17 Apr Marzieh Abbas A DUPATTA IS… and a GIVEAWAY!

Happy Monday! I’m thrilled to have PBSpree sister, the talented Marzieh Abbas on the blog today.  She has written A DUPATTA IS… which I can tell you is a lovely book that you won’t want to miss.  Marzieh’s carefully chosen words and Anu Chouhan’s beautiful art weave together, creating a book that every child (and adult) will love. What is a Dupatta? It’s fabric, shape, color, sound, and so much more. But I’ll let Marzieh tell you more about that!

EL: Welcome, Marzieh!  Before we talk about your book, please tell us a little about yourself and what you do when you’re not writing.

MA: I live in buzzing Karachi, a metropolis by the sea. I used to run my own bakery for almost a decade before I took writing seriously. I love creating, especially for children…whether it be a 7-layered rainbow cake or spinning a tale. I also enjoy cooking, sipping chai, trying different cuisines, looking up our next holiday destination, and skipping rope.

EL: So interesting! Now, please tell us a little about your newest book. How did you get your inspiration? What else would you like to tell us? 

MA: I’d been wanting to write a book that screamed identity. I didn’t want it to be an “issue” book, though. One day I was reading FRY BREAD to my 5yo daughter when it felt like the perfect structure for an expository book celebrating identity. On the surface, it may seem like a dupatta is just a piece of fabric, but it holds so much more meaning and is a treasure trove of memories for South Asian kids who grow up with their aunts, mothers, and grandmothers wearing dupattas. I wanted to delve into the topic one aspect at a time and the minute I found the right structure, everything fell into place.

EL: Anu Chouhan’s illustrations are beautiful. Can you tell us a little about that? As you can see, I scattered some of these gorgeous pictures throughout this post. 

MA: Before my editor, Emily Settle, even took the manuscript to acquisitions, she knew she wanted to sign on Anu as the illustrator. Anu loves capturing the beauty of South Asian garments and characters. I was pretty new to the kidlit scene at the time and hadn’t come across Anu’s work. I was so delighted by her style, and we were all so happy when Anu said yes to the project.

EL: Well, that was certainly the right choice to complement your words. Do you have a writing routine? If so, will you share it?

MA: I wish I did, but the truth is I don’t. A lot of my day goes into picking up and dropping my kids to and from school. I love the morning time and sometimes I will get up at 5 am and write. But that’s very rare. Sometimes I write on the Google Docs app on my phone while waiting in the parking lot outside my daughter’s school. Other times I might get my mom to keep the kids and get a good chunk of time to revise. I just go with the flow.

EL: I love that answer. I think some people that that all writers sit down for hours and write, write, write, write. But we all have lives too. Do you have anything else in the pipeline you can talk about?

MA: I have another book in the same structure called HENNA IS… that releases next year with the same brilliant team!

I also have a picture book biography with Clarion (HarperCollins) about Pakistan’s first woman architect, Yasmeen Lari, which is being illustrated by Hoda Hadadi.

My first purely fiction picture book comes out with Clarion, too. It’s titled AWE-SAMOSAS! Illustrated by Bhagya Madanasinghe, it too releases in 2024.

EL:  Congratulations! I can’t wait for those new books. What inspires you?

MA: Nature. My kids. Life. My faith. Pakistan.

EL: What do you do when the words don’t come?

MA:  It always helps to step out of the story I’m writing and come back to it later. During my time away I read for inspiration. I also work on two to three stories simultaneously. So if I’m stuck on one, I can switch to another and come back to the previous one when I’m feeling more inspired.

EL: Do you have any words of advice for aspiring kidlit writers?

MA: Don’t give up! Keep reading, writing, revising, and engaging with the kidlit community through conferences, classes, and critique groups. The only way to get published is to keep sending out work and honing your craft. The industry is super unpredictable and you need only one YES!

EL: Thanks so much, Marzieh! I loved learning more about you, and I’m sure everyone else did too! 

And now a

Marzieh is happy to do a half-hour ASK ME ANYTHING CALL  Time and date are to be mutually decided.  Just comment on this post and let me know if you are a subscriber for an extra chance to win. 

Here are some places you can find Marzieh:

Website: http://marzieabbas,com

IG link: https://www.instagram.com/marziehabbas_author/

Twitter link: https://twitter.com/MarziehAbbas

FB link: https://www.facebook.com/marziehabbas/

Book available at:

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250820945/adupattais#:~:text=Dupattas%E2%80%94shawls%20traditionally%20worn%20by,smells%20of%20family%20and%20identity.

Please consider adding my book on Goodreads and marking it “to be read”:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57514916-a-dupatta-is 

Marzieh is a baker turned award-winning author. She loves adding magic to her creations- whether that’s a seven-layered rainbow cake or the books she writes for children all over the world. She enjoys learning new skills, jumping rope, sipping chai, and observing nature. She is the author of A DUPATTA IS… and several upcoming children’s books including AWE-SAMOSAS (Clarion, 2024), HENNA IS…(Feiwel and Friends, 2024) and YASMEEN LARI, GREEN ARCHITECT (Clarion, 2024). Marzieh is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Julie Hedlund’s 12×12 Picture Book Challenge, and a graduate of the Lyrical Language Lab and Children’s Book Academy. Marzieh dreams of owning a talking parrot someday. But, until then, she lives in Pakistan with her husband and children who inspire her every day. She is represented by Lynnette Novak at The Seymour Agency.

Until next time, be well,

Ellen

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On a personal note, please check out other parts of my website, https://EllenLeventhal.com, to learn more about me, my books, and my school visits.  

NEW BOOK ALERT! Available wherever books are sold. 

If you’d like a signed copy, pre-order at Brazos Bookstore

This tale bears the same timely message as its subject’s music: Let’s all unite in a spirit of community.

Kirkus