5 Years Later, I Have A New Book: Darkness And Light

My first book, Busting Clichés, was published in February 2017. It was a planned project, a compulsion of sorts. I did it to feel like I had accomplished something significant before turning 25. Of course, it was also a childhood dream. But I digress.

Cut to five years later, and I have a new book called Darkness And Light. Coincidentally, it has also come out in February. However, unlike my first book, I didn’t plan it. It came into being as a healthy coping mechanism for depression.

It took three months to write my first book. This book took nearly four years.

In 2018, after my divorce, I had a lot of unresolved questions, feelings, and trauma. I couldn’t bring myself to write long entries in my diary. As a newfound lover of poetry, I began to write short free-verse poems that expressed my angst. As I healed, I took to writing poems about other issues. By the end of 2019, I realized I had enough material to compile into a compact book. Of course, it was only the first draft.

I planned to finish the project and find a publisher in 2020. Covid-19 ensured otherwise.

My book would have been ready for publication towards the end of the year if it weren’t for the pandemic. The global nightmare made everyday life so difficult that I had to put the book on hold. Like many others, I kept waiting for the pandemic to end and for things to return to normal.

2021 made it clear that the end was nowhere in sight. I reworked the book once, then twice. I published some more poems on the blog. Simultaneously, I began to look for publishers as well. By December, I only got the approval of an indie press. Having gone with a small publisher in the past, I wanted to try something different.

Then a friend suggested NotionPress, a hybrid publisher that offered 100% royalties.

After some research, I felt they were a good fit. So in January 2022, I sent in my book and hoped they would like it. Thankfully, they did, and after I invested a small sum, the book was live on February 11. The Notion Press team was so swift that I couldn’t believe it — until I got complimentary author copies a week or so later. And now, here I am finally talking about Darkness And Light.

Here are all the places you can check it out and buy a copy:

Notion Press: https://notionpress.com/read/darkness-and-light/paperback

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09S9XGFBJ

Amazon India: https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B09S9XGFBJ

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09S9XGFBJ

Flipkart: https://www.flipkart.com/darkness-and-light/p/itm434d6a85cb72c

The ebook version will also be available soon. Watch this space for updates. 

Do you want a free pdf copy of Darkness And Light?

Email me at shaikhmahevash@gmail.com with the subject line ‘FREE COPY’ — and I will send it asap! All I ask for in return is an honest review on Goodreads. Reviews help sales, and I want to know your opinion.

Okay, that’s all I have to say. Wish me luck and show my book some love? It’s a product of my blood, sweat, tears, and resilience.