twitterverse! #Philadelphia #Writers #Entrepreneurs Learn how writing a book can bring in additional income! Only 20 seats left! http://t.co/WGZRLyrp2A — UPublications.com (@UniversityPub) February 2, 2015 We can talk through your ideas, and I can help pinpoint areas of weakness. Sessions are live, so we work on your writing in real-time. — LY's Writing Service (@LYsWriting) December 27, 2014 Celebrate Black History Month with Mindworks Publishing! Inspire with books! http://t.co/pEwwwYgRio — Mindworks Publishing (@MindworksPublis) February 1, 2015

#MuslimFictionChat Join the conversation and meet authors and other readers of Muslim authored fiction. Hashtag #MuslimFictionChat allows readers and authors to connect, authors to network with one another and Muslim book publishers to hear what the community of Muslim readers are looking for. The first #MuslimFictionChat was held January 29. In attendance were authors: F A Ibrahim (Khadijah's Got Her Groove), Zara J (Dowry Divas, American Boy), and Papatia Feauxzar (Between Sisters, SVP!).  Even if you missed it, you can catch up read through the twitter chat here . Updates on the next #MuslimFictionChat will posted here, so stay tuned!

Title : Reclaim Your Heart Author : Yasmin Mogahed Publisher : FB Publishing, Aug 9, 2012 Book Descriptions : Reclaim Your Heart was written to awaken the heart and provide a new perspective on love, loss, happiness, and pain.  A manual of sorts, Reclaim Your Heart will teach readers how to live in this life without allowing life to own you.  It is a manual of how to protect your most prized possession- the heart. My Review: Reclaim Your Heart is filled with insightful reflections that cover a variety of topics that center around Love, Happiness, Hardships, Faith, Community and Life.  The reflections, which are short and to the point, bring the reader back to the main topic of the book, our relationship with our Creator. Each reflection offers insight into coming closer to the Creator, deepening our relationship with Him and thus fixing all the physical, emotional and spiritual ills of our heart. Yasmin Mogahed uses her own personal struggles and inter...

Today, I would like to introduce Irving Karchmar, the author of Master of the Jinn: A Sufi Novel. He has been a writer, editor and poet for many years, and a darvish of the Nimatullahi Sufi Order since 1992. He now lives near New York City, where he is currently at work on the Audiobook of Master of the Jinn. Listen to a sample of the story here . Welcome. Can please tell us a little bit about yourself? I am the son of Holocaust survivors who came to America in 1948. I was actually born in newly built American Army Hospital of a DP Camp, a Displaced Persons Camp in Germany just after WWII. In fact, I use that as a scene in Master of the Jinn. I have also been a writer, editor and magazine publisher most of my working life, and dabble in poetry :) In 1992, I was initiated as a darvish of the Nimatullahi Sufi Order, and began writing Master of the Jinn six months later. What inspired you to write Master of the Jinn? I was participating in majlis, our twice wee...

Title : Reclaiming Your Heart Author : Yasmin Mogahed Publisher : FB Publishing, Aug 9, 2012 Book Description: Reclaim Your Heart is not just a self-help book. It is a manual about the journey of the heart in and out of the ocean of this life. It is a book about how to keep your heart from sinking to the depths of that ocean, and what to do when it does. It is a book about redemption, about hope, about renewal. Every heart can heal, and each moment is created to bring us closer to that transformative return. Reclaim Your Heart is about finding that moment when everything stops and suddenly looks different. It is about finding your own awakening. And then returning to the better, truer, and freer version of yourself. Many of us live our lives, entrapped by the same repeated patterns of heartbreak and disappointment. Many of us have no idea why this happens. Reclaim Your Heart is about freeing the heart from this slavery. It is about the journey in an out of life's mo...

Today's interview is with Fatimah Ashaela Ibrahim, author of many books which includes children's titles: I Love My Hijab, The Beauty of My Hijab, Yaya and the Mystery Squad, and YA Science Fiction:  The Azurean Trilogy and her newest title, Khadijah Got Her Groove.   Thank you so much for being with us today Fatimah,   Can tell us a little bit about yourself and your book Khadijah Got Her Groove?   I am an Inspirational Author and Artist and I love to work on creative projects that have a purpose. I began writing at a very early age, but got away from it somewhat while in college and focused more on art. I became an Animator and Graphic Artist for a while, and eventually began illustrating Islamic books. After illustrating and authoring a book, I was inspired to begin doing more adult fiction writing. "Khadijah's Got Her Groove came about after meeting the owner of University Publications, Author Zara J. She encouraged me to come up with a story ...