High school is tough, especially when you're growing up as the only Middle Eastern girl in an all-white community. Anisa Ashabi funneled all her teenage angst into a novel she started when she was just 14. Years later, she picked it up again. With the benefit of hindsight, Finding Chaz was born. Anisa talks about her relationship with her brother, writing a book that's "too long" for traditional publishing, and her dog Anubis.

Website: anisaashabi.com

Instagram: @anisa_ashabi