Author Hena Khan discusses #storytelling, #DrawingDeena on #ConversationsLIVE ~ @henakhanbooks @simonteen

Host Cyrus Webb welcomes author Hena Khan to Conversations LIVE to discuss her storytelling journey and new book DRAWING DEENA.

Get your copy on Amazon here.

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Welcome to Conversations Live. For morethan a decade, we've brought you the
best in books, entertainment, celebrityinterviews and condidents. When the movers and
shakers of the world have something tosay to you, they say it to
us first. Here's your host,Cyrus Webb. Welcome back everyone, the

(00:20):
Conversation's live. I'm your host,Serrs Web. Glad you wal could joined
us once again, but for radioaudience tuning in at WYAD ninety four point
one FM and WYAD online dot com. We're glad you all can be with
us. Also tuning into our onlineaffiliates around the world. Glad you all
could join us as well. We'reexcited to welcome award winning author Hannacan to
our podcast today. She's celebrating herbrand new book called Drawing Dina. This

(00:42):
is a great book, not onlyof course, for young readers, but
all of us when it comes toembracing our creativity and also being able to
share our voice and creative talents withthe world. We'll talk to him and
not only about that journey for herself, but what it's been like for her
to create characters the readers enjoy andsee themselves in we also will remind you
he can stay connected with him aswell. Thank you again for the time
today. Really do appreciate it.Oh, thank you so much for having

(01:03):
me. It's a pleasure. Well, this is a beautiful book. It's
beautiful to look at. And thenthe story in it, I think is
so great for all ages. Andso I want to ask you, what
has it been like for you allready to see the way that people are
responding to drawing Dina. Oh,thank you. I'm so glad that you
mentioned all ages, because that's somethingthat I feel strongly about that, even
though I'm technically writing for children,I really hope readers of all ages and

(01:26):
backgrounds can connect with the story becauseI think a lot of the themes in
it really are universal, and alot of the topics that I include are
things that I'm thinking about and grapplingwith as an adult. And it's made
me so happy to see early reviewsfrom the industry and from readers just saying
wonderful things about how they feel seenin this book and how they've enjoyed connecting

(01:49):
with Dina as a character. Well, and I think that is the cool
thing about it. And You've beenable to do this in your other work
as well, Hennis, I wantto talk about that because one of the
things that in promoting the book,of course, you've been able to talk
about Dina embracing her voice. Whathas it been like for you to see
how you've been able to embrace yourown voice and how people responded to that.
Yeah, it's incredible because I thinkat the beginning I suffered imposter syndrome,

(02:15):
like so many creative people. You'relike, well, that was fun.
I wrote a book, but Idon't know if I'll ever read able
to do that again, and overtime to realize, Okay, this is
actually a career now and I'm anauthor and I'm writing these stories and people
want them and wait for them.So it is amazing too, and it
feels just like the greatest opportunity tobe able to share stories. And you

(02:38):
know, of course, you know, as I evolve, I'm changing and
growing as a writer too and learninghow to do it better hopefully, But
really, it really is such anhonor to have readers out there, you
know, hold my books and readmy books and enjoy them. I love
that. So for yourself, thenwhen did you realize it? Then?
When did you realize for yourself thatwriting was that gift for yourself? Oh?

(02:59):
Well, it was something that I'vealways wanted to do and done in
one form or another, whether itwas you know, writing for a school
newspaper or technical documents for public healthorganizations. But creative writing for me and
for kids especially really started when Iwas a mother, and I realized when
I searched for books for my sonthat included characters who looked like him,

(03:22):
they were really hard to come by. And it made me think a lot
about the books I read as achild, and even though I love them,
I never saw characters who look likeme or my family. And that's
what really woke me up to theidea of telling these stories and filling that
gap so that you know, wecan all be incuted in I think that

(03:42):
is the big thing. So whenit comes to drawing Dina, how did
Dina come to you as a character. What was it about about this character
that spoke to you? I think, you know, anxiety was something that
was on my mind, and thefact that it is something that you know,
more and more children are being diagnosedwith and Tina, I found a
cracktooth from clenching my teeth at night, and I think my anxiety is on

(04:05):
the increase. So I was thinkinga lot about that and how children navigate
that, especially if they don't understandwhat they're feeling or why they're feeling the
way they do, and how sometimesas parents we can easily miss the signs
of anxiety and our children because wedon't necessarily that doesn't come to mind,
you know, they're very young,what do they have to be worried about?

(04:26):
But also I think as an artistnow, and like you mentioned,
because I've been doing this for awhile, I am thinking about the way
I engage with with my art,how I'm how I'm creating, what I'm
creating, how I'm engaging with socialmedia, and how that affects me.
So all of that was on mymind when I thought about creating this character
Dinah, who is dealing with someof these very same things as me.

(04:48):
Yeah, I love it, andI love the fact that, you know,
as we are thinking about this book, I mean, creativity is a
big part of this, but alsoof course the challenges they can with social
media, and I love it.Is the character's name is it pronounced Parissa
him? Yes? Yes, Okay, Parissa. There's a great conversation between

(05:09):
Parissa and Dina in the book,and I love it as Dina is able
to kind of stand up for herselfand and I love the thing that she
says to Parisa, and I wantto talk to you about it, where
she says, literally everything about youis dramatic. You want everyone to look
at you in real life and online. And I want to talk about that
because this book does kind of tacklethat as well. Right, how we

(05:33):
all kind of, you know,create this this image sometimes on social media
that may not necessarily reflect, youknow, the whole of our lives.
What was it like for you tokind of tackle that in this book too?
Yeah, I'm so glad you mentionedthat. So, you know,
I think for kids sometimes who areso eager to get online, right they're
waiting for permission to join instagrammers,napchatter or whatever it is, I think

(05:57):
they have the chance to be abit more critical because they're not not quite
immersed yet. And that's where Dinais, where she sees the transformation that
the media had sort of had onher cousin, and and the way she's
you know, presenting herself with allthe selfies and chasing the likes and and
reveling in it, and it's it'sso natural, right, we all want

(06:17):
the attention, and it can bereally tricky, and so Dina's trying to
understand how that works and how,you know, she realizes it very quickly
that it affects her, and she'sthinking about these bigger things like how what
does that mean? You know,what is the difference between being popular and
being good? How does it affectyou know, your art and the time

(06:40):
that it even takes. You know, what does that take away from us
as creative people? So big ideasthat you know, in a simplified way
for kids to be able to understandtoo. But there's just so much there
for all of us to unpack andthink about with regards to our own relationships
to social media and the way theway we choose to present ourselves and what
that means. I love that theother character is it is it pronounced Lucilla,

(07:02):
Kenna, Lucia yeah, or getLucia well. And then there's also
on the other side of that spectrumyou have Lucia and Dana and of course
how again, how we can allfall into the trappings of social media and
Dina having to realize that and theidea of being able to forgive and move
on. Why was that important foryou also to make sure that we talked

(07:24):
about it as well, because nomatter our age, sometimes we're going to
do things that may not be necessarilythe right thing or perceive the right way.
What was it like for you tokind of talk about the gift of
forgiveness in this book? Oh?Yeah, Well, I think a lot
of times in the small things thatwe do maybe to hurt someone. In
this case, you know, Ginawas was have promised her friend Lucia that
she would wait to join social mediawhen they were both allowed to, and

(07:46):
then behind her back, so shedecided to test the waters and she did
it anonymously and she wasn't really thinkingabout her friend, but it did hurt
her, and I felt like itwas important to model that that behavior that
you know, even if we areinto hurt someone, it's so easy to
dig in and be like, well, it's not my fault or I didn't
mean it. But it does takea bigger person to to sort of take

(08:07):
that pain that you've you've caused andto own it and to apologize. So
I wanted Dina to have that momentwith her friend, and her friend is
just so sweet and loving that youknow. And also the guilt when when
your your friend does something for youin spite of being angry at you and
realizing that maybe you weren't the bestfriend is what was going on at DP,

(08:28):
and so I wanted her to haveredeem herself. Yeah. Well,
I hope this with her audience.Appetite Hannah because it is such a great
bug. It's fun, entertaining,but also I think great lessons. As
I mentioned earlier for all ages.Gave another one Hannah Conna's been our guests.
Her new book is Drawing Dina.You of course can be the order
it through our friend at Amazon dotcom, through your favorite local bookstore in

(08:50):
Hinnah. How can our audience stayconnected with you? Oh? Thank you.
They can find me online at TennathonBooks. Also my website Hannah dot
Henathon dot com. You can findall my books that you can contact me
through there as well. All right, well, and the congratulations to you
again. Really appreciate you starting offto day with us and looking forward to
our next chat together. Thank you, and thank you so much for reading

(09:11):
and for this chatay more than welcome, and we thank your audience at tuning
in to another great segment of ConversationsLive. Until next time, I'm your
host. Cyrus website is always enjoyyour day, enjoy your life and enjoy
your world. Thank you all forchoosing Conversations Live, but it's going to
make today amazing. Take care