Badass Ladies You Should Know

palegirlinthecity:

laurasilvermanlovesbooks:

For my first Q&A, I have Aisha Saeed here to talk about her lovely books, the publishing industry, #RamadanReads, and more! 

Aisha Saeed is a Pakistani American author of several works including her debut young adult novel WRITTEN IN THE STARS (Penguin, 2015) and the upcoming middle grade novel THIS PROMISE I WILL KEEP (Penguin, 2017). Her work has also appeared in anthologies such as LOVE INSH’ALLAH: The secret love lives of American Muslim Women (Soft Skull, 2012), and FAITHFULLY FEMINIST (White Cloud Press, 2015).  Aisha is also one of the founding members of the nonprofit We Need Diverse Books. She lives in Atlanta with her husband and three sons. She is represented by Taylor Martindale of Full Circle Literary.

Quick Fire Round!

1. Currently reading? I can never read just one book! Currently reading RULES FOR STEALING STARS by Corey Ann Haydu and THE SPACE BETWEEN US by Thrity Umrigar
2. A genre you want to write one day? Magical Realism
   
3. Write by hand or on computer? Both! First drafts by hand, second drafts on my laptop.
   
4. What time of day do you usually write? I have three kids. Anytime I can possibly find!
   
5. Favorite part of the process: writing or revising? Revising
6. Favorite writing snack & drink? Chai
   
7. How old were you when you starting writing for fun? Four years old, around the time I learned how to write!
   
8. Favorite underrated book? THE CHANCE YOU WON’T RETURN by Annie Cardi. So much heart and so well written!
   
9. Fellow author-crushes? Too many to count!
10. Most words you’ve cut from a book? 30K
    
11. Favorite writer’s block hack? Writing by hand. Something about pen to paper always helps me get unstuck.
    
12. Book reviews: read them or avoid them? Try to avoid them, sometimes read them.
    
13. Favorite social media outlet? Twitter
    
14. Most you’ve written in one day? 10K
    
15. Book you’ve read more than three times? TINY BEAUTIFUL THINGS by Cheryl Strayed and BROWN GIRL DREAMING by Jacqueline Woodson
    

Long Answer Round, Show Work – Just Kidding :) 

1. Walk us through your idea-to- publication story a bit: How many drafts of that first book did you write? How did you find your agent and publisher? The story for WRITTEN IN THE STARS came to me when I was in college after I saw what some of my own friends had experienced with being coerced into marriages they did not want to enter into. Their struggles inspired me to write this novel. I wrote and rewrote my novel for three years before I showed it to an agent. Taylor Martindale worked at Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency at the time and I queried there as my top choice because of their commitment to diversity. I feel very fortunate to have found Taylor, she’s been a champion for this story from the very beginning. My editor Nancy Paulson is also my publisher, her imprint Nancy Paulsen Books is an imprint of Penguin and her list speaks for itself with the diverse titles and authors she works with. She really understood my vision for WRITTEN IN THE STARS and helped me to take it to the next level. I feel very fortunate.
   
2. What are your favorite and least favorite parts of the publishing process? I love the camaraderie with fellow authors that publishing has brought me. New friendships and a fresher understanding of the writing process in a way I hadn’t before. It is nice to be able to celebrate each other’s triumphs and to also be thereto listen to one another when things aren’t going so great either. I never anticipated how uncertain publishing is, I think that would be my least favorite part of it but it’s part and parcel of getting published and I will happily take that in exchange for the chance to write books.
   
3. What’s your you-love-it-but-it’s-still-in-a-drawer novel about? Don’t have one of those at the moment! The ones in the drawer are there for good reasons and I have no plans to resurrect them at the moment. They taught me a lot about craft and story telling but I am okay with them staying in the drawer.
   
4. What’s your writing process like? Do you outline? Work with critique partners early on? Hide away in a cave until you have a polished draft? I write alone and typically outline but I have two critique partners. My friend and fellow writer Tracy Lopez has read every single word of fiction I have ever written and always offers invaluable advice. Emily Pan has been indispensable with her advice for my second book THIS PROMISE I WILL KEEP. I appreciate the feedback both of my CP’s give me. Finally, Taylor, my agent always gives me invaluable feedback and I always try to get things read by her for feedback as well so she can guide me and advise me on where to work and improve.
   
5. The cheesy question: Where do you find your inspiration/ideas? Real life, other books, podcasts, dreams? My ideas come from everywhere. From experiences I have, things I learn, injustice I encounter. There are many different things that lead me to write what I write.
   
6. If you had unlimited funds, what dream swag would you give away with your book WRITTEN IN THE STARS? Silver star necklaces! That would be so fun. Alas.
   
7. What advice would you give to writers who are struggling to finish that first book? Writing a book is hard for everyone. Even writers who have been at it for years. If you truly want to see your book in print, the first step is to finish it. Finishing it is an accomplishment in and of itself. Keep going and persevere through self doubt.
   
8. What advice would you give to writers who are trying to find an agent? Target your search. Look for agents who represent what you write. Otherwise it’s a waste of time for both parties.
   
9. What’s your best method for dealing with rejection? Getting back out there and trying again! Also, chocolate.
   
10. What’s been the happiest moment so far in your writing career? Doing school visits and meeting readers for whom the book meant something in particular to them. I have had teens tell me they saw themselves in my books. That they appreciated that a part of their own upbringing and experiences were reflected back at them. I didn’t have that growing up, it means a lot that some have felt I could provide this for them.
    

#RamadanReads

1. What is #RamadanReads? Ramadan Reads came about a few years ago when I saw a beautiful display of Ramadan books at my local Barnes and Nobles. Ramadan is a holy month for Muslims where we fast from sunrise to sunset. I learned later that the display I saw was not a franchise related promotion, but instead, a local one where the book seller on site wanted to celebrate the month of Ramadan by displaying books. I shared the photo of the books on twitter and the book seller told me their entire display sold out that day. They restocked and again, they sold out. It was inspiring to see and so I took to social media to spread the message to people that if we want to see certain types of books, we have to support them. This inspired #RamadanReads. You can read more about it here.
   
2. Why is it important? It’s nice to see books reflecting your faith and heritage because it affirms you are also part of the fabric of this nation. With rising Islamaphobia and bigotry, there is a need for people to understand that Muslims are not simply the caricatures that we see on television. Books are the easiest and most powerful way to do this.
   
3. What are some of your favorite #RamadanReads? Some books I enjoy that have Muslim characters and/or are by Muslim authors (these are just a few, there are many more): ALIF THE UNSEEN by Willow Wilson, AN EMBER IN THE ASHES by Sabaa Tahir, and MOTH SMOKE by Mohsin Hamid.
   
4. What books do you want to see on the shelves that aren’t there or aren’t promoted enough? We’re coming a long way with seeing more and more books that reflect the diverse world we live in but I think that the more we have, with accurate and authentic representations of all people, the better off we are for it.
   
5. What advice do you specifically have for young Muslim writers who want to see their writing out in the world? Write. Write. Write. Keep writing. Don’t let doubt and fear get in the way. Muslims are not a monolith and every story matters.
   

Want more Aisha Saeed?

Buy her beautiful novel, WRITTEN IN THE STARS, from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or your local bookseller! 

Check out her website here!

And follow her on Twitter here!

So much love for Aisha and WRITTEN IN THE STARS!

Cool interview with Badass Lady Aisha Saaed!

(via anniecardi)

ashleyhblake:

You know what I’m sorta tired of? Girls getting labeled as a badass because they…well, kick literal ass. Okay, let me rephrase. Girls only getting labeled as a badass because they kick literal ass. Of course, I love me some Buffy. And Katniss and girls with swords and a nice right hook. So let me be clear: I’m not saying we shouldn’t have these sorts of female characters. I love them. We need them. We need to see girls with physical agency and ability and who save the floundering hero or kiss their girl while riding into the sunset. My beef is when these traditionally masculine characteristics are prized above traditionally female characteristics. Now, I would love to live in a world in which fighting and physical strength and ability are not seen first as masculine, and traits like vulnerability and dealing with emotional trauma and shedding tears are not seen first as feminine. Where behaviors aren’t gendered. But we don’t live in that world. Not yet. I hope we do someday and we should keep fighting to change these mindsets.

So here’s the thing: Being vulnerable. Dealing with complicated emotions. Nurturing those we love. Exhibiting emotional agency. If a female character shows all of these traits in a book, she’s not likely to be called a badass. She might be beloved. She might be heralded as well-developed and deep, but rarely as a badass. Now, if you add some snark and sarcasm and a few cuss words, maybe she’ll be a badass. And, hey, I love my snarky girls, but again, it seems like there must be some wall up between the world and her heart in order to be considered a badass. And yeah, Buffy was totally vulnerable with Angel and with her friends and faced some serious emotional shit. But if you take all of her vanquishing of vampires out of the equation, I’m not sure she’d be seen as such a bold and brave heroine. Now, you may say, “Well, if she’s not a slayer, her context changes, so inevitably we’ll see her differently.” True. She’d be a totally different person, one with fewer traditionally masculine traits and, most likely, much less “badass” in our estimation.

And I think this can be really damaging. Because it takes a shit ton of bravery to be vulnerable. To risk getting hurt. To tell someone you love them. To come out. To report abuse. I remember several months ago, author Melissa Grey talked about how she hated when people said loving tales like Cinderella was distinctly unfeminist, because it takes a great deal of bravery to love and trust someone after a history of abuse and neglect. Cinderella wasn’t rescued by a prince. She rescued herself when she decided she wanted a different life and was willing risk her heart to get it. Now that is badass. 

Please don’t misunderstand. I love girls who kick all the literal ass. They are truly badass. But I want to see girls who take emotional risks, face emotional trauma, deal with those love triangles with agency and vulnerability, to also be seen as heros. Brave. Fierce. Strong. Badass. Because there’s nothing closer to us than our own hearts. And nothing braver when we place them in another’s hands.

Some of my favorite BADASS female characters:

Remy from Courtney Summers’ All The Rage

Reena from Katie Cotugno’s How To Love

Alexi from Courtney C. Stevens’ Faking Normal

Tabitha from Corey Ann Haydu’s Life By Committee

Skylar from Heather Demetrios’ I’ll Meet You There

Madeline from Nicola Yoon’s Everything, Everything 

Maggie from Marci Lyn Curtis’ The One Thing

Naila from Aisha Saeed’s Written In The Stars 

Sephora from Elana K. Arnold’s Infandous

Vanessa from Dahlia Adler’s Under The Lights

Sophie from Tess Sharpe’s Far From You

Emi from Nina LaCour’s Everything Leads To You

Lennie from Jandy Nelson’s The Sky Is Everywhere

Lexi from Jessica Verdi’s The Summer I Wasn’t Me

Alex from Francesca Zappia’s Made You Up

And a TON of others. For real. Emotional bravery is badass. Tweet me your faves! 

(via nitatyndall)