February '24 Update
NEWSLETTER 1
So I finally sat down and decide to write a newsletter after reading quite a few of them. In this, I will talk about progress, updates, and quite possibly, my cats, along with the media I’m consuming these days… and hopefully, one day, the events you can find me at!
So, an introduction! I’m Hadiyah, and I’m an aspiring writer based in Surrey, England. I write primarily YA SFF, but I’ve dipped my toes into Paranormal, too. I aim to represent BIPOC main characters to reflect a diversity I wish I’d seen in books growing up.
I’m currently seeking representation so I can take the journey of traditional publishing. I’ve been querying for over a year now, and surprisingly, I’m still in good spirits!
WRITING:
Something cool that happened last year was that I was long-listed in the Times/Chicken House Novel Competition. That was pretty awesome, and definitely validating, even if I didn’t get shortlisted. I was absolutely thrilled about making the long-list, and I connected with some really cool people.
The book I submitted is my oldest project: Spears in the Dark. If you follow me on any other social media, you’ll know how much I love this book. It was the first novel length book that I finished writing, and I’ve spent about two years on it now, along with its sequel, completing the duology.
It’s one I’m still very much hoping to publish one day, so here’s hoping! It’s currently going though its 9th round of editing before I get on submitting it to places and people again.
THE CONSUMPTION
I mean, there was a lot of things I could call this section, but I thought that worked best. V. E. Schwab calls it ‘The Well’, and I suppose this part is completely derivative, but that’s what it is. To write, one must read, and watch, and play.
This January I started off strong! I finished Schwab’s Darker Shade of Magic, and started the sequel. I absolutely adore Lila as a character. A friend of mine refers to her jokingly as a gremlin, and I agree. She’s brilliant.
I read Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters for the first time, and enjoyed that. Finished a new debut book by Kamilah Cole, So Let Them Burn, and I loved the setting of the novel.
But my favourite book of January has to be All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir. What a BOOK. It distilled grief and rage onto the page with a mastery that left me in awe, and also envious. Beautiful writing.
TV wise, my KTV obsessed brother got me to watch Badland Hunters, which I really enjoyed. It was tropey, and the production value was through the roof. I loved seeing Ma Dong-Seok in a new movie. I’ve finished Jujutsu Kaisen’s anime, and it broke me. Finished the Percy Jackson TV show, and the last episode for me was definitely the best one.
For music, I’ve been obsessed with Fall Out Boy’s latest album, So Much for Stardust. It really gets where I am in my life right now! Olivia Rodrigo’s song Can’t Catch Me Now is also in heavy rotation. Beautiful song, the ending kills it.
And games wise, I’ve been replaying Skyrim (dragons!) and Assassin’s Creed 2. Anyone who knows me knows that I love all the AC games up ‘til the last 10 mins of AC3. I don’t wanna talk about it :’)
LIFE
Life wise, things are going pretty good! One of my cats, Levi, is chilling under the desk in my desk chair for the time being, keeping me company.
I think that’s enough for today, so thank you for reading, and I hope to see you again soon!