Dana Salim is an author and
co-founder, with her husband, of DS Publishing, LLC. Dana's childhood was split between Amman,
Jordan and Vancouver, Canada. She finished Industrial Engineering at the
University of Jordan before moving to Ohio, and then Texas. On her about page she describes herself as
loving “singing silly songs, standing in the breeze and eating chocolate cake.” Her most recent book, Beautifully Different,
was recently reviewed on Happy Muslim Mama and Umm Salihah's Book Reviews.
Many
people dream of becoming writers, what made you put pen to paper and actually
write a book?
I've
had this dream since I was a kid in elementary school, always writing poetry
and stories on the side as a hobby. But I never actually went after it till I
was pregnant with my son. I became motivated with the idea of writing a
children's book with a character named after him so we can read it together
during bedtime. I also wanted to write a book where Muslim kids can enjoy going
on adventures like ones they read about in other books they borrow from
libraries but with a character they can relate to. Little did I know, there was
so much more to publishing a book than writing it. But as hard as this path of
becoming an author has been, it's also been rewarding and I’m thankful to God
for that.
What
authors do you like to read? What book or books have had a strong influence on
you or your writing?
I’ve always been inspired by
Shel Silverstein and Dr Seuss, both of whom write in unique ways related to
them while sharing important lessons with kids. Dawud Wharnsby has also
definitely inspired me from a young age. I still remember attending an Eid
gathering and he was there singing and I was in awe, not only with how he wrote
poetry but also how he turned it to beautiful nasheeds/songs.
What
inspired you to write this book, Beautifully Different?
The inspiration for
Beautifully Different came while listening to the song "Love Who You Are -
by Harris J". I was on a road trip with my husband Hamzah and our little
boy Yousuf and we had Harris J's album "Salam" playing when this song
came up. The entire subject of bullying and trying to 'fit in' is one that I am
passionate about. While listening to this song, an idea started forming and I
immediately knew that I needed to write. I needed to try and answer the
question that popped in my head "Why are people different? Why couldn't we
all be the same?". Then, I took my iPad and started typing for an hour or
so, and the story was written. I can't explain how the idea turned into the
full story because I don't start a story knowing how it's going to go or how it
will end. I just start writing and with the flow of words the story takes
shape. That's how "Beautifully Different" came to be.
Where
do you get your ideas for your books?
Each one has its own
inspiration. The first book in the series titled “Dreamland with Mommy” was
inspired from a poem I wrote years back. I wanted to take kids on adventure
full of silliness and fun. The second book “Beautifully Different” was inspired
by the song “Love Who You Are" by Harris J.
What do you love most about writing?
There are two main things I
love about writing. The first is the power of words and being able to use them
to teach kids important lessons in a fun way. The second is being able to
create worlds that readers can travel to and enjoy.
What
do you find the most challenging about writing and the journey to getting
published?
I published my first book in September 2015, one
year before establishing our company, DS Publishing. During my publishing
journey, before and after the company, the biggest challenge was and continues
to be marketing. Your day-to-day life changes from a person caring for family
or working with others around you to someone trying to get their name and book
out there.
I
think what helped the most in overcoming it was two things: persistence and
having supportive people around (especially my husband) when I faced self-doubt
or discouragement. It's not easy when you are doing your best without immediate
results or benefit. But after persisting and finding new ways to market, it
finally started producing results.
Do
you ever suffer from writers block and if so, how do you overcome it?
Yes, I think every writer
faces that at one point. With children's books it was easier for me to overcome
it than with writing a YA novel. I usually just stop writing for a few days and
use that time to think about the story without overstressing it. I try to think
of different scenarios and endings until something clicks then I go back and
continue writing. There's a YA chapter book I started writing a few years ago
and halfway through I got writers block. I put it aside for a bit and tried to
think of how I wanted the story to proceed. After a bit of thinking, I realized
I couldn't proceed because I wanted to change the beginning which would affect
the plot. I also realized at that time that I wasn't ready for this story yet.
Who knows, it may be my next project.
What
advice do you have for aspiring writers?
Read.
That’s the first and most important one. The more you read, the better you will
be as a writer because reading helps to expand your imagination, your
vocabulary and your writing. My second piece of advice is to start writing
immediately, even if it is done on the side while you focus on school. When you
get an idea, write it down. Keep a journal of all your writings, and keep at it
till you reach a point in life when you can take it to the next level. And my
third piece of advice is connect with authors out there. So many of them
(myself included) have their emails available for people to reach out to them,
so use that. Ask them questions and learn from their experience because it really
helps to take advice from someone who has done it. Other than that, always
remember that nothing comes easily so work hard, be patient, believe in
yourself and surround yourself with people who believe in you and support you.
You will face obstacles, you will make mistakes but that’s life; a big and
continuous learning process. As long as you look at a problem you may face as
just another step on your journey instead of a reason to stop, you will be able
to do anything, God willing.
Thank you Dana Salim! You can learn more about Dana's books here or watch an interview with her here.
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