DREAMS BECOMING REALITY

By Trishna Buch
When Ammar Habib was a child his biggest dream was
to become a New York Times bestselling author. Born
and raised in Lake Jackson, Habib started writing when
he was in the second grade. “My teacher, Mrs. Scott,
really gave me the inspiration to write,” he told me. But
it wasn’t until he began his freshmen year of college that
he decided that he could take his passion for writing and
turn it into a career. “I was at Brazosport College, working
on a degree in Business Management, and one of my
English professors, Dr. Joy, inspired me by her example
as a writer to start writing with the basis of turning it into
a career.”
The first novel Habib wrote was a fictional story entitled
Dark Guardian which came out in 2014. Habib told me
that he had to deal with receiving 300 to 400 rejection
letters before a publisher, Zharmae, picked up his book.
“It was difficult having to receive so many rejections, but I
truly believe that failure makes success so much sweeter.
The rejections gave me the push to keep trying,” he told
me. And his hard work paid off, because that one book
turned into a trilogy; brought about a few companion
short stories, helped him receive positive reviews on
Amazon and the original novel, Dark Guardian, was the
second highest seller for Zharmae.
Along with writing fictional novels, Habib also likes to
write nonfiction and semi-nonfiction novels based on real
events and people’s real experiences. He wrote a historical
novel entitled Memories Of My Future in 2016, alongside
Dr. Anil Sinha, and then—two-years-later, released
a police novel entitled Ana Rocha: Shadows Of Justice,
alongside Detective Glenda Mendoza.
Mendoza, who was born in Galveston and raised in
Lake Jackson, currently works as a detective for the
UTPD in Houston covering the medical center area.
She and Habib met a few years ago, which was when
Mendoza expressed her interest in writing a police
novel. Habib told me that Mendoza had expressed an
appreciation for his work and, thus, a collaboration was
born. “I brought the writing knowledge to the table, while
Detective Mendoza brought in the police expertise and
background.” Their book, which was released earlier this
year, is the story of a 22-year-old narcotics investigator
who was inspired to become an officer after the loss
of her sister. Habib and Mendoza both have received
positive reviews from everyone who has read the book,
including police officers and other first responders. “Our
book has received four and five stars, from multiple outlets,”
Habib told me.
Considering that Habib has written fictional, nonfictional
and semi-nonfictional novels, I wanted to know
about how the writing process differs amongst these
styles. Habib told me that, when writing nonfiction and
semi-nonfiction novels, he feels a sense of pressure
to do his research and get the story correct. “The writing
process is very different between the styles, but it’s
equally rewarding,” he told me. Writing with a co-author
is something he enjoys, because “we both bring different
things to the table and can work off each other.”
Habib, whose maternal grandmother and great-grandfather
were both writers, said that his biggest accomplishment
as a writer has been his ability to inspire others.
“I got a message from someone
on Instagram who told me
he had read Dark Guardian,
wanted to write and wanted tips
on where to start,” Habib told
me. “And sometime later, that
same gentleman contacted me
to tell me that he had taken my
advice and written two short
stories, which had been sold
to magazines.” Habib also told
me that he is open to criticism,
as long as it is constructive.
“Someone once said that there
are two types of criticism. One
is the type that just says ‘your
book sucks’ while the other is
the type that says ‘this is what
I liked, this is what I didn’t like
and this is how you can make it
better’. And I prefer the second
type of criticism.”
Habib had words of wisdom
and advice to all future and
aspiring writers. “The best way
to become a good writer is to
write. You can read all you want
and take all the classes you
want, but you cannot become
a good writer unless you write.
And it’s important to be your
own biggest fan. Because you
have to believe in your work, if
you want others to.”
On a personal level, I have
known Habib for over ten years
and consider him a close friend.
But I have no bias when I say
that his style of writing is such,
that the stories he tells—both
fictional and real—stay with you
long after you have read them.
That is a rare trait to find so I
can say with confidence that his
goal of becoming a New York
Times bestselling author is just
on the horizon. Like I said to him
as we were ending the interview
“you’ll get there.”
If you would like to learn more
about Habib and his books, visit
his website at www.ammarahsenhabib.
com/. At the website
you will find links to his email, newsletter, Facebook,
Twitter, blog, Goodreads, Instagram and YouTube. And
be sure to keep an eye on his website for the release date
of his upcoming novel Aleppo: A City Forgotten.