Nillu Nasser's Blog, page 6

In the Armchair: Lynz Crichton, Singer-Songwriter

[image error]Today, for In the Armchair, I’ll be talking to one of my dearest friends Lynz Crichton about her music career. 

Lynz also generously agreed to write a track to accompany my new novel Hidden Colours, which will be released next week. I’ll link to the track at the end of our interview.

1. Tell us a bit about yourself. 

My name is Lynz Crichton and I am a songwriter! My happy place is writing songs for real people and weaving their stories into heartfelt lyrics and melodies. I am also a mum of t...

First Book Birthday: All the Tomorrows

 

[image error]All the Tomorrows is a year old today, can you believe it? To celebrate, the e-book will be reduced to £1.99/$1.99 until 12 November, and the UK paperback is discounted too.

The book has found lots of fans, and I’d love it to reach even more readers. If you haven’t yet grabbed your copy, or you’d like to gift it to a friend, here’s your chance! 

Here’s a favourite passage of mine from the novel that I’ve not shared online before:

Tears of grey clouds lay scattered across the horizon and day...

In the Armchair: Richard Robbins

Today, as part of a new blog series called In the Armchair, where I’ll be talking to creatives, I’d like to introduce Richard Robbins to you all. 

Richard is a fellow author of literary fiction at Evolved Publishing. I interviewed him about his novel Love, Loss, and Lagniappe, which has been receiving glowing advanced reviews and is released today. 

[image error]Love, Loss and Lagniappe

Author: Richard Robbins

Publisher: Evolved Publishing

Editor: Lane Diamond

Cover Artist: D. Robert Pease

Blurb:

A love s...

Superstitions, Intellect and the Unseen

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Photo by Michał Jaszewski

I’ve been thinking recently about superstitions. How even in our post-enlightenment, educated world, with reams of information and expertise at our fingertips, superstitions still have a strong hold.

I’m a logical woman and yet sometimes superstitions creep up on me like a beacon from a past life. 

Bad luck superstitions

Superstitions, of course, are beliefs or practices that are considered irrational, have no basis in science and are often based on fear. For example...

On Self-Discovery

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Photo by G.S. Matthews

Do you believe that each of us has a unique gift to share with the world? I do. I look at my children now and am aware of the responsibility to introduce them to new experiences and knowledge so they can uncover their passions and begin to understand who they are at their core. 

Recently we’ve been visiting secondary schools and though my children are young, I’m aware our environment shapes us as much as genetics. I’d like to find a school where there is no mould, where...

Cover Reveal – Hidden Colours

Those of you who follow me on social media may have heard me talk about Hidden Colours, my next literary fiction novel. It has now seen my wonderful editor’s magic pen and is due to be released in early December. 

I’m so excited and nervous to see it make its way in the world. 

Hidden Colours is the story of Yusuf Alam, a Syrian acrobat, and Ellie Richter, a German journalist. It’s set in a circus in Berlin. A circus–filled with outsiders, dreams and danger– is the perfect metaphor for Yusuf...

Tender Flesh

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Photo by Nick Kenrick

Sadness comes 

the cresting of a wave 

on a quiet beach

catching us unawares

like the sting of a wasp 

on tender flesh

 

Sadness finds us 

between rumpled sheets

though we smooth them out 

a creeping vine with the stealth 

of a summer wind 

chilling to frost

 

Sadness slips 

into the crevices of 

nostalgia-burned memories

wrought on the wheel of time

when we feel small

despite the call of the future

 

Sadness blooms 

with the full moon

under which careworn women

hang up...

Literary Loves: Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie

[image error]I first heard of the British Pakistani author Kamila Shamsie in 2012, although by then she’d been published for over a decade. I spotted a story about her in The Guardian after she’d spent a few days at Artangel’s A Room for London project, when a boat was mounted on top of the Southbank Centre, and used as a creative space for a year. Shamsie’s perspective and manner resonated with me, and I put her on my to read list, but it took me until this summer to get around to reading her. 

How glad...

99 Words Flash Fiction: The Lesser Sister

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Photo by The UpNorth Memories

It was a joy to play with some flash fiction today, courtesy of Charli Mills’ wonderful community at The Carrot Ranch. Those of you who have read this blog since the early days, when I was just starting to build relationships with other writers on Twitter, know flash fiction has always been a love of mine. It’s such a beautiful, concise, fun form. 

This 99 word story is a result of a prompt from The Carrot Ranch: Fanny Hooe. Legend says Fanny was visiting her sis...

No Ordinary Boy

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Photo by Aman Bhargava

I wrote this piece of flash fiction a few months ago, and at first I wasn’t going to share it.

I don’t often talk about religion here, unless it comes up in the context of my characters. There are so many facets of identity, and for me, being Muslim is one of them. Personal faith is a better fit for me than organised religion, and my instinct is to keep it private.

Still, I’m proud of this story. Usually, I’d let the story speak for itself, but this one was written with...