Inspired by international and child literacy writers, Dr. Amina Yaqoob is conquering the book world. With more than four hundred books illustrated, six books published, four more books on the way, and no plans of slowing down anytime soon.

She has made a profound mark in the world and was born to be a storyteller. We salute the remarkable work Dr. Amina Yaqoob is doing, especially as the Founder of Morality Tales, which aims to assist in 

the efforts of making a positive impact in the lives of children through reading.

From humble beginnings and since childhood, she’s always had a passion for storytelling in her native language, Urdu. SwagHer Magazine obtained an exclusive interview with Dr. Amina Yaqoob as we celebrate her success as a published and visionary author.

Be on the lookout for more innovative writing and illustration work, including story books of Minah, the Supergirl series, as Dr. Amina Yaqoob continues to take the literary world by storm.

Tammy: Tell me about who you are and what inspired you to become an author.

Dr. Amina: I have a Ph.D. in Plant Biotechnology and defended my dissertation in 2021. I’ve served as a Research Associate at the Centre of Excellence in Molecular Biology (CEMB) at the University of Punjab for the past few years. I am a founder of Morality Tales, a private company developing children’s story books and customized books. I am a story writer and illustrator. I love traveling, canvas painting, sketching, cooking, digital drawings, and gardening.

I never imagined this proper transition of my profession from a researcher to a children’s book author and illustrator. Since my childhood, I have been telling and writing children’s stories in my native language Urdu, but I couldn’t find the opportunity of publishing my story books. After finishing high school, I got busy with my studies so much that the creative story writer inside me went behind the scenes. During the Pandemic, I luckily found time to polish my skill in digital art and vector illustrations. I started freelancing to create children’s storybooks on educational, fiction, affirmation, and fantasy topics. I began to think about creating my own storybooks for children.

Tammy: How many books have you written? What is the most surprising thing you discovered while writing your books?

Dr. Amina: Being an illustrator, I’ve created more than four hundred books for my clients. Being an author, I’ve created six books so far. I’ve found a private company entitled “Morality Tales,” and the objective of this business is to develop advanced sources of learning using traditional ways of book reading and illustrations. As I said, it’s the beginning, my journey is going on, and I am optimistic that this passion for the story writing profession will be the success point of “Morality Tales.”

While writing and illustrating my books, the most interesting thing I discovered is that educating a child through a pictorial story is the best way of training or teaching him/her. I feel myself energetic when I put my vision into words and bring that vision to life through gravitating illustrations. I believe that we should promote the culture of book reading among our children. This is the best way of teaching, training, and educating a child.

Tammy: What advice would you give a new writer, someone just starting?

Dr. Amina: I am pretty new in this field, but yeah, I have plenty of novel ideas for those who are a step behind me, thinking or planning about writing down the stories. Still, they don’t know the proper directions; I would like to advise them, “Listen to your heart and let your ideas flow from your heart to your brain.” Instead of copying any successful writer, or following the popular trends, go after your own ideas, even if they are naïve and small. The world would love to read the purity of your words.

Tammy: What books or authors have most influenced your own writing?

Dr. Amina: Several writers from Pakistan are my inspirations. I love to read their books written in my native language Urdu. If I specifically focus on children’s book authors, I am inspired by Dr. Pamela Gurley and Author Caryn Lee. They are doing splendid work to promote children’s literacy. I’ve worked with both authors and learned a lot from them.

Tammy: How many plot ideas are just waiting to be written? Can you tell us about one?

Dr. Amina: Yeah, that’s an interesting question. I aim to publish four more story books of Minah, the Supergirl series, but this number can be increased depending on the reader’s demand. Besides this book series, I am writing a story draft on entrepreneurship by children, and soon it will be available for reading.

Tammy: How can people connect with you, find your books, etc.?

Dr. Amina: People can connect with me at the official website Moralitytales.com and on social media and email addresses there.

Further details: https://swagheronline.com/illustrator-of-more-than-four-hundred-books-dr-amina-yaqoob-is-now-thriving-as-an-author/