NaNoWriMo newb.

Do you know what NaNoWriMo is? I found out last year but didn't join. Lots of things going on last year.Well it stands for National Novel Writing Month. You are supposed to write a 50,000 word novel in the month of November. Its been a week and I've only written 1500 words but that's more than I've ever done before, so let's celebrate! Its a start and that's something I haven't done at all.  So what am I writing? My memoir. I don't know why I feel I have to write this or even why anyone would really care but maybe someone does and that's what counts. If I reach even one person then it matters. I know, so cliche but its how I'm feeling right now.

What else have I been writing? Well I just about completed all the writing for the anthology I will be a part of,which is due to come out soon. But wait, they also want me to write just one more thing. I'm a little busy right now though. They also asked us to write about who we think will win the American election. Anyone else feeling antsy on this election eve? I'm not even American but as its closest neighbour besides Mexico we are feeling the heat and we don't need more global warming. Well some people think that's fake, ahem. You know people who are into redecorating by putting up walls, just saying. Oh and about that anthology, I was in the paper for that along with my writing buddies.

Anyone else writing anything fabulous these days? Got a blog or a book? Let us know. Are you a Nanoer too?

Grandma in the shoe for the 6th time. Alhumdullilah.

Recently my daughter had a son and so now I have my first grandson, masha Allah. The Uncles are really happy! I kept boys clothes for so long from my son who will turn 10 this month but finally started to get rid of them last year or before that so now this grandson does not have any hand-me-downs! Clothing shortage, lol. But no worries, every baby comes with his own rizq. (provision). May Allah make his a righteous Muslim and grant him jannah. Amin.

Ramadan 2016-What's new in the shoe.

So as you all know by now I have MS. Alhumdullilah though, I've been able to fast. I recently read an article about a woman who couldn't. MS is a tricky disease it presents differently in different people and it fluctuates in different ways too. Everyone needs to take their own situation into consideration and of course consult their doctor if necessary. Lots of non-Muslim doctors have a knee-jerk reaction to fasting in general so you might want to consider asking a Muslim doctor.

Another great piece of news is that I have started a new dawah initiative; spreading Islam through my Little Free Library. I got this idea 2 years ago and then commissioned a carpenter to do it last year but it took a year for it to get done due to his unforeseen complications. Alhumdullilah its done in time for Ramadan this year and I am so grateful and just tickled pink. Yes its pink :)

A few years ago I gave out boxes for Ramadan in order to do dawah and this year my teenage daughter wanted to do it again so from her own funds she has gone out and purchased more supplies to make it happen again insha Allah.

I've also set up a convert iftar again for the 3rd year in a row. May this help the converts to feel included and helped with our new welcome boxes. (New Muslim Care). 

What's new for you this Ramadan?

Nobody Cares?

So the other day we got to talking about me and what I want to do with my life and I said writing of course and they said you should have a blog, and I told them I already have one. Then they said I can't just write about my life, nobody cares! What???!!! Harsh! Ok, I guess if you want to make money you have to pander to the majority, the trends etc. I'm not the kind of person to follow the lowest common denominator. I could care less about what most people care about lately like hijab tutorials or recipes (I have a few but certainly not obsessed). They were not impressed with my opinion. You see the reason I studied Advertising instead of Journalism is because I wanted to be creative. I didn't want people dictating what I could and could not write about. I like to be free to choose my own topics and present them the way I see fit, regardless if anyone is interested on a large scale. Even if I have to find a niche group that is fine. So I won't make millions I guess but I want to be true to myself in the end. I don't want to be a sellout. Not even for sales. So where does that leave me? Right here, I guess. But my intention is to write books because I love to and because so many people have told me I should, people from all walks of life. I'm sure there are people out there who are looking for a fresh voice and will CARE!

Old Grandma in the shoe for the 5th time!

Last night my son, my oldest, had a daughter (well my daughter-in-law did). This is their second daughter. For me its my fifth granddaughter. Good thing I don't have to fit them in the shoe too,lol. One day I will have more grandchildren than children which is an obvious thought but still mind-blowing to me. Alhumdullilah, masha Allah. May she grow up to be a righteous Muslimah and be the coolness of her parents eyes and be granted Jannah. Amin.

Nothing But Love - Book Review

Zaneefa Zaneer is the author of this new soon-to-be released title. Previously she was the author of Let Me Bloom and Rhythm of Love published in Sinhalese. Her new book is published in English.

Nothing But Love is set in Sri Lanka and follows the story of A.B. as she deals with her past and with her new future as a wife by name only. What has brought her to this point in her life? And what about her new husband, why is he settling for a sham marriage? This book will take you on a roller coaster of emotions dealing with topics like being an orphan,widowhood, wearing niqab,secrets, missed communication and misunderstandings.

This author's style is reminiscent of Umm Zakiyyah's. If you've ever read her books you will understand what I mean. Her books are good,clean,Islamic fiction but try to focus on real life problems.

I really felt the emotions of the characters in this book and enjoyed reading it. The only advice I gave to Zaneefa, was to include more information about Sri Lanka for readers who are not familiar with the country, such as myself. These updates may be in the final release.

If you are looking for a new, Muslimah author to read, then consider the book Nothing But Love, soon to be released on Amazon.com.

SEO or no?

I'm taking an SEO course now, mainly because its what everyone in my field (Advertising) is supposed to know. This is my only webpage and seeing as it doesn't generate an income, its kind of not important for me to take this course right now, but if I ever get around to writing a book and having a website for it, then these techniques would be important for me to know. The course for me is a snore, but maybe because I just keep reading and not applying the knowledge really. At least I know I could never imagine myself doing this for a living, just like the Microsoft courses I took last year, although all knowledge is beneficial. I think I just basically want to write and leave all the technical stuff to the experts which isn't practical when you can't pay said experts. Hmm...there's always Go Fund Me right? Well, maybe I should just focus and buckle down and write. Yes, I said it before. Well, at least I am writing pieces for our local anthology, so I am not getting too rusty.

How about you? Have you taken SEO? Have you applied it to your webpage? Or do you do it for a
living?

Update :April 1st. Just completed the course. Its not my cup of tea, still can't see myself doing it for a living but I'm happy to be more knowledgeable now in this area. Its a lot of work that's for sure. 

10 Things I Hate About Me-Mother-Daughter book review.

Years ago I read this book and shared my review with you and now my teenage daughter has read it and written a review on her blog. Please read both and let us know your thoughts. Have you read it? Would you read it? Do you agree with either of us? Have you ever read the same book as your child?

Swimming in words.

I've taken 4 online writing courses now and am feeling overwhelmed. I need to take a breather. But maybe I can't ; still books to read about writing ie memoir writing. Phew.

 Suddenly, also, there are writing courses for Muslims, but at a price. I watched some webinars for Zarinah's course; she wrote Jihad of the Soul which looked interesting and had lots of free tidbits. Ribaat is offering one also which has already started.

 I need to finish off these how-to books and review my courses and then buckle down and actually write something. But wait! I'm supposed to have an intention, oh,whoops? You mean cathartic exercise is not a sufficient goal? I have a lot of self-reflection to do and probably istikharah prayers. Writing is a very serious endeavour and lives on long after you are gone. May Allah purify our intentions and lead us to create a masterpiece for the sake of Allah. Amin.

Have you written a book? What's your advice?

Think outside the GTA box!

A little pet peeve I have which was resurrected once again at RIS (Reviving the Islamic Spirit) is, people from GTA (Greater Toronto Area) who are not aware of any cities outside their area! Where are you from they ask, which city are you coming from etc is the question and each time when I tell them their eyes glaze over. I try to help them by telling them how far south it is compared to Toronto and even that it is near the border which leads them to say oh, you live in United States! SubhanAllah can someone please buy a map for the people of the GTA? Or introduce them to Google Maps or get them a GPS or an atlas...anything! When I lived up north and I traveled to the GTA and told them where I was from, they would always say oh, north of Barrie? That was always their absolute cutoff. As for being south of the GTA, well you better not live any further than Kitchener and if you are super lucky then they might know London (Ontario of course!). Beyond that is no man's land, a veritable hinterland. Some of them know Windsor though because if they want to get to the States (where I don't live..sigh) then they have crossed the border there. I think all people in the GTA should be forced to take a geography course of at least Ontario, if not the rest of Canada. For sure I guess they know Ottawa (it is the capital of Canada after all and also right here in Ontario) and Montreal and Vancouver. Not much else exists though. What can we do for our lost sisters and brothers in the GTA? Oh and did I also mention that they think big cities are towns? Yes, you live in a mega city but that doesn't mean that smaller cities in comparison to you, are towns. I guess a town would be a village to them. I dare anyone from the GTA who is reading this or perhaps your friend who knows less than you ahem to take out a map of Ontario and gaze down BELOW Kitchener-Waterloo and then gaze ABOVE Barrie and discover new cities! For those really brave souls, you can also plan a trip somewhere new, outside the GTA box! I dare you!