What I Write

By now most of you know that in addition to being a blogger, runner, winemaker, and constant consumer of too much food, I also write books. I have co-written three novels along with my mom Kristy and my sister Elena. The books follow the story of Remy Alexander, a young Resistance fighter and artist desperate to…

Who I Am

My name is Amira. I eat a lot of food. I’m a lot of different things, but I’m three things primarily: a writer, a winemaker, and a historian. I also cook a lot. (See above.) I’m not a blogger by trade, but I write here sometimes about things that I’m interested in. I have co-authored…

Need an Editor?

Are you a first-time novelist who’s just typed out the magic words “The End” – but doesn’t know where to go next? A new writer who wants to get published but isn’t ready to hit the market? Or even a seasoned author looking for insight and advice on a new manuscript? I’m here to help.…

Book Review: “H Is For Hawk” by Helen Macdonald

By: Amira K. July 28, 2016June 12, 2017

Book Reviewbook review, BrainPickings, depression, England, H is for Hawk, Helen MacDonald, loss, memoir, mental illness, tragedy, writingLeave a Comment

“H is for Hawk” is currently causing an uproar in the British literary world, achieving mountains of acclaim from critics and fellow writers on both sides of the pond. I first found out about it through BrainPickings, a weekly digest of assembled blog posts that thematically explores famous thinkers and works through the use of quotes, relevant…

On Fantasy

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away… Just kidding, it was only twenty years and three thousand miles away. Hang on…that’s a suspiciously long way from my current location in the space-time continuum. Let’s try this again. Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, a young girl named Amira…

Writer Wednesday: Author Interview with Daryl Rothman

By: Amira K. June 22, 2016June 22, 2016

Interviewauthor, Author Interview, daryl rothman, david rose, fantasy, fiction, publishing, reading, the awakening of david rose, writing, young adultLeave a Comment

Today for #WriterWednesday I introduce you to Daryl Rothman, a great writer and a better friend. Daryl is the newly published author of THE AWAKENING OF DAVID ROSE, a young adult urban fantasy novel in the style of Susan Cooper’s THE DARK IS RISING series. My admiration for his writing style and his determination has never…

Book Review: The California Wife by Kristen Harnisch

By: Amira K. June 13, 2016June 12, 2016

MusingsLeave a Comment

In August of 2015 I had the pleasure of meeting novelist Kristen Harnisch at the Writer’s Digest Conference in New York City. I was introduced to her first novel, The Vintner’s Daughter, a historical fiction novel about a young French woman, Sara Thibault, who grows up making wine with her father, a winemaker in the Loire Valley.…

Writer Wednesday: Author Interview with Tarah Benner

By: Amira K. June 8, 2016June 2, 2016

MusingsLeave a Comment

Back in 2014, I started doing a series of author interviews called #WriterWednesday, in which I brought new and innovative authors onto my website in an attempt to connect my readership with the wealth of diverse indie authors out there in the world. Although the interview series fell off, I am pleased to revive it…

Crystallized: A Poem

By: Amira K. May 25, 2016May 25, 2016

Compositions, Poemscold, frozen, ice, lost, love, poems, Poetry, summer, winter, writing2 Comments

Blue lips Cold bird Half-buried in snow. Don’t tell me You’re gone. White boughs Heavy Limbs That ache, tired. When you fell In On the twenty-first of December I knew Then. Summer is here now But you are still Crystallized. Don’t tell me – I know. Where you’ve gone. Image: “Dormantic” by Gohmn on ello.co

10 Things I’ve Learned In Two Weeks Of Self-Employment

By: Amira K. May 20, 2016May 19, 2016

Musings, Publishingbusiness, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, independence, publishing, self-employment, working, writing4 Comments

It’s Friday! A few weeks ago, that would have meant a lot more to me than it does today. (Spoiler alert: one of the things on this list is that the days of the week don’t matter that much anymore.) But Friday means that I’ve officially had two weeks as a full-time member of the…

Win A Free Copy Of THE SOWING!

By: Amira K. May 16, 2016

Musings, Publishing, The Seeds Trilogydystopian, free, giveaway, reading, science fiction, The Seeds Trilogy, writing, young adultLeave a Comment

This week, we’re running an Amazon giveaway of THE SOWING, the first book of the Seeds trilogy. All you have to do to enter is watch a short video of me and my sister Elena introducing ourselves and the characters in the books. It’s funny! (I think.) And fun! (I hope.) And it’s super easy…

Book Review: Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer

By: Amira K. May 11, 2016May 11, 2016

Book Review, Politicsagriculture, animals, book review, eating, Eating Animals, farming, food, food justice, Jonathan Safran Foer, reading, vegan, veganism, vegetarianism, writingLeave a Comment

A few months ago I wrote a blog post called “The First And Last Time I’ll Talk About Veganism”. In the post I vaguely promised that I would not be expounding frequently (or ever again) about veganism, at least not on this blog. This book review is a narrow dodge of that promise: I’m not…

Carnations (Water): A Poem For Mother’s Day

By: Amira K. May 9, 2016June 13, 2017

Compositions, Poemsbirth, civilizations, feminism, life, mother's day, motherhood, poems, Poetry, reading, water, women, writing1 Comment

I Water seeps from between your fingernails Gushes from between your legs Drips from the corners of your eyes When you open your mouth there is water When you open your eyes you are water Carnations bloom from your fingers Lilacs sprout from your hair Daisies adorn your ankles Lilies bursts from your breasts Crowning your hips, your thighs,…