Like so many writers, I grew up with my nose in a book. My mother believed children should be seen reading and not heard whining about boredom, and she regularly took us to the Rockville Public Library with grocery bags to fill with books. Along with grabbing new titles each visit, I often chose the same ones over and over again. And I reread treasured personal copies of my favorites until they fell apart.

The books I connected with as a child left a bigger impression on me than almost anything I come across today. I still think of the characters, stories, and random facts that I absorbed years ago. That’s why I love writing for kids—in the hopes that they'll pick up something I write more than once, and let it become part of who they are.

Here are a few details about me: I’m a Pakistani-American Muslim who was born and raised in Maryland, and enjoy sharing and writing about my culture and religion. I've written about a bunch of other topics, from spies to space travel, that take me out of my reality and on adventures. I’ve had a few adventures of my own, managed to get to some pretty fantastic places on our planet, and met incredible people along the way. I'm slightly obsessed with Spain, ceramic tiles and pottery, food, flamenco, and good coffee. When I’m not cooking up a story, I’m often actually cooking food or baking treats for my family or friends. I also spent a good chunk of my life writing and editing for international organizations that work to improve the health of people around the world.