Welcome to our #WinterRead2021 Author Spotlight Series! We’re thrilled to be featuring 8 incredibly talented authors from our 2021 sponsor Simon & Schuster as a part of our 4th Annual Winter Reading Challenge.
This week, we’ve interviewed Hena Khan, author of the middle grade novels Amina’s Voice, Amina’s Song, and More to the Story and picture books Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns, Under My Hijab, and It’s Ramadan, Curious George, among others.
Check out our interview with her below, and learn more about her work here! @henakhanbooks on all platforms
What are you currently reading?
A Wish in the Dark, by Christina Soorntornvat, which is a Les Miserables-inspired tale set in Thailand.
Where is your favorite place to read?
In bed, under the covers, during the day.
What is your favorite thing you've written? Book or otherwise!
The family newspaper I wrote in elementary school.
What's your favorite book by someone other than yourself?
Little Women is the book that I loved and read over and over for years, and I still find it super comforting to go back to.
What is your favorite word and why?
"Cool,” because it can be so many things: an affirmation, an adjective, a sarcastic response, and more!
When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer? And/or how did you become a writer?
I think I've always wanted to be a writer, and I became one by doing it! Which I think is how anyone else who wants it can do it too.
If you could give one piece of advice to an aspiring writer, what would it be?
Don't worry if you find writing difficult, or if your ideas don't flow freely. Writing is a craft and it takes practice, like anything else you want to succeed at!
What is your favorite thing about winter?
Hot chocolate with marshmallows, and fireplaces!
What does "Books Like Us" mean to you?
Books like all of us, to be seen and to feel that our stories matter.
Any additional information or fun facts?
I used to write plays and act them out with my friends, silly epic poems about knights and castles and a foot servant named Odorific, and fake TV guides with made up shows. Writing can be a fun thing to do with friends, and I love the chance to write with friends and other authors even now!
Stay tuned for future Simon & Schuster author spotlights throughout #WinterRead2021, and encourage your community to keep reading!