Indie Support Sunday: Nuhaa Bardien

6 days ago
6 min read

It’s always nice knowing I’m not alone when it comes to dreaming of characters long before they appear on the page. For South Africa-based Nuhaa Bardien, the MMC in her second book (Better Once Than Never) started in a dream, then a 65K word novel which was put aside. But he continued to live on and became the lead of another book Nuhaa did publish! We also have Shameez Patel to thank for encouraging Nuhaa to turn this dream into a reality during the pandemic.

Nuhaa’s journey with romance, however, started with the historical romances her grandmother loved. It doesn’t end there! While it’s only a brief thought right now, there’s a possibility that Nuhaa might one day write the fantasy novel that’s burning in her brain. A show of hands if you’re also looking forward to this future project!

Did you know that her first two books, including Till This Night, were inspired by Shakespeare’s famous works? And her latest release, One Turned True, is a holiday novella and the start of a brand new series!

You can read Nuhaa’s books in Kindle Unlimited right now.

BEING AN AUTHOR

Who or what inspired you to write?

I have always had a love for reading, and creative writing, but never thought I had the capacity or skill to write an entire novel. That was until lockdown happened in 2020 and I was inspired by my friend (fellow author Shameez Patel Papathanasiou) to turn a dream I’d had into a story.

What’s the best and worst part about being an indie author?

The best is being able to do everything and have creative control. The worst is doing everything and having creative control haha (and the struggle to get books in front of readers).

Why did you choose to self-publish instead of going the traditional route?

I am impatient and wanted my books out there. I also love the idea of deciding how my books look, what I’ll publish next, when, and how.

When you’re not writing, what do you do to get the creative juices flowing?

I love all kinds of creative hobbies, so when I’m not writing I’m either reading, playing games, or sewing.

If you were to recommend books to me (in any genre), what would they be?

Geeky romcom would be Playing Flirty and Next Level Love by Shameez Patel

Young Adult would be Some Unspoken Thing by Rushdiyah Narker

Local South African romance The Femme Facade Series by Arini Vlotman

Anything by Hannah Bonam Young

Paranormal would be A Grumpy Witches Guide to Finding Love by Zayaan Schroeder or My Vampires Series by Jenna Levine

What are your top 5 tips or pieces of advice for aspiring authors?

Write the story you want to read. The one you haven’t been able to find and wish someone would write
Research and edit edit edit edit. And when you’re done, edit it again. You can never stop learning how to format and edit your book.
Read widely and diversely.
Make sure you have a great team of critique partners or alpha readers and beta readers. They can make the world of a difference to your story, edits, plot, etc.
Be kind. It’s a tough industry, but there is enough for everyone.

ROMANCE AS A GENRE

Why did you choose romance as the genre to write in? What is your favorite thing about the genre?

I have always loved romance or romantic stories, whether it’s the main story or a sub plot. I actually fell in love with historical romances (which my grandmother adored). I love that there is hope and a happily ever after.

If not romance/subgenres of romance, what genre would you like to write in?

I definitely have a fantasy story brewing in me, but it’s only a whisper of a thought for now so it’s probably faaaar away…

What are your most and least favorite tropes?

Most favourite is fake dating and least favourite is enemies to lovers (unless it’s in a fantasy).

What are some tropes you want to write in the future?

I have a brother’s best friend idea currently open in my documents, I’d love to do a surprise pregnancy, as well as celebrity romance.

What are some topics (sensitive and otherwise) that you think should exist more in romance?

I think that there should be more neurodivergent representation, especially in the BIPOC communities. As someone who was late diagnosed, being a woman and someone of colour, it’s hard to navigate my feelings surrounding certain interactions, relationships, processes, etc. It would be so wonderful to see this being shown and appreciated.

If you write open door romance, why did you choose that and what inspires your sex scenes?

I write open door scenes, usually very passionate and romantic with a focus on feelings. I love seeing the romance come (lol) to fruition with their confessions, their physical expressions, and the emotions that surround it. I also wanted to break the stigma that sex is something to be ashamed of. Consensual sex between adults is a beautiful thing and that’s what I convey in my books.

YOUR BOOKS

What inspired your published stories? How and when did you come up with these stories and plots?

I actually had a dream, featuring the love interest from my second book, Better Once Than Never. I then wrote a 65,000 word novel that I absolutely adored, but it never saw the light of day. I did, however, love the character and decided to rework the story.

The idea to make my two books Shakespeare inspired was to add that swoony romantic element to the book, while still being relatable.

Can you briefly tell me about your books?

Till This Night is the first in the By the Book series, and is inspired by Romeo and Juliet. As Theodore Montague and Savi Ray find that they are drawn to one another, despite being from rival hotelier families in London, they must overcome familial expectations and decide what is right for them.

Better Once Than Never features beloved side characters, Titan Andersson and Kalina Ray, in their retelling of the Taming of the Shrew meets Crazy Stupid Love (if Cal and Jacob fell in love). Playboy and flirt, Titan, agrees to help Kalina with her dating life. What could possibly go wrong?

One Turned True is a Christmas Novella and the first book in my London Boys Series. It features Charlie Hughes (who has a small appearance in Better Once Than Never) as he reconnects with an old friend, Amelia Waldorf. With Christmas magic and old promises in the air, maybe their friendship could turn into something more…

Do you already have a favorite character from the stories you’ve written?

Oh this is such a hard question! I love them all so dearly and they are like my children, but I would say Kalina is the character I relate most to, while Titan is my original baby, so he will always hold a special place in my heart.

If you were to cast your book for a movie/television show, who would you cast in the lead roles?

Is it bad that I already have this answer ready to go?

Theodore Montague - a young Tom Hiddleston

Savi Ray - young Kajol

Titan Andersson - Alexander Skarsgard (at any age haha)

Kalina Ray - Ketika Sharma

Charlie Hughes - Andrew Garfield

Amelia Waldorf - Lili Reinhart

How much of yourself do you put into these characters?

I try to vary my characters' personalities, because it would be boring if I wrote the same characters over and over again. But, there are little bits of people I’ve met or even people in my life sprinkled in all of my characters. I like to think of them like mosaics.

What is a story/stories that you really want to tell?

I would love to write a story about motherhood while being on the spectrum and raising a neurodivergent child. I want other mothers in the same position to know they’re not alone.

Is there one common element that readers can find in all your stories?

There will always be a man, drenched in water haha (I kid… kind of), but there will always be swoony love interests and fiery main characters.

What’s next on the bookshelf for you? Anything you can tell us about a future project?

That brother’s best friend young adult novel I mentioned earlier… it’s been nagging my brain for about a month now and I think it’s time I give it time to shine.

When you write these stories, what are you hoping your readers will feel?

I hope they feel happy and giddy. I hope that my stories make them believe in love, whether it’s with someone or just loving yourself.