A few months ago someone said they read my book with friends from Dubai. She said they loved it but she had to explain the slang.
I asked if it would have been helpful to have a glossary with the words on a website or something. She said yes.
To be honest, I have strong feelings about translating words because I feel it loses its meaning when we try to force it into English. But I also understand that no translation means a loss of access to worlds we could never understand, because of the use of a different language.
And after the prompt from a reader, I mean that's who we write for, I decided a website was the best way to have the glossary be accessible to anyone who has my book and finds the slang a barrier when reading.
Besides, I did prepare a glossary for Some Unspoken Thing that didnt get included in the print. I just needed a place to keep it.
And thats why I sought out @studiobox_cpt for help.
Honestly, this woman somehow translated what I had in my head to my laptop screen. And I cant wait to show you what rushdiyahwrites.co.za looks like. We're going live tomorrow and there is a glossary on the site for anyone who needs it. With some other stuff too ☺️
She soema made me a logo also 🥰
📚 My book is out! Now what?
Well, there's no time to slow down, but also the world feels like it's broken. So I'm going at my own pace while praying for freedom for the oppressed.
I’m working on turning writing into a career—which means more books are in the pipeline. But first, I need to finish my 25k thesis on trauma and endometriosis for my Master's in Social Anthropology before the end of 2025 (pray for me 😅).
📝 As soon as that’s done, I’ll reward myself by diving back into edits for Gadija’s story, and drafting the first version of Amierah’s.
Also on my plate:
💔 A steamy adult romance featuring Rukeya, who marries Idris four months after her father’s death, partly to escape home, partly because it feels meant to be. But the family drama that follows? 👀 Let's just say they’ve got some healing to do...
In the meantime, I’m still:
✍🏽 Attending writing workshops
📖 Practicing new writing craft skills weekly
📚 Building stories I hope you'll fall in love with
Thanks for being here 💛 If you’re a reader, writer, or both, let me know what you’re working on too.
Three girls. Three voices. Three different kinds of chaos, but the best of friends.
They laugh out loud, want to find love, and make sure their doekies match their outfits.
Swipe through to meet the women at the heart of this story—each one comes with their own protective father. Which one feels the most like you?
The shy one, the mouthy one, or the one who’s watching it all?
Drop her name in the comments—no judgment if you’re a mix of all three.
#CapeTownRomance #MuslimGirlsOnThePage #CharacterIntro #BrownGirlStories #SouthAfricanRomance #WimsyZA #CapeTownromance #WarmAndDreamyReads
Through the eyes of Maryam, a 16-year-old girl from Cape Town, navigate the intricacies of first love, cultural expectations, and her own insecurities in Some Unspoken Thing. As she grapples with her feelings, Maryam must decide if she has the courage to let her heart lead the way, even if it means stepping out of
the shadows and into the light.
Join author Rushdiyah Narker, in conversation with Shameez Patel, for an exploration of the complexities of first love and friendships and have fun writing your own love letter to your crush (anonymity guaranteed!)
🗓️ 23 May 2026
⏰ 12:30-13:30
📍 Kingsmead College,Teen Studio Library
Tickets available on Webtickets
Thank you to @blasc_academic_hub for having me to do a workshop with the learners again.
This time we're covering how to balance the showing and telling within a story.
It's so important to cultivate the curiosity of the kids, whether it's with writing, art, music etc. And I'm so lucky to have the opportunity to speak at schools about writing.
Did you know that I have a national diploma in early childhood development and ran a preschool for 5 years? So this feels like tapping into that part of me again, but with older students 😁
If you like the tension between knowing you find your best friend hot and really not wanting to admit it to yourself, Some Unspoken Thing is for you.
Available on the Libby app, local bookstores, Google play and Amazon.
Local is lekker!
Thank you to Ashleigh for a wonderfully thoughtful discussions today at Fish Hoek library.
We had a chance to talk about what it means to write books in the way we speak and why that is important to us.
I had goosebumps listening to Gaireyah talk about her journey with writing Kaaps.
Another event I will remember for a long time ❤️
I started my Author Library Tour with the wonderful @g.g.fisherauthor today at Kensington Library.
What a warm welcome 🥰
It's so wonderful to see so many of the kids talking about their writing dreams.
Thank you so much to @jtjer_ for the thought and planning she put into our visit. I'll remember this fondly for a long, long time.
Saving Hannah and The Locket are available directly from G.G. Fisher, they're on Amazon and Kindle too.
Some Unspoken Thing is at your local bookstore and available online at Takealot, Kindle and Googleplay books.
Our next stop for the Author Library Tour is Fish Hoek Library on Saturday. See you then ✨
We really were shiny happy people holding hands at the Book & Brunch 😊
Thank you to every attendee for showing up and being willing to talk to local authors about writing, story telling and reading ❤️
I hope to do this kind of event again soon because there really is no such thing as you shouldn't meet your heroes if they are like @mia_arderne . She came with notes! And opinions! Which I absolutely loved hearing and talking about.
If you have not read her book Mermaid Fillet and A Thousand Eyes On You, now is as good as time as any. Especially with this weather, where snuggling with a book is ideal.
I'll be posting snippets soon, so keep eyes out for that.
The panel with our wonderful moderator @theshortofthings , @theresebeharrie , @shameezwrites and @nuhaawrites was so fun, engaging and eye opening.
Thank you to everyone who came to listen to us talk about our publishing journey and that k you to these amazing authors for hvaing me on this panel ❤️
🚨 SLOW BURN, REAL TALK 🚨
Cape Town author Rushdiyah Narker joins @jadee.carmen on The Daily Vibe tonight — and she's got a story worth staying up for. 🐿️
@rushdiyahwrites writes love, culture, and identity into slow-burn romance — and her debut novel Some Unspoken Thing does exactly that.
Set in 1990s Cape Town, it follows Maryam navigating first love, friendship, and cultural expectations in her community. Real voices. Real stories. Beautifully told. 🐿️
Tonight they're getting into:
📖 Writing your community into fiction
💍 Ten years in the wedding industry — and what love actually looks like
🎓 How a Master's in Social Anthropology shaped her storytelling
📍 On air tonight
⏰ 19:15
📻 MFM 92.6
💻 www.mfm.co.za
💬 074-440-0926 🐿️
Don't miss this one.
#MFM926 #TheDailyVibe #RushdiyahNarker #SomeUnspokenThingBook #StellenboschUniversity 🐿️🇿🇦
