I didn’t sit down and decide to write political thrillers. It just happened naturally! a mix of my background, my experiences, and honestly, a lot of struggle with language.
English is my fourth language. My mother tongue is Azerbaijani, which is a Turkic language. I grew up speaking Farsi, and then in middle school, they made us study Arabic. I could barely get by in Arabic, but technically, that’s my third language. Then came English.
Like many immigrants from non-English-speaking countries, I struggled a lot with English. It took years, and during that time, I always felt like I had two personalities — one when I spoke Azerbaijani or Farsi, and another, very different, when I spoke English. Humor is a big
part of who I am, but when you’re struggling with a language, you lose that side of yourself.
I’ll never forget the moment when things started to change. I was sitting in the hospital with a few other people, and I made a joke in English. It wasn’t anything crazy, but people actually laughed. It was the first time I felt like maybe I could fully be myself in English too,
not just serious or careful, but actually funny and real.
That moment gave me the push I needed. I thought, “If I can do that, maybe I can tell full stories in English too.” So I started outlining ideas, writing short pieces, and experimenting. I realized pretty quickly that if I wanted to really write well, I had to study, so I read books
on writing, took online courses, and even worked with a writing coach.
As for why political thrillers? That came naturally, too. I’ve spent most of my life living in countries where politics and instability were part of daily life. It made sense that when I started writing, I would be drawn to stories about power, fear, loyalty, and survival, things I
saw and lived, not just things I imagined.
Writing in English is still challenging sometimes, but now I enjoy it. It’s like building a bridge between the different parts of who I am — the languages, the experiences, the places I’ve been.