And then I left by Alisha Mahnoor

Pakistanis have a complex lifestyle and a complicated political and economic situation that effects dependant females. This short novel covers the coming to age story of a Pakistani teenage girl who has aspirations and ambitions but is discouraged by the injustice and political turmoil of the country. 

What inspired me to pen this novellete is my humble background, the conservative mindset of the people around me and the overall behavior of our society with young ambitious girls who want to be independent in this patriarchal system. As I delved deeper into the writing, I experienced a profound connection with the protagonist, and together we embarked on a transformative journey of self-discovery and resilience. I want to aware young girls like myself to understand their place and injustice of our society. I want them to know that dreaming is not a sin. My story targets young girls seeking to find their place in society, offering them a relatable voice and guiding them through their journey of self-discovery. My passion is to make a change and uplifting the voices of marginalized young girls shines through the book. The best thing about being a writer is that we can make a change and a visible one. Therefore my target audience is young teenage girls coming from a humble background who want a voice. I want the readers to acknowledge the struggle of an ambitious conservative Pakistani girl. It's my first book and a crux of whatever I have seen and experience at quite a young age. I want this book to be reachable by my target audience so they can carve a way out of this hole that the society's patriarchal narrow-mindedness has put them in. I also want this book to reach international audience and at an official stage to get the most out of the message that is being conveyed.

I'm Alisha Mahnoor, a Pakistani student recently I'm graduated from university of Okara, Punjab, Pakistan. My major is English linguistics and literature.

I never considered writing a book until five years ago. Back then, reading wasn't even a part of my life until I enrolled in university and a friend introduced me to the joy of reading. A few months later, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and I found myself in quarantine. During that time, I devoured as many books as I could get my hands on.

One day, my aunt, upon discovering my newfound passion for reading, expressed her wish for me to write a book. Initially, I didn't take her words seriously, but as I continued reading, I realized that I had a knack for playing with words. Many of my friends also encouraged me, saying that I had a talent for expressing myself through writing.

Gradually, I started believing in my abilities and the idea of writing a book took hold in my mind. However, it took me nearly two years of contemplating and gathering ideas before I actually started writing. The journey wasn't easy, though. I encountered numerous challenges, not only in the act of writing itself but also in the process of brainstorming and deciding what should come next in the plot. Each time I delved deeper into speculation, I experienced health issues, often severe headaches.

Nonetheless, I persisted and finally concluded my book after ten months of writing. I overcame the obstacles and published it.