Sara Hamdan
Farooq Salik
In 2015 while pregnant with her first child, former Merrill Lynch banker and journalist, Sara Hamdan, knew she had to write a book. From crunching numbers to working at Google, not to mention bylines in a number of top-tier publications over the years, Hamdan realized early on that her heart was in fiction writing.
“I could never find a book featuring strong, Arab female leads that weren’t political or depressing…so I wrote one,” she states, speaking about her debut novel, What Will People Think.
Ready to hit the shelves early next week, Hamdan’s debut novel features a delightful protagonist, Mia, a young Palestinian American woman who moonlights as a stand-up comedian in New York.
“The story is about a search for love and cultural identity through a humorous lens, and aims to be apolitical, heartfelt and funny,” the author explains.
After a decade of writing and numerous rejections, Sara Hamdan’s first book hits the shelves this month.
Farooq Salik
Hamdan herself is a Palestinian American but grew up in Greece. Currently based out of Dubai with her husband and two children, she reveals that taking up theatre classes during her college years in Berkeley, helped her develop a passion for writing about strong and memorable characters.
“I put all my heart into creating Mia’s character as someone who is trying to be herself, but still fit in, all culminating in the idea that if we accept and love ourselves, others will too,” she states. “There is so much nuance and contradiction in Mia’s character that comes to life best through humour. I believe in the power of comedy to unite. Mia’s pain and her emotional depth give the comedy its substance.”
What Will People Think will be available next week in all major bookstores, including Barnes & Noble and Audible.
Henry Holt and Co.
Navigating the publishing world is no easy feat. Apart from the competition, the rejection can be soul-crushing too. But Hamdan kept at it.
“I had written two manuscripts, gathering dust in a drawer along with agent rejections, when things finally turned a corner,” she says. “I began to win prestigious awards for shorter pieces, which led to agent interest. I just kept writing. Something finally hit. The self-doubt and rejections are all part of the game. If they stop you from writing, then writing isn’t for you – that’s the honest truth. That said, I was never able to simply brush off a rejection with a smile. I had my fair share of crying in the shower so the kids wouldn’t see me after an email crash landed in my inbox and ruined my dreams.”
Having won a coveted Netflix UK award and a prestigious Emirates Literature Foundation fellowship for a year-long program (which gave her a dedicated mentor), the author mentions that she went from being an unknown writer desperate for any agent’s attention, to someone sought-after.
“Write, write, write. Every day. That’s the only way to improve your craft and remember why you do it in the first place,” Hamdan says. “Also, don’t pay attention to the noise around you…people who never made it, people who don’t get your ideas or think writing is a ‘cute hobby,’ don’t matter. The dedication comes from you internally.”
