By Sabah Srishty Rahman.

At DEH, creativity runs wild and some DEHians have used their creativity to go above and beyond in the writing world. Shanjida Nusrath Ali, a self-published author, is making waves with her ongoing body of works focused on romance fiction. Our subeditor Sabah Srishty Rahman interviews her to get a glimpse into inspirations, processes and insights about her hobby.

Who or what inspired you to start writing? How far along were you in your journey as a writer when you started at ULAB?

My journey was a different one. I neither had a love for literature from my school time nor did I have a wild imagination. But out of the blue, I started to read romance stories on online platforms. Eventually, from one book it turned to over twenty books a month. But one day, a book series called ‘After’ by Anna Todd caught my attention. That was where I started to discover the other subgenres of romance. I did a bit of Google search on her to find that she started her journey on Wattpad, and with time she became a NYT bestselling author. The inspiration instantly hit me as I asked myself, “if she could start from a small platform and do something huge, why can’t I?”, and there was no harm in trying. That’s where my writing journey started. A year later, my university life began as well and I was afraid of not giving enough time to my writing. I was still at the beginner’s stage as a writer at that time. But I somehow managed, giving equal focus to both my ULAB life and author life.

Are there any interests of yours that have fueled your works? (movies, tv shows, other books, especially any works you’ve read in your time as a DEH student)

Answer: Movies and TV shows inspire me often with my story ideas. So does music. My Spotify playlists keep growing everyday. However, certain books I read during DEH classes also inspired me to try something out of the box with my books. For instance, when studying Victorian Literature, I got inspired to write my first gothic romance novel. I remember being fascinated by the setting of the books I read during that class and wished to write a story based on it. 

What do you usually write about and are there any themes you particularly enjoy putting into words?

Answer: My main focus is the Romance genre, where I mix certain sub-genres like dark, gothic and mafia romance. I try my best to give a unique story with every new book, but particular social themes like mental trauma, mental or physical abuse and child abuse are something I keep in common in my books. I write fiction but with these themes I give a touch of a realistic vibe, to make the readers feel more connected to the story. 

Have you faced any obstacles or controversies as a writer in this day and age? If so, how did you handle them?

Answer: There were several obstacles and some felt overwhelming as well. The top one was the uncertainty I felt when publishing my first book. I kept telling myself that I’m a nobody, that there are thousands of books that are released almost every day and among them my book is nothing. I went in with zero expectations. I was absolutely on my own in this journey. Starting from writing, to editing, to making the book cover, formatting, proofreading, to publishing; every step felt too much for me to the point where I was mentally and physically drained. I didn’t seek help because for the first time I wanted to do something on my own. But a few weeks after publishing my debut book, when I started to see the reviews and people texting me on my social media about how much they enjoyed reading my story, that uncertainty eventually went down. I crossed that obstacle and realized that nothing will ever be easy in life, not even writing. But when you hear people talking about your books and when you get to have the first copy in your hand, then all those obstacles and hard work feels worth it. 

You recently traveled to England for a book signing event. How was the experience and did you learn anything from it?

Answer: It was one of the most memorable experiences of my life and I’m always going to cherish it. I remember entering the hall and seeing so many authors setting up their tables. Some were busy with making arrangements, some were catching up with known authors; the whole place was buzzing. And among them I was the only one who traveled so far for the event. I joined in and focused on setting up my table and then sat down. I felt beyond nervous and I guess some authors could see that it was my first time. But they were there for me. The authors, readers and organizers were so friendly, supportive and helpful, that they made the whole experience more enjoyable for me. And when some readers, whom I had never met, came to my table with my books in their hands that they purchased months ago, it made me feel ecstatic. But the best part was hearing about them driving for four hours to come to the event, just to get their copies signed by me. Their dedication and support for my books, not only made me feel emotional but also motivated me to keep writing for them. 

What is the best part, from your perspective, of being an author?

Answer: The freedom to express myself and getting to write whenever or wherever you want. I like that there are no boundaries and I can write my ideas and emotions without any judgments. Another best part is the joy I feel every time a reader talks about my book, saying how much they loved it or how they shed tears for hours for my characters. It makes the whole author experience feel so much better and out of this world. 

Are there any genres or tropes in books that are your absolute favorites? (both your own and books by other authors)

Answer: As I write romance novels, it’s a given that the romance genre is my favorite. But there are several sub-genres of it that I enjoy reading in my free time and it’s a really long list. Office, college, forbidden, mafia, dark, horror/paranormal, fantasy, retellings, second chances and the list goes on and on. Although I have some personal favorite authors whose books I buy the second they are published. Authors like Cora Reilly, Penelope Sky, Ana Huang, K.A. Knight, T.L. Swan and Monica James are my all time favorites. 

What platforms can people interested in your work find you on?

Answer: For now, I’m only publishing on Amazon, but hopefully in the future I will try to expand to more platforms. I sometimes promote my books on different social media platforms like my Instagram and Facebook page. 

Do you have any words of inspiration for aspiring writers at DEH, as well as any advice for those who want to publish their work but do not have connections in the community?

Answer: For the aspiring writers, I would say just go for it. Write whatever you feel comfortable with. And something that I learned the hard way, is don’t let the negative comments affect you so much that you lose the will to write. Not every book is for everyone. Some will love it, some won’t, and it’s normal. But don’t stop writing. Maybe take those negative comments or reviews as pointers to improve your next story. But keep on writing and let your imagination run wild. For those who want to publish their works, I would say create a readers’ base in advance by writing on online platforms. Nowadays, online platforms are skyrocketing and that’s helping many writers to gain several readers before their books are published. Also, have patience. Nothing in life will be easy and fast, not even writing. But I can guarantee all the wait and hard work is worth it. 

What can we expect from you in the future?

Answer: More heartbreaking, dark, violent, romantic and unique stories. I’m currently working on another dark romance book called ‘A Lovely Menace’. The story involves a grim, dark and violent prison, where the criminals are manipulated and tortured. Among them, one of the prisoners falls for a nun who lives there, only to discover her hidden dark secrets that could ruin them both.