Meet The Author – Beena Khan

Hello,

Today, I m excited to introduce you all to “Beena Khan” author of the book “The Name of Red“. Beena has a professional degree in Developmental Psychology, but she loves to write about love, poetry, diversity, culture, mental health. Beena is a Pakistani and settled in New York. Let’s know more about Beena.

Welcome to my “Meet the Author” series Beena. Thanks for being here on my blog.

What and who inspires you to write books? When did you start writing “The name of Red”? 

Everyday life inspires me mainly. My books revolve around the themes: love, poetry, diversity, culture, mental health, and many time deaths. I had a dissociation once due to a mental disorder that I have which inspired The Name of Red. It was a dissociation where I was driving a car and my husband died in it because I was reckless. In the dissociation, I felt so guilty, I took a liking to alcohol and went to a bar where I meet a man name, Kabir. This inspired the story. 

ME – That’s sad. But I m glad you came out of that and you are vocal enough to speak and write about these issues.

 Are you working on anything at the present you would like to share with your readers about? 

 I’m working on the fifth book of the Red series called The Whispers of Rifts. It’s split in primarily two parts. It’s about an Indian, Sikh, an immigrant name Aryan Singh who comes to New York post 9/11 and is teased in high school and meets his first love there. She’s Christian and Caucasian. Later, he ends up homeless and meets a college-age girl name Aaanah who gives him shelter. The issue is that Aanaah is Muslim and Pakistani. The book revolves around barriers of culture and religion. 

ME– Culture and religional aspects are sensitive but intriguing to look it. Cant wait to read this book.

How does your upbringing play a part in writing books? Did you see yourself as a writer from young age? 

My characters are primarily people of color, South Asian’s and Middle-Easterns. I write about them because that’s who I am too. I’m from Pakistan and raised in New York.  

As a writer? I’ve always wanted to write, but I never had an inspiration to write before. 

According to you, what is important to be a writer? Imagination to create stories or is it a narration that is important? 

 It’s not hard to create stories. Anybody can. What matters for me the most is a narration is important. Anyone can create stories but not everyone can narrate it. 

What is the most surprising thing you discovered while writing your book(s)? 

I realized my work gets better as I write more. Not only am I writing faster, but it’s more quality work too. I finished my firth book in a month and a half. I finished my last in four days (It was shorter though, a novella). 

 Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing? 

Typically, I have a beginning planned and a somewhat ending planned. The middle is where is gets jumbled up sometimes. When I don’t know how to start the middle, I write out scenes and see where I can place them. That usually fixes it. 

How important is marketing a book in the present condition when every day we see new titles coming up? Any tips to Share?   

Marketing is so important! You write a novel, that’s great but that’s only one part. Then you must actively market your book. I would recommend choosing a meaningful title, it could be simple, the cover should be catchy, and series work in a long run. It’s great to have a backlog. If you’re traditionally published, you wouldn’t have to worry so much about marketing but if you’re indie published, then it’s crucial for your book’s success. Traditionally publish authors usually come out with 1, occasionally 2 books a year. An indie writer usually writes 3-4 books per year. Romance novels tend to have couples or hot shirtless guys on the covers. Sometimes, I use couples. Thrillers have dark, gritty covers. Fantasy ones usually have illustrations. A catchy title, cover, and blurb usually draw a reader in. 

According to you, what is the most unethical practice in publishing industry? 

Plagiarism. It happens frequently on Amazon where some people steal someone else’s work and republish it as their own. 

Can you make a living out of writing?   

It’s hard but I believe you can. If you’re lucky, your first book can bring you instant success but more often, it’s usually the fifth or sixth book that becomes a bestseller.  

Publisher Vs Indie Author, which one is best or why do you prefer one over other? 

For indie authors, you have all the copyright on your books, a higher royalty, and you usually do all the work, but you can build a team. I’ve built a team since I’ve started writing. I have beta readers, ARC readers, a book cover artist, a book formatter, a graphic designer, and a book editor. With traditionally publish, the team is already created for you, and you have an advance check. They both have their perks. I like doing Indie, but I wouldn’t mind working with a publisher in the future. 

Random Question 

Characters of “The Name of Red” are based on real people or did they all come entirely from your imagination? 

The hero’s personality is based on my husband. The heroine’s character is similar to my own. The other characters are based on my imagination. 

How many books are there in your book shelf? What book are you reading now? Best Author and Best books according to you? 

I’m currently reading Girl Gone Viral by Alisha Rai. I try to read 2-3 books per week, but I’m always writing. I used to read a book a day before. My favorite authors are Jane Austen, Khaled Hosseini, Nadia Hashmi, Colleen Hoover, Nicholas Sparks, Stephen King, Sarah Dessen, Roxane Gay, Penelope Douglas, and many others. I love all of their books. My all-time favorite book is A Thousand Splendid Suns. 

ME : They are all great authors. I have read every one’s atleast 1 book. My all time favorite is also A Thousand Splendid Suns. Its an Awesome book.

What is the best writing advice you have ever heard? 

Never give up and writing. You never know if your next book could be a bestseller. 

If not writer, I would be 

I do writing full-time now, but I also have a Masters Degree in Developmental Psychology.  

What famous author do you wish would be your mentor? 

 I admire Khaled Hosseini and Nicholas Sparks.  

Here is her Bio

Beena Khan writes literary fiction and edgy, contemporary romance. She 27 years old and lives in New York. She currently holds a Masters Degree in Developmental Psychology. She enjoys reading, writing, and netflixing. The Name of Red is her debut novel published at the age of 26. All of her books are on Kindle Unlimited + Free Novella!

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RED SERIES
The Name of Red (Book #1) —https://amzn.to/3exWZlm
The Weight on Skin (Book #2) — https://amzn.to/30guN0M
Color me Red (Book #3) —https://amzn.to/32ti7q9
The Whispers of Rifts (Book #4) —https://amzn.to/3aISnbf
The Scarlet Night (Book #5)
Fire of My Heart (Book #6) 

Follow the platforms:
Instagram ➜https://www.instagram.com/beenaxkhan
Twitter ➜ https://twitter.com/Beenaxkhan
Facebook ➜https://www.facebook.com/beenaxkhan
Goodreads ARC group ➜ https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/1083973-the-name-of-red-by-beena-khan-book-arc-launch
Facebook reading group ➜ https://www.facebook.com/groups/TNOReading

Connect with her – Gmail ➜ beenaxkhan@gmail.com

Have you read any of Beena’s books? Check out her books. Did you like knowing about Author? Let me know your thoughts.