Hashtag BLAK falls for Khan's Muslim teen romance

Hashtag BLAK has signed a Muslim teen coming-of age romance from debut author and GP Attiya Khan.

The imprint, set up by Hashtag Press to amplify underrepresented UK voices, acquired world rights for Ten Steps To Us direct from the author, for publication on 9th September.

Its synopsis reads: “Aisha Rashid has always felt invisible, so no one is more surprised than her when Darren, the hot new boy in school, takes an interest. But Aisha is a devout Muslim and Darren is firmly off limits. Will she follow her heart even if it means losing her own identity? If only there was a way to keep the boy and her faith. Maybe there is… all it takes is 10 steps...”

Khan is a mother of three and works as a GP in east London. She has been part of critique groups for around five years and holds an MA in modern literature from Birkbeck. She was selected to be part of David Higham's open day for underrepresented writers and was also longlisted for Undiscovered Voices 2020, a competition for unpublished and unagented children's fiction authors.

Hashtag BLAK published its first book in May, Being Amani by Annabelle Steele, supported by Spread the Word and Arts Council England's National Lottery funding.