Hello all!

I was nominated for the Mystery Blogger Award by Jessica @ The Awkward Book Blogger. Thank you, it’s much appreciated! The Mystery Blogger Award was created by Okoto @ Okoto Enigma’s Blog, and is meant to help blogs become discovered. I think it’s a great blogger-blogger gift, so thank you to Okoto for creating this!

The Rules: 

1 – Put the award logo/image on your blog
2 – List the rules
3 – Thank whoever nominated you and provide a link to their blog
4 – Mention the creator of the award (Okoto @ OkotoEnigmasBlog) and provide a link as well
5 – Tell your readers 3 things about yourself
6 – You have to nominate 10 – 20 people
7 – Notify your nominees by commenting on their blog
8 – Ask your nominees any 5 questions of your choice; with one weird or funny question (specify)
9 – Share a link to your best post(s)

1. I grew up speaking Levantine Arabic but only learned to read and write Arabic in college.
2. I have been taking Krav Maga classes on/off for the past two/three years.
3. I have written about a dozen manuscripts, though none are published. I’m shooting for 2020 to be my year, though! Any agents looking for jinn-inspired Middle Eastern fantasy?

Not so much my best post, but one I’m socializing: #YMERC2020. This year, I’m hosting the Year of Middle Eastern Reading Challenge, where each month, we read one book and one graphic novel written by Middle Eastern authors. I also post a fun Middle Eastern show/movie I watched the previous month and an Arabic song to enjoy. Go check out my page and considering joining the challenge this year!

I have a few! Some have already been released and are on my TBR list.

Nonfiction. Part of my Goodreads challenge this year is to read at least one nonfiction each month. And not the usual science I read in college but history, political science, and more about Vikings, Genghis Khan, Russian history. I also want to soak in more folklore from around the world, especially Russian folklore.

When I was a teenager, I went through a Jo March phase eating apples when reading. These days, I chew gum or, more often, drink green tea.

I don’t seem to be hearing enough of Kiersten White’s The Conqueror’s Saga, of which #1 is And I darken. One of the top books I recommend for anyone looking for a strong female protagonist who’s dark and savage.

Jane Austen – but I’d want more than a day with her. I want to learn how she observes people enough to write realistic dialogue and character interactions.

1. Which book or author has most inspired your writing style, if you write? If you don’t write, who would you want to write like?
2. What is the strangest book you’ve read, and why did you find it strange?
3. Is there any culture (real or imagined) or language (real or imagined) you’d want to read more of?
4. Which celebrity’s (dead or alive) autobiography would you want to read?
5. Would you ever ghostwrite a book for that celebrity^?

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