Name: Medeia Sharif

2011 Book Title: The Bestest Ramadan Ever

Publisher: Flux

Release Date: Summer 2011

Your book's synopsis:

Almira Abdul, a Middle Eastern mutt of Syrian and Iranian origins, is fifteen going on sixteen and she’s fasting for Ramadan for the first time ever.  Coinciding with the holy month is her first major crush with a boy named Peter, whom her best friend Lisa also is in love with.  She has a new enemy at school, catty Shakira Malik, a fellow Muslim who trades barbs with everyone.  Her dentist father proclaims that she needs braces.  Along with the hectic month her grandfather, who knocks down mailboxes and garbage cans when parking, is teaching her how to drive in his tank-like car.  

The conflicts of having a continuously growling stomach, getting her driver’s license, repelling Shakira, and trying to win Peter prove how challenging the month of Ramadan is for Almira.  THE BESTEST RAMADAN EVER is an honest and humorous look at Almira’s life, her quest to fit in, and how her parents and old-fashioned grandfather clash in their generational differences.
 

Your website address: http://www.sharifwrites.com

Twitter handle: sharifwrites

Facebook address: http://www.facebook.com/sharifwrites

What made you decide to be a writer?

I fell in love with books when I was a tween.  I remember telling one of my 8th grade teachers that I was going to dedicate my first book to her.  So, I was always dreaming of and working towards being a published author.

Favorite books/authors? Stephen King, Clive Barker, Erica Jong, Laurie Halse Anderson, Margaret Atwood, Melissa Marr, and Carolyn Mackler to name a few.

Morning person or a night owl? Morning

PC or mac? PC

What did you have for dinner today? Tofu scramble—I’m a vegetarian.

Quick! Share 11 random things about yourself.

1. I didn’t know my first name until my first day in kindergarten.  Everyone called me by a pet name before then.

2. I’m an amateur artist (sketching and painting).

3. I used to be afraid of dogs.

4. I wish I had telekinetic powers. 

5. I don’t think the number thirteen is unlucky.

6. The sight of a full moon calms me down.

7. I can sit and stare at the ocean forever (or so it seems).

8. I started writing my first book (a forgotten novel) as soon as I graduated from high school.  I finished it during my first year of college.  It’s never been published, and it’s going to stay that way.

9. In the 90’s I used to think that I’d never figure out computers, and now I’m on a computer all day long.

10. Usually the first thing I do after waking up is check my email.

11. I’m very organized.