Interview with Dr. Samiha Zubair, Poet, and a doctor.

• Tell us about yourself?

I think it's the most difficult question as still, I need to know a lot about myself. I belong to a middle-class family brought up by decent parents and I am great full to them. I completed my primary from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. At a young age left for Pakistan and completed my Medical training as a doctor.  My first write-up was rather an opinion for how to keep city clean which came out in Dawn's Young World. After that was busy in studies. I started writing again though with fits and starts from 2013

• Why did you choose to write poetry?

I think it's like poetry chose me, this genre of writing was new for me too and u will be surprised to know that I have lots of books which adorn my shelf and borrowed from friends too but none is the book of poetry. Though if I was reading poetry as part of my grade course I would be mesmerized with words.

• When did you start working on your book?

I was writing mainly for relaxation just to vent out my feelings but credit for it goes to some of my colleagues who after reading my poems so much liked it that they encouraged me to go for a compilation of my writings and that's how it came in my mind. I submitted poems in two competitions for one I was selected among commendable writers. I then compiled and sent a rough draft around April 2016 and there was no looking back.

• Who are you currently reading?

I am currently reading the book version of  Miss Peregrine's Home for The Peculiar Children penned by Ransom Riggs. It's a light fantasy read.

• How do you manage to write with your profession keeping you busy?

I think it's a lot about prioritizing. As my profession takes up a lot of my time. I feel for some poetry is practiced and learned but for me, its borne out of situations I see, feel or experience so I cannot particularly slot time that this time is for writing poetry. It depends on my mood.

• Tell us about your upcoming book?

My upcoming book is Reneging Quiescence, the concoction of different experiences and common message in one way or other and that is a refusal to be silenced by wrong things. Sometimes we are aggressive in certain situations to criticize but where we can really help we just turn a blind eye.

• What are your plans for this book?

I hope this book is able to reach out to maximum readers out there and also help those who are not voracious readers but can read it to get an inspiration. It will be released on Amazon first and then as a paperback.

• Why do you think the culture of book reading declining in Pakistan?

There are obvious reasons like education being too much expensive so increase in illiteracy, from childhood not encouraged to read books, different aspects of social media like the net ,- television to keep families occupied so no one interested. Books fairs are being arranged in Karachi where a lot of old books exchanged but usually fewer crowds are willing to stand beneath the sun to buy books.

• Do you prefer Ebook or Paperback?

For me, the magic of Paper book cannot be compared with an Ebook ever. At Least for now and maybe in the future. Sitting on the computer for a long time is also damaging for eyes, your posture also.

• As a writer and a poet, what is your message to the world?

My message to the world is happy it's your right as long as it doesn't hurt anyone. Don't stop dreaming. Be good where everywhere there seems to be so much rush its like time has bought us.

N remember as I said before AS WE LABEL THE SKY SO WE SET ITS LIMITS.

I want to thank Irum CEO of the publishing house and an  author in her write for asking me for her blog interview.

You can buy her book by placing an order here: beyondsanitybooks@gmail.com

Know more about her Here.

Know about Beyond Sanity Publishing 

Harper Lee Passes away at 89- Why?

“You never really understand a person… until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” 

And yesterday I heard the news, Harper Lee passed away. This year is filled with deaths of people in Literature and music world. I can't even begin to understand why.

Is the world done with legends?

Are they not a part of us anymore?

More importantly, are we sure we can live in a world without them putting their art and words in our lives?

Harper Lee had a Tom boyish life when she grew up in Alabama, US. She died before she could celebrate her 90th Birthday. I guess all she wanted was to see the world in her perspective and she did, she wrote about all she felt growing up, and wrote about the life everyone was living. Differences are present in every century, in every culture, but to revolutionize thoughts every time someone is treated in  a way they feel alienated, is something Harper Lee accomplished.

I've heard so many quotations from her first master piece over the years that have now become crystal clear and they give meaning to all she she wrote.

I'm positive that I don't have a unique approach or thought that someone else hasn't already articulated around. To Kill a Mockingbird is one of those books which is a legend in literary culture for standing apart thematically and stylistically.

“She was almost in love with him. No, that’s impossible, she thought: either you are or you aren’t. Love’s the only thing in this world that is unequivocal. There are different kinds of love, certainly, but it’s a you-do or you-don’t proposition with them all."

The world isn't done with legends yet, we are not saved yet. we are still lost souls looking for our missing puzzle piece, a place where we belong. A place where we are all treated equally and without any discrimination. Peace isn't all we crave. We long for 'belonging'

We long for our misplaced faith, we find it in the most uncertain of ways. Some might find it in love, some find it in the realms of chaos. Either way, you are bound to find your way. That's why legends stay with us forever, I mean if I take out this book after ten or twenty years I will know exactly how it made me feel. And if I am blurry on the details, I will read it again. Someone would see me reading the book in my favorite coffee shop or a foodie place and they will be inclined to read it again too. And if not again, there is always a first time for everything.

And No, I am not okay with these legends going away from us. There is so much they could teach us, there is so much they could give us, so much they could say, so much they can write and all that is lost as they pass away. Then we miss them a little less every year.

May you rest in piece, our legend and I wish we are able to keep you in our thoughts and in our lives forever.

“I need a watchman to tell me this is what a man says but this is what he means, to draw a line down the middle and say here is this justice and there is that justice and make me understand the difference.”

Irum Zahra

The Sky Ghosts series by Alexandra Engellmann- Blog Tour

The Sky Ghosts series by Alexandra Engellmann 

Fill this simple Google Form to sign up for the giveaway. Five winners will receive

the first two books of the Sky Ghosts series in any ebook format and have a chance

to read the rest of the series for free. Giveaway ends on December 1st.

Title: Sky Ghosts / Author: Alexandra Engellmann / Genre: Urban fantasy /

Action / Romance

Sky Ghosts: All for One (Sky Ghosts #1)

Jane and Pain are Sky Ghosts – and they kill for a living. Highly trained

bodyguards by day, they patrol the New York streets at night to keep the city safe

from their enemies, Sky Beasts. One night they save two young men from their

enemies’ blades and find themselves in the middle of a war. As they put their lives

at stake to save their wards, the main mystery remains unsolved: why would the

Beasts hunt two ordinary human boys?

Spellbinding and violent, Alexandra Engellmann’s Sky Ghosts series is exactly

what Urban fantasy fans are looking for – a blend of action, humor, mystery, and a

unique magic system.

“Sky Ghosts is a great mixture of sword-fighting, humor, wit, sexual tension,

and “imperfect romance” that brilliantly lets the readers feel like the

characters, while supernatural, are fairly ordinary people underneath it all.”

– Joe Jackson, author of the Eve of Redemption series

Goodreads Link

Sky Ghosts: Marco (Sky Ghosts #1.5)

It was hate at first sight. She broke chairs on his head, and in return he broke her

bones.

When Marco joined the New York Sky Ghosts Headquarters, he expected trouble.

What he didn’t expect was a girl half his size that would turn his life into hell.

They spilled too much of each other’s blood for any hope for reconciliation. How

did it happen that they ended up spilling blood for each other on a daily basis?

“I laughed a lot while reading Marco. The silly teenage nature of him and

Pain combined with their stubborn natures and violent streaks made for some

suitably hilarious and cringe worthy scenes.”

– Belart Wright, author of the

Average Joe series

Goodreads Link

Follow the author:

Twitter-Facebook-Goodreads

 Official Website

Alexandra Engellmann for Beyond Sanity Publishing

This Is Me-Psychaotic Author Review

*Psychaotic* is my debut Poetry Book.
It is the first of its kind here in Pakistan. I am Pakistan's first free verse Gothic Poet to be published Internationally.
*Psychaotic* is a word play of two words and two feeling. Psycho and Chaotic.
I believe that everyone has these sides and they choose whether or not to open or disclose that side with people or not.
Psychaotic reads you while you are reading it and it connects the inner most desires and feelings with the flow of words. I wanted to write all these thoughts on paper because I wanted to connect the reader to the people like him or her. There are so many people in this world who feel like the have lost everything and they cannot go on without someone but this, this book, it tells them that there is life after that. That they are not alone in that hurt and agony. I know and I understand what you are going through. This book is for the delusional, for the bipolar, for the insane and crazy people. It is for the introverts who swallow their anguish and hate and keep it locked inside their hearts. It is for the people who feel alone in a crowd of 1 million.
I am here to tell them, whatever hardships they suffered, whatever pain they felt, They are not the only ones. There are people like you. They are here to help you, to talk to you, to love you.
You are special.
Psychaotic is my mirror. You read this book, you'll know me.
If you read this book, and you connect with even one of it's words, do let me know.
This book is my prize. I want to reach out to everyone through this book
Remember: You're loved.

Happy Reading!

Review of Psychaotic by W.R. Watkins

W.R. Watkins rated it 5 of 5 stars

Where to begin with this book?

Well, for starters: this book is brilliant.

It is a rarity for me to find a book that deals with complex issues, yet manages to execute those issues with a refreshing brutal honesty, soul, humor and vulnerability.

This, for me, perfectly sums up ‘Psychaotic’.

Ms Zahra has no trouble writing out her thoughts, and feelings, telling the reader exactly what she is feeling at the time of writing her poetry. And that is a very, very good thing! Not everyone wants to read about Daffodils…

She not only does this time and time again throughout the book, she also presents to us who she is as a human being, who has experienced love gained and lost (‘Look For Love’; ‘Remind Me’), dreams rising and falling (‘Perceptions’), self-harm (‘Drought’; ‘Roses On My Arms’; ‘Control’) and wonders about life around her (‘The False Chapters’; ‘Tomorrow Never Comes’; ‘Somewhere In A Graveyard’), talking about the mysteries of demise to the weather (‘Dear Rain,’; ‘Thunder).

On more than one occasion, she bares her soul to you, the reader. It is almost like you’re in a therapy session, with the reader as the therapist, and she is your patient (in the best kind of way!). Not only do these entries present her vulnerability (‘Petrified’; ‘The Crossroads’), but they also show her strength of character, who at one point switches from pining for her lost love (‘The Absurdity Of You’; ‘To Play A Broken Record’; ‘The Impossible Him’), to saying that it is now over for good (‘End Of Us’).

For me, the stand out poems in this book are the ones that directly reflect the writer, and her motivations for writing. One such example can be found in ‘A Way To Write’, where we meet the writer face-to-face, no mask, and learn about her motivations and inspirations for writing.

I have listed only a few of the poems that talk about the themes I have listed. There are so many stand-out poems in this book; I wish I could talk about them all! But then, that would spoil it for the next reader, so I won’t do that.

Some poets are content with hiding themselves behind complex metaphors, overuse of similes, and using other people’s names for their own personal gains. No such this will be found in ‘Psychaotic’. 

This is ‘Psychaotic’, presenting Ms Irum Zahra, and her incredible writing talent, in Black and Red.