This week YA author Ana Lal Din took over our Twitter as a part of our weekly Thursday Twitter Takeover. Ana Lal Din is the author of the YA novel The Descent of the Drowned. (See YEM’s interview with Ana Lal Din here.) See highlights from the takeover below.
Heya! I’m the author of a new YA Indo-Persian Fantasy called The Descent of the Drowned and I'm here to do the #YAAuthorTakeover! Let’s go!
— WATCH 📺 LISTEN 🎧 READ 📚 (@YoungEntmag) March 18, 2021
I wrote #TheDescentoftheDrowned to spread awareness about critical issues, such as the caste system in South Asia, and to bring marginalised voices into the centre in the YA Fantasy mainstream market, especially South Asian female voices. #YAAuthorTakeover
— WATCH 📺 LISTEN 🎧 READ 📚 (@YoungEntmag) March 18, 2021
I chose to write a YA Fantasy because I think it’s important to educate younger generations about critical issues. We live in a social media world where we’re focused on ourselves. Spreading awareness & reminding people of our human responsibility is essential. #YAAuthorTakeover
— WATCH 📺 LISTEN 🎧 READ 📚 (@YoungEntmag) March 18, 2021
Something I explore a lot in the book is women's position through parallels between pre-Islamic Arabian and South Asian societies. The female protagonist is Roma. She's a sacred slave who has been raised to serve the gods, but she wants to be free. #YAAuthorTakeover
— WATCH 📺 LISTEN 🎧 READ 📚 (@YoungEntmag) March 18, 2021
This is my favourite portrait of Roma. Do check out the artist's amazing work on Instagram! #YAAuthorTakeover pic.twitter.com/bRvXSvGKNb
— WATCH 📺 LISTEN 🎧 READ 📚 (@YoungEntmag) March 18, 2021
The prologue and first chapter of #TheDescentoftheDrowned was written in 2007, but the book as a whole was written in 2016. I did about a year of intensive research before I dove into writing it. #YAAuthorTakeover
— WATCH 📺 LISTEN 🎧 READ 📚 (@YoungEntmag) March 18, 2021
I’m a Danish-Pakistani Muslim. Having a multicultural identity meant that I was a foreigner in Denmark because I looked Pakistani and I was a foreigner in Pakistan because I came from abroad. That struggle with belonging is something I worked into the story. #YAAuthorTakeover
— WATCH 📺 LISTEN 🎧 READ 📚 (@YoungEntmag) March 18, 2021
Moving on to something less heavy, hah… Firsts! My first TV show was an American soap opera called The Bold and the Beautiful. Ridge and Taylor were my first ship, lol. #YAAuthorTakeover
— WATCH 📺 LISTEN 🎧 READ 📚 (@YoungEntmag) March 18, 2021
My first music obsession? SPICE GIRLS. Honestly, is there anyone out there who hasn't been obsessed with Spice Girls? #YAAuthorTakeover
— WATCH 📺 LISTEN 🎧 READ 📚 (@YoungEntmag) March 18, 2021
My first K-Pop experience was Fantastic Baby by Big Bang back in 2012. At this point, it's a reigning classic, honestly. #YAAuthorTakeover
— WATCH 📺 LISTEN 🎧 READ 📚 (@YoungEntmag) March 18, 2021
Music inspires a lot of the atmosphere in my writing. I'm a hardcore supporter of independent artists. Check out the playlist for #TheDescentoftheDrowned! #YAAuthorTakeoverhttps://t.co/WG8ONnvFID
— WATCH 📺 LISTEN 🎧 READ 📚 (@YoungEntmag) March 18, 2021
Head on over and follow @laldinana in her #YAAuthorTakeover with @YoungEntmag 👇👇 https://t.co/9Sxf4YYn12
— Books Forward (@booksforwardpr) March 18, 2021
If I had to recommend a book that would mess with your emotions, it's Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. I cried. #YAAuthorTakeover
— WATCH 📺 LISTEN 🎧 READ 📚 (@YoungEntmag) March 18, 2021
Originally, #TheDescentoftheDrowned was 140K long and I cut it down to 112K. That was really painful, hah. #YAAuthorTakeover
— WATCH 📺 LISTEN 🎧 READ 📚 (@YoungEntmag) March 18, 2021
I personally prefer character-driven stories over plot-driven stories, so that’s the type of books I write. Also, insta-love is my least favourite trope. #YAAuthorTakeover
— WATCH 📺 LISTEN 🎧 READ 📚 (@YoungEntmag) March 18, 2021
I’m a pescatarian. As traditional Muslims, my whole family loves meat. I was always that weird kid in the family who refused to eat anything but fish. #YAAuthorTakeover
— WATCH 📺 LISTEN 🎧 READ 📚 (@YoungEntmag) March 18, 2021
The hardest part about the writing process for me is actually writing the story. I much prefer the revision process because I like seeing the content improve. #YAAuthorTakeover
— WATCH 📺 LISTEN 🎧 READ 📚 (@YoungEntmag) March 18, 2021
Favourite movies are Howl's Moving Castle and Spirited Away. Honestly, all Studio Ghibli movies are amazing. #YAAuthorTakeover
— WATCH 📺 LISTEN 🎧 READ 📚 (@YoungEntmag) March 18, 2021
For #TheDescentoftheDrowned, I drew inspiration from sociocultural and political issues from places such as South and West Asia, the Middle East, and pre-Islamic Arabia. The book is also packed with a lot of mythology. #YAAuthorTakeover
— WATCH 📺 LISTEN 🎧 READ 📚 (@YoungEntmag) March 18, 2021
We're nearing the end of this takeover, so I'm going to just mention a couple of things. There's an ugly side to every culture, every society. I think what's important is that we talk about it and spread awareness about it, and support marginalised voices. #YAAuthorTakeover
— WATCH 📺 LISTEN 🎧 READ 📚 (@YoungEntmag) March 18, 2021
Protecting and fighting for women (and humanity) is not an individual but a collective responsibility. Those of us who have better circumstances and can raise our voices should. Fight to be heard. #YAAuthorTakeover
— WATCH 📺 LISTEN 🎧 READ 📚 (@YoungEntmag) March 18, 2021
Thank you to Young Entertainment for letting me take over their Twitter today! This was so much fun. If you like dark, character-driven fantasy with morally ambiguous characters (and would like to support a debut author), please order my book, hah!https://t.co/ZifUYzeaqa
— WATCH 📺 LISTEN 🎧 READ 📚 (@YoungEntmag) March 18, 2021
