Tenacious talent proud of her roots
By Shalina Hussain
11 January 2010
Limehouse author Kia Abdullah has penned a gripping
psychological sex-crime thriller as the follow up to her smash
debut Life, Love and Assimilation.
Kia, 27, has been on a rollercoaster since
she decided to ditch a career in IT and focus on writing full
time.
Since the release of her debut in 2006, she
has appeared on national radio stations, writes a regular column
for The Guardian and has become a role model for young
Asians.
Kia, who was born and brought up in Tower
Hamlets, studied at Central Foundation Girls’ School and Queen
Mary, University of London.
She said: “I always feel reluctant to label
myself as a role model since I make mistakes like everyone else,
but I do know that many young Asians relate to me more than they
can to the Oxbridge-educated Monica Alis of the world.”
She added: “I regularly visit local schools
to talk about the importance of literacy, and have seen first-hand
the kind of potential that exists in the younger generation. Tower
Hamlets has seen huge development in recent years. I hope that
continues so that every local pupil is given the tools they need to
realise their potential.”
Growing up in the borough has had a big
influence on her outlook on life and given her a steely
determination to succeed.
She said: “ Growing up in Tower Hamlets has
been a deeply enriching experience for me. It has taught me to be
hard working, tenacious and ambitious.
“It has taught me that no matter where you
come from or how little money your family has, education and
dedication can help you get what you want.”
Kia’s new novel, Child’s Play, is about a
young woman who is recruited into a secret government unit that
targets paedophiles.
We follow her journey into the darker
recesses of the human mind and become a voyeur in a twisted world
of lust, danger, deceit and revenge.
Kia will be giving a book talk at Idea
Store Bow in Gladstone Place on 30 January at 2pm.
For more details visit http://www.kia-abdullah.com/.