Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am an award-winning instructor and international speaker on conflicts in the Islamic world, terrorism, and women in war. I have written two non-fiction books related to women in conflict–stories of their survival and sacrifice.
Currently, I am a Gender Expert Instructor, Elliott School of International Affairs at The George Washington University and a Research Fellow at the Center for Global Policy. I received the 21st Century Leader Award by The National Committee on American Foreign Policy in New York and The Humanitarian Award by my alma mater in Texas.
I appear widely in the media and news as an expert on feminism, Islam, and conflicts in the Muslim world and have appeared in the mainstream media: CNN, BBC television and radio, Public Broadcasting Service, National Public Radio, Fox News, C-Span, Bloomberg, ABC News, MSNBC, Canadian national television, Voice of America, Al-Jazeera, The Daily Ledger Show and more. You can learn more at www.farhanaqazi.com
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Invisible Martyrs: Inside the Secret World of Female Islamic Radicals is a true story of women and girls in violent extremism. The book is both informative and personal: it begins inside the Counter-Terrorism Center in the U.S. Government, where I joined as the first American Muslim woman to serve and combat terrorist threats. The book is a journey into radical Islam and a discovery of its true tenants, which is peace, love and mercy for everyone.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I save magazines and use that as notepads; I jot down notes and ideas which comes handy when I actually begin to write short stories and non-fiction.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Award-winning journalists who risk their lives to report the truth are motivational and have inspired my own writing of women in war: Jon Lee Anderson, Robert Young Pelton, Christina Lamb, Isabel Coleman, Anthony Shadid, to name a few.
What are you working on now?
I am writing a romance series called The Honorable Life Series, which is set in Texas and explores a relationship between a Pakistani girl and a Catholic boy and the families that tear them apart. This story is a deeply emotional story that touches on themes of honor, shame, and the sacrifices one makes for love.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Sharing my story with countless friends, beta readers, and colleagues is priceless; these are the people who help promote the book through their contacts, word of mouth, and online (social media). Nurturing these relationships has been a gift for me.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write more. These days, one book is just the beginning of your career. The more you write, the more you develop your craft and create stories that people want to read.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Explore the world. Through travel, I discover new places and people which make for memorable stories. By visiting 70 plus countries, I have been able to write more descriptively and emotionally, which would not have been possible if I stayed in just one place. After all, writing is a journey, itself.
What are you reading now?
The Sewing Circles of Herat by Christina Lamb. A heart-warming story of girls in Afghanistan who dare to read and keep their educational traditions alive, despite the threat of terrorists and men who would rather keep women illiterate.
What’s next for you as a writer?
To write a series of fiction books of women in conflict with their families or themselves as they seek to create new identities. To show that women in the Islamic world can be strong, supportive, and sensual.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
a book of prayer to guide my wounded soul; a book of poems to nourish my mind; and a book on mindfulness to help me live in the moment and find beauty on a deserted island.
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