Jennifer Zobair's Blog

The view of Boston on the cover of Painted Hands, taken by my husband.


In the past few months, I’ve had the chance to meet with readers of Painted Hands at author talks, readings, and book club visits, both in person and by Skype. Invariably, readers ask good, thoughtful questions and usually share quite a bit about themselves with me in return. These are wonderful experiences for any author, but especially for a first-time novelist.Recently, during a book club visit a woman asked me why, since I’m relatively new to the Boston area, I chose to set my novel here. I love this question.

The first and simplest reason is that Amra and Zainab are extremely dynamic women with high-powered careers, and I knew they were going to have to be in a lively city where they could—and would be forced to—navigate the current political climate.

But there are lots of big, bustling cities, including New York and D.C., where I’ve also lived. And truthfully, I considered setting Painted Hands in New York.But Boston, this city that I tease by remaining a Yankees fan, was, in the end, the right choice for this particular novel. Boston represents the founding of this country, home to so many key events of the American Revolution. It symbolizes the desire for self-determination. It is rich with the immigrant experience. It has had to grapple with racism and work to overcome segregation. It’s also where battles of religious freedom have taken place. In my novel, Zainab and Taj pay a visit to Salem, where religious persecution and guilt by association once played out with tragic consequences.

All of this felt so very relevant to my novel.But there's another reason that’s a little harder to explain. Like most authors, I love my characters. I knew bad things were going to happen, particularly to Zainab, an outspoken Muslim woman involved in a contentious political campaign. I trusted Boston with all of it. It’s not that other cities wouldn’t be just as wonderful. But I’ve lived here long enough to understand this: Though this city has endured terrorist attacks, I still feel so comfortable to raise my Muslim family here. I still have not experienced any backlash, or felt any discrimination or bigotry.

When bad things happen, I trust Boston. And maybe that’s the real reason I placed Amra and Zainab here.I trusted Boston with my characters. And the local readers who I meet with remind me every single time that I had very good reasons to do so.

Welcome to my blog!  For my author website, please click here. 


 

Porter Square Books in Cambridge

I've never been great about blogging, but with the release of my debut novel, I have entered into legitimate "fail" territory. It's been a fun but busy summer, with readings and panels and radio interviews and blog appearances.  Hopefully, the fall will bring more time for blogging. In the meantime, for updates on Painted Hands, book recs, thoughts on Muslim feminism, how my crazy vegan diet is going, etc. please check out my FB author page or my twitter feed.


You can also find a few essays I've written this summer here:

"The Truth About Multicultural Fiction" at The Rumpus

"When Bigotry Came to my Book Reading: A Muslim Feminist's Love Letter to Cambridge" at The Huffington Post

"This is What a Muslim Feminist Looks Like (Really)" at Drey's Library


Finally, links to my online interviews and guest posts can be found here.


Hope your summer has been wonderful!

Oh wait. That's me!

So I've been pretty bad about blogging lately. For what it's worth, I blame Facebook. And not just because it's trendy to blame Facebook, but because I made an author page there in addition to a personal profile, and I've been posting updates there instead of here. But also? I liked that the post on Muslim bad girls was at the top of the blog. I may eventually move it back up anyway, like I did after posting about my Ted Fox thing. (Sorry, Ted!)

So things are happening. Most importantly, Painted Hands will be released on June 11th. It's been a year and a couple of months since we got the offer from Toni Plummer at St. Martin's, and at the time it seemed like FOREVER to wait. But now? It feels like it has flown by.

In March, I went to New York to meet with Toni and my agent, Kent Wolf, and my in-house publicist. I was, of course, a nervous wreck. On the way to meet Kent at his office, my cab driver turned out to be a Pakistani Muslim. When he found out I was married to a Pakistani American man and I was a Muslim and I had a novel about Muslim women forthcoming from a major publisher, he got all fanboy on me, and it completely calmed me down. Kent was as brilliant and funny in person as he is on the phone--you should all have lunch with him if you can--and Toni was graceful and warm and lovely. The lunch only confirmed that I was in such great hands.

My in-house and independent publicists have just sent out about a zillion review copies, and I am waiting patiently (ha!) to see what happens with that. In the meantime, you can read this gorgeous review of Painted Hands by author Sarah Hina (Plum Blossoms in Paris, Medallion, 2010).

Some very awesome friends, Wendy Russ and Stephan Andrew Parrish, are planning a virtual release party on Facebook on June 11th. I hope you will be there! And for local people, some equally awesome friends and my awesome husband are throwing a party for me that weekend. Email me for details!

Let's see...what else. I have an essay on multicultural fiction and bigotry forthcoming from The Rumpus and I'll be interviewed or have guest posts on or near June 11th at places like Drey's Library and Shelf Pleasure. I'm also doing Richard Levangie's "25 Questions," and you know you want to see what my guilty pleasures are! A list of online appearances will be up soon on my Events and Media page, where right now you can find my local scheduled appearances, including the Boston Public Library and Porter Square Books in Cambridge.

I will say it a million times in the next few weeks, but let me start by saying it here: I could not have made this journey without the amazingly talented and generous and kind writers I have met through blogging and social media. You have read my work, and my inane blog posts, and shared similar experiences of writing and revising and querying and hoping and crying in a parking lot and dancing in the front yard with me. I adore you all, and I am so very grateful.

I have a little irreverent thing up at author Ted Fox's blog.

In case you don't know, Ted is a humor writer represented by the beloved Janet Reid. His book YOU KNOW WHO'S AWESOME?  (NOT YOU) is currently available and is as funny as his tweets.

On Fridays, Ted poses a question "at least tangentially related to humor," and asks someone to answer in 50-ish words. (Mine is double that, but he was kind enough not to point that out.). 

Thanks to Ted for hosting me, and to Wendy Russ for helping me get my 50 Words to him despite a power outage. You guys are--wait for it--awesome.

Today is my oldest baby's birthday. He is a very fabulous fifteen.
We are "those people"--the ones who got pregnant when we were in the process of adopting. If you can arrange such a thing, I highly recommend it. It's the kind of amazing, instant family that makes the woman who interviewed the nannies and swore she'd never take more than a six-week maternity leave quit her job.

As you may know, my husband is of South Asian descent. I am a mutt of various European nationalities. Our son is African American. He has always been the kind of kid that people gravitate to--exceptionally cute, ridiculously outgoing. I took him along to one of my doctor's appointments when he was two, and the doctor fell in love with him. "He just shines," she said. And she was right.

But the best thing anyone ever said to us came later, while we were out shopping. An elderly woman approached and talked to him for a bit, and then turned to my husband and me and said, "He's so beautiful. He's the perfect combination of the two of you."

I could have kissed her.

When we were at the very beginning of the adoption process, the agency called my office and said that I could come pick up a photo of the boy who would become our son, "if I wanted." I rushed to tell my boss and my paralegal. They both said, "Go!"

And I did. And this was the first song on the radio when I started my car.




Exactly.





When I was querying my novel and trying to come up with a colorful, shorthand way to describe one of my main characters--Zainab Mir, a kick-ass, sharp-tongued, brilliant, successful Muslim woman--I immediately thought of what writer and activist Asra Nomani said in a 2005 op/ed for The Washington Post about Muslim feminists.

"To many," Ms. Nomani pointed out, "we are the bad girls of Islam."

This is, of course, different from "sluts," although certainly some people conflate women who speak out against patriarchal paradigms and women who exhibit so-called "loose morals" in an attempt to maintain the status quo.

Topic for another day.

And early in the process, one agent rejected my query/pages with the plucky lament, "I would have enjoyed this more if they had been truly 'bad' Muslim girls!"

Yes, well.

When I use the term "Muslim bad girl," I mean to convey something more along the lines of the slogan that women of my generation are apt to sport on tee-shirts and buttons and refrigerator magnets holding up school lunch calendars:

Well-behaved women seldom make history.

My embracing this term also probably suggests that if someone calls a woman "bad" for speaking out, for thinking for herself, for challenging social/cultural/religious gender norms, he/she and I might have some work to do.

I like this term so much that I closed my query letters by saying, "Like Zainab, I've probably been called a Muslim bad girl."

I mean, a woman can hope, right?

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The last time I did an update here, the little pink stick figure in this post was a strong contender for my author photo. It was a close call, but I've decided to go with this instead, with a debt of gratitude to Brian Ziska for putting up with me during two photo shoots and even enduring a bee sting in the process. Talk about taking one for the team!

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Last, but so not least, I was thrilled and honored to receive another lovely blurb recently. This one was from Anjali Banerjee, author of numerous novels including HAUNTING JASMINE, which I read a couple of years ago and loved, and ENCHANTING LILY, which is on my to-be-read pile near my bed:

An enlightening first novel, Jennifer Zobair's PAINTED HANDS dismantles the myths and stereotypes about what it means to be Muslim in American society today, Through interwoven stories of career-oriented women of Pakistani and Indian descent, navigating the tightrope of politics, personal ambition, and family expectations in modern Boston, PAINTED HANDS ultimately celebrates the redemptive, transcendent power of love and friendship.

**********

PAINTED HANDS, my debut novel about "Muslim bad girls," but not "truly bad" Muslim women, is now available for preorder .

UPDATE:  WE HAVE A WINNER*!
First, the asterisk: Thank you so much to everyone who played along, and for the extra effort it took (in some cases) (okay, not mine) to produce a real, live pie. You are all awesome, and I wish we could sit down together and eat and talk. I also have to thank everyone for bringing such thoughtful short story suggestions to the table. I can't wait to read!

Without (much) further asterisking: The winner of The Best Short Story I Have Ever Read (Asterisk) Smackdown is...


Sarah Hina!!!    
Although it was a tight field, Sarah won the all-around based on our three "fluid, gooey" criteria: An adorable photo of her enjoying the pie she made (plus cuteness points for her daughter), an actual connection between her pie and her story, and a beautifully-written description of why Richard Bausch's "Letter to the Lady of the House" was the best short story she's ever read. Congratulations, Sarah!

And now her prize: Sarah will be receiving two "judge's choice" short fiction collections. Davin has selected The Laws of Evening by Mary Yukari Waters, and I have chosen Arranged Marriage by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. 






Sarah, if you could email me and let me know if you prefer e or real books, that would be great!

Thanks again to everyone who participated!
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It's here! The smackdown!

For details, click here. The quick and dirty? Email me a picture of a pie you've made (jazobair AT comcast DOT net) to post here, and in the comments, make the case for the best short story you've ever read.  Bonus points for any pie/story connections.

It's not too late! Throw a pie together! Tell us about your favorite short story!
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This submission comes from talented author Sarah Hina, with help from her adorable daughter. It is a lemonade pie. Now I wish we'd required everyone to submit a picture eating the pie (or throwing the pie or somehow acting on the pie). Clearly, Sarah is getting extra points for the action shot. The cute factor is fairly sky high as well.





And this is a cherry pie from Canadian writer/activist Richard Levangie. This? Is a very serious pie. This is the pie that made my children call my own pie "pathetic" and suggest I visit a bakery this morning. In fairness, I didn't use props with mine. Davin, can we get a ruling on the flowers? It seems to lend a certain Martha Stewart gravitas to his pie, and I may have to cry foul. Mostly because he is making me look bad.






This is a pie of unknown fabulousness from amazing photographer Catherine Vibert. It is gorgeous and looks like something that should be in a magazine. Of course, she is a professional photographer and this may be as big of an advantage as Richard's flowers and Sarah's daughter. Does anyone play fair these days?







What can we say about this submission from brilliant writer Davin Malasarn? It is a crustless bread  pudding "pie" that I cannot stop staring at. Because you know what? I don't like pie and I would eat that. Also, who are we to judge? And let's keep that thought in mind for the next pie, shall we?


 


And this is my pie. It is a chocolate pudding pie, and it is, actually, not the first pie I made yesterday. I made the first one and then--I kid you not--ate a huge piece BEFORE I took a picture. As though I forgot about the smackdown. In my defense, I am working on my copyedits? The first pie had graham cracker crust, which is the only crust I really like. This is an Oreo crust and pleases my children immensely.

Did I mention I don't like pie?


Photo used under a Creative Common License

Okay, this is picture was submitted by Indian writer/programmer Aniket Thakkar and is a "Raspberry Pi" which a credit-card-sized single-board computer developed in the UK by the Raspberry Pi Foundation with the intention of stimulating the teaching of basic computer science in schools. This? Is kind of cool. And creative. I might have to award some points. Especially if he can prove he made it.





This is a blueberry/raspberry pie from talented writer Scott G.F. Bailey . Note that it also looks like it could be in a magazine, and therefore makes my pie--to quote my kids--look (additionally) "pathetic." Who knew you all were such skilled pie makers? Seriously. And whose idea was pie??

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To the comments!

    I am thrilled to be able to share the cover for my debut novel, PAINTED HANDS. I think it's so beautiful, and captures the feel of the story perfectly. I'm more grateful than I can say to my editor, Toni Plummer, and the entire team at Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin's Press for all of their hard work and for this gorgeous result. And I am, as always, grateful to my incredible agent, Kent Wolf, for how he always "gets" this book. I'm also honored and thrilled to have blurbs from two amazing authors, Roopa Farooki and Anne Cherian: 

“A debut with an original and refreshing premise–Jennifer Zobair’s novel is about high-flying Bostonian women who struggle with their demanding careers, relationships, friendships and families, and who also happen to be Muslim. A positive portrait of modern Muslim women, prominent in their professions and at large within their communities, written with affection and detail.”—Roopa Farooki, Orange Prize finalist and author of The Flying Man

“In Painted Hands, Jennifer Zobair lifts the veil on three American Muslim women, taking readers into a world that will challenge their assumptions. Her debut novel is an important addition to the canon of ethnic fiction, showcasing the difficulty of being both American and Muslim.”—Anne Cherian, author of The Invitation and A Good Indian Wife

I can't wait to hold the book!
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UPDATE:  PAINTED HANDS is now available for preorder!

 
A few weeks ago, the ridiculously talented Davin Malasarn and I had a Twitter conversation that went something like this:
 Me: Even now, on 4th or 5th read, sure "Brokeback Mountain" is the best short story I have ever read. Devastating. Brilliant. Am in awe, still.

 Him: Is this a challenge?
 Me: Maybe. Maybe we should have a little challenge. :)
 And somehow the conversation moved to his blog comment section, where the “challenge” became a “smackdown” (my doing) and involved very cool people like Wendy Russ and Scott G. F. Bailey, and of course pie (again, my doing).

 Now, here we are, announcing the “Best Short Story I Have Ever Read (Asterisk)” Smackdown!
 First, I want to address the (Asterisk).
 * Yes, we realize it is impossible and unfair to actually declare that any one story is truly the best short story one has ever read. The reality is that there are many important short stories and many important short story writers and all of this is in fun.
 On with it!
 Announcing the “Best Short Story I Have Ever Read (Asterisk)” Smackdown!
 The rules:
 1. On Wednesday, December 12 you can post the title/author of your ONE story selection, with a description of why you chose it in the comments on this blog,. We will not allow any comments naming more than one story. No second places. No ties. But, see rule #3.
 2. Because there must be pie involved, you must send me a picture of a pie you made or purchased (or at least will eat) during the Smackdown prior to naming your short story. I’ll put the pictures up in the blog post. Davin says there’s extra credit if your pie is connected to the short story you chose.
 3. For those of you who still want to rave about additional short stories, you can post your second helpings over at Davin’s brilliant new-ish blog, What’s Davin Eating? (It’s about food, but not really.)
 4. The winner of our “Best Short Story I Have Ever Read (Asterisk)” Smackdown will be decided without the use of any logic and may or may not receive a prize from us. In the comments, you are allowed to make your case for why yours should be the winner!   See you there! With pie! 
 PLEASE NOTE: Email the pie pics to me (jazobair AT comcast DOT net) anytime between now and Wednesday.