Thanking a very special friend and the interesting story behind the name of my second book

 My first book, The Stranger, was a romantic story. It is one of my favorite genres and comes naturally to me. When I started thinking about writing my second book, I knew that I wanted to move out of my comfort zone. Moreover, my father who is not a fan of romantic stories was also a very motivational force. Consequently, I chose the thriller and mystery genres.

As a writer, I have always felt confident about my romantic stories. I think I am good at it. I never wanted anyone to critique my work in its initial stages but the new genre somehow made me a little nervous. I needed someone to validate my creative approach. Therefore, I reached out to a friend whose feedback would be critically honest and I could trust her with my intellectual property too. She graduated in English Literature and I had full faith in her capabilities to critique my work. Although she was a mother of a toddler, she still agreed to provide feedback on my first chapter. I sent her the draft and sat on the edge of my seat until she rejoined with feedback. According to her, she was hooked to the story. Her comments rendered the much-needed confidence that was imperative for me to continue writing.

For the next nine months, I always wrote the chapters and sent them to her for feedback. She was gracious enough to read and critique every chapter. If it wasn't for her, I don't think I could have gained the confidence to explore myself as a writer. Without her support, I don't think I would have ever completed this book so here is thanking the very talented and beautiful Aliana Kausar Butt.

When we started, I named this book 'sheer evasion'. I thought it perfectly suited the setting and genre of the storyline. However, when we concluded the book in November and started thinking about its publishing process, Aliana thought that the name should be changed. She suggested me a couple of options but I was floored with her first possible name suggestion, the Silent Intruder. From that day onwards, I renamed my book but somehow it will always remain sheer evasion for both of us.

Random picture. No connection to the book.

The Silent Intruder is a crime thriller. It was so much fun to explore this diverse genre. There is so much you can do with the characters and the storyline to create curiosity in the reader's mind. Yet, I feel it is a huge responsibility on my shoulders to be able to achieve that 'thrill' with my work. It's not easy to grab the reader's attention but as a writer, I have given my hundred percent and I hope you will get hooked on the story just like I did.

I am not a literary genius but in the words of Aliana, I am a superb storyteller. For some reason, I have always considered myself a storyteller. It's something that comes to me naturally and I want to manifest this craft into my work. I wish to hook the readers to my stories. I want them to know my characters and associate with them. With this story, I sincerely wish that you stay at the edge of your seat until the end and enjoy every bit of it.