I know that Book!: Author interview: Neesha Hosein.

Today I have the pleasure to introduce to to an amazing writer: Neesha Hosein.

Here is her interview:

When did you decide to be a writer?

My stay-at-home mom decided she needed to turn me into a super reader before I started school. It was also a way for her to try and soften my Trinidadian accent, so I could sound “more American.” Didn’t take long, because I was born there and grew up here in Houston, Texas. So she started lessons when I was 2, and by age 5, I was book obsessed! I was on a 2nd grade reading level when I entered kindergarten. From then on, I decided words should be my life. Funny thing, the same momma who taught me how to read eventually discouraged me from trying to make writing my bread-n-butter because I "would starve trying to outweigh the fierce competition." About three decades later, I'm a journalist, writer/editor for NASA, a self-published author, and I run my own writing/editing business and blog. She still gets the credit for my success, though!

What inspired you to write your book?

This book is very personal and dear to me. It took me six years to write it. It started as scribbles in my notebook, born of daydreams and memories that overtook my brain during class in 2006. It is a work of fiction for the most part, but is embellished and very loosely based on myself and some very mysterious and heartbreaking things I've experienced. I do my best to take negative things and magically turn them positive. Who knew my experiences and pain would become a novella years later! It was so well-received, I’m writing a Storm 2.

For those who haven't heard about your book, how would you describe it?

My novella is a suspense/thriller with a sprinkle of paranormal and crime. I tried to write it so that each and every page became a moving scene in the reader’s mind. Knowing what I like to get out of a book helped me shape it into the page-turner the reviewers say it is. It’s about a little girl who gets hit by lightning and is thrust into the paranormal world. She doesn’t realize she has a connection until she’s an adult, married to Mr. Wrong and is pregnant. The child becomes the key that opens this door to things she could never have imagined. These experiences and the visions she begins to have lead her to a shocking truth about the man she calls husband and whose abuse she tolerates until the bitter end.

The book cover image is one I took from an airplane coming back from Trinidad in 2010. I never new it would become anything but a very cool photo in my collection, but it was perfect for the story!

Can you tell us the easiest and hardest part of being a writer?

The easiest part is definitely the writing itself! It’s enjoyable and stress-relieving, not to mention invigorating. I have total control over what I write, and there’s no rules or limits like there are in every-day life. It takes me away from my harsh reality just when I need it most. I keep a little notebook with me at all times so that no brilliant idea goes to waste. I’ve heard many writers do this. I even keep it at my bedside table in case I dream something cool, I can scribe it before I totally forget it.

The hardest part is knowing that my work may never go anywhere. BUT, I’ll never know unless I try and try again, so the writing lives on! I’ve had enough minimal success that it keeps me motivated. It’s tough to put your hard work out there, not knowing who will endeavor to rip it apart or love it to death. I’ve found that marketing my work to stand out amidst the astronomical number of fellow authors is also a huge challenge.

What do you do when you are not writing?

Hilariously enough, my hobby outside of writing still involves words! It is reading and editing books for fellow authors. Unlike a lot of people who tell me I’m nuts, editing is actually a fun activity to me! I also have a book blog (although I talk about all kinds of silly things there) – www.Novellarella.blogspot.com I love to meet new people, so I welcome new members.

How do you react to a bad review?

I don’t. I have an understanding that there are billions of people in the world and just as many opinions and preferences. Not everyone will like a song, a piece of art, or a BOOK. So I consider myself an artist of words, and I am grateful to anyone who takes the time to give my book a fighting chance.

If you could choose a character of any book to have coffee with, who would it be and why?

I love this question. It’s so perfect to ask a book lover. After a LONG thought process, I choose Harry Potter, because my kids and I want to know what the heck happened to all of them and what work they are doing now post-Voldemort times. Is that incredibly nerdy of me? Well, J.K. Rowling ended the series rather vaguely, probably to leave much to the imagination of the readers, but I have enough thinking to do in my daily life. So, it’s torturous to be left hanging.

Tell us about your current projects.

Gladly! I’m writing Storm 2 as well as a non-fiction book about my experience with autism. I have a 14-year-old son with autism, and our life is a psychological thriller to say the least! Just check my blog archive, and you’ll see what I mean. Sometimes I think God truly intended for me to be a writer, because He sure did give me tons of material in life! I’m also, as I mentioned before, a book editor, so it brings me joy helping other authors beautify their work. My goal in life is to leave Corporate America behind, become my own business and be around more to help my sons grow into good men, and my youngest to fight the obstacles of autism like a ninja. Every time someone buys my book or follows my blog and/or social media, they are helping me to accomplish this goal, and I’m eternally grateful.

Check her book:

Synopsis:

Being struck by lightning as a child sets Kira on a path to realization. Her life becomes a riveting series of events, and her guiding light is the supernatural. Her adventurous visions lead her through some spine-tingling discoveries about her husband, the man whose rigorous rules she obediently follows in a life filled with both tribulation and triumph.