Writing fiction is the act of weaving a series of lies to arrive at a greater truth.

She thought of Aziza's stutter, and of what Aziza had said earlier about fractures and powerful collisions deep down and how sometimes all we see on the surface is a slight tremor.

I don't listen to music when I write - I find it distracting.

Though there were moments of beauty, Mariam knew for the most part that life had been unkind to her.

So, then. You want a story and I will tell you one.

she held her breath, and in her head, counted seconds. She pretended that for each second she didn’t breathe, God would grant her another day

And that's the thing about people who mean everything they say. They think everyone else does too.