I think when it comes to any kind of art, be it literature, painting or music, the whole point is to touch a few souls here and there and inspire people. – Adelia Khalid
Hey folks! This month, we're excited to feature a talented young Malaysian author who wrote a young adult science fiction novel when she was just in HIGH SCHOOL, and recently had it published under the local publishing company Whitecoat.
Introducing Adelia Khalid, who recently published her first novel titled All Minds Are Broken, which she describes as "a character-driven, sci-fi, psychological thriller where 5 people from around the world meet each other in their dreams and chaos ensues. In other words, the Divergent serum tests on steroids." Here's the official synopsis from Whitecoat!
People like you think I am psychotic ,
I take it as a compliment because
The world has become insane.
..
All Minds Are Broken is a young adult science fiction psychological thriller.
The story revolves around 5 seemingly random strangers. Jamilah,
Saengdao, Razil, Alex and Maya go to sleep one day, then wake up in a dream where they meet each other.
In their heads, these strangers from different parts of the world are faced with their own dreams and their own nightmares.
Five random strangers. Forced to work together to fight themselves.
It just so happens that none of it is random at all.
Hold up. Jamilah?! Is there a Malaysian character in this book? Heck yes! If the sci-fi premise doesn't already intrigue you, then let the diverse group of main characters from different parts of the world make you want to read All Minds Are Broken!
Want to find out more about the book and the author? Check out the interview we had with Adelia Khalid exploring more about her characters and her writing journey, her advice for aspiring writers and what she's working on next!
Why do you choose to write on the topics/themes that you do?
All Minds Are Broken touches a lot on mental health and the idea that no matter how different we are, we can all relate to each other where it counts the most. Writing off of my own past experiences and the experiences of other people, I wanted my characters and their experiences to feel real but most importantly, I wanted them to be a reminder for people who are going through the same thing that they are not alone.
Why do you choose to write in the Young Adult and Sci-Fi genre?
I have always been an avid Young Adult reader. Being a young adult myself, I feel most comfortable writing for my demographic. On top of that though, I also think that Young Adult books have the most potential to reach a young audience while also touching on heavier subjects. I am a HUGE sci-fi nerd. I love sci-fi books, movies and comics. This love of mine just translated into the premise of the book so well, it just had to be. Weirdly enough, I took a lot of inspiration from anime shows that were psychological thrillers but had sci-fi elements to them.
Your book has 5 main characters from different parts of the world. Which character would you say was the most fun to write about?
This is such a hard question to answer for me. If I had to choose, I would have to say Maya but Raziel is a very close second. Through Maya, we learn more about the Institute and the experiment that the book revolves around. It was really fun writing from her perspective because most of the important reveals in the story were narrated by her. Being somewhat of an unreliable narrator, Maya was a very interesting character to explore and deep-dive into.
Raziel on the other hand, was probably the hardest to write about due to him having Locked-In-Syndrome (LIS). Being paralysed from head to toe, it was hard to write about his struggles but in the end, it was worth it and really eye-opening. His character is a total cinnamon roll and I loved watching him grow.
I cannot ‘not’ talk about Jamilah. I love her to bits and I love getting to write about a hijabi Muslim, Malay girl and getting to put her out into the world.
What effect are you hoping to have with your work?
Ever since I was a little girl, I always loved writing and reading. My dream was to publish a book and I honestly still can’t believe it actually happened. I think when it comes to any kind of art, be it literature, painting or music, the whole point is to touch a few souls here and there and inspire people. I would love to see the Malaysian book industry become more diverse in their themes and genre, being more open to creative and fresh ideas.
What’s your biggest challenge as a writer?
When having to juggle between school and writing, time management was definitely the biggest challenge for me. School is already jam-packed and writing a novel on top of that wasn’t exactly helping. I just recently completed my Foundation studies and I’m so grateful that I can focus on my current project.
Where/how can readers purchase your book?
Readers can purchase my book in all MPH outlets across Malaysia. It is also available to buy at my publisher’s website https://whitecoat.com.my/
What is one piece of advice that you have for young aspiring writers?
It might sound cliché but it’s honestly what keeps me going as well: don’t give up. There will be people and circumstances that will try to stop and stall your dreams. You have the power and the choice to take your life into your own hands and do what makes you happy. Starting out relatively young in the industry, especially if you’re opting for traditional publishing, there will be people who will underestimate and undermine you and your story. Even so, only you can decide the value of your story and how important it is to you. Never give up and never let the voices around you drown out your own.
What are you currently working on writing now/next?
I am now working on a fantasy retelling of Malaysian folklore. The story revolves around familiar tales like Bawang Putih Bawang Merah, Si Tanggang and Pak Kaduk revamped into an epic young adult fantasy.
Thank you so much Adelia Khalid for this brilliant interview! It warms our heart so much to see more Malaysian authors write exciting novels with Malaysian representation. We're very proud of passionate authors like Adelia and we very much look forward to seeing her new epic YA Fantasy book in bookstores alongside All Minds Are Broken!
To find out more about Adelia Khalid and her books, check out her linkpage https://deliakhalid.wixsite.com/links ✨
Know of a Southeast Asian author or artist we should feature next? Get in touch at merakipresspub@gmail.com or via our Instagram or Twitter and let us know!
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