WRITING MR. RIGHT – Alina Khawaja
Mira
ISBN: 978-0778368663
June 10, 2025
Contemporary Fantasy

Brooklyn, New York – Present Day

Legal secretary by day, romance writer at night, Ziya Khan feels discouraged after receiving her umpteenth rejection from another agent. In frustration, she destroys her manuscript copies, including smashing the thumb drive. After crying, she falls asleep. The next morning, she awakens to discover a strange (and handsome) man in her kitchen. He informs Ziya that his name is Aashiq, and he is her writing muse. He’s there to get her back on track to writing once again. She is stunned, to say the least, and tries to resist Aashiq, but he follows her around, even to work. It turns out that he can sometimes be seen only by her, but in other situations, he can be seen by everyone. Aashiq is soon a part of her life, while he encourages her to start writing again. Is she dreaming, or is this a nightmare?

WRITING MR. RIGHT is definitely a different kind of tale. It is set in the present day, but with a magic…Genie? Aashiq certainly has magical powers, but even he can’t put a spell on Ziya to force her to write. The question of why he was “sent” is never answered. Is he part of her subconscious? He certainly seems real. How does Ziya get around having Aashiq by her side so much? At work, he is job-shadowing her, though he has issues with the copy machine. He might be magical, but it doesn't give him the power to know everything. She soon realizes how much she relies (or enjoys) having him near her. But the most important thing readers probably want to know is…does it work in that Ziya starts writing again?

If you can get past the silliness of having a magical muse appear before your eyes and be in your life nearly 24/7, then WRITING MR. RIGHT is a nice, easy story to read. I actually found it not only intriguing but interesting. Ziya has always been reserved in social situations. She was either busy in college, working, or writing, because her only true friend is her roommate, who accepts Aashiq at face value, especially since he’s introduced as Ziya’s boyfriend. But with a little push from him, she is soon friends with her coworkers and hanging out with them. In the past, she avoided socializing with them. Aashiq is changing Ziya’s life in more ways than one. She is on an adventure that she never thought she’d be.

The big question hovering over Ziya and Aashiq is what happens when she is finally done needing his help. Will he just disappear, or is there a way he can stay, even though he first appeared as a figment of her imagination? She is now falling for her muse! Readers will have to find out the answer by buying a copy of WRITING MR. RIGHT. Hint: You won’t be sorry.

Patti Fischer