Author and KSU alumnus Mustafa Abubaker takes readers on a journey through different works of fiction in his collection of captivating books.
Atlanta-renowned author and Rolling Stone journalist Mustafa Abubaker released his fourth, fifth and sixth literary works in August.
All three books bring readers into a fictional world of diverse stories and characters. Each book captures a different genre and a different form of writing.
Bibliophiles speculated about new book releases from Abubaker. The new books included “Cold Chai,” “Permacrisis” and “Cloud Var and the Summer Shivers.”
“Cold Chai” features poems and short stories about Aziz Ansari fanfiction, a drug dealer, a wedding guest, a cop rapper and sisters in the film industry.
“Permacrisis” is a novella about Rehmat Mahdi spending time in Paris with other characters.
In “Cloud Var and the Summer Shivers,” Cloud Var, a future student at Morehouse College, is abducted by aliens. One of the aliens reveals that he is the prince of Nellion and attends a university of intergalactic witchcraft. Together, they embark on a journey through the galaxy.
In an interview, Abubaker shared insights about his writing process, his influences and his favorite book.
Abubaker said “Cloud Var and the Summer Shivers” was his favorite book to write because of the 15-year-long journey it took him to write it.
“This book is a long time coming. When I discovered it recently, I realized it had a lot of potential,” Abubaker said. “It’s my favorite because it is connected to the city of Atlanta.”
One of the main reasons Abubaker wrote the story “Cloud Var and the Summer Shivers” was to increase representation of minority groups in the media. He also wanted to make more stories involving science fiction.
Abubaker’s favorite poem that he wrote for “Cold Chai” was “The Pier,” and his favorite short story was “Genevieve and Francis.”
“Permacrisis” was the most memorable for Abubaker because the ending wrote itself into a captivating twist.
Abubaker spoke on his experience working within the publishing industry. He revealed he faced challenges trying to publish his work. Some of his work was rejected because it didn’t fit the publisher’s agenda.
He touched on how this kept him focused and motivated and how it only takes one “yes” to open doors.
The advice Abubaker gave to aspiring writers is to read more and to not edit during the first draft. Also, writers should not worry about the tiny details and let their ideas flow, according to Abubaker.
Although Abubaker does not have any future projects in the works, he remains open to future endeavors. He can be found on Twitter at @musabubaker.
