Aneesa Marufu, Author
Aneesa Marufu lives in Manchester and was the winner of the Kimberley Chambers Kickstart Prize for underrepresented writers in 2019. Her debut novel, The Balloon Thief, was published by Chicken House Books in March 2022 and is inspired by her South Asian heritage and her obsession with hot air balloons, though she is yet to fly in one!
What is your favourite social media platform, and why?
Instagram is the platform I use the most. I am a very visual person, so I love the creative aspect, especially profiles that follow a certain theme or aesthetic.
Tell us about you and your current role or area of interest.
I am an author, and my first novel, The Balloon Thief, was published with Chicken House Books in March 2022. The Balloon Thief is a young adult fantasy book that focuses on main characters Khadija and Jacob from two opposing races and their battle for their friendship in a society plagued by prejudice and racial segregation. As the book unfolds, the characters learn to put their differences aside to tackle a greater threat and, in doing so, discover the importance of friendship and forgiveness.
I was inspired by my own experiences with racism and Islamophobic bullying as a teenager when writing this book. Growing up as a British Pakistani and a Muslim, I often felt I never quite fitted in; I didn't know where I belonged, and I didn't feel wholly accepted by society. So, I wanted to write a book that tackled these issues in a fantasy world, where I would be free to explore these themes without the constraints of the real world.
The result is a book focusing on two key elements: identity and loneliness. The Balloon Thief is about the journey of finding one's place in the world and discovering the power of an individual to spark change. It is also about finding acceptance and companionship. Feeling like you belong within your environment and amongst your peers is very important.
I imagine this book will connect with readers who may feel a bit lost and feel like they don't know where they belong or what their purpose is in the world. They might feel they are too small and insignificant to make a difference, and I hope The Balloon Thief can be the inspiration that proves that this is not the case.
What do you like about your career or area of focus?
The thing I love most is the flexibility being an author gives me. I have two children under the age of two, so for me, my career has to be able to fit around their schedule. Working from home allows me to spend the most amount of time with my family, though it does involve a lot of juggling multiple tasks at once and making sure I manage my own time effectively. I am no stranger to late nights spent writing once the kids are in bed, and I have certainly mastered the art of writing on my phone whilst feeding a baby!
What is the best advice you have ever received?
That passion and talent will only get you so far. The rest comes from hard work, having a thick skin, and refusing to take no for an answer.
What inspires you, motivates you, or helps you to move forward?
My children. Whenever I feel burnt out, lack motivation, or hit the dreaded writer's block, I always focus my attention back on what is important to me. I do this quite simply by grounding myself. I go and cuddle my children, or if that's not possible, I'll pull up pictures of my children on my phone and scroll through until I have a smile back on my face. Doing this shuts off that mental noise that can often make it hard to think clearly.
What are you proud of in your life so far?
It would have to be my rather unconventional journey towards a career that I am passionate about. I began writing The Balloon Thief in the summer of 2018; after numerous dead-end jobs convinced me I was unemployable, I decided the only way to boost my bruised ego was to sit down and do something I was actually good at.
In those four years, The Balloon Thief survived a business degree, a pandemic, numerous lockdowns, countless rewrites and two pregnancies! Amidst so much change over the past few years, The Balloon Thief has been my constant, something I can dip in and out of when the world gets too much.
What is your preferred way to meet new people/network?
I have found the easiest and most effective way to network for me, especially during the pandemic, is through social media. Networking within the publishing industry as well as building connections with fellow writers, book bloggers and readers has not only brought me new opportunities and enhanced my career, but it has also made writing a novel - which is very much a lonely endeavour - a little less lonely.
What skills or qualities do you feel have helped you?
I think having a thick skin and being able to handle criticism is a very important quality when working in any creative field. Art is so subjective, and there is nothing more satisfying than hearing that what you have created has positively impacted someone, but there is always a flip side to that, which is the acknowledgement that not everyone will love your work. Some will even hate it! So, not taking things personally is an important quality that has helped me progress in this industry.
What do you wish you had known when you started out?
That compromise is key to progressing and that being too rigid can work against you. Publishing a book is very much a team effort. You must be willing to listen to feedback, cut things out, change things, to compromise in certain areas like book covers and marketing strategies. In a sense, it is about relinquishing control to others and trusting that they understand you and your vision enough to bring it to life.
Who do you most admire in business, academic or creative circles and why?
It would have to be Malorie Blackman, not just because of her success as an author and Children's Laureate but also for pioneering the change for representation and diversity within children's publishing. I love her books, and she has always been a big inspiration of mine!
Outside of your professional/work area, what hobbies or interests do you have or what other areas of your life are of real importance to you?
I find reading helps my brain to recharge and gets my creativity flowing, so I try to prioritise that. Spending time with my family is also important to me, and going on mini adventures with my children.
Has the pandemic had a positive or a negative effect on you and/or your business, and how have you managed it?
The pandemic has certainly had an effect, from causing my publication date to be delayed by six months to preventing me from attending in-person events. Also, with everything moving to virtual, it has made things like networking and building relationships a little bit harder - I still have yet to meet my publishing team in the flesh!
However, with things beginning to open back up again, I am glad that my publication date was delayed until restrictions were relaxed, as it allowed me to attend book shop signings and events that would not have been possible last year.
Do you have a mentor, or have you ever mentored anyone?
Whilst I haven't had the opportunity of being mentored, I have sought out advice and feedback from other writers and people within the publishing industry on numerous occasions, which has been key to helping me progress.
What advice would you have for someone looking to get into the same area of work or interests?
To persevere no matter how long it takes.
What do you feel is the most common reason for people failing or giving up?
Time, or a lack of it.
Is there a phrase, quote or a saying that you really like?
"If you're always trying to be normal, you will never know how amazing you can be." - Maya Angelou.
What companies, brands, or institutions do you like or do you think are getting it right?
Bookshop.org is an online retailer that supports independent bookshops by giving them that online presence and exposure that was essential during lockdown where readers were forced to purchase books online, often turning to major high street retailers or Amazon, at the risk of putting indie bookshops out of business.
Bookshop.org has successfully created an online space where readers can still support their local bookshops without sacrificing convenience, which has been groundbreaking in the publishing world.
How do you define success, and what lessons have you learned so far that you could share with our audience/readership?
I would define success as being the point where you have achieved what you originally set out to do. In my case, it was seeing my book in a bookshop. Of course, that doesn't mean that now I have achieved that; I have no further goals. However, I don't think success is an endpoint where you have nothing left to accomplish, but rather a point where you have overcome the initial hurdle preventing you from achieving your goal.