Author Spotlight: Medeia Sharif and her Impending Alien Abduction

So far, I'm loving these spotlights! It's great having authors answer the odd and interesting questions that my commenters brewed up.

This week, welcome Medeia Sharif, author of Bestest. Ramadan. Ever. Take it away, Medeia!

Do you believe in aliens?

I do. When I was a teen in the 90’s, I watched real-life alien abduction/UFO shows and read all of Whitley Strieber’s abduction books. It was hard to sleep after reading or watching those things. I used to be afraid to look out of windows at night, because I believed aliens might be lurking in my backyard.

iPhone or BlackBerry?

Blackberry. I had an iPod touch and thought the keypad was tricky, so I didn't want the phone version. A physical keyboard makes me feel more in control. This is also handy because when I don’t have a notepad, I easily input new ideas and other reminders to myself.

Cake vs. Pie?

Cake, all the way. Cake is richer and more solid, and I love basic chocolate or devil’s food. I’ve had mini pies, but they can’t beat cupcakes.

(Luckily for Medeia, I'm pretty sure most aliens have a penchant for pies, so she won't be top of the list, abduction-wise. She simply won't be their favorite flavor.)

When writing, noise, silence, music, people around?

I usually have music playing in the background. I mainly listen to alternative rock and New Wave, either from my collection or Slacker Radio. The only time I have people around is when I’m working on my balcony (I’m on a busy street) or if I take a hardcopy or Kindle version of my manuscript to the laundromat.

Book blurb:

During Ramadan, we're not allowed to eat from sunrise to sunset, for a whole month. My family does this every year, even though I've been to a mosque exactly twice in my fifteen years. My exercise-obsessed mom—whose hotness skipped a generation, sadly—says I could stand to lose a few. But is torture really an acceptable method? I think not. Things wouldn't be so bad if I had a boyfriend, but my oppressive parents forbid me to date. This is just cruel and wrong. Especially since Peter, a cute and crushable artist, might be my soul mate. Figures my bestest friend Lisa likes him, too. To top it off, there's a new Muslim girl in school who struts around in super-short skirts, commanding every boy's attention—including Peter's. How can I get him to notice me? And will I ever feel like a typical American girl?

Bestest. Ramadan. Ever is available at Barnes and Noble!

You can find Medeia at her blog, here
and on Twitter. :)