Authors Supporting Authors: Noor De Olinad

Authors Supporting Authors is back!  After a month-long hiatus while I was busy promoting my book, my authors series is back with a bang.  My featured author today, Noor De Olinad, helped with my book blast on my release day.  So I am super excited to return the favor today.  Noor just published her first book, a memoir, "Not A Typical Tourist in Israel and Jordan - Travel memoirs of an amateur anthropologist."  Please keep reading to find out why Noor chose to write her memoir.  I hope you enjoy meeting Noor as much as I did!


What is your name?  
Noor De Olinad

 Where are you from?  
 Australia but it is the third country I have lived in. I spent part of my childhood in Lebanon and Northern Italy in a small mountain village near the French/Swiss border

What genre are you in?
I love to write fiction stories but my first published book is actually a travel memoir.

This is what happened: I was bored with my job, desperate for a change. I decided, on a whim, that I needed to go somewhere 'exotic' to have a great adventure. I went to a travel expo and before I knew it, I had booked and paid for a trip to Israel and Jordan. My friends thought I was insane considering the constant unflattering headlines on the news about the Middle East.

I came back to my job and my life but I couldn't stop thinking about my trip. Well, to be more specific I kept thinking about the people I met during my trip.

I had booked a holiday but what I ended up with was an eye opening experience. I felt compelled to write down my memories and so I ended up writing a travel memoir J

Please list your books and the year of publication.
"Not A Typical Tourist in Israel and Jordan - Travel memoirs of an amateur anthropologist"
July 2014


Where and what times during the day do you work best?  
I am definitely a night owl. For me, the best time to write is late at night when everything is still and quiet and my dog is asleep leaning on my feet. If it is raining outside that is even better!

Who is your target audience?
This book is for people who want to know what life is really like behind the headlines, brave souls who aren’t afraid to challenge prejudice, stereotypes and myths that have been so propagated they have sadly become accepted as common knowledge.

How do you want your readers to feel as they read your book? 
I want them to be able to close their eyes and see what I saw, feel the heat and smell the spices. When they finish the book I want them to be filled with a sense of hope for the human race, because kindness still exists and peace is very possible.

What is one piece of advice you would give aspiring authors?
Write about something that excites you or you are passionate about. Writing a book is hard work and a lengthy process so if you are not passionate about what you are writing about, chances are you won’t finish the book

Share one thing about yourself that you would like readers to know.
I am an idealist and a dreamer. I always have been and always will be.

Why did you start a blog?
My goal is to promote global harmony through my writing by showing that we have far more similarities in common than differences. I like to do this through ethnographic narratives, an enjoyable learning experience. By sharing my observations, I hope to increase understanding and goodwill in the world. This is my dream for humanity - a world of peaceful coexistence where future children only learn about war from history books.

How do you write for you blog?  What are some topics that you are passionate about?
I am fascinated by people’s stories and experiences. Sometimes, what we think are ordinary boring experiences are actually quite extraordinary. There is magic even in the most mundane moments.

How do you balance marketing and writing? 
I absolutely hate marketing and have to force myself to do it. In my opinion, it takes time away from my writing and I’m rubbish at promoting myself.  :)