Interview with co-authors Aya Khalil & Bayan Lahham

We are so excited to interview debut author Bayan Lahham who co-wrote the board book, A Party of Colors, with Kidlit in Color co-founder and author Aya Khalil! Read more about the upcoming board book, illustrated by Olivia Aserr below.

Kidlit in Color: What are your favorite illustrations in the book?

Bayan Lahham: My favorite illustration in this my book is the book where Baba and Salem cover their ears. It reminds me of my father when I was young and my husband now with my children. It embodies what a father looks like to me and that's a very special image in my head. 

KLiC: What’s the one thing you want children to take away from your book?

BL: I want children to be excited to embrace the STEAM world. I hope that books like this help build that connection and love for learning at a young age and eventually grow to be creatives in their fields.

KLiC: Please tell us about your writing process. How long did it take you to write and sell this book? 

Aya Khalil: I saw a call out to authors on Charlesbridge's social media looking for STEAM books for their upcoming STEAMWORKS collection, specifically for diverse authors. I thought it was such a cool idea. I reached out to one of my best friends, who is the only person I know that gets really excited about math and science. She thought it was a great idea and we actually wrote a picture book together about geometric patterns. It got rejected. Then one day, I was thinking how much my car needed a car wash and I texted Bayan about the idea right away. We met wrote and revised on a google doc for a few weeks and sent it in shortly before the deadline. To our delight it was acquired! Writing a book is often lonely, but having a good friend collaborate on this one and share exciting moments like seeing sketches for the first time and holding our arcs together has been  an amazing experience! 

KLiC: Do you have any tips for pre-published authors?

AK: Read, read, read! Spend hours, days, weeks at the library. You can't just wake up one day and say you want to write a book. It's a long, difficult process and now it's even more competitive and challenging than ever. I recommend spending time working on your craft, networking, take classes, join a writing community and stay hopeful. 

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Aya Khalil is an award-winning author, librarian, and freelance journalist. Her titles for children include The Night Before Eid, The Arabic Quilt, and The Great Banned-Books Bake Sale. Aya’s books have won numerous awards and honors including The Arab American Book Award and NCTE’s Charlotte Huck Award. You can follow her updates at www.ayakhalil.com 

Bayan Lahham is a math and science teacher. She has been a tutor and homeschooler over the years. Bayan grew up on the East Coast and currently resides in Ohio with her family. A Party of Colors is her debut.