I recently had the pleasure of chatting with Dawn Ius, BookTrib’s Book Club coordinator, about my novel A Thousand Flying Things, which is part of the January BookTrib Book Club program. We only had a few minutes together, but it was such a meaningful conversation, the kind that reminds me why I write.

As I told Dawn, this book isn’t a war story, even though war hums at the edges of it. It’s a love story, one that asks questions about how we choose the people we love, what “home” really means, and whether healing is possible even in the most complicated circumstances. The title comes from a Sudanese proverb, Better a bird in the hand than a thousand flying things, which perfectly captures my protagonist Diana’s struggle to slow down and find her way amid too many choices.

Much of the story grew from my experiences as a humanitarian journalist working in war and disaster zones with the International Red Cross. While the plot is entirely fiction, the emotions, cultures, and compassion woven through it are very real. The love in the story is the truest thing I know.

Dawn and I also talked about why I wrote A Thousand Flying Things with book clubs in mind, to spark conversations about identity, connection, and empathy across cultures. I’m deeply grateful that readers are finding those same themes so timely and timeless today.

You can watch our full conversation here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDKtbUDkzSk
And if your book club chooses A Thousand Flying Things, I’d love to hear what ideas it inspires for you.