It has been six years since I last wrote in this blog. Many things have happened since 2014. In addition to my three cats, there was an addition of a dog (who died!) and after that, the addition of another dog named Xena. And this year, 2020, the COVID epidemic hit the world. With more time at home, I resurrected one of my working projects, and my first book for Young Adults (aged 12-15) is now published!
I started writing a story known as "Island Girl" around 2015, and submitted it for the Scholastic Asian Book Awards in 2016. It was shortlisted, the only manuscript in Singapore, and eventually it was placed 2nd runner-up. Initially there was a contract to publish the manuscript but even after many re-writes, the publisher decided to drop the contract. It was pretty discouraging but I still felt great love for this story, and the main character of the book, Habibah, so I continued working on it.
Finally, this year, I reached a point where I felt the story got to the point where it was emotionally truthful, and yet an intriguing. I was happy with the story, and our small business, The History Workroom, decided to publish it. We had the help of our good friends at The Lede who designed the book cover, and did the editing and layout of the book.
Here is the blurb on the back cover:
A shipwrecked sailor lands on a remote island and changes the course of Habibah's life forever.
"Lying in the dark, it felt like any other peaceful night on the island except it was not. My body was tense, my heart raced and my mind could not stop thinking about the sailor and the outrageous things he had said. Could any of this be true?"
Habibah is an emotional and compelling coming-of-age tale set in the islands of the Malay Archipelago.
For details on where to get the book visit: https://www.facebook.com/historyworkroom/