Sorry. It had to be said. LOL.
I had the wonderful opportunity to interview Farah Naz Rishi about her book, I HOPE YOU GET THIS MESSAGE!
Here's some information on the book:
ABOUT
Title: I Hope You Get This Message
Author: Farah Naz Rishi
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: October 22nd 2019
Synopsis:
Seven days. Seven days. The Earth might end in seven days.
When news stations start reporting that Earth has been contacted by a planet named Alma, the world is abuzz with rumors that the alien entity is giving mankind only few days to live before they hit the kill switch on civilization.
For high school truant Jesse Hewitt, though, nothing has ever felt permanent. Not the guys he hooks up with. Not the jobs his underpaid mom works so hard to hold down. Life has dealt him one bad blow after another — so what does it matter if it all ends now? Cate Collins, on the other hand, is desperate to use this time to find the father she’s never met, the man she grew up hearing wild stories about, most of which she didn’t believe. And then there’s Adeem Khan. While coding and computer programming have always come easily to him, forgiveness doesn’t. He can’t seem to forgive his sister for leaving, even though it’s his last chance.
With only seven days to face their truths and right their wrongs, Jesse, Cate, and Adeem’s paths collide even as their worlds are pulled apart.
Doesn't that sound so interesting??? What happens for these characters when the aliens come for Earth in seven days??? Find out when you read the book. ;)
I asked Farah some questions about her book, and about writing and here are her answers!
Ri: Describe your book, I HOPE YOU GET THIS MESSAGE, in six words.
Farah Naz Rishi: A dark but ultimately hopeful message!
Ri: The subject of your book feels especially timely. What inspired you to write I Hope You Get This Message?
Farah Naz Rishi: It was my own fear, actually, that inspired me to write the book. After the 2016 election, I began to notice that the terrifyingly racist rhetoric in the news that I used to be able to ignore was getting louder and louder. And along with the worsening state of the environment, I needed to find a way to make myself feel better and process my emotions. I HOPE YOU GET THIS MESSAGE came from that fear of the world feeling like it was really ending.
Ri: Did you have to do a lot of research in preparations for this book? If so, was there anything interesting you learned while researching?
Farah: I did an enormous amount of research on how radios and radiowaves work, as well as communication through space. Thankfully, I had a lot of help from SETI and friends a lot smarter than I.
Ri: Do you think your characters would have wanted to participate in the Area 51 raid? (LOL)
Farah: HAHA, I DEFINITELY know Adeem would; he’d be one of the kids Naruto running straight for the base. Cate would reluctantly chase after him to make sure he doesn’t get in trouble. And Jesse would scoff at the whole thing.
Ri: What are your favourite tv shows/movies/books about aliens?
Farah: I started watching the new Roswell and really like it so far! But the thing that got me most into science fiction and aliens was the video game series Mass Effect.
Ri: Is there any advice you could give to upcoming debut authors?
Farah: Breathe. Whenever you feel stress or pressure or fear, just breathe. It will remind you that you’re here and you’re alive, and that’s the first step to dealing with anything.
Thank you so much to Farah for answering my questions about her book and about aliens!!
I HOPE YOU GET THIS MESSAGE is out now and can be purchased at your local book seller!!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Farah Naz Rishi is a Pakistani-American Muslim writer and voice actor, but in another life, she’s worked stints as a lawyer, a video game journalist, and an editorial assistant. She received her B.A. in English from Bryn Mawr College, her J.D. from Lewis & Clark Law School, and her love of weaving stories from the Odyssey Writing Workshop. When she’s not writing, she’s probably hanging out with video game characters. You can find her at home in Philadelphia, or on Twitter at @far_ah_way.
Happy Reading!
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