Bradford author Suraiya Khan sets eyes on second book ‘Marmite’
Bradford author Suraiya Khan is now working on a sequel to her first book ‘Someone To Watch Over Me’.
Mother-of-five Ms Khan, 42, is writing a sequel named ‘Marmite’, which follows on from her previous story told through the eyes of a young teen named Matilda Smart.
Recounting what inspired her to start writing the book, Ms Khan told the Yorkshire Standard: “It came by an inspiration when I was reading my daughter’s diary.
“I found that it could be hilarious to write about a few teenage girls and the issues and dramas that are involved in their lives.”
Whilst writing in her diary, the main protagonist Matilda goes through a rollercoaster of emotions.
She witnesses her dad’s bad habits, hears gangsters knocking on the door, stops going to school, gets a visit from the social services, and even experiences teenage romance.
Ms Khan explained: “Matilda Smart was to stand out from the rest and her story was different to everyone else. She was a down and out east-end Londoner who had come from Bradford.
“She is a confident quirky character but at the end she’s very different that shows two sides to her. Hence, the reason why the second book is called ‘Marmite’. Some people hate someone like that, yet some find that they can relate to that type of person.”
Ms Khan – like the main character Matilda – is no stranger to persevering hardship.
As a teen, she lacked confidence herself, and was even bullied at her school, yet she had a passion for writing. Even whilst writing her book, Ms Khan went through a series of emotional events.
She said: “I was going through difficult stages in my personal life, so I was able to relate to the story. The sense of emotion involved in writing the last few chapters were done easily but very moving for me.”
Ms Khan is now working on her second book ‘Marmite’, which will bring the story to an end. It will be published sometime next year.
You can get copies of the previous book ‘Someone To Watch Over Me’ in libraries across the UK, and buy copies from bookstores such as Amazon, Waterstones, WHSmith and publishers Xlibris.
Ms Khan is also selling reduced-priced signed copies. If you’d like to buy one, you can contact her on [email protected].
