I was born in Alabama and my family was quite well off. My grandfather owned a group of companies in our hometown - a cattle farm, a peach farm, a couple of gas stations and some rental property, among other things. That's how he made his fortune. My father owned a furniture store and a barber shop. I grew up with plenty of everything that I needed. But my father still encouraged us to save. When I was 10 years old, I rode my bicycle into town and opened my own bank account. Every time I got a little bit of money, we were encouraged to save it.
I got my first job at age 16 at Bill's Dollar Store as a cashier, and I used that so I didn't have to ask him for every little thing, even though he had more than enough to give me. He liked that, and he raised us to have pride. I met my husband at the University of Alabama. I worked four jobs at the time to get myself through school. One of my part-time jobs was as an English-language teacher for foreign students, and my husband, an Emirati, was in my conversation group. We started dating and fell in love.
We got married in 1990 and moved to the UAE the following year. He is originally from Sharjah, and we're still living here, although we have moved back to the US to achieve other university degrees from time to time. I am now 43 years old. My husband and I have three boys and one girl. The eldest child, at 19, gets an allowance of Dh1,000 per month, but he may get a raise soon to Dh1,500. He's in university and has significantly higher expenses than the other kids. He often has to eat at school.
My second-oldest child is 17. He receives Dh500 per month and, because he is autistic, I manage this allowance for him. The youngest boy is 13 and receives Dh400 per month, while my 10-year-old daughter gets Dh350. I think it's important they know that when the allowance is finished, that's it. We don't spoil our children. It's very important they understand the value of money, and there will be no more when the amount is gone.
My 13-year-old boy is perhaps the best planner and saver in the house. He bought his own Wii by saving up for months. My daughter even contributed Dh500 so she could have the rights to play it. It really is a miniature economy in my household. When it comes to special treats, definitely every month there is a family movie we go and see, so we budget for that. If there is an Eid holiday, we might plan a holiday to Ski Dubai - that's the kind of outing we plan for a special occasion, because it's a bit expensive. One time we went to the Al Ain Zoo and stayed at the Hilton hotel, so we planned and budgeted for that.
Everything I have goes towards making my family happy and doing things that enrich us as a family. But I love spa treatments. At the Sharjah Ladies Club, it's such an affordable luxury. A one-hour massage costs Dh250, and it's not just a massage. There is a therapy pool, a jacuzzi and the steam rooms, plus your massage, capped off with a green tea. You come out and feel reborn. My husband, Dr Hussain Maseeh, works two jobs. Well, more like a job and a half. He works as a psychologist full time at the Community Development Authority in Dubai, and they look at society and determine how it needs improvement, such as intervention for the mentally disabled. He does a lot of good for the community.
At night, twice a week, he works at the Dubai Community Health Centre, where he conducts private clinic hours for individuals in need. He has extensive education and experience, and we always thought he should be paid a lot more. We manage on what he gets, but it's hard with four children. I am independently employed as a children's author. I publish my own books and sell them through various venues throughout the region. I also do several school visits a couple of times a month, which helps me promote myself as a writer. And, of course, that also helps with money.
The book shops take a 60 per cent cut on the sales, and sometimes 50 per cent. If you're lucky, you get them to agree to 45 per cent. I am out there selling my books and trying to make money, while also trying to help create a body of literature for this area of the world. It would be very helpful if more bookshops created kinder policies to give us more from the sales. I'm an independent publisher, not Penguin, and the support is really needed.
When it comes to writing, I tend to take my notebook to the Sharjah Ladies Club and sit on the beach, but I'm also a fairly avid coffee shop writer. This week I launched my third book in The Hakima's Tale trilogy, entitled The Dawn of Redemption. The first book in the series, called The Revenge of the Blue Jinni, was published in 2007, and Rise of the Warrior appeared in 2009. My first two books were a nightmare to scrape up the money for. I paid for my first book through private tutoring. In fact, I saved the money to pay for all my books. The first run was 1,000 copies and, with artwork and everything, it cost me Dh17,000. When you're a one-income family, it's a pretty big hit. And my husband still had to help because I didn't have quite enough.
Between the three books, I have invested about Dh40,000 of my own money. But recently, I did receive some help some from the Emirates Foundation after applying for a grant. They kicked in Dh90,000 for the publication of my third book, the packaging of the trilogy in a box set and the translation of part one in the trilogy into Arabic. Translating my work gives Arabic children a chance to read them, including some who might not feel comfortable reading in English.
So far, I am still a bit in the red when looking at my costs versus sales, but I am hopeful, thanks to the Emirates Foundation, that I can start operating in the black for a change. My distribution agent will be getting all three books into most major book stores across the UAE, such as Magrudy's and Borders. He also hopes to send them to Egypt and Lebanon, and they are available online at amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.
Financially, being a children's writer and having a large family is a unique situation. I am lucky because I'm not the sole bread winner. My husband worries about that. My main concern is not to burden him and generate my own income to keep this going. I see it as something that will make money later, but you need to be very, very patient. Nobody can rush into being a writer and get rich immediately. It takes a lot of dedication and hard work to get yourself out there and get people to know you. It's not for the meek or the timid.
Right now, we're in the early stages of trying to secure investors for an animated film based on these books. Once that is secure, it won't take long to start making money. I have a production company lined up for the film, but I can't mention who they are yet. However, writing is really not about money. Doing what I am doing is about producing an art form and getting it out there, and doing what I do best. It really is the only way to immortality. It's about much more than the money.
My children will see these books long after I die. It'll be a piece of me that will live on, as long as someone is reading it. That's worth far more than money. * As told to Jeffrey Todd
