The Untitled Chapters Team is ecstatic to have had the honor to interview an author who has generate so much talk about her publishing story over a small period of time. Her phenomen story is sure to inspire many young writers out there who dream of getting their stories published. It is with great pleasure that we debut our interview with Dubai Abulhoul, a 15 year old Emirati writer who dreamed big and was able to get her novel Galagolia, her book that she has been working on for 4 years signed on with a publishing house and is soon to be released March 8th 2012

Q1. We would like to start with you telling us a bit about yourself?

My name is Dubai Abulhoul, I’m a 15 year old Emirati. Writing has always been a passion of mine, and so has art. I hope to one day motivate others to live out their dreams and achieve their goals.

Q2. Your passion for writing is very inspiring; can you tell us how you were able to find your passion for it? Basically what got you started?

I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember! Not necessarily sticking to a certain idea, but I’ve always written to express myself! Only a few years ago did I take my passion for it seriously and started writing Galagolia.

Q3. Your novel, Galagolia which is coming out in March (which we are extremely excited about), can you tell us the inspiration behind it?

Since I was 8, my number one goal was to win an Oscar. Few years ago, I was 11 at the time, it has hit me that I don’t have the so called ‘Oscar Winning’ idea. I was very low on inspiration, so I watched a Harry Potter movie and started copying the ghostly characters’ gestures, and that’s when it hit me. I saw a green skeletal man in my head, and I had no idea who or where he was, but I knew it was something.

Q4. Was Galagolia your first novel you’ve written?

Yes it is.

 Q5: what did you hope to achieve when writing Galagolia?

Galagolia is written in the English language, and I hope that it helps build a bridge of culture with the rest of the world. There’s certain power within books, which is highly underestimated, and I hope to give the world a glimpse of who we are as Emiratis.

Q6. How would you describe your writing style?

I’m a very descriptive writer, I work best when it comes to the narrative type of writing. Whatever I write, you can count on the fact that it’ll always have a fictional element to it.

Q7. What were the challenges that you’ve faced while writing Galagolia or as a writer in general?

Writing the novel wasn’t a challenge since I was so into it and passionate about it. The challenge was for an 11 year old to find a publisher and to get people to actually believe in my ideas.

Q8. We want to know how it felt like when you’ve got your publishing deal and knowing that your book is going to be read by other people?

I seriously cannot describe that moment because the entire fact of me getting published hasn’t sinked in yet, for real! I have waited for so long for that moment that, when it finally came, I was actually really hyper in a non serious way! My family was laughing at me the whole time.

Q9. Within minutes of the announcement; Galagolia was treading worldwide, a huge achievement, our congratulations to you on achieving that. How did it feel like? Did you think it would get this sort of response on twitter?

That was beyond me! I still can’t believe that #Galagolia has in fact trended worldwide, even for a short period of time. After a few minutes from the announcement on ThinkUp, I got on the phone with my friend. After 15 minutes I hung up and headed to my laptop to see #Galagolia as a trending topic. I was on Cloud 9, I was seriously doubting that any of this was real! The response on Twitter to this day is beyond amazing, I would’ve never expected this, never.

Q10. Where do you see yourself going in the future? What are your future plans for Galagolia or writing in general?

I’m going to continue writing Galagolia, since it’s a series. I have no idea what else the future has in store for me, I’m not one to plan, but I’m definitely praying for the best.

Q11. Do you feel that the interest in writing among Emiratis have increased over the last couple of years?

There’s definitely an increase, especially with the amount of Emirati bloggers we currently have! Writing is always going to be there, for sure.

Q12. Any sort of advice you wish to give to Emirati Writers? Or writers in general?

If there’s anything I want to say I’m going to say that age is definitely not an excuse to not start working on your goals and ambitions. Ambition doesn’t have an age limit, and a degree isn’t a one way ticket to your success. Don’t wait, start now, and always believe in the power of prayer, determination, and positive thinking.

Follow Dubai Abulhoul on her twitter page @DubaiAbulhoul and to receive updates on her book you can follow Galagolia twitter page @Galagolia

You can also go see Dubai in the 2012 Emirates Literature Festival. Tickets go on sale on the 24th of January, which is today so go buy your tickets and book your place to see this inspiring young author in action. Click here for more info.

Like we said before, her Novel Galagolia debuts on the 8th of March 2012!

– Untitled Chapters