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MEET N. H. SENZAI (9/2011)
by Bonnie O'Brian

Did you write stories when you were growing up?

N. H> Senzai

Growing up in the middle of the desert in Saudi Arabia, my school library was a refuge from the heat. Mrs. Murray, my librarian introduced me to the wonders of reading and I fell in love with the written word. I started writing short stories and poetry in the fifth grade, and our school had a literary contest where I won a few of the awards. In the eighth grade my language arts teacher,  formed a novel writing club and it was there that I started my first book. I never set out to be a writer; I just knew that I liked to write. My goal was to finish a book, and if it was a book someone wanted to read – that was all the better!

Was your first book accepted immediately? or did you experience a number of rejections?

I wrote SHOOTING KABUL in about six months and sent it to my agent, Michael Bourret at Dystel & Goderich, who gave it a first read and suggested some edits. Once that was done, he sent it out to multiple publishers. We were lucky that SHOOTING KABUL received a very positive reception and we ended up having a mini auction where I had the amazing opportunity to talk to two editors who had fallen in love with my protagonist, Fadi. In the end, after a tough decision, we went with Alexandra Penfold at Simon & Schuster.

Where do you get your ideas?

Growing up, my friends often told me I was a repository of useless information – I suppose since I loved reading so much, non-fiction as well as fiction, I had accumulated a vast database of random facts and figures, covering everything from archaeology,  arcane poisons, marine biology, medieval history, sailing, computers, cooking, aliens etc, I find that my books ideas usually begin with something that peaks my interest, like a news story, which I then combine with information I already have, then cook up a story.

Have any of your books earned special recognition?

Getting published was special recognition in itself! Despite that, I have been honored to receive many awards for SHOOTING KABUL, including:
2010 Asian/Pacific American Award (APALA) for Young Adult Literature
2010 Middle East Book Award (MEOC) for Youth Literature
CBC/NCSS Notable Children's Book in Social Studies
Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year, 2011 edition
Northern California Children’s Book of the Year Nomination
International Reading Association’s Teachers Choice Award 2011
Pennsylvania School Librarian’s Association’s YA Top 40 2011
Middle School California Collection 2012

Have any of your fiction stories been about real people or events?

I have a deep interest in politics, history and international relations and am active in issues pertaining to interfaith dialogue and public policy. Because of this, most of my writing contains real events and people. SHOOTING KABUL covers sensitive issues such as the terrorism, 9/11, Osama bin Laden, etc, and my goal is to always to write about these topics in a way that readers can evaluate, judge, and come to their own understanding.

Do you write every day and do you have set hours that you work?

Since I have a day job and a family, my writing schedule is rather erratic. When I am generating new book concepts and ideas, I usually do more thinking, research and note taking a few hours a week. But when I’m actually in the midst of writing a book, I usually write a couple hours a day, in the evenings when everyone else has gone to bed and I have some peace and quiet.

What do you most want the students to get out of your school visits?

In SHOOTING KABUL, my main character, Fadi, keeps trying to find his sister, Mariam, which has been left behind in Afghanistan. Fadi fails miserably in his attempts, but keeps trying every hare brained scheme he can think of. What I tell kids is that the path to success is not always straight, but if you are persistent, you will achieve your goals.

Since the book covers many sensitive issues – terrorism, Afghan culture, life for American Muslims post 9/11 and Islam, I try to deal with each of these topics in a thoughtful and sensitive manner that challenges common perceptions in a way that is accessible for both children and adults. This is especially important at a time when the United States is deeply engaged with Afghanistan, yet most Americans know little to nothing about Afghan society or culture. For thousands of years, Afghanistan has been a battle­ground for outsiders. Alexander the Great and Genghis Khan came with their armies, as did the British and the Soviets. All attempted to conquer and occupy, yet failed. There are lessons to be learned as the United States currently contemplates its role in this war-torn country. It is a land still ravaged by war and ethnic tensions, but despite these facts, Afghans remain a strong and proud people. It is my hope that students, having walked in Fadi’s shoes, learns that Fadi and his family are similar to their own; that their hopes, dreams and desires mirror theirs.

Here are five tidbits about me:

At age four I moved to Jubail, Saudi Arabia from San Francisco when my father, a civil engineer, was transferred for work. I lived there 10 years, made tons of friends, ate camel meatloaf, camped on the beach with my girl scout troop and had a blast.

I went to a boarding school in London, England, wore a navy, itchy blue uniform and was voted “Most Likely to Lead Literary Revolution” (Mostly because I was reading comic books and romance novels when I was supposed to be analyzing Anna Karenina, doing calculus problems and distilling compounds in chemistry.)

I love to cook and own over 300 cookbooks. Most of my favorites deal with dessert..(Sshhh... I have sweet tooth and a secret desire to become a pastry chef.)

I’ve sailed down the Nile, through Cairo, past the Pyramids, the Temple of Luxor and swam with barracudas in the red sea.

I am an Intellectual Property Consultant in Silicon Valley by day and help companies and inventors figure out what to do with their patents. A few of the technologies I’ve worked on are: hybrid cars, plastic packaging, car seat warmers, fireworks, cell phones, meat processing, MRI machines and robots.