life comes at you fast

and finally revealing my book's gorgeous new cover

If one phrase could summarise the year I’m having so far, it’s ‘life comes at you fast’. And in 2025? It’s been coming at light speeds. Yes, I realise we’re only in April but truthfully, I feel as though I’ve lived hundreds of lifetimes since January. I turned 30 in October last year and I started this year on a pretty hopeful note: I had big plans for my career, I was (kind of) emotionally stable, and I was finally going to start exercising properly — amongst other things. But God truly had other plans.

Last month, my book’s publisher went into administration. And so, the majority of March was spent feeling anxious, stressed and wondering what will happen next. Will the book I’ve been working on for the last four years now never see the light of day? Will I have to start from scratch? It really cemented just how uncertain the publishing industry (and journalism, tbh) can be, especially for debut authors.

And all this uncertainty around my career meant that I slipped back into old unhealthy patterns and it’s safe to say, I’m no longer feeling emotionally stable. So! Much! Stress!

But after weeks of uncertainty, The Othered Woman is still happening and I am so pleased that my book will be released both here in the UK (7 August) and in the US (4 November). And she’s got a brand new face with a gorgeous new cover, courtesy of Muslim Sisterhood. This week, I also read through a digital proof copy of The Othered Woman which was truly a wild experience and reminded me that this book is a very real thing.

I want to say a BIG thank you for all the love, excitement and good vibes over on Instagram about the new cover. I’m very grateful to each and every person who commented, shared the cover or sent a message. I’m overwhelmed, overjoyed and pretty terrified!

But I’m ready for a summer of yapping about books, let’s go.