in conversation with aamna qureshi, author of when a brown girl flees! // character talk, muslim rep, and more!

Hey, fellow ramblers! Today, I return with a very, VERY, exciting post, that I have been looking forward to for quite some time. I haven’t done an author interview in so long and that’s why, I’m so honoured to welcome one of my favourite authors, Aamna Qureshi on my blog today!

I fell in love with Aamna’s writing when I read her debut novel, The Lady or the Lion (the first book of the Marghazar Trials duology!). Ever since then, I have been a fan of her and every book she publishes, including her upcoming book, When a Brown Girl Flees; I finished my arc within a day! So, my gushing aside, let’s dive into the interview, prefaced by a little information about Aamna’s upcoming novel!

cannot get over how absolutely gorgeous this cover is!

Author: Aamna Qureshi

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

Release Date: September 19, 2023

click to view content warnings

depression, anxiety, emotional abuse, physical abuse, self-harm, suicidal ideation, slut-shaming, PTSD

After Zahra Paracha makes a decision at odds with her beliefs, her mother forces Zahra to make an impossible choice about her future. So Zahra runs away. A train and a plane ride later, she finds herself in New York, where she relinquishes her past in favor of a new future. There, she must learn who she is without the marionette strings of control in her mother’s hands. There, she must learn who she wishes to become. On Long Island, Zahra stays at a bed & breakfast, unsure of her place in the world. Anxious, depressed, and grappling with guilt, she wanders aimlessly. She eventually visits the local masjid, where she is befriended by two sisters and drawn into the welcoming Muslim community there. It is in this place of safety that Zahra’s healing truly begins–but can she create a home for herself when the foundation is built on lies she’s spun to protect her from the past? When a family friend recognizes her, will everything come crashing down? As Zahra tries to build a life for herself in this new place, the heart of the matter becomes clear: she can’t run away forever. Can she close the rift in her family and truly, fully heal?

Hi Aamna! I’m so glad to have you joining us here. To start off, tell us a bit about yourself and your
upcoming book!

Hi Rania! Thank you so much for having me! I am a Pakistani American author living in New York and I am so excited to release When A Brown Girl Flees this September 19, which is a YA literary novel that follows a Muslim teen who runs away from home in order to find herself!

When a Brown Girl Flees is a tale of self-discovery as well as self-love. What made you want to start writing this book and where did the inspiration stem from?

I wrote the initial draft of this when I was a senior in high school and was grappling with a lot of the big questions that Zahra grapples with in the novel: Who am I? Who do I want to be? How do I get there? How can I be happy? This book began as a sort of journal to explore these questions and the complex emotions that come with them. There was just so much I didn’t know that I wanted to figure out, and in writing this book, I was able to understand a lot of things about myself, my faith, my family, my community, and just about life in general. Even though I am not Zahra, and her story is not based on my life, putting myself in her shoes helped me to see things.

When a Brown Girl Flees has Zahra Paracha as its main character and I can’t wait to meet her as well as the other characters! Which character did you have the best time writing, and which do you relate to the most?

I adore Zahra, but I had the best time writing Sadaf. She is one of the two sisters that Zahra becomes best friends with, and Sadaf is just so much fun. She’s loud, open, and has a lot of confidence, which automatically makes her shine like a brilliant star to Zahra, who’s really quiet and reserved in the beginning of the book. But as Zahra gets to know Sadaf more, she sees that beneath all that bravado, Sadaf is intensely genuine, kind, and also just figuring things out like the rest of them.

Your previous books were of the fantasy genre, while WABGF is categorised as contemporary. How did the experience of writing (and publishing) in each genre differ from the other?

It’s definitely very different! While I adore fantasy, it was refreshing for me to be in the contemporary sphere because there’s not so much world-building or politics or high stakes. A lot of Zahra’s problems are internal, so it was nice to go from this expansive world with kingdoms and wars and lots of characters to this incredibly microscopic look into this one specific character’s mind and heart.

If Durkhanai (protagonist of The Marghazar Trials) and Zahra ever met, what do you think they would bond over?

Ah, this is such a great question! Even just thinking about it is making me short-circuit a little because they are from SUCH different worlds. But in the end, I think they would admire what the other has gone through and really be proud of how they both made it through, in the end. They would bond over their support system of loved ones because for both of them, their loved ones are incredibly important. 

If you had the chance to see your books get adapted for the screen, who would you like to see casted as Zahra and Durkhanai?

For Durkhanai, I like Aena Khan! She’s a new Pakistani actress who played Haya in the Ramadan drama, Fairy Tale, which I loved. For Zahra, I like Sajal Aly; she’s such a phenomenal actress and has great range. I am watching Kuch Ankahi right now and loving it!

In WABGF, Zahra has an affinity for cooking. What are some of your favourite dishes to cook?

I actually bake a lot more than I cook, and I literally just made this yesterday, but I love baking tres leches cake. The recipe I use requires a lot of patience and delicate care, so it always helps me slow down. I find it very calming. 

Which song(s) do you think fits Zahra’s story the best? (feel free to link a playlist too!)

You Are Enough by Sleeping at Last

You’re on Your Own Kid by Taylor Swift

hope ur ok by Olivia Rodrigo

Mirrorball by Taylor Swift

Liability by Lorde

This is Me Trying by Taylor Swift

Class of 2013 by Mitski

Sun by Sleeping at Last (Honestly, the entire Atlas: Space and Atlas: II albums by Sleeping at Last were on repeat when I was drafting this back in 2016.) 

One of the things I loved about WABGF is how brilliantly the muslim representation was woven into the story, especially the religious aspects. What, according to you, is something that you wish to see a lot more of when it comes to the representation of muslims in the media?

I am so glad you enjoyed that; I was really careful about the Muslim representation! I wish we could see more casual practising Muslim stories. I want to see more stories of Muslim characters who see Islam as a source of light in their life and who balance deen and dunya because most of the people I know interact with their religion like that. 

And lastly, what’s something you hope readers take away from When a Brown Girl Flees, and what advice would you give to writers hoping to put their own book out there one day?

If you take away one thing, let it be to not lose hope. As long as you live, there is hope, so do not despair. My advice for writers would actually be the same! Keep trying and trying; there is no expiration date to your story. I first wrote When a Brown Girl Flees in 2016 and it’s now getting published seven years later. The journey has not been easy, and I wanted to give up so many times, but I clung to the hope that it would work out, and eventually, it did! 

Rania, thank you so much for having me and for such thoughtful questions!

Thank you Aamna, for taking the time to be here! I had so much fun conversing with you and can’t wait for everyone to fall in love with your writing the same way I did!

Aamna Qureshi is a Pakistani, Muslim American who adores words. She grew up on Long Island, New York, in a very loud household, surrounded by English (for school), Urdu (for conversation), and Punjabi (for emotion). Much of her childhood was spent being grounded for reading past her bed-time, writing stories in the backs of her notebooks, and being scolded by teachers for passing chapters under the tables.

Through her writing, she wishes to inspire a love for the beautiful country and rich culture that informed much of her identity. When she’s not writing, she loves to travel to new places where she can explore different cultures or to Pakistan where she can revitalize her roots. She also loves baking complicated desserts, drinking fancy teas and coffees, watching sappy rom-coms, and going for walks about the estate (her backyard). She currently lives in New York.

Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Instagram

And that’s all for today’s post! Have you read any of Aamna’s books? What are your thoughts on BIPOC representation in media? Let me know in the comments!

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