In Conversation With: Tasneem Abdur-Rashid, author of 'Finding Mr Perfectly Right'
It’s not the glamorous writer life I imagined...
Hello and Salam alaykum (peace be upon you) 👋🏾
How has writing been for you this week? Did you manage to get the words out?
This week, writing has been a myth. Firstly, due to other priorities, I’m not able to show up to the page six days a week, and it made me realise I have to be kinder to myself and reassess my goal.
Ideally, writing for six days would be perfect, but at the moment, I’ll be putting too much pressure on myself, and with pressure comes an inability to show up on the page authentically. So this weekend, I’ll be reviewing my writing goals and setting new ones. It’s okay if it takes longer than planned to finish this draft.
Every second Friday of the month, we share an interview with a Black and/or Muslim woman writer or creative. This is the first of many to come, featuring Tasneem Abdur-Rashid, author of contemporary romance, Finding Mr Perfectly Right.
Tasneem is a British Bengali writer born and raised in London. A mother of two, Tasneem has worked across media, PR and communications both in the UK and in the UAE. Today, Tasneem spends her days writing novels and her nights co-hosting the award-winning podcast Not Another Mum Pod – and in between, she’s busy trying (and often failing) to be super mum, super wife and super chef. Having recently completed a Master’s in Creative Writing with distinction, Tasneem’s debut rom-com Finding Mr Perfectly Fine was published by Zaffre/Bonnier in summer 2022.
Name: Tasneem Abdur-Rashid
Literary agent: Abi Fellows of the Good Literary Agency
Book title: Finding Mr Perfectly Fine
Publisher: Zaffre, an imprint of Bonnier
Release date: July 7, 2022
Genre/category: Women’s Fiction/Romance
Blurb:
Last week I turned 29. Along with the usual homemade Victoria sponge, helium balloon and Selfridges gift vouchers, my Mum's birthday present to me was the threat that if I'm not engaged by my 30th birthday, she's sending me off to the Motherland to find a fresh-from-the-Desh husband.
When Zara's Mum puts together the most archaic of arranged marriage resources (not exactly the romcom-worthy love story she had envisioned for herself), she is soon exhausted by her family's failed attempts to set her up with every vaguely suitable Abdul, Ahmed and Farook that they can find. Zara decides to take matters into her own hands. How hard can it be to find a husband at twenty-nine?
With just a year to go, time is of the essence, so Zara joins a dating app and signs up for speed dating. She meets Hamza, a kind British Egyptian who shares her values and would make a good husband. Zara knows that not all marriages are based on love (or lust) at first sight but struggles with the lack of spark. Particularly when she can't stop thinking of someone else…As her next birthday looms, and family pressure intensifies, Zara knows she must make a decision, but will she make the right one?
What’s your writing routine?
My writing routine is all over the place! I wrote most of Finding Mr Perfectly Fine in the middle of the night, as my children were very young, and I was working full-time and doing a Master’s in Creative Writing part-time. Since receiving my two-book deal however, I’ve left my demanding day job and now I’m a full-time writer, working on my novels and freelance projects, including my award-winning podcast Not Another Mum Pod.
Now I try to write when my kids are at school, but the six hours fly by, especially when there’s cooking to do, groceries to buy, a house to clean and clothes to wash every day! I usually try and get my housework done before noon, which gives me a solid two hours of writing before I pick the kids up from school. The rest is done after the kids are asleep. I basically don’t have time for Netflix! It’s not the glamorous writer life I imagined, where I would go on holistic retreats and lock myself away for days in a room with a beautiful view. It’s about grabbing bits of time whenever I can, regardless of whether I’m inspired or not. When a deadline is looming, it’s even at the dining table while the kids eat their dinner, or in the car/tube during a journey!
Can you share a bit about your reading habits?
I read pretty much everything – I don’t discriminate on genre – but these days I’m making more of a conscious effort to read books by women of colour, since I spent most of my life reading and buying books by non-poc writers. Right now I’m reading Sabba Khan’s graphic novel, The Roles We Play, and next on my list is The Mountains Sing by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, and Love and Other Dramas by Ronali Collins.
Do you read while you’re drafting or steer clear from books similar to what you’re working on?
When I wrote Finding Mr Perfectly Fine, I steered clear of similar books because I didn’t want them to influence me. Because of that, I didn’t read Sofia Khan is Not Obliged until recently! To be fair - there aren’t many Asian rom-coms anyway, and even fewer Muslim ones and I don’t even know if there are any Bengali Muslim ones apart from mine, so it’s easy to do.
Where do you get inspiration from?
People, mostly. The people I meet, their stories and experiences, things my friends and family have been through, snippets of conversations, a funny turn of phrase.
Have you always known you were going to be a writer? When did it become a dream for you?
I’ve always known it. I’ve been telling stories since I was a child. My dad bought me a computer when I was 10 or 11 – back in the days when hardly anyone had them at home – and told me to use it to write stories. I knew I was going to write a book eventually, but I got busy with life. I lived abroad, worked in magazines and communications, got married and had kids.
How did the idea for your book come about? / What prompted you to write this book?
I’d been wanting to write this story ever since my friends and I reached a marriageable age and went through the stressful, traumatic, funny, crazy process of looking for a husband the British Bengali way. Life got in the way, and it was when my youngest was a baby that I revisited the idea.
I was busy with motherhood, drowning in a relentless routine of breastfeeding, nappies, toys, cleaning, cooking, parenting, and I started forgetting who I was besides being a mother. I felt like I was going crazy, and I needed to do something that had nothing to do with my kids, husband or the household; something that stimulated my mind and my soul.
One night, I reached over my baby’s body as he fed, and started typing, and this story was created and the more I wrote, the more I began to feel like myself again.
Can you tell us a bit about your path to publication? How long did it take to get from idea to publication?
It’s been a long road, especially if you consider that I had the idea around 20 years ago! But from when I actually started writing it; it’s been six years. It took a couple of years to write the book, and then another year to edit it down, another year to find an agent, more editing, then finding a publisher, more editing again! But all this was done while I was busy being a mum, then working in a demanding job, doing the Creative Writing Master’s, co-hosting a podcast and everything else, so I’ve been working on it in whatever free time I had after all that!
What was the most difficult part of the writing process for you?
Editing! It felt like it went on forever! But that’s also because my first draft of the book was about twice as long as it should have been, so I had a lot of restructuring to do. But apart from the writing part of it, the hardest is finding an agent. This is when you face rejection after rejection, and it can be really soul-destroying at times. You have to really stay strong in your convictions of yourself and your work.
What do you hope readers would get out of your book?
I hope that Muslim readers, especially Bengali readers, can feel like they’ve found a bit of themselves in my book. Growing up, I never read a book that had a character that looked like me, and I really hope more underrepresented writers are given the space and platform to showcase their own stories, with their own voices, on their own terms.
Where can readers find your work?
Finding Mr Perfectly Fine is available on Bookshop.org, Amazon, Waterstones, WH Smith, Book Depository etc.
If you could share one piece of advice with an aspiring writer, what would it be?
Please don’t give up! Rejections are a part of the deal, and it only takes one person to read your work at the right time. Keep writing, keep hustling and keep trying to improve your craft.
How can readers keep up with your work?
Twitter: @TasneemARashid
Instagram: @TasneemARashid
Can you take a quick poll please?
Thank you so much to all those who have sent in responses to the questions below! Each month, I’ll try to answer at least one of the questions.
Please continue sending in your response to these:
What’s your biggest fear about writing?
What question(s) about writing or publishing do you wish you had an answer to?
What topics would you like me to focus on?
Are you working on anything you’d like some feedback on? How can I help?
✍🏾 Writing Prompt
Each morning for 25 years, you and one other person waited at the same bus stop for work. This was the first time they weren't there. (ref)
⚡️Creative Opportunities
I’m subscribed to several newsletters relating to writing news, and they usually include information about writing contests, competitions and other opportunities to grow your craft. I’ll be including links to them in this section.
#MerkyBooks New Writers’ Prize is BACK!
The winner of the New Writers’ Prize will receive a publishing contract with #Merky Books (an imprint of Penguin Random House). All shortlisted writers will also be invited to our Writers’ Camp, where they will be able to participate in writing workshops, panel talks, editorial one-to-ones, and meet the #Merky Books team.
Who can enter? Unpublished writers aged between 16 and 30 who are currently a resident in the UK or ROI, working on a manuscript of fiction, non-fiction or poetry. (No children’s books this year sadly)
What do you need to submit? 200 word synopsis and 1,500 word extract for works of fiction and non-fiction, and a 200 word synopsis and 500 word extract for works of poetry.
DEADLINE: 10th September 2022
📚 What I’m currently reading
Olive Kitteridge by Lucy Barton: A collection of thirteen short stories centred around the people in a coastal town in Maine.
Kinder than Solitude by Yiyun Li: A quiet, slow novel with unlikeable characters centred around grief, guilt and love.
In December 2020, I started properly tracking my reading with goodreads and I haven’t looked back since then. It’s been perfect for me to keep track of books I want to read but don’t have access to or time for at the moment, as well as for observing my reading habits.
Do you track your reading habits? Do you set reading goals for yourself or simply go with the flow?
🎁 Giveaway
Fill in this form to enter a giveaway for a copy of Tasneem’s debut, Finding Mr Perfectly Fine
P.S. I’ll be doing more of these over time, particularly for craft books I’ve found beneficial, so watch this space!
And that’s it, folks! If you enjoyed this interview and found it beneficial, why not spread the word?
Wishing you a blessed and splendid weekend! I’ll be back in your inbox next Friday :)
Till next time,
Suad x