Review: Just So You Know

Just So You Know, a collection of essays by underrepresented writers from Wales, instantly transports you to a world different to your own. Edited by Hanan Issa, Durre Shahwar and Ozgur Uyanik and published by Parthian Books, the book features original essays of experience from talented new voices. A young woman weaves her experience of …

Extract: Of Necessity and Wanting ~ Sascha A. Akhtar

Of Necessity & Wanting is a collection of lyrical, atmospheric stories of varying lengths set in urban Pakistan. At its forefront are the concerns of people who are lower down on the metaphorical ‘chain’ of status and power, especially in the context of their symbiotic relationship with those they see as ‘other,’ ‘ privileged’ or …

Amanthi Harris

Tell us about your novel, Beautiful Place and what inspired you to write it? Beautiful Place is set in a villa by a remote beach on the southern coast of Sri Lanka, and follows the lives of its owners, their friends and the guests who arrive to stay as the villa opens as a guesthouse. …

Learning to master Mughal Miniature Art

by Alia Raffia It was during a family trip to the magical city of Lahore aged fourteen that I fell in love with Mughal art. My brother and I went on adventures together and visited places like Lahore Fort, Shalimar Gardens and Wazir Khan Mosque as well as the streets of the old city. The …

Bookouture partners with The Asian Writer for exclusive call out

Bookouture and Dahlia Books join forces on an exclusive call-out for writers from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds – open Bookouture, in association with The Asian Writer and Dahlia Books, are putting out an exclusive call-out for commercial fiction submissions from unagented and unpublished writers from BAME backgrounds and will be offering professional editorial …

Vikram Seth’s epic novel makes screen debut

Set in vibrant 1950s India, A Suitable Boy, an epic tale of life and love based on the classic novel of the same name by Vikram Seth made its screen debut on BBC One earlier this month. Produced by Lookout Point (War And Peace, Les Misérables, Gentleman Jack), A Suitable Boy is a six-part drama adapted by …

Deepa Anappara

When did you have the initial idea for Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line? When I was working as a reporter in India, I came across stories of real-life disappearances of children; that was the initial spark for the novel. I was writing on education and human rights, as part of which I often interviewed …

Salam Award for Imaginative Fiction now open for entries

The Salam Award for Imaginative Fiction, a short story award which promotes science fiction and related genres is now open for entries.  Now in its fourth year the prize aims to encourage and inspire writers from Pakistan to unleash their creative potential. The scope of the prize is broad and encompasses everything from science fiction …

Crime writer shortlisted for major literary prize

Crime writer Abir Mukherjee has been shortlisted for a major literary prize. Mukherjee’s third book, Smoke and Ashes is one of six titles in contention for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. Now in it’s 16th year the most coveted prize in crime fiction, presented by Harrogate International Festivals, represents crime writing …

Authors shortlisted for top literary prize

Debut novelist Emma Smith-Barton and Costa winner Jasbinder Bilan have been shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize. Emma’s novel The Million Pieces of Neena Gill has been placed in the Older Readers category, while Asha and the Spirit Bird by Jasbinder Bilan is listed in the Younger Readers category. Now in its sixteenth year, …