In Conversation With: Ayaan Mohamud - author of YA novel 'You Think You Know Me'
Writing a first draft is tough, exhausting and frequently frustrating. The best thing you can do is get through it and not worry too much about how messy it might be.
Hello and Salam alaykum friends đđž,Â
I hope youâre well and youâve had a great week so far.
I was supposed to be in your inbox last week, but my deadlines next week are all I can think about. I came out of hibernation to share this insightful, wholesome interview with Ayaan, YA author of the debut âYou Think You Know Meâ.
About Ayaan:
Ayaan Mohamud wrote her first ever book in lockdown and during NaNoWriMo, while also studying as a medical student, and it became her debut novel. It was inspired by her own experiences of Islamophobia and a desire to write about Somali culture which she hopes to shine more of a light on in YA. She lives in London and can usually be found either writing or complaining about writing. When she isn't doing either of those things, you may find her simply annoying her sisters or daydreaming.
Name:Â Ayaan Mohamud
Literary agent:Â Clare Wallace
Book title:Â You Think You Know Me
Publisher:Â Â Usborne
Release date:Â 2nd February 2023
Genre/category: Contemporary YA
Where do you get inspiration from?
From the most unlikely of places or people â which sounds basic, but very true! For me, inspiration is just a fleeting thought that sounds interesting. Itâs only when I dig a little deeper and expand on the thought that Iâm able to see where it could go.
Even something like the name of a road can be enough to light the match of storytelling. Honestly, inspiration is really wherever you can see it. Anything can be a story because this world is full of them.
Have you always known you were going to be a writer? When did it become a dream for you?
I have always loved reading and writing and so, like most young people with these hobbies, I always fancied I would become an author one day. My writing took a backseat when I went to university and found myself knee-deep in academics but, Alhamdulilah, I found my way back to it a few years ago.
How did the idea for âYou Think You Know Meâ come about?
You Think You Know Me was inspired first by Hanan, my main character, before I had any ideas for plot. In turn, Hanan was inspired by the tragic death of Shukri Abdi, a 12-year-old Somali refugee, who died in Manchester in 2019. In the two years that she lived in the UK, Shukri faced significant bullying at school, and it got me thinking about what her struggles must have been like, as a refugee but also as a Muslim. I wanted to explore these difficult experiences through Hanan, who is also a refugee, although a little older at 17-years-old, and the trauma she experienced growing up and continues to experience.
Whatâs your favourite part about the writing process?
Honestly, getting to the end! You Think You Know Me was the first full-length novel I ever wrote and the thought of finishing it seemed impossible but, with quiet determination and building blocks of the story slowly, it finally came together.
What was the most difficult part of the writing process for you?
Writing the more sensitive and traumatic scenes in the book. Most of what Hanan goes through is not my lived experience so it took a lot of imagining and digging deep to try and get it right. It was hard seeing a 17-year-old go through what she does and all I really wanted to do was protect her from the hurt and pain but, of course, that would never have served the plot.
Whatâs the best writing advice youâve ever received?
The best, and first advice I ever received, was from Naâima B. Robert. She gave me the analogy of painting a picture and said that if you were to focus on one part of the painting disproportionately, wanting to perfect it, and then decided that it didnât actually fit the bigger picture when you completed it, you would have wasted your time.
Writing a first draft is tough, exhausting and frequently frustrating. The best thing you can do is get through it and not worry too much about how messy it might be.
Can you tell us a bit about your path to publication? How long did it take to get from idea to publication?
Alhamdulilah, I think by many accounts, my journey was more straightforward than average.
July-August 2020 & November 2020: wrote my first draft over six weeks.
January 2021: edits on draft and sent out around 12-15 agent queries.
February 2021: response from (my now!) agent for revise & resubmit. Nudged other agents and received one further response.
February â March 2021: revised and then resubmitted.
April 2021: spoke to first agent about further suggestions and made plans to revise first few chapters.
May 2021: Second agent read MS but was no longer interested. First agent happy with revisions on early chapter and I signed with them.
May â August 2021: structural edits with agent.
November 2021: signed publication deal with Usborne.
February 2023: published debut.
What was your biggest learning during the publishing process?
That silence doesnât mean you and your book are the worst! I have seen a lot of people discuss what silence in publishing means recently and I think it is so important. There is silence when youâre querying, silence when youâre on submission, silence prior to announcements, during edits...It never ends.
Embrace the silence and focus on what you can control, wherever you are on your journey.
If you could share one piece of advice with an aspiring writer, what would it be?
Write what feels natural to you. Donât lean into stories, characters, tropes that donât feel like you.
Honestly, your writing will be so much better for it.
What do you hope readers would get out of your book?
Hope, faith, optimism... Pushing yourself to find your voice. These are what instinctively come to mind, but I want readers to take anything they want from her story. Hananâs experience is her own, but her story is rooted in so many things that are universal to the lived experience.
If there were no publishing barriers, what would your next book be on?
Alhamdulilah, I think my debut was the book I wanted to write and publish but initially worried there might be barriers holding it back, considering the âissuesâ the book deals with like Islamophobia and institutional racism. So, with the barriers You Think You Know Me has overcome, I am optimistic about continuing to write freely in the industry.
As someone juggling several responsibilities, what does your writing routine look like?
Writing and editing come in snatches of time for me these days. I was lucky writing my debut because I was still at university, so I was able to dedicate weeks and months during holidays to put in the hard work. Now that Iâm juggling several adult responsibilities whilst writing and editing my second book, it has become a lot more challenging. I write where I get the time to and when I have the energy to, mostly in the evenings and during weekends. I am trying â but sometimes failing â not to put too much pressure on myself and enjoy the stories I am trying to create.
Where can readers find your work?
At all good bookshops - Waterstones, Amazon, and loads of indie bookshops too.
How can readers connect with you?
I can be found on both Twitter and Instagram at @ayaan_moham. Iâm not a huge social media user, but I do post updates about my books and writing on those platforms.
Whatâs on your bookshelf?
My bookshelf exists in all corners of my house so itâs a bit chaotic, to say the least but, in terms of my next read, Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin is at the top. The others up next on my TBR are Scythe by Neal Shusterman, Love from A to Z by S.K. Ali (which I am ashamed to say that Iâve not read yet!), and What The World Doesnât See by Mel Darbon.
If you found this beneficial at all, please shout about it to your family, friends, colleagues and acquaintances!
Till next Friday,
SuadÂ