https://ift.tt/2RYS8AC <p class="intro"><span
style="font-weight:400;">Reem Faruqi loves to create and thrives
through her chosen art mediums: photos, pencils, paints, and potting
soil. After she stopped teaching to become a stay-at-home mom she
</span><span style="font-weight:400;">started her website, <a
href="https://reemfaruqi.com/"><em>Doodling Through Life,</em></a> to
showcase her creative work. Reem’s writing and photography
developed so much that she is now a professional photographer and
published author.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight:400;">Her children's book, <em><a
href="https://www.amazon.com/Lailahs-Lunchbox-Ramadan-Reem-Faruqi/dp/0884484319">Lailah's
Lunchbox: A Ramadan Story</a></em>, was published in May 2015 and
follows Lailah, who is starting both a new school and her first
Ramadan fast, as she learns to make new friends who respect her
beliefs.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight:400;">Reem also has two new books
projected for 2021,</span> <a
href="https://reemfaruqi.com/2017/05/25/2-new-books-and-5-fun-things/"><i><span
style="font-weight:400;">Amira's Picture Day</span></i><span
style="font-weight:400;"> and </span><i><span
style="font-weight:400;">I Can Help</span></i><span
style="font-weight:400;">,</span></a><span style="font-weight:400;">
and is a children, family, and lifestyle photographer at </span><a
href="https://www.facebook.com/ReemFaruqiPhotography/"><span
style="font-weight:400;">ReemFaruqi Photography</span></a><span
style="font-weight:400;">. We talked to her about how starting a
website helped to put her on a new path. </span></p>
<figure id="attachment_41530"
aria-describedby="caption-attachment-41530" style="width:685px;"
class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="size-full wp-image-41530"
src="https://discover.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/15107386_1256936824370457_1496862708882231806_n.jpg?w=685&h=514"
alt="" width="685" height="514" /><figcaption
id="caption-attachment-41530" class="wp-caption-text">Courtesy of Reem
Faruqi</figcaption></figure>
<hr />
<p><b>Why did you decide to start a website?</b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight:400;">When I was just starting out, I
reached out to a fellow author to ask how I could get published. She
told me I needed to start a blog — I needed an online presence so if
someone googled me, they could easily find my work. A couple of
picture book editors who have offered me deals for my book sometimes
compliment my work on my site.</span> <span style="font-weight:400;">
</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight:400;">I also think that even with the rise
of Instagram and Twitter, blogging is timeless, and it’s good to
have a spot where all my work and photography is featured in one
place.</span></p>
<p><b>Did you find it easy to get your website set up?</b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight:400;">Yes! WordPress.com was pretty easy
and whenever I had questions, I contacted the Happiness Engineers for
help.</span></p>
<blockquote class="sidenote right"><p>Find more information on <a
href="https://wordpress.com/support/widgets/">adding widgets to your
website</a>.</p></blockquote>
<p><span style="font-weight:400;">I love the <a
href="https://wordpress.com/support/widgets/search-widget/">search
</a>and <a href="https://wordpress.com/support/widgets/archives-widget/">archives
</a>features as well as the widgets that connect my Facebook page and
Instagram page to the blog. I also made a <a
href="https://wordpress.com/dailypost/2014/10/15/create-a-custom-image-widget-a-how-to-for-non-designers/">customized
image link</a> where someone can click to buy my book on Amazon, and
my photography business has a link to book a photography session.
</span></p>
<figure id="attachment_41532"
aria-describedby="caption-attachment-41532" style="width:685px;"
class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="size-full wp-image-41532"
src="https://discover.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/image-1.png?w=685&h=445"
alt="" width="685" height="445" /><figcaption
id="caption-attachment-41532" class="wp-caption-text">Courtesy of Reem
Faruqi</figcaption></figure>
<p><b>Did blogging help you to gain confidence in your writing? </b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight:400;">Yes! I find blogging an empowering
way to write for yourself. I love the feeling when you get to hit
“publish” on a post! It is always uplifting when someone
likes your posts or it connects to them emotionally. </span></p>
<hr />
<p style="text-align:center;"><strong>Find a WordPress.com plan that
suits you.</strong></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><a class="button is-primary"
href="https://wordpress.com/pricing/" rel="nofollow">Plans</a></p>
<hr />
<p><b>You are now a published author! How did you come up with the
idea for<em> Lailah's Lunchbox</em>?</b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight:400;">I wrote many stories that did not
get book deals. My father always told me, “Write about your
experiences that make you different.” Celebrating Ramadan made
me different — and I wanted to write a book about a Muslim child
fasting in the month of Ramadan. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight:400;">One summer I researched and read
many picture books about Ramadan and blogged about them. I realized
none of them took place in school. I knew then that I wanted a book
about a girl who “forgot” her lunchbox every day because
she was too shy to tell her school friends she was fasting. The title
</span><i><span style="font-weight:400;">Lailah’s Lunchbox
</span></i><span style="font-weight:400;">popped into my head one day
when I was cooking. I paused flipping over ground beef, took out a
Post-it and wrote the title on it, then stuck it back in the drawer to
come back to later, and I did!</span></p>
<figure id="attachment_41531"
aria-describedby="caption-attachment-41531" style="width:685px;"
class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="wp-image-41531 size-full"
src="https://discover.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/75603877_402808910667198_8745756877377241088_n-1.jpg?w=685&h=551"
alt="" width="685" height="551" /><figcaption
id="caption-attachment-41531" class="wp-caption-text">Courtesy of Reem
Faruqi</figcaption></figure>
<p><b>You moved to the US as a child — does the book reflect your own
background?</b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight:400;">Yes! Like Lailah, I moved from Abu
Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, to Peachtree City, Georgia. Like
Lailah, I would go to the library during lunch. Ms. Carman is actually
the name of my AP English teacher in high school. I loved weaving in
little true details into my story. Even the illustrations on the first
two pages portray a kitchen that looks like mine. Lea Lyon, the
illustrator, asked to see pictures of my home for
inspiration!</span></p>
<p><b>How did you react when you first found out your book was being
published?</b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight:400;">I jumped up and down a few times and
ran to call my family to celebrate. After writing many stories for
years, I couldn’t believe someone actually wanted to publish my
story and turn it into an actual, real book!</span></p>
<p><b>Your website offers guidance for new writers. Have you connected
with a lot of writers through the site?</b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight:400;">Yes. It is easy to send someone a
link when I get questions and I have been told that my work is helpful
and inspiring. The <a
href="https://reemfaruqi.com/published-writings-by-the-doodler/author-faqs/">Writing
FAQs</a> were many questions I got over the years and compiled in a
quick blog post so it was easy to share. My recent post about <a
href="https://reemfaruqi.com/2020/01/12/how-i-got-my-literary-agent/">how
I got a literary agent</a> discusses the struggles about querying an
agent and gives advice such as </span><i><span
style="font-weight:400;">Don’t Give Up!</span></i></p>
<p><b>Your website also features your photography. Do you get many
bookings through the site? </b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight:400;">My <a
href="https://www.facebook.com/ReemFaruqiPhotography/">Facebook
photography page </a>connects to my blog where I post my <a
href="https://reemfaruqi.com/photography-contact/pricing/">pricing
portfolio</a>, <a
href="https://reemfaruqi.com/photography-contact/portrait-style-guide/">portrait
style guide</a>, <a
href="https://reemfaruqi.com/photography-contact/photoshoot-details/">photoshoot
details, </a>and samples of my favorite work. I enjoy blogging about
families that I take photos of. It’s great to have a go-to place
where people can check out my work in as much detail as they want and
then book!</span></p>
<figure id="attachment_41559"
aria-describedby="caption-attachment-41559" style="width:802px;"
class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="wp-image-41559 size-full"
src="https://discover.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/image-2020-04-16-at-2.05.31-pm.png?w=685"
alt="" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-41559"
class="wp-caption-text">Courtesy of ReemFaruqi
Photography</figcaption></figure>
<p><b>What is your advice for an aspiring writer or photographer? </b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight:400;">To keep trying! Work evolves with
time and I think when you stick at it, you can thrive. Also, writing
and photography for me go hand in hand. When I have writer's block,
taking photos helps reset my mind. When I don’t feel like taking
pictures, writing resets my photography mind too.</span></p>
<hr />
<p style="text-align:center;"><strong>Have a creative side? Create a
site on WordPress.com to show it off.</strong></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><a class="button is-primary"
href="https://wordpress.com/create" rel="nofollow">Sign up</a></p>
<a href="https://wordpress.com/discover-wordpress/2020/04/23/ramadan-blogging-books/"
target="_blank" rel="follow">Meer over Carolyn Wells</a>
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