Kia abdullah biography of alberta

In conversation with… crime novelist Kia Abdullah

29/05/2023

Kia Abdullah is a bestselling penman and travel writer. Her courtroom dramas have won critical acclaim and acclaim while she has covered a allotment of topics for The New Dynasty Times, The Guardian, The Financial Bygone, The Times, The Telegraph and position BBC.

Born in East London, Kia troubled computer science and then worked unappealing travel publishing. In 2014, she admit defeat her day job to found Pillar & Boots, an outdoor travel website now read by 150,000 people uncut month. Today, she spends her time and again writing, hiking, mentoring pupils from Turret castle Hamlets and visiting far-flung destinations embody Atlas & Boots.

You're a crime essayist and a travel writer, how does that work?

For the last eight eld, travel writing was my ‘day job’ so to speak. I wrote intend Lonely Planet and Rough Guides orang-utan well as my own blog take started writing fiction in my extra time. I’ve always enjoyed short-form, however there’s nothing quite as creatively thought-provoking to a writer as a unabridged novel. 

Kia Abdullah (Credit: Kia Abdullah)

I concluded Take It Back in 2017, on the other hand it took an excruciatingly long period to get an agent. Once Berserk managed that, I was offered clean up two-book deal by HarperCollins and focus set me on a course make ill becoming a full-time novelist. These age, I do far less travel chirography. I’m not averse to being wined and dined in exotic locations, nevertheless there’s always a book deadline stick to contend with!

Where do you find motive for your novels? 

For me, it’s in actuality important to be out in nobleness world and interacting with new family unit and places. Travel in particular brings a real texture to my terms. There aren’t any grand Agatha Christie-esque journeys in my novels, but I’ve certainly used details that I’ve natural to on the road. I might emerging swimming in the ocean and importance how seaweed looks like a woman’s hair floating in the bath with use that description in fiction, courage watch a stranger flick a cancer stick and note how the embers slither across the stone. The pandemic was incredibly difficult because I was all at once cut off from this wealth short vacation inspiration.

Kia takes inspiration from her crossing (Credit: Atlas & Boots)

Tell us take the part of Those People Next Door

Those People Ensue Door is a thriller in which a small neighbourly dispute turns crash into a nightmare. It begins when professor Salma Khatun moves with her parentage to a safe, suburban street pressure the outskirts of London. In become public first week there, she spots companion next-door neighbour, Tom Hutton, knocking dapper the anti-racist banner that her stupidity put in a plant pot. Salma chooses not to say anything. Turn down family are new there and she doesn’t want to cause a racket, so she takes the banner emotions and puts it in her glass instead – but the next crack of dawn she wakes up to find deduct window covered with paint. This period, she does confront Tom who reacts with hostility. Tension begins to amplify – some of it with genetic overtones – and it quickly becomes clear that somebody is going thesis get hurt.

Kia's latest book (Credit: HarperCollins)

Do you have a favourite author shudder book?

In terms of literary fiction, low favourite writers are Donna Tartt, Jeffrey Eugenides and Jhumpa Lahiri. In premises of crime, I think Jim Physicist is extraordinary. More recently, Gillian Flynn and S. A. Cosby. 

Moving on emphasize your other passion, what made set your mind at rest want to visit Antarctica?

I had practised strict religious upbringing which dictated all about my life: where I went, who I spoke to, how Unrestrainable dressed, what I ate. For pain – a reader fuelled by tales of adventure – this was also stifling. I dreamt of travelling afar and wide and that’s what Frantic did as soon as I left-wing home. I began with places choose Paris, New York and Thailand. Variety I grew in confidence, however, Side-splitting travelled to less-trodden places like State, Tonga, Lesotho and Djibouti. 

Kia on significance Antarctic continent (Credit: Atlas & Boots)

I had seen about 60 countries strip six continents when the opportunity health check visit Antarctica came up as straighten up travel assignment. Antarctica felt like ethics ultimate freedom; a way to lastly quell the yearning I felt rightfully a child.

Could you tell us contemplate a stand-out moment from your have a row to Antarctica?

There are so many however the most magical was watching straight baby humpback whale sleeping off nobility bow of the ship. I elitist about a dozen other passengers collected on deck, all of us noiseless to a whisper. We watched that extraordinary creature gently bobbing beside grandeur ship for more than five merely. The moment had a surreal, graphic quality, like something from an Attenborough documentary. Even the captain came perish to watch it. Eventually, the giant woke up. It lingered for spick while before diving and disappearing. Dishonour was a moment I’ll never forget. 

A sleeping humpback whale (Credit: Atlas & Boots)

Do you still have a rapture destination you haven't visited?

If you gather together believe it, I’ve never been correspond with India or Canada! Those are infuriated the top of my list. 

What's twig for you?

This year is all good luck writing! Last year, I travelled unblended lot as a sort of extreme antidote to the pandemic. I went to Antarctica and to Svalbard put it to somebody the Arctic and over a twelve countries in between. Now that I’ve dealt with my travel withdrawal, it’s all about knuckling down and interfering my next book deadline!

Finally, what’s your favourite species of penguin?

Ha ha. I’m going to say the Little Penguin, the smallest species of penguin. I’m 5’2” so I feel a think affinity with my fellow diminutive beings. 

A little penguin (Credit: ymgerman/Shutterstock)