Photo Credit: Mike Styer
Farah Naz Rishi is a Pakistani-American Muslim writer and voice actor, but in another life, she’s worked stints as a lawyer, a video game journalist, and an editorial assistant. She received her B.A. in English from Bryn Mawr College, her J.D. from Lewis & Clark Law School, and her love of weaving stories from the Odyssey Writing Workshop. When she’s not writing, she’s probably hanging out with video game characters.
We had the pleasure of chatting to debut author Farah Naz Rishi about her recently published YA novel, I Hope You Get This Message, which follows three teens who must face down the mistakes of their past after they learn that life on Earth might end in less than a week. She talks about its inspiration, along with becoming a published author and what she’s working on next.
You can find Farah on Instagram and Twitter, along with at her website.
Hi Farah! Tell us a little about yourself!
Hi (and thanks for having me)! We moved around a lot when I was a child (my dad was in the Air Force), but I now call Philadelphia home. I went to law school, mostly specializing in wildlife law, before becoming a writer. For fun, I play video games, voice act, and play with my rescue pup, Stellaluna.
Your debut novel, I Hope You Get This Message, has now been released! If you could only use five words to describe it, what would they be?
Emotional! Real! Dark! Fast-Paced! And finally…hopeful.
Now, let’s hear a little more! What can readers expect?
IHYGM is a story that examines humanity—all the good, the bad, and the ugly—through the eyes of ordinary teens. With the impending possible extermination of humankind, these three teens reflect on their past and use the seven days they have left to face the ghosts of their pasts, and hopefully, right their wrongs—a journey that leads them to Roswell. Naturally, with the world ending, there are times the story will feel bleak, but the characters find humor and love and moments that I can only describe as heart-wrenching.
I wrote this book to find comfort in a world that felt increasingly dark, and my hope is that it does the same for its readers.
Where did the inspiration for I Hope You Get This Message come from?
At the time I started writing the novel back in 2016, and I felt the political landscape was changing in a frightening way. Worse, my father, who’d been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, was getting sicker by the day. For me, it really did feel like the world was ending. IHYGTM grew from exploring how others, like me, could—despite it all—find light in the dark. As for the aliens, well, who doesn’t love a good story about aliens?
Was there a certain aspect of the novel, such as a scene or character, that you really enjoyed writing?
Adeem was a joy to write because he feels like family to me—not only is he a Pakistani-American Muslim, like me, but his personal story is similar to my own (for reasons I won’t spoil!). In that way, writing him was cathartic. Plus, I’m a sucker for sweet, geeky, cinnamon-roll characters!
If I Hope You Get This Message was adapted, is there anyone that would be part of your dreamcast?
Honestly, I’d just be thrilled to see it adapted, by anyone. If the producers told me that they didn’t have the budget to hire actors, I’d be happy with cardboard cut-outs of people and poorly-done voice over…
…And maybe Riz Ahmed as Reza. Or Riz Ahmed as anyone; I’m not picky.
What has the road to becoming a published author been like for you?
Writing was never something I thought I could make a career out of; I had only ever written for myself, and never shared my work with anyone. It wasn’t until I signed up for the Odyssey Writing Workshop that I experienced the joy in the struggle to write, and the high of when your words reached someone. I had a lifetime of catching up to do on the craft, and a writing workshop was the perfect place to start that journey, especially since it was where I met a group of writing friends who’ve since been an endless source of support for me. Not long after I completed the workshop, I paired up with the lovely people over at Glasstown Entertainment. Three years (and rewrite after rewrite) later, I HOPE YOU GET THIS MESSAGE was born.
What’s next for you?
Unfortunately, I can’t really talk about it, but my next book maaay or may not be something that rhymes with a “tom-bom.”
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for us?
Right now, I’m reading THE BONE HOUSES by Emily Lloyd-Jones and am really, really loving it so far! It’s a perfect read for people who love dark YA fantasy, or are craving a spooky read for October!
