The Heart of Aleppo by Ammar Habbib

The Write Way Café welcomes Ammar Habbib, an award-winning, best selling author who tackles serious topics with positive messages.

Tell us a little about The Heart of Aleppo: A Story of the Syrian Civil War.
Thank you for the interview! As the title suggests, this novel is set in the midst of the current Syrian Civil War. It follows a 13-year-old boy (Zaid Kadir) who is trapped in the city of Aleppo after it becomes a warzone. The book encompasses themes of humanity’s strength during the darkest times. The novel is definitely not politically powered, as it focuses more on the human aspect of the tragedies occurring in Syria. It’s told from the perspective of the young protagonist, which I think gives an extra layer of development to the story. Although the main character is fictional, everything that he sees and experiences in the novel is based on true events. It has done extremely well since its release in July 2018 in terms of its reception.

If The Heart of Aleppo was made into a movie, who would play your main characters, and why?
For this question, I honestly don’t have an answer. I am not very familiar with many Arabian actors who fall under the age of the main characters (who are all teenagers), so I’m not sure which actors/actresses I would pick.

Who is your intended audience and why should they read your book?
I think most readers would enjoy this book due to the contemporary topic, but it was written with the young adult audience in mind. However, I have gotten a lot of feedback from readers of all ages about the novel. I think that because of its relevant subject, most readers would connect with the story.

How did you become involved with the subject or theme of your book?
I’ve been keeping up with the Syrian Civil War since it began several years ago. Hearing all the first-hand accounts, I wanted to write a work that would do justice to those who have been hurt or affected by the war. However, I wanted to keep the novel true to the people suffering from the war and keep the focus on them, not politics. That’s really how the idea for this novel began.

Who is your favorite character from your book and why?
My favorite character is the protagonist, Zaid Kadir. He’s a 13-year-old boy, and this book is very much his “coming-of-age” story. His character is very much based on me when I was a child, everything from his personality, physique, and internal thoughts. For that reason, I think I connected with him in a way I haven’t connected with any of my previous protagonists.

Tell us a little bit about your cover art. Who designed it? Why did you go with that particular image/artwork?
The artwork was created by my friend, Fiona Jayde. She is a freelance book cover designer who I’ve worked with for nearly all my projects. What I loved about this book cover is that it shows the themes of the novel. It displays the destruction that we see in the story. The burnt up soccer ball symbolizes that lost innocence of the protagonist, Zaid, as he journeys through the wrecked city. And the lighting effect where a small stream of bright light breaks the darkness shows the theme of how hope never dies as long as we hold onto it.

Give us an interesting fun fact or a few about your book or series.
One fact about this book is that it is very accurate to the events of 2012’s Battle of Aleppo. Everything that Zaid is faced with and witnesses is true-to-life. I wanted this work to show war from the perspective of a refugee, and I did a lot of research to keep the timeline of events accurate to what really happened. I think this all adds a layer of realism to the story that it would not have otherwise had.

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
That’s a great question. I don’t have a mentor when it comes to my writing as of now. However, if I ever had the chance, I would love to learn from one of my favorite authors, John Grisham. I’ve always enjoyed his books, and I would love to pick his brain about storytelling.

Do you have any unique talents or hobbies?
Outside of writing, my unique talents would be my ability to daydream in any situation!

Do you have any tips for readers or advice for other writers trying to get published?
I’ve learned a lot about the industry over the past few years. What I’ve seen is that along with filmmaking, it is probably the most subjective industry out there. A writer may spend months perfecting their story, putting their heart and soul into it, staying up the whole night working on it, only for an editor to reject it with a short sentence of vague reasoning. That’s what can make the industry very frustrating.
     What I tell people who ask is that you need to write something that you believe in. Don’t worry about what others think about it. If you think it’s a great story and one that needs to be told, then write it! The other thing is that writers need to have thick skin. Editors and agents reject hundreds of works a day and critics give bad reviews all the time, so never take it personal. But if you believe in your work and did your best, then never let the opinions of anyone tear you down. Write stories that you’d want to read, regardless of what others say!

What can readers who enjoy your book do to help make it successful?
The biggest thing readers can do to help out an author is to leave a review after they read the work. Whether it’s a positive, neutral, or negative review, reviews left on Amazon, Goodreads, or personal blogs all help generate visibility for an author’s work!!

What can we expect from you in the future?
I’m currently working on 3 new projects (2 fiction and 1 narrative nonfiction). I don’t have release dates or official titles for any of them yet, but I hope to release at least one more novel in 2019!

After standing for over 7,000 years, Aleppo's ruin came overnight.

Separated from his family during the night the rebels attacked the city, thirteen-year-old Zaid Kadir is lost in the middle of a war zone. Alongside his friends, he is forced to survive the dangers of a civil war he does not even fully understand. Zaid witnesses the destruction of the brutal Syrian Civil War as it grows more deadly by the day and rips his city apart. However, as he braves this destruction, as he desperately tries to survive this catastrophe, he discovers something. Zaid realizes that it is in the darkest hours when humanity's spirit of hope burns brightest.

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Ammar Habbib is an award-winning & bestselling author originally from Lake Jackson, Texas. Writing has always been a passion of Ammar’s since he was in elementary school. Ammar enjoys crafting stories that are not only entertaining, but also have something useful to say to the reader. Ammar presently resides in his hometown. He lives with his family, all of whom are his biggest fans. To learn more about Ammar, please visit his official author website at: www.ammarahsenhabib.com

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Meet Ammar Habbib

The Write Way Café welcomes Ammar Habbib, an author whose enthusiasm and passion comes right off the page.

When did you first have the thought you'd like to write a book?
     First off, thank you so much for the interview!! It was actually in 2nd Grade! My teacher, Ms. Scott, is the one who inspired me to start writing and it was in her class that I developed the love for writing. Soon after starting to write as a child, I received the dream to one day be a New York Times Bestselling author!

What is your newest book about? What type of research did you do?
     My latest novel, which is my 5th novel, is Ana Rocha: Shadows of Justice. This work is a police/crime thriller that was released at the end of last February and has received a positive reception so far. The novel is co-authored by a friend of mine who has over 20 years of law enforcement experience, including working several years as an undercover narcotics investigator, Glenda Mendoza.
     The novel is set in Houston, which is where I grew up around and where Glenda currently works. The novel follows a young Hispanic woman, Ana Rocha, as she begins her duty as an undercover narcotics officer and soon faces against some of Houston's biggest criminals. Although the book is a work of fiction, it is very much grounded in reality and is based on Glenda's experiences. In fact, the novel's main antagonist is a drug lord who is based on a crime lord Glenda helped take down several years ago.

Where did the idea for your story come from?
     I’ve always wanted to write a police novel. Glenda and I became friends in 2013 and she’s a great storyteller who’d always wanted to write a book as well. So it just worked out perfectly for us to partner up and tell this story.

Why did you pick the setting you did?
     We picked the setting of Houston because that’s where the both of us live. I’d never written a novel set someplace I actually lived, so it was an interesting experience. But I think it added another level of authenticity to the novel.

Are your main characters completely imaginary or do they have some basis in real people? Do they reflect aspects of yourself?
     Whether Ana Rocha or any of my other protagonists, my characters always have some reflection of myself in them. Although Ana’s Type-A personality is very different from mine, a lot of her internal voice and thought process is very similar to my own, as is her sometimes overly ambitious nature.

Did you face any blocks while writing the book, and if so, how did you handle them? If not, what's your secret?
     My personal secret to overcoming writing blocks is to take a walk, try writing something else, or take a break. If none of those strategies work, I just bang my head against the keyboard until something comes to mind!!

What have been surprises you've encountered while writing the book and after?
     One of my main concerns was how well I’d write a Hispanic female protagonist being that I’m a man. However, a lot of reviews have said that they couldn’t believe how well a man wrote a female’s point-of-view, so seeing those kinds of reviews has really surprised me!

What did you learn? For instance, what did you learn about yourself, your process, the writing world; about narcotics and undercover investigations?
     Writing this book, talking to a lot of law enforcement officials, I’ve learned that fact is often stranger than fiction! This was also my first full-length work to write in the first person point-of-view. When I was a child, I used to write everything in first-person, but some negative reactions in my high school creative writing class made me change to always writing in third-person. However, after writing Ana Rocha in first-person, my love for this point-of-view has been restored and I’m excited about writing more works from this perspective.

Tell us about your writing space and how or why it works for you.
     Interestingly enough, I don’t really have a designated “writing space”. I often change my setting because I like to have a change in scenery every now and then! So the way my writing space works is just dependent on what’s going on around me. Sometimes I like it quiet. Other times, I am surrounded by people at a coffee shop or out in the park.
     However, one thing I love to use is music. Listening to certain kinds of music as I write always helps me get in the mood I am trying to write.

What are some of your favorite books and why?
     I honestly don’t know if I have a favorite book. My favorite books have changed as I’ve grown older. However, one book that did wonders for me in my late teenage years is the book As A Man Thinketh. Reading that book really inspired me to chase my dreams and hold steadfast to them no matter the circumstances that life throws at me.

What are you working on now?
     Well, I’m one of those authors who has a lot of irons in the fire, so I actually have quite a few projects in different stages of development. Glenda and I are working on a short story featuring Ana Rocha and are also working on the sequel right now. My agent is shopping around a Young Adult novel and is also shopping around a non-fiction project of mine. I also have a graphic novel being read by some publishers. So 2018 and 2019 will be very exciting God-Willing!

Would you like to try your hand at writing a different genre?  Which one and why?
     I’ve personally written in many genres already. But one market I really want to break in is the nonfiction market, especially the historical narrative nonfiction. I feel like we are losing our sense of history and heritage, and there are so many stories that people need to be told, and I want to play a part in telling those stories.

If you were not a writer, what would your dream job be?
     As a major reader of history, I would’ve likely pursued the route to becoming a historian. I’ve always had a passion for learning and reading about past people and past civilizations and events.

What aspect of writing gives you the most trouble?
     There isn’t an aspect of writing that gives me the trouble as far as the creative side goes. With enough patience and practice, I’ve been able to overcome just about anything. But the thing that does give me trouble and I’m sure gives other authors trouble as well is getting your work noticed out in the marketplace, whether it be trying to get a publisher’s attention or readers’.

Who is your favorite hero/heroine?
     I’ve always been a huge comic book fan growing up, so one of my favorite heroes has always been Wolverine from the X-Men comics! I find myself attracted to the grittier hero, and sometimes antihero, who has a chip on their shoulder and is a loner.

Ana Rocha is a woman on fire. Being talented and from a well-off family, Ana could have become anything. But driven by her sister's murder, Ana chose the path of an undercover narcotics officer. Ana has made a vow to help clean up the streets of Houston. The journey her duty takes her on forces her to confront her worst nightmares and face the city’s most ruthless criminals. The further she goes down this path, the more the line between her two lives begins to blur. And soon, this journey brings her face-to-face with a monster from her past.

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Ammar Habib is an award-winning and bestselling author who presently resides in his hometown of Lake Jackson, Texas. Writing has always been a passion of Ammar’s. He enjoys crafting stories that are not only entertaining but also have something useful to say to the reader. 

You can find Ammar at:

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