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Sheena Kamal

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sheena Kamal
BornTrinidad
OccupationNovelist
NationalityCanadian
Alma materUniversity of Toronto
GenreThriller, young adult fiction
Years active2010s–present
Notable worksThe Lost Ones (2017)
Notable awardsMacavity Award for best first novel, 2018
Website
www.sheenakamal.com

Sheena Kamal is a Canadian novelist. Her works include thrillers and young adult fiction.

Early life and education

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Kamal moved to Canada from Trinidad at age 6.[1][2] She received a degree in political science from the University of Toronto and worked in the film industry before beginning a career as a novelist.[1]

Writing

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Nora Watts series

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As of September 2020, Kamal has published three novels that center on Nora Watts: The Lost Ones (2017), It All Falls Down (2018), and No Going Back (2020).[3][4] Watts, a crime investigator, is half-Indigenous and half-Palestinian and lives in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.[5][6][7]

The Lost Ones (2017) is a thriller set in Vancouver.[5] Kamal developed the concept for the novel while working as a staffer on Shoot the Messenger.[8]

Roxane Gay praised The Lost Ones on her Goodreads account and Jael Richardson selected it as a recommended title on CBC Radio's q books program.[9][10] The novel won 2018's Macavity Award for best first novel and the Kobo Emerging Writer Prize for Mystery.[11]

Fight Like a Girl

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Kamal's first book for young readers is Fight Like a Girl (2020).[1] The novel centers on Trisha, a teenager who practices Muay Thai, whose father dies in a car accident.[12][13] Novelist Jennifer Hillier recommended the work in Ms., noting that "I would buy this book based on the title alone".[14]

Personal life

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Like the main character of Fight Like a Girl, Kamal practises Muay Thai.[1]

Works

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  • Kamal, Sheena (2017). The Lost Ones. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-256576-1. OCLC 995161969.
  • Kamal, Sheena (2018). It All Falls Down. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-256577-8. OCLC 1041940269.
  • Kamal, Sheena (2020). No Going Back. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-286978-4. OCLC 1150884557.
  • Kamal, Sheena (2020). Fight Like a Girl. Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0-7352-6556-1. OCLC 1107700313.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Wiersema, Robert J. (March 9, 2020). "How the protagonist of Sheena Kamal's first YA novel muscled her way in". Quill & Quire. Archived from the original on September 12, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  2. ^ Kamal, Sheena (March 4, 2017). "'My uncle's violent death shaped who I became'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on May 3, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  3. ^ Blumberg-Kason, Susan (June 16, 2020). "No Going Back by Sheena Kamal". Archived from the original on August 27, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  4. ^ "Review of It All Falls Down". Kirkus Reviews. July 3, 2018. Archived from the original on July 4, 2018.
  5. ^ a b Harris, Aleesha (July 25, 2017). "Book review: The Lost Ones by Sheena Kamal". Vancouver Sun. Archived from the original on February 19, 2018. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  6. ^ Romo, K. L. (April 30, 2020). "Up Close: Sheena Kamal". The Big Thrill. Archived from the original on September 4, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  7. ^ Woronzoff, Elisabeth (August 18, 2020). "Sheena Kamal's 'No Going Back' Unfurls a Thrilling Noir". PopMatters. Archived from the original on September 22, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  8. ^ Zamorano, Désirée; Kamal, Sheena (August 7, 2017). "No Safe Space". Los Angeles Review of Books. Archived from the original on September 22, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  9. ^ Richardson, Jael (November 1, 2017). "Jael Richardson's book pick: The Lost Ones by Sheena Kamal". CBC Radio. Archived from the original on July 18, 2019. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  10. ^ LeFevre, Sophia (August 7, 2019). "50 Must-Read Books Recommended by Roxane Gay". Book Riot. Archived from the original on September 22, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  11. ^ "Macavity Awards". Mystery Readers International. Archived from the original on April 5, 2019.
  12. ^ Carter, Sue (April 3, 2020). "Sheena Kamal's two new books: 'I like my heroines to be a little rough around the edges'". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on May 30, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  13. ^ "Review of Fight Like a Girl". CBC Books. April 5, 2020. Archived from the original on September 3, 2020.
  14. ^ Hillier, Jennifer (April 25, 2020). "Suspense, Mystery and Thriller Must-Read Books by Women Writers of Color to Read in 2020". Ms. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
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