I’d love to think my story could be inspirational to others going through a disorienting or hard time in their lives where they seemed to lose themselves.

Ailsa Keppie – 26 August 2021

The Back Flap

When Ailsa Keppie puts on the hijab for the first time, it solidifies her commitment to her new, chosen religion. She gives up the lights and action of the circus for the position of wife and mother, learns Arabic, and moves to Morocco.

A new mother living in a strange country, under foreign rules, Ailsa experiences isolation and racism, as well as romance and sisterhood, in her quest to fit in with her new community. She welcomes another wife into her marriage hoping to experience the peace and joy of a pious life. As the story progresses, cracks appear in her relationships. Things are not as blissful as Ailsa would have others believe. We are drawn into her inner struggle, often seeing the folly of her choices, but championing her to prevail. Torn between her inner voices of duty, shame, longing, and hope, she is determined to find the light that will get her through darkening times.

Ailsa’s story is easily recognizable by women who have dimmed their light in order to survive. For any woman who has faced similar constraints of marriage, religion, or culture, Ailsa’s story will help bring clarity and a sense of knowing she is not alone.

About the book

What is the book about?

The book is about my experience of putting on the hijab and how my life changed after converting to Islam in my 20’s. Coming from a Western background and moving to Morocco, where my husband married a second wife and I birthed four daughters as I navigated living in a foreign country was all part of the experience.

When did you start writing the book?

I originally started writing my memoir in my late 20’s but it took me almost two decades to really live through the experiences and be able to write about them with any kind of clarity or wisdom. I began working in earnest on the current version about five years ago.

How long did it take you to write it?

In one way it has taken a lifetime and in the practical sense it has taken about four or five years to bring it to the stage of publishing my book.

Where did you get the idea from?

The story is fairly accurate to my actual life experience, so I didn’t need to dig too deep to find material.

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

I found that I had to work hard to feel the emotions in some of the more traumatic parts of the story. When I was living that time in my life, I blocked out many of my feelings and so it was cathartic in a way to write about it and to re-integrate the emotional storyline.

What came easily?

It was easy to make a compelling storyline because so much of what happened was interesting and made a compelling story without me needing to imagine or add in much else.

Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?

All of the characters are from real life and seen from my perspective at the time.

Do you have a target reader?

I’d love to think my story could be inspirational to others going through a disorienting or hard time in their lives where they seemed to lose themselves. I imagine my story would appeal to women more just because so many of my experiences would be relatable to a female experience of life.

About Writing

Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?

My process was to write a page a day or five pages a week. Sometimes I managed to stick to this and sometimes I didn’t but I kept this as a goal. I found it easier to write little and often, as I had a lot of emotions to process as I went.

Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?

I spent some time studying the typical hero’s journey and that format of storytelling. I didn’t really make an outline for this book as it was basically telling my story in the timeline it happened.

Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?

I did some editing as I went, but mostly I just did flow writing until it was done and then I had someone else edit for me as I became too attached to my story to see it as an overall book.

Did you hire a professional editor?

Yes

Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?

I mostly sat in quiet, in the sun if possible, to write. But sometimes I’d listen to classical baroque music.

About Publishing

Did you submit your work to Agents?

No, I worked with an editor and then with OC publishing as a partner publisher. I didn’t think I had the time to put to reaching out to agents and I wanted the book to get published.

What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?

I was referred first to a writing coach and then she passed me on to an editor she knew and then the editor told me about my current publisher. It seemed to be an organic process and flowed so I didn’t really question it too much.

Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?

I had it designed professionally. I wanted good quality and I didn’t have time to learn design myself.

Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?

I would say I have ideas about marketing it, but no specific plan. I have a social media presence and I plan to reach out to media and local places that I could market from.

Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?

It’s a lot of work to write but that is just the beginning and don’t underestimate the work involved in editing, revising and publishing your book.

About You

Where did you grow up?

I was born in Zambia, and then moved to Canada when I was two years old. I grew up in the Annapolis Valley in Nova Scotia before spending time in the US, the UK, and Morocco. I have now returned to live in my childhood home with my new partner.

Where do you live now?

I am living back in the house I grew up in.

What would you like readers to know about you?

I would like readers to know that, at least for me, my experiences have led me to the work I do now and that I am actually grateful for everything although it was hard at the time. I feel like I have so much more empathy and compassion for others because of my own life.

What are you working on now?

I am working on building a retreat center where I will host people who are looking for community and healing. I am also thinking to write a book about how I transformed my hardships into wisdom and how I created a coaching program for women who have had emotional abuse.

End of Interview:

Get your copy of By the Light of the Crescent Moon from Amazon US or Amazon UK.