Welcome to BookView Interview, a conversation series where BookView talks to authors.

Recently, we talked to Nasiha Muna, the author of A Rift That Lies Between Us (read the review here).The novel has won the Literary Titan Silver Book Award in 2020.

Nasiha Muna is an American of Bangladeshi heritage. During her youth she had literary works and artwork published in her local newspaper and several national magazines. Recently her research work has been featured in technical journals. Nasiha has also completed R&D projects for The Coca-Cola Company. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences and Mathematics and a Master of Science in Mathematics from The University of Alabama in Huntsville. Nasiha has solidified her career in academia by securing a position as an Instructor of Mathematics at Alabama A&M University.

When not devoting her time to teaching and writing, Nasiha enjoys spending quiet moments reading about psychology and philosophy. If you get lucky you just might find her at Hallmark shopping for greeting cards or at Starbucks trying the latest Frappuccino. A Rift That Lies Between Us is her debut novel and was awarded the Literary Titan Silver Book Award in 2020.

What is the most recent book you read?

Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey. Such a thought-provoking and philosophical memoir.

What’s the most difficult thing about writing a novel?

Devising a plot that is attention-grabbing, starting the writing process, rewriting, editing, and crafting a memorable title.

Do you think someone could be a writer if they don’t feel emotions strongly?

Hmm… it would take more mastery to develop characters and assign those characters human qualities for someone who doesn’t feel emotions strongly.

What is the most difficult aspect about writing characters of the opposite gender?

Ensuring the opposite gender characters actually sound authentic and have realistic personalities.

Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad or good ones?

Absolutely. The positive ones give me an ego boost and I haven’t received any negative ones yet!

What life experiences have shaped your writing most?

Pretty much every aspect about being a first-generation American woman of Bangladeshi descent.

How do you come up with names for your characters?

Well, character names should offer insight into the personalities of the characters. I made certain my characters’ names fit their ethnicities. I researched male and female names that match the backgrounds of the characters and the setting of the story and chose the most appropriate ones.

What’s more important: characters or plot?

Both are complementary to each other. It’s important to have dynamic protagonists and supporting characters along with a captivating plot to create an intriguing story.

***