
Name Ansa Shabir
Age 22
Where are you from Birmingham
A little about your self `ie your education Family life etc
I am currently studying Accounting & Finance (part time) at university as I was studying other courses alongside and making time for my writing career.
I work for Birmingham city council in elections and teaching before that I was working in the health sector.
My mother is an ex textiles teacher and my father has his own business (self-employed). I have three sisters, one older than me and two younger than me. I also have two younger brothers. We are a perfect family of eight. My eldest sister is a psychologist and the younger two both work and are at university. My brothers are still in full time education.
Fiona: Tell us your latest news?
I have recently been offered a position in teaching which is something I always wanted to do at a very young age but did not want this to be my permanent career. To be studying and teaching is a huge achievement for me as it is competitive and different to what I currently study.
Fiona: When and why did you begin writing?
I began writing two years ago. I use to write but keep it on my laptop and never imagined of extending my writing skills to a stage of becoming an author.
I started writing because I thought of authors as heroes, people who created a way for me to escape into fantastic worlds that were exciting and so much more than my everyday life, and I wanted to be a hero to someone else. More than anything else, I think this is why I started writing. Hearing someone tell me that my work provided the incredible gift that other authors have given me is honestly the best reward I could ask for. Writing allows me to release my emotions. I find it easier and quicker for me to target a genre and express my emotions then show my emotions. But these days, I do it mostly because I love it. I enjoy lavishing time on creating characters and worlds. It’s where I’m comfortable, and it’s what I know I’m good at. It doesn’t require a boss or an office other than me and my own home. Writing is what keeps me going.
Fiona: When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I considered myself as a writer the day I published my first book with Author Saima Shabir in 2014.

Fiona: What inspired you to write your first book?
My sisters, my best friend Mariam and my mum inspired me into writing. The challenges and struggles which I have hidden for a very long time enhanced me to further my writing skills.
Fiona: Do you have a specific writing style?
I would like to write fiction books with Author Saima Shabir as our main genre but before I introduce the fiction side of my writing I want to introduce myself and Author Saima Shabir who is my younger sibling through quotes and a non-fiction memoir.
Fiona: How did you come up with the title?
I came up with the title with Author Saima Shabir for our first book ‘One Quote A Day’ through media support. We knew what we wanted to write which were quotes but wanted our audience from Instagram and Facebook to have a part. People were sending in direct messages of thoughts and we coordinated it to the concept of the book.
The second book which should be published summer 2015 ‘What god sees fits’ is a title I came up with after I was diagnosed with epilepsy. Reading the memoir goes into a lot more detail of how and when and also gives more of an intense reason to the title itself.
Fiona: Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
‘I believe we all are different to create the different things on this planet. Be great and proud of yourself every time you contribute something good to your life and the life of others. Do not compare yourself because it brings complexity into your life. You are whole and complete, wherever you are in life, so create whatever you like.’
Fiona: How much of the book is realistic?
The second book is non-fiction so 80% of the book is nothing but experiences which I have converted into theory. The books after the memoir will be fiction and some of the aspects will be realistic and based on real life situations with small amounts of exaggeration.
Fiona: Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
Experiences in the book are based mainly on me and my mother. I am forever making notes on my phone no matter where I am it is never really made up on the spot.
Fiona: What books have most influenced your life most? a mentor?
‘Women who dare’ by Chris Noble.
Fiona: What book are you reading now?
I am currently finishing of reading ‘To hold the sun’ written by Chas Watkins. The author developed the book as a guide to help his children live their lives in a way that would allow them to enjoy the journey. Drawing on wildly diverse disciplines including stoicism, neuroscience, skepticism, behavioral economics, and spirituality; the reader is taken on a journey that exposes the author’s philosophy of life. He demonstrates that happiness is indeed a choice.
Fiona: Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?
There is one interesting author who has got grasped my interest recently ‘Collette Sinclaire’ especially her book ‘Messages from heaven’. This book has accounts of the dead. The lives they lived may shock or surprise you. They may make you laugh or cry. Each of these 25 souls has something to offer you to help you in your own life, or to understand the lives of those around you.
Each chapter is the story of one soul’s life and death and each account brings to light an understanding of our world and why exactly we are here. They are all told in the spirit’s own voices and each brings with it something unique to share with us here in the world of the living. No matter how they had lived and died, you will learn from their lessons of living and loving, both successes and failures. There are heartwarming tales of redemption as well as heartbreaking tales of grief and lessons learned the hard way.
Fiona: What are your current projects?
I am currently doing my best to get my memoir on the market as I have a lot of people messaging and emailing me and Author Saima Shabir about the publication date. I do advertise the blurb of the book a lot on my Instagram and facebook and it has come to a lot of attention. I have been asked to collaborate with quite a few organisation in regards to interviews and projects which I am looking into.

Fiona: Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.
My university has helped me a lot. The student union funded me to carry out book stalls, hand out leaflets and have seminar talks with students who were interested in reading and maybe going into writing as a career.
Fiona: Do you see writing as a career?
I started my first publication in the USA at one of the biggest book stores called Barnes & Noble and after the amazing feedback me and author Saima Shabir got we may carry writing as our second career. I started writing with author Saima Shabir and will like to continue writing with her. I do intend of collaborating with other authors so we could share ideas and write together but that’s after my projects I currently hold.
Fiona: If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
There was never an end to my latest book, struggles will forever come. I don’t think I would go back and change anything but to look ahead and implement bigger and better things in terms of writing.
Fiona: Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
My mother has always wanted to write books but was not educated enough to write her own books. I wrote my memoir on behalf of my mother. I did not think it was possible for me to write so shared my ideas with my younger sister who said we should get advice and we did which got us to where we are today. Virtually nothing is impossible in this world if you just put your mind to it and maintain a positive attitude. I still remember my parents telling me ‘Faith is the first factor in a life devoted to service. Without it, nothing is possible. With it, nothing is impossible. Some things are just less likely than others.
Fiona: Can you share a little of your current work with us?
To be a person of wisdom and success, you must not seek fame but, instead seek to be of service. Each and every one of us live to create something and not just to be creative from someone else’s ideas. By creating you discover a lot more then you thought you would, you discover yourself.Some things fade away in the darkest side of an individual’s life for the best so they are no longer to be seen.
Nothing you do once in a while will count. It is what you do consistent which people will look up to you for. Decisions and not conditions determine your destiny. I believe the more decisions you make the better you get at making decisions. By making more than one decision you start building an invisible limb which grows each time you make a decision.
A few girls I came across wore the badge of jealousy very proudly even in my childhood days when I had nothing but an amazing family.
In the past few years I have come to conclude people who are jealous of you are insecure individuals who lack at many things & suck at life. Talking behind my back does not cost me nothing but makes you more bitter then you were yesterday. I must be doing something write for anyone to SOS my name and write a CV about me without my consent. Just remember my reference is available on request.
We must commit to learn from our mistakes instead of agonizing over them because each and every one of us is destined to repeat errors in the future. I have started to ensure myself there is no such thing as failures in our life, it is all results.
You can only pray for people who talk about you hoping they do not fall too hard. They are dying to know your next move, your every move. They secretly live their lives through you. When they shop they think of the hot sh*t they saw you in & when they talk to their friends they use your phrases, they badly want a chance to breathe the same air you breathe and taste the same food you taste & date the same people you date. They just don’t get it. They do not know how you have the ability to be so hot, classy, talented & sustain personality for days so they make up rumours about you to help their ego & kill time until they find out your next move. They wonder if you even think of them at times. Can someone die of jealousy? Yes, hopefully they will die thinking of you.
For those who hate what I do, what I wear or even how I amend to carry myself I wish you the very best of luck to think your opinions would matter to me. Hypocrites would do anything to groom you. The more of their poison you absorb, the more you start to doubt yourself. You do not need anyone to tell you what you are and how exactly you have lived your life. Your life is your very OWN. Worrying about your own good nature is actually the first sign that everything is going to be just fine. The secret to achieving your goal is mental conditioning and if you stretch your mind to people talking about you behind you won’t have the capacity to indulge further. Don’t fear losing friends who have never understood you for who you were. They say pain can be your friend if you use it effectively. For most people their fear of loss is much greater than their desire for gain.
Book ‘What god sees fits’ (A womans beauty is her non fiction)
Author Ansa Shabir
Fiona: Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
Writing itself is challenging not everyone can express themselves as well as others can. I know individuals who are better at showing their feelings in action then writing them down like I did. Each and every one of us may find something easier which others find hard.
Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all. I live to Bette Davis quote ‘The key to life is accepting challenges. Once someone stops doing this, he’s dead.
Fiona: Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?
My first book I ever paid attention to was one of Roald Dahl’s books and ever since he has been my favorite author of all times. To enjoy reading a book there must be something the author is doing right and that is exactly what Roald Dahl has been doing. Keeping his readers satisfied. The writer must have a genuine and powerful wish not only to entertain, but to teach people the habit of reading.
Roald Dahl remains one of the most iconic authors of all time, yet he began his career writing macabre short stories based upon his experience in the Royal Air Force during World War II.
Fiona: Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)?
I have not travelled far as from yet but have planned to go to the USA with author Saima Shabir to hold a book stall and sign books at Barnes & Noble.
I intend to expand but slow steps are taking me to bigger destinations and my patience is taking me a long way.
Fiona: Who designed the covers?
Author Saima Shabir designed the covers and anything which need changing I helped.
Fiona: What was the hardest part of writing your book?
The hardest part was ensuring we were targeting the correct audience; we do not have a specific audience who we target. It is simply for those who love reading or will inhabit a challenge to read.
Ensuring grammar and punctuations were all-in-one was hard as we are self-published writers no one edits our work so it is twice as hard. We have publishers who put together the book and target the market of sales but they do not proof read our work.
Fiona: Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?
Team work and coordination is what I essentially learnt more of. Working with someone who has different thoughts and challenges was a tactic I had to negotiate.
Fiona: Do you have any advice for other writers?
As a writer, you should not judge, you should understand. Don’t target a specific audience when writing non-fiction because what you want to do is write something that can never be forgotten. Writing does not have to be right it has to be written. Write without pay until somebody offers to pay.
Start telling the stories that only you can tell, because there’ll always be better writers than you and there’ll always be smarter writers than you. There will always be people who are much better at doing this or doing that – but you are the only you.
There are better writers than me out there, there are smarter writers, there are people who can plot better – there are all those kinds of things, but there’s nobody who can write a memoir like I can because we all have unique challenges.
Let grammar, punctuation, and spelling into your life! Even the most energetic and wonderful mess has to be turned into sentences.
Fiona: Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
We all compare ourselves to other people, and I can assure you that the people who seem to have it all do not.
When you look at other people through a lens of compassion and understanding rather than judgment and jealousy, you are better able to see them for what they are—human beings. They are beautifully imperfect human beings going through the same universal challenges that we all go through.
One thing I’ve learned about making changes and reaching for the next rung on the ladder is that you cannot fully feel satisfied with where you’re going until you can accept, acknowledge, and appreciate where you are.
Embrace and make peace with where you are, and your journey toward something new will feel much more peaceful, rewarding, and satisfying.
Telling yourself what a failure you are won’t make you any more successful. Telling yourself you’re not living up to your full potential won’t help you reach a higher potential. Telling yourself you’re worthless and unlovable won’t make you feel any more worthy or lovable.
I know it sounds almost annoyingly simple, but the only way to achieve self-love is to love yourself—regardless of who you are and where you stand and even if you know you want to change.
You are enough just as you are. And self-love will be a little bit easier every time you remind yourself of that.
Fiona: Do you remember the first book you read?
The first book I read was Roald Dahl’s book ‘The BFG’.
Fiona: What makes you laugh/cry?
The only thing that can make one cry and laugh is LOVE.
Fiona: Is there one person pass or present you would meet and why?
I would love to meet Lilli Ghalichi from the USA. She is my role model. She is not just a beauty queen but a huge inspirational. I love her enthusiasm and the way her mind set is in terms of building an empire and achieving her ambitions.
Fiona: What do you want written on your head stone and why ?
‘A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all other virtues’
The reason I chose the above quote is simply because at times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us. I am thankful for what I have. If I concentrate on what I don’t have, I will never, ever have enough.
Fiona: Other than writing do you have any hobbies ?
I love travelling. I love going to different cities with my sisters. My main circle consists of my family and my best friends who have always been there for me.
I definitely love reading and studying it has grown on me naturally after all the years of reading and studying.
I like partying occasionally with people I have grown up with. I am very bubbly and an easy person to get along with I do not mind what I do as long as it is with people I trust.
Fiona: What TV shows/films do you enjoy watching?
I do not watch TV as much. It sounds really weird for someone not to have a favourite programme but as my genre is horror I do go to the cinemas to watch horror. My favourite horror film has to be ‘Insidious’.
Fiona: Favorite foods / Colors/ Music
My favourite colour is Royal Blue; it depends on what it is. In terms of clothes I avoid wearing black but if I was buying a car I would go for a black car.
My favourite food is anything but SPICY.
I like all kinds of music especially RnB, niche, abit of reggae and Bollywood.
Fiona: If you were not a writer what else would you like to have done?
If I was not an author I would have continued teaching and carried on chasing my ambition of becoming a chartered accountant (If God Wills).
Fiona: Do you have a blog/website? If so what is it?
Follow my instagram account @ianstaagram @saimashabir @worldwideauthors
Like my facebook page Author Ansa Shabir for updates.
A link to my first book is http://www.amazon.co.uk/One-Quote-Day-Mind-Trained/dp/1502509075/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1433005834&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=one+quote+a+day+mind+traied
All my books will be sold on amazon.com/.co.uk and limited copies are held at all book stores.
