Esa Manley

I enjoy writing and do so for fun and my own entertainment. Should my writing entertain others to the point they financially reward me that would be a dream come true but remember the true treasure is the friends we make along the way. That is what I see my stories as friends.

I am a Muslim and I seek to incorporate elements of my faith into some of my stories as Islam is often misrepresented and only extremely conservative or extremely liberal representations of the faith are shown. As a practicing Muslim myself, I have seek to create believable characters that have their faith as a cohesive part of who they are rather than an aspect used to make them exotic, threatening or fall into stereotypes. 

In most fiction Muslim characters will either have very little Islam or be something vile and evil. Anything associated with Islam or indeed Arabian is used as a prop or indicator of "other". I seek to address this and have stories where Muslim characters are able to be related to by Muslims and non-Muslims alike. While still giving respect to Muslim culture and Islam. 

Stories that deal with Arabian mythology outside of the stories lifted from "The 1001 Nights" are almost non-existent.  The Islamic concept of Jinn is an interesting one as "Jinn" can refer to any creature that is unseen by the normal human eye. This opens doors for Demons, Fae, Changlings and all manner of spiritual creatures to be included in stories dealing with an "Islamic" mythos. 

I'm hoping you will join me on my journey and who knows we may find the treasure of friendship along the way.