INTRODUCING MANCHESTER EPIPHANY (FM'S THIRD NOVEL & SOON-TO-BE-PUBLISHED)

Eiyo friends and Fadneiras,

How are you doing? And to all my Muslim friends, how's Ramadan been treating you so far? I hope you guys are having a beautiful month ^_^

For those who follow me on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and Facebook, I'm sure you've already seen my latest pinned post. Yes, I've just posted the first trailer for my upcoming novel and revealed the title and release date to you. Yay!!! Yup, Manchester Epiphany (ME) is going to be the title of my upcoming novel, and it will be published after Eid Mubarak, 7 April 2026. Insya-Allah. Please pray that everything will go smoothly for me.

In this post, I'm going to introduce you to the novel further and share the cover and blurb. So relax and enjoy this read ...

Meet the main leads of Manchester Epiphany ~ Yasmeen Aizura (green) & Arban Batsaikhan (blue) 

Firstly, ME is going to be my third novel after Fail Merah and Saranghaeyo Namsan. Overall, ME is going to be my twelfth book and also my first novel in English. Hooray!!! I'm feeling grateful, happy, and excited that I'm going to publish ME soon. I've been working on this novel since June 2024. Well, Allah SWT always knows the right time. Latest update on ME, this novel has been sent to a printing company, and it will be in the oven somewhere around this week. Insya-Allah. 

To make ME a beautiful novel, I worked with my mother, Jikarty Hasry. Yup, my mother is my writing coach, editor, and proofreader for ME. Besides my mother, I also worked with a graphic designer named Fitri Sahari for the cover design. Fitri Sahari is a freelance designer who has already worked with Hikayat Fandom. He is also the designer for Ninot Aziz's bestselling novel, Kembara Leyla. I'm grateful that Puan Ninot Aziz introduced me to him. What Fitri did for ME is stunning. Thank you, Fitri Sahari ^_^ Thank you, Puan Ninot Aziz.

Taadaa!!! Check out the cover designed by the brilliant Fitri Sahari ^_^

ME is a standalone novel. But it can be considered as a spin-off to Saranghaeyo Namsan. Yasmeen Aizura, the main character in ME, is the younger sister of Maya Juhara, the main character in Saranghaeyo Namsan. ME consists of 376 pages. ME carries tropes like fish-out-of-the-water, the-cute-meet-cute, and destiny. Besides the story, the novel also includes illustrations of the characters (all are drawn by me ^_^), author's notes & dedications, kuih ketayap recipe, playlist, foreword from Amshida Ahmad Rani (novelist of Cinta Tidak Menipu), etc.

Now, let me warn you that ME is not a traditional romantic love story. Sorry to those who love cringe scenes. ME doesn't have any >_<  Besides romance, ME is also about spiritual awakening, self-discovery, healing, life, friendship, and family. It's a story about two people who are destined to be together, but did not meet each other at the right time. Yasmeen and Arban are two souls who are just about to evolve. Their meeting does not put them into a romantic relationship. They become good friends who secretly have feelings for each other. Together, they build a deep, heartwarming bond. Their deep connection takes them on a self-discovery journey ...

As a literature buff,  I made Si Tenggang’s Homecoming (STH), an award-winning poem written by Professor Emeritus Muhammad Haji Salleh, an inspiration for ME. ME is a tribute to Professor Emeritus Muhammad Haji Salleh, the 1991 Malaysian National Laureate. Sir, I am honoured that you visited my booth during the Kuala Lumpur International Book Fair (KLIBF) 2023 and bought Fail Merah. I’m touched. STH is very beautiful and deep; it mirrors the spiritual journey of Yasmeen Aizura in ME.

ME is a novel geared towards fashionistas, beauty buffs, foodies, and book lovers. Fashion and beauty are the main premises for ME. Yasmeen loves fashion and beauty. She aspires to build a career in the industry. To make ME simply chic, I created a fictional fashion brand called Blooming Jardin and a fictional beauty brand called Floria Shine for the story. And as a person who has experience working in fashion, I also shared my thoughts about fashion and the industry in ME.

Yasmeen Aizura on the runway. One of my favorite scenes in Manchester Epiphany

Insya-Allah, Floria Shine and Blooming Jardin will be featured in my future stories. These two brands’ stores are going to be iconic spots in the Fadima Mooneira Universe, just like Bakri’s Tuscany (an Italian-fusion restaurant first featured in my first novel, Fail Merah), Pretty Pink Garden Florist & Café (first featured in my short story, Pretty Pink Garden, Komplot Cerpen Penulis Paluan Seni Vol 1), and Saranghaeyo Namsan Library Café (first featured in Saranghaeyo Namsan). To bring further life to the Fadima Mooneira Universe, I also created other soon-to-be iconic spots in ME. Characters from SN and Danfo (my short story in Komplot Cerpen Penulis Paluan Seni Vol. 2) have cameos in ME.

Okay, this is all I want to share with you guys about ME. Thank you for reading this post. I hope you guys are excited and looking forward to the launch of Manchester Epiphany. Thank you for your kindness and support in advance. Insya-Allah, I will share more updates and trivia on ME on this website, blog, and socmeds ~ Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and Facebook. Make sure you follow these accounts closely so that you won't miss out on any updates on ME. Now I'm going to leave you with ME's blurb. Enjoy ...

People change, dreams change, and life never really has a definite plan. A person must be brave to go sailing without a map …

 

My name is Yasmeen Aizura Habibullah, and I have achieved my first success as the owner of a pre-loved boutique. But a person’s life journey does not end with one success, especially not when you’re still young. As life goes on, thriving is a must.

 

After two years of running MY Evergreen Wardrobe, I decided to close the business and move to England. I want to further my studies, and the Manchester Fashion Institute is my choice. I love fashion and dream of building a career in the industry. But what do I want to be in the industry?

 

Firstly, I’m not good at pattern drafting, fabric cutting, and sewing. So, I can’t be a fashion designer or even a tailor. Secondly, I’m not good at drawing either. So being an illustrator is out for me as well. Thirdly, I’m not good at writing. So being a fashion journalist is definitely out for me. I’m also not interested in teaching. So being a lecturer is a ‘No Way!’ for me.

 

Besides furthering my studies, I also wish to be near my football crush, Ricardo Alonso. Yup, I also aspire to become a WAG, and strongly believe my beauty will swoon Ricardo with just one click. But instead, I meet annoying-but-realistic Arban Batsaikhan, a British-Mongolian perfumer.

 

“Are you a Ricardo Alonso sasaeng fangirl?” - Arban Batsaikhan

 

“No … I’m just a fan. I admire Ricardo for his talent in football.” – Yasmeen Aizura.

 

“I see … but why are you looking for him like crazy? You already met him at the MTFC. You even got his autograph. Aren’t those enough?” – Arban Batsaikhan

 

After many Arban Batsaikhan moments later, I am awakened from my foolish fantasies, damning daydreams, and egotistical expectations. Arban drives me to discover myself. And I find my compass …

XoXo,

Fadima Mooneira ^_^

(Authorpreneur, Novelist, Blogger, Illustrator & Crafter)

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