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Click here to go directly to Sabaa's shownotes page.

We have #1 New York Times bestselling author Sabaa Tahir of An Ember in the Ashes and the recently released A Torch Against The Night on the podcast!

Her massive hit series was an immediate best-seller, selling its movie rights to Paramount Pictures before it was even published. Critics compare it to “The Hunger Games” and “Game Of Thrones” for young adult (and adult) readers.

In today’s discussion brought to you by Vermont College of Fine Arts, Sabaa describes what it was like growing up in her family-run motel in the Mojave Desert, and how books played an important role in her childhood. We tap into Sabaa’s memories about family, her relationship with her parents, and how it has influenced her own values and standards of work ethic today.

In her episode, Sabaa shares how working as an editor in the international department at The Washington Post led her to writing fiction. We unpack her thought processes as a storyteller and why it’s crucial for Sabaa to portray realistic human behavior in her work. This episode is a must! 

Xo,

Yin

PS. Did today’s episode help you in any way? Share it with someone who needs a boost of inspiration!

Please leave a review about the podcast by clicking here. Your honest feedback helps to shape the show. Thank you for your time and for helping with the ranking of the show when leaving a review and rating!

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“I didn’t start loving to read until I was a bit older but once I got the bug, that was my happy place, my safe place.” -Sabaa Tahir (click to tweet)

 

“With “Ember”, the story was meant for me and I was meant for it. It was sort of the soulmate of stories for me.” -Sabaa Tahir (click to tweet)

 

“I wrote because I love to write not because I thought one day I’m going to be a writer.” -Sabaa Tahir (click to tweet)

 

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN FROM THIS EPISODE: 

• How working at The Washington Post as an editor inspired the idea for “An Ember in the Ashes” series

• Why it’s of the utmost importance for Sabaa to realistically portray human behavior in her work

• How shifting your mentality about writing from “hobby” to “work” will help you hone your craft

• Crafting a world that allows you to defy reality

• How having a writing mentor can help you the way its helped Sabaa

 

“It was books that I would turn to. They became my best friends.” -Sabaa Tahir  (click to tweet)

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LEARN MORE ABOUT SABAA

Sabaa Tahir grew up in California’s Mojave Desert at her family’s eighteen-room motel. There, she spent her time devouring fantasy novels, raiding her brother’s comic book stash, and playing guitar badly. She began writing An Ember in the Ashes while working nights as a newspaper editor at the Washington Post, where she covered the international desk and stories on child soldiers and other atrocities in Africa and the middle east. All of these experiences informed elements of her book. She likes thunderous indie rock, garish socks, and all things nerd. Sabaa currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her family.

SABAA'S RECOMMENDED BOOKS:

Wind, Sand, and Stars by Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

The Art of War by Sun Tzu

GMC: Goal, Motivation, and Conflict by Debra Dixon

The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

Say ‘Hi!’ to Sabaa
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