The Power of Perseverance: Q&A with Awais Khan

We sat down with Awais Khan, author of In the Shadows of Love and a graduate of Faber Academy’s Writing a Novel course, to discuss his journey to publication, literary influences and the importance of never giving up.

You previously studied on our flagship Writing a Novel course, as well as our editing course. How valuable was your time at Faber Academy to the writing of your debut, and subsequent, novels?

When I joined the Writing a Novel course with Faber Academy back in 2012, I had no idea about how publishing worked. Zilch. In fact, apart from an idea for a novel and a few chapters I had written, I didn’t have much at all. Faber Academy completely transformed me. Not only did I finish writing the novel that would ultimately become my debut, In the Company of Strangers, I also learned so much about publishing. I still remember that during the editing course, we had visits from Sam Copeland, a pretty huge literary agent. His razor-sharp critique of our blurbs and advice on the submission package was what enabled me to start submitting to agents later on. Faber Academy was where it all began, and I always make a point of mentioning that in my interviews.

Did you make writing friends during your Faber Academy course? How important has peer feedback been to your process?

I made plenty of friends while at Faber Academy. Peer feedback is a critical part of the courses, and I am pleased to say that my peers were nothing but honest and supportive. Together, we edited each other’s full-length novels, talked (and complained) about this difficult industry we found ourselves in, and supported each other through publication. I am still good friends with many of them. A lot of them have attended my various book launches, and I recently met one of them all the way in Dubai at the Emirates Literature Festival where I had a panel event. Kirsten Arcadio, Carla Webb, Damien Hine, Anita Chaudhuri, Milly Burton . . . they’ll always be my friends.

You’ve recently published your fourth novel, In the Shadows of Love, which has been described as a ‘captivating, thought-provoking and heartbreaking read.’ Could you tell us a little bit more about the novel? What gave you the inspiration for it?

The inspiration for In the Shadows of Love came from the enduring love my debut In the Company of Strangers has received. It was a national bestseller in Pakistan and has done exceedingly well in the UK too. It was the love from my readers that made me think of continuing Mona’s story. My agent and I pitched the idea to Keshini Naidoo and Iain Millar (Hera Books/Canelo) while having brunch with them in London in September 2023, and the excitement and support they showed for the idea gave me the motivation to dive right in. I got to writing the sequel, delivered it in three months, which is a record for me, and the rest, as they say, is history. In the Shadows of Love was published in the UK in October 2024.

In the Shadows of Love takes readers back to high society Lahore where a secret that Mona, now in her fifties, has guarded all her life threatens to come out. How far will she go to protect it in a city that watches her every move? Add to that the complexities of being married, having grown kids and being a fully paid-up member of Lahore’s elite.

Can you share your journey to getting published?

After finishing my courses with Faber Academy, I went on to work on my debut novel In the Company of Strangers with Hazel Orme, a very well-respected editor in the industry. Once we were satisfied that the novel was the best it could be, I started submitting to agents. I was turned down by over sixty agents, but in that deluge of rejections, there were a few full manuscript requests too from some pretty big agents. Eventually, they also turned me down. Annette Crossland was the first agent to offer me representation in February 2017, and I haven’t looked back since.

In the Company of Strangers was turned down by all the major publishers in the UK. Ultimately acquired by a small indie publisher, the book very quickly generated a lot of buzz, eventually being acquired by Simon & Schuster in South Asia. Due to its success, and on the strength of my second manuscript, I signed a two book deal with Orenda Books. No Honour and Someone Like Her were published in 2021 and 2023 respectively, with Isis Audio acquiring audio rights to all of my books in the process. Someone Like Her was once again acquired in South Asia by Simon & Schuster. In the midst of this, In the Company of Strangers was reissued by Hera Books, following which I began work on the sequel In the Shadows of Love, published in 2024 by Hera Books. I am not allowed to talk about it yet, but there might be some exciting news regarding In the Company of Strangers soon.

Who are your biggest literary influences?

I think it has to be Leo Tolstoy and Donna Tartt. I absolutely loved Anna Karenina, and the beauty of Tolstoy’s writing is unique. There just can’t be another like him. Similarly, I find Donna Tartt’s writing magical. The Secret History is one of my favourite books.

Could you tell us about your writing routine, and how you balance writing with other aspects of your life?

I think it is absolutely essential to not treat writing like a hobby. Sure, it might not bring you a lot of money initially (or none at all), but that doesn’t mean it is something that ought to be treated casually. If I don’t have a deadline from my agent or publisher, I set a rigorous one for myself and work towards achieving that. I try to finish my day-job stuff by 3pm, so that I can then sit down with my laptop and write. I’ve been doing this for a long time now. I love sitting in noisy cafes. Not only does the background noise allow me to focus more on my work, the excellent coffee helps too. I don’t write after 7pm as I like to have the evening to myself, and that’s when I also catch up on my reading.

What are you reading right now?

Funnily enough, I like to read several books on the go. Right now, I am reading a proof copy of Eve Smith’s electrifying forthcoming novel The Cure, along with Butter by Asako Yuzuki, All the Colours of the Dark by Chris Whitaker, Night Watching by Tracy Sierra, Hard by a Great Forest by Leo Vardiashvili and Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros (the buzz around the series got me started, and now I can’t stop!)

If your book were to be adapted into a movie, who would be your dream cast?

I’ve only thought of the cast for my first two novels so far. If In the Company of Strangers were to be adapted, I’d like to see Sonya Jehan play the role of Mona and Sheheryar Munawar to play the role of Ali.

Coming to No Honour, I really feel that Shahrukh Khan would do complete justice to the role of Jamil, and since his daughter has recently joined the industry, she would be perfect to play the role of Abida. If he’s reading this interview, I hope he’s taking notice!

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received?

To never give up. This industry is ruthless. Most of the time, you’ll receive either rejections or silence, and it’s so easy to fall into despair and just give up. I should know because I got over sixty rejections from literary agents, one of them going so far as to ask me to just quit because writing wasn’t for me. It is important to understand that all you really need is just that one person to champion your work, and that one person is out there somewhere. Never give up!

And finally, what’s next for your writing?

I am actually in the middle of writing a book, which I have dubbed my magnum opus. Tentatively titled The Women, it is high concept literary fiction, but also something that would really resonate with book clubs. It moves from the depths of rural Pakistan to the glittering metropolis of Lahore and explores the lives of Sakina and Amina, two women from very different backgrounds, but whose lives come together in the most unexpected way.

I have also finished writing my very first thriller titled Her Sister’s Secret. It’s about the dark side of Pakistani marriages and how the secrets behind closed doors can destroy us.

Writing a Novel is designed to support aspiring fiction writers to develop their craft over six months, with courses in London (at Faber’s HQ in Hatton Garden), Newcastle and online.

A six-month programme of seminars, sessions will cover all the essentials of novel writing – including character, story, structure, plotting, voice, dialogue, conflict and more.

Find out more about the next iterations of Writing a Novel.