Meet the Shaherazad Shelves Team

[Editorial Assistant]

Heather is a revert to Islam with a bachelor's in English and a minor in Religion from Appalachian State University, North Carolina. She acquires 1-2 books per year in the older YA (16+) and Adult fiction space:

In Sci-fi, she wants space opera, aliens, MMORPG, monsters, and romance. Heather is a fan of Molly Fyde by Hugh Howey, which was inspired by Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline was fun.

In Dystopian, she wants overreaching governments, secret societies, societies amidst collapse, revolution, survival stories, and apocalyptic tales with religious themes. Wool by Hugh Howey is her all-time favorite. 

In Fantasy, she wants high/epic/second-world, retellings, mythical creatures, time travel, academia, MMORPG, romance, and *LIMITED* magical systems. Clarifying on magic: Can include fantastical elements, but not the use of magic itself. No witchcraft or sorcery, etc. She will consider characters and plots fighting against magic. Dragons are great! Would love a Muslim retake of The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss.

In Romance, she wants any of the above, historical, contemporary, enemies to lovers, childhood sweethearts, love triangles, no explicit content. She wants more halal/sweet romance!

In Historical Fiction, she wants:  romance, war & conflict (e.g., Palestinian), and is open to ancient to near modern time periods.

In Non-fiction, she wants: memoirs for the Muslim gaze (e.g., revert stories to Islam)

Heather loves strong female protagonists who maintain femininity and wants to see more Muslim characters following orthodoxy. She is NOT open to anything for readers younger than YA (16+) or narratives that go against Islamic principles, however, characters and stories do not necessarily have to be Muslim for her to acquire. Please note: Heather will consider works of fiction by male authors. She is highly selective about this, and communication will be limited to email.

Her favorite reads: Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abulhawa, Kindred by Octavia Butler, and As Long As The Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh.

[Senior Editor]

Samiha holds a bachelor's in the Earth and Environmental Sciences and a minor in English from Brooklyn College and a student at UCLA's Editing and Publishing Certificate program. She is acquiring Middle Grade, Young Adult, and Adult fiction. She also acquires select chapter books. 

For chapter books, she wants fantasy (all subgenres) and pure contemporary only if it has a Muslim protagonist.

For middle grade, she only wants fantasy (all subgenres).

For young adult, she wants high school romances and fantasy (all subgenres). This includes teen fiction (ages 14-15).

For adult fiction, she wants romance, upmarket/literary, historical fiction, and high or second-world fantasy (no portal, paranormal, or urban).

Note: her preference for romance leans more toward witty remarks/ pining/emotional depth as opposed to explicit acts. Basically, romance you'd be okay with your family reading. For fantasy, she looks specifically for settings with generic monotheistic systems or magic-less fantasy. 

In nonfiction, she wants books about Muslim communities, anything that includes science with Islam, counter-culture essays, and career-based memoirs!

She loves seeing STEM in books (dinosaurs anyone!?), and is a sucker for all retellings and folklore.

Her favorite romantic tropes are childhood best friends to lovers, angsty misinterpretations, and the bodyguard and the royal. Samiha would also like to see integral f/f friendships.

She is NOT open to heists, horror, mystery, thrillers, sci-fi, or issue books if they serve only to bash a culture, people, etc., to appeal to modern audiences. 

Read a more deatailed MSWL here.

Her favorite reads: Ella Enchanted, Dragon Slippers, The Last Apprentice Series, Sabriel, Gamer Girl, Cold Mountain, Notes from a Dead House (F. Dostoevsky), The Green Rider Series, The Nine Kingdom Series, Six Crimson Cranes, & anything by James Herriot.