I Do Most Of My Reading On

And It’s When I’m Standing There This Morning, In My Pjs And A Hijab, Next To My Mum And My Dad, Kneeling Before God, That I Feel A Strange Sense Of Calm. I Feel Like Nothing Can Hurt Me, And Nothing Else Matters.

Life Isn’t Like The Movies. People Don’t Change Overnight. People Don’t Go From Arrogant And Self-righteous To Ashamed And Remorseful. They Don’t Suddenly Give In When They’ve Spent Years Taking Out. No Doesn’t Magically Become A Yes.

One Of The First Serious Attempts I Made To Write A Novel Was When I Was In Grade 6 And I Had Read 'matilda.' I Wrote My Own Version And My Teacher Had It Bound And Permitted Me To Read It To The Class - Cementing My Love Of Reading, Writing And Roald Dahl!

I Do Most Of My Reading On The Train Ride To And From Work. But I Always Have A Book In My Handbag So That I Can Read At Any Time, Anywhere.

My Family Are Observant Muslims, But I've Come To The Faith Through An Intellectual Conviction, And That's Something That They've Taught Me. It's Never Been Forced Upon Me. They've Given Me A Very Strong Identity As An Australian Muslim.