Riley's Countdown Begins!

In 7 days, Riley and the Kitchen Katastrophe will be released! Written by Halima Sahar Muhammad, this middle-grade novel explores sibling rivalry and the value of teamwork. Read the official press release below and stay tuned for more updates!

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Halima Sahar Muhammad is an avid reader who has been a Texas State Finalist in the Letters About Literature writing contest in 2010, 2011, and 2012. After successfully completing National Novel Writers Month challenges in 2010 and 2011, Halima decided to edit and publish her first middle-grade novel, Riley and the Kitchen Katastrophe. Her novel has been self-published on CreateSpace.com and is also available on Amazon.com, Amazon Kindle, and Barnes and Noble NOOK starting June 7, 2012.

  Riley and the Kitchen Katastrophe is a middle-grade novel about an 11 year-old girl and her ongoing feud with her pesky big brother, Atticus. When her parents are called out of town for business, Riley and her brother find out that they will be spending six long days in the country visiting family. During their stay, Riley volunteers her brother to help throw a dinner party for their aunt's new neighbors. When the kitchen goes up in smoke, will Riley and Atticus stop fighting long enough to salvage a potential disaster?

Halima's mother, Raychelle Muhammad, assisted her with the editing, formatting, and cover design. She insists, however, that the hardest work was done by Halima herself: "Halima created the Riley character during NaNoWriMo 2010. When the 2011 challenge began, she was determined to write the next title in the Riley series and publish it. Halima finished her first draft, took a month-long break, and resumed edits and rewrites in January. On the day before her self-imposed deadline, May 14, 2012, the manuscript was done. I am incredibly proud of Halima and I am grateful for the outpouring of support and well-wishes she is receiving from friends, family, and the literary community."

Halima is 12-years old, homeschooled, and will be entering the 9th grade in the fall. She is an excellent student. One of her favorite mantras is, "Nothing can quench the thirst for knowledge." In her spare time, Halima enjoys reading, fashion, swimming, painting, and hanging out with family and friends. For updates about her launch, visit her Facebook fan page at https://www.facebook.com/RileyAndTheKitchenKatastrophe and her blog at http://www.halimasworld.blogspot.com.