Guest Post by Pakistani Author Xunaira Javed

Xunaira Javed is from Islamabad, Pakistan and is author of The Cursed City and is co-author of Mia's Confession (available HERE on Amazon). She has written short stories on Helium and when younger wrote for US Magazine.  She is currently attending SZABIST (Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology, Islamabad) working on her Bachelors in Mobile and Ubiquitous Computing.

 

TradeMark Remark: If Xunaira was on a camping trip, what would her role be?

Something to do with Computers.

Written by Xunaira Javed

On Becoming a Writer

As a writer, we all need is some sort of inspiration and motivation to step into the world and make our way through it. Think, Dream and Write. These three words that motivated me since I was a kid, going through my grade school, here in the capital of Pakistan, called Islamabad. I, like many other children, dreamed big dreams. I wanted to write someday. I wanted to be a writer.

My mother, she is a very gifted writer, therefore I believed myself to be the recipient of the same gene. Anyhow, I passed through grade school, then high school and finally stepped into the university, studying a completely different major than what I wanted. I pursued computer science, majoring in mobile and ubiquitous computing. Don't get scared, it's isn't difficult as it sounds to be. It is actually quite interesting when you are making applications and learning languages.

On Writing & Publishing

My English professor  just gave me a hint as to I should try my hand at writing a novel but still, I felt shy. I did not believe that I was capable of such a thing but gradually I looked beyond the shyness and uncertainty and decided to give my hand at writing. Amazon Kindle is quite popular with the new generation around here, many of Pakistani authors are published through this platform. So I thought, “Why shouldn't I give self-publishing a try?”

I was going through pictures of British Columbia, Canada which my sister had recently sent me. The wilderness and the snow-covered mountains, the frozen lakes and the gorgeous landscape set my mind to work. Immediately, I started writing and there you go, The Cursed City, is available on Amazon stores worldwide. I have joined many author platforms which are international as there are a limited number of writers clubs here, which are not accessible to everyone. It is quite difficult to get a spotlight on your literary work. 

My short stories, which I started off with Helium, were definitely liked by many as I could see by the stats and even the blogs were received well. The Cursed City hasn't been that popular with the audience but I'm sure, with more time I would be able to bring you more refined stories that are heart felt and entertaining. I am sure, all of you out there, would check it out and help me make my way through the e-publishing.

Sneak-Peak at New Book

This excerpt is from my upcoming novel The Cryptic Murderer. This is an adult genre, a crime thriller with the main heroine, Aida, suffering from the after effects of a murdered family. She is the witness to her mother's death and the elopement of her sister which results in her falling into a depressions so bad that she leaves everything and practically starts living near the graves of her mother and sister.

Then, as the story opens she moves to Singapore where she meets someone, who is an undercover FBI agent and tells her about her life being in danger. Not trusting him, she ignores him and moves on but she gets kidnapped.

Haashir has 24/7 surveillance on her so that she is kept safe. He is tall, dark and handsome and as Aida spends time with him, she realizes that there is more to them than friendship. Events occur which bring them into the line of fire where their acquaintance, friendship and eventually love is challenged.

     Blood rushed in his ears as he held the sight in front of him. She was a pretty damsel, sleeping like a baby, and he was going to kill her. Her flawless skin looked like pure white satin against the cool linen sheets of her frilly bed. Her rosy lips were pale from sleep and her long russet eyelashes rested on her cheeks like pale butterflies. She was at peace. Gulping down the sudden surge of bile in his throat, he removed a sharp-tipped butcher’s knife from inside his jacket. His eyes on her, he stepped closer to her bed, ready to get the job done. Sighing, she turned on her side, her hazel-green eyes looking directly into his chocolate brown ones. He stood rooted to the floor, his emotions were in a turmoil as he felt something for this girl, maybe it was pity or remorse, he wasn't sure. He was a serial killer, who studied his subjects thoroughly before going for the kill, and this instant he had ignored these facts because his prey was just a teenage girl. Closing his eyes against the pain in his chest, he placed one hand on her mouth to muffle her scream and went straight for her throat. The spurt of blood on his hands appeased his raging emotions and he lost his mind to everything, except the blood gushing out of her vein.

      Crouched next to a tomb, he saw the funeral procession inch by. He could see the crying faces of the family members and the sad, forlorn looks ones of close friends. Every one of them mourned her. He was mesmerized with the teenage girl he had just murdered but that hadn’t broken his iron resolve to kill her. His next target was the older sister. How would they feel, when the second one will be in another coffin like this?
   

 Check out her book review and interview here.

Check out Xunaira's blog on revampinglife.com

Check out Xunaira Javed on Facebook.