Author Spotlight: Aamna Qureshi Invites You Into Her Magical Worlds
To put it simply, Pakistani-American author Aamna Qureshi has range. From her fantasy romance debut, The Lady or the Lion, to her short story in the young adult anthology My Big, Fat Desi Wedding to her romantic and witchy new novel, A Witch’s Guide to Love and Poison, Qureshi consistently proves that no publishing box can contain her.
But what readers do not see is the sweat, tears, and time behind each story. Qureshi started writing in 2011 when she was in middle school, as she detailed in a blog post from 2020. In that post, she wrote with her vulnerability at the forefront, noting how she had written seven manuscripts and been rejected by potential literary agents between 400–500 times. Now in 2025, her bookshelf in the background of the Zoom call is filled to the brim with her published books, one of each facing out towards the camera. “I’m running out of space to fit everything,” Qureshi admitted with a small laugh.
A few months after EnVi’s interview with the rising star, Qureshi published her second book — in the last three months. Before that, The Baby Dragon Cafe (under her adult novel pen name, A.T. Qureshi) arrived first on January 16 through Avon Books UK. Meanwhile, A Witch’s Guide to Love and Poison landed in the hands of readers on March 27 with a swirl of magic with Hachette’s Children Group (UK). To celebrate Qureshi’s book-filled year, EnVi chatted with the author about her writing journey, loving the craft, and which of her characters she is most like.
Introducing Your Next Cozy Read
According to book reviews, readers describe The Baby Dragon Cafe as “truly a cinnamon roll of a book,” “delightfully quirky and lighthearted story,” and “300-something-pages of pure bliss with a warm-as-a-coffee setting and nice and fluffy characters like freshly-baked cupcakes.” The cozy romantic fantasy novel follows Saphira, who has just opened the baby dragon cafe of her dreams. However, her life isn’t just all sweet baby dragons and whipping up delicious drinks.
Although A Witch’s Guide to Love & Poison has only been out in the world for two months, readers also have sung their praises. “An utter delight,” one reader wrote on Storygraph, a book review platform, about the found-family-magical-forest-enemies-to-lovers cozy novel. A Witch’s Guide has “easily found its way onto my list of top cosy fantasy reads,” said another, while a different reader emphasized the young adult (YA) book’s “lovely world and loveable characters.” (Funnily enough, Qureshi wrote A Witch’s Guide ahead of Baby Dragon Cafe, but due to different publishing schedules, the latter was released three months ahead of the former.)
Of course, releasing a piece of art — a piece of your heart — into the world captures a feeling that is sometimes difficult to put into words. There are people from who-knows-where reading your work. “It’s no longer just this thing that’s mine and my editor’s,” Qureshi noted. Baby Dragon Cafe and A Witch’s Guide are now “out there in the world for people to discover and interact with and hopefully fall in love with.”
And readers falling in love with Qureshi’s recent cozy romances. However, with the second novel in the Baby Dragon series coming out later this summer, expectations have been growing. Despite the palatable excitement expressed from readers online, Qureshi leans into her own excitement, too. “I might be a bit anxious about [book expectations], but luckily, for my other books, I haven’t been too anxious,” Qureshis told EnVi. At the end of the day, the writer wants to share her stories with others, that “the book finds its right people.” She added, “I think for me, a really big thing is just writing something that I’m very proud of and that I’m happy with.”
Both Baby Dragon Cafe and A Witch’s Guide fall under the blooming cozy fantasy romance genre. (The former is written for an adult audience, while the latter is for a young adult audience.) Although the genres are similar, for Qureshi, the stories still remain “very distinct.”
“I really like stretching my creative muscles and challenging myself — maybe doing a different genre or a different age group or a different type of story,” she said. Take Baby Dragon Cafe: the main character Saphira deals with challenges of running her business, a different conflict compared to Bisma’s in A Witch’s Guide. In Qureshi’s YA novel, Bisma needs to learn how to navigate her new role as Baji (older sister) to a group of tight-knit sisters. The conflicts, the mindsets, the learning process varies based on the age group and the characters, among other elements, despite both being situated in the cozy fantasy genre.
Qureshi also considered, “I think as well, what really helps me is that when I’m writing a book, that’s the only thing I’m focusing on for that period of time.” She wrote A Witch’s Guide in the fall of 2023, for example, and the story itself was set in the autumn. Qureshi also wrote while visiting family in Pakistan, which formed more inspiration to weave into the family vibes found in the novel. “My time in Pakistan really showed its way into that story,” the author noted.
“I do always try to write very authentically,” Qureshi mused. Whether writing the sisters’ banter in A Witch’s Guide based on real-life arguments or capturing the fall atmosphere in her story as she looks out her window while writing, this spark of real life and love appears in Qureshi’s latest books. She added, a dreamy expression on her face, “I [would] love if one day I could have a book for everyone within the genres that I know, which is mainly romance, fantasy, [and] contemporary sphere.”
Overcoming Writing Challenges
In the past few years, there has been a rise in the “cozy” sub-genre. While readers are clamoring for more of these stories, the characters are usually white (or animals). Rarely are there characters that reflect Qureshi’s cultural background as a Pakistani Muslim woman. “It’s funny because publishing is so hard,” she said honestly. “The business side of things definitely makes you want to give up very often, especially as a person of color, [a] person of color [who is] writing stories about characters of color.”
Qureshi continued, noting, “It can feel very disheartening. It can be very difficult.” However, despite the business side of, well, the business, she keeps sharing her stories and pushing forward. “I think at the end of the day, I just love writing stories; I genuinely love writing,” Qureshi emphasized.
Enter — again — The Baby Dragon Cafe and A Witch’s Guide. Both feature brown young adult women learning who they are without the high-stakes tension often found in fantasy (no one dies in the end). The author confessed to EnVi, “I was just having so much fun writing this very cozy, safe book,” despite originally intending to make the stakes higher. This decision was encouraged by her reader side, which at that time of writing, “didn’t want to read high stakes.”
Besides “basking” in the romances, Qureshi also paid particular attention to the other interpersonal relationships in her books. “I think sisterhood plays a really strong part in all of my stories because [of] how large of an influence it is on my own life,” she explained. This influence is especially seen in A Witch’s Guide, where the sisters — who have been cast to the edges of society — take care of each other from morning to night. Qureshi has even woven in some conversation inspiration or funny things her family members have said into her books.
As it goes with all art creation, there were challenging aspects of writing her novels, too. For The Baby Dragon Cafe, because the stakes were low, Qureshi struggled with finding the climax in the third act to drive Saphira and Aidan’s story to the end. She noted that she wanted to avoid a third-act break up because her main couple is very “communicative” and “devoted” to each other. As a result, if Qureshi did have them breakup, she would have to wrangle with discovering a “plausible reason” behind this conflict. In the end, the author avoided a third-act breakup while maintaining a “very cozy and sweet romance.”
Writing the mystery thread in A Witch’s Guide proved to be a new challenge for Qureshi. You know those people who automatically figure out “whodunit” while watching or reading a murder mystery? “I’m the complete opposite,” she admitted. “It will be the most obvious thing, but when they do the big reveal, I will be shocked; I will not see [it] coming at all,” Qureshi added with a laugh. For her cozy fantasy romance with a hint of mystery story, she noted, “I need[ed] to be more clever to make [the mystery] actually subtle and plot twisty.”
Speaking of plot twisty, Qureshi’s writing life can be explained as so. Publishing is a game of the unexpected (and of waiting), so there always needs to be time for rest. Since she has a lot of writing to do nowadays — with books under contract and being on deadlines — Qureshi carves time for herself to step away from thinking about only writing all day. Especially as her writing desk is in her bedroom, “it definitely helps to step away from my room,” she said.
So how does Qureshi spend that time? A few different ways: hanging out with family, meeting up with friends, and traveling are some. In addition, as a storyteller, Qureshi also loves to kindle her creative spark by consuming other media, such as reading books and watching movies and TV shows. As Qureshi explained, “It always re-inspires me or reinvigorates me to be like ‘this story was so well done.’ Now I want to write a really good story.”
Back to the Beginning
Qureshi published her first novel in 2021. However, ever since she was eight years old, she knew she wanted to be an author. When the novelist was younger, she loved going to the library with her dad and “getting lost in stories.” It was around then that little Aamna also discovered that people can write books as a job. “I wanted to be that person who writes books,” Qureshi remembered fondly.
Talking about her early writing journey brought forth some more storytimes. When Qureshi was about eight years old, she wrote a book on her dad’s computer. Not only did she format the pages like an actual book, but she also printed it out. Despite printing only one copy, little Aamna was determined to have her family members read her hard work. “I only printed one copy, but then I went around my house,” she said with a small laugh. Going one-by-one, Qureshi gave her printed story to different family members to read, further cultivating her love of telling stories.
Then fast forward to when Qureshi was around 12 years old. Starting with a story about a girl whose brother goes missing, Qureshi brought her magic to a new audience — her friends at school. The budding writer would write a chapter after school, print it out, and let her classmates, who highly anticipated these stories, read the newest installment the next day. “Then, bit by bit, that was how I wrote my first book,” Qureshi reflected with a sparkle in her eyes.
“I’ve always wanted to be an author because I’ve always loved stories; I’ve always loved books; I’ve always loved reading, and I’ve always loved that feeling you get after reading a really good book,” she said, answering the question of whether she’s always wanted to be an author growing up. “I just really want[ed] to recreate that feeling for other readers.”
Although Qureshi has had to overcome many challenges to get to where she is currently, the author also now has a firm fanbase of readers from around the world who find magic in her books. In 2021, Qureshi published her duology set in a Pakistani-inspired fantasy world, but at that time, she had “no experience in the publishing realm.” Publishing a debut novel is particularly challenging, since you are building your readership from scratch. Despite this, she admitted that it was okay that her stories were hers and hers alone. “It was actually really fun to have these stories that were solely mine,” the author said. Later in your author career, “you’re more aware of the fact that you have a readership or you have an editor who are expecting work from you or even your agents,” Qureshi further explained.
To put it simply, after that first book and your first foray into the publishing world, the business side of books becomes more prevalent. But Qureshi does not let this reality influence the stories she tells, as she added, “I try not to be too aware of [it] because I always want to write a story that I’m proud of first and foremost.” The rising author also dropped a nugget of wisdom for fellow writers during our conversation: “I always tell writers…to just write a book that you’re happy with and then the right readers will find it.”
What’s Next For Aamna Qureshi?
What makes an Aamna Qureshi book? While there isn’t a set recipe, there is a feeling, not unlike when Basma from A Witch’s Guide makes her potions mostly from instinct. For Qureshi, her characters form the heartbeats of the stories. “I want these characters to feel like either someone that you yourself can relate to or someone that you’re like, ‘Oh, this is just like, I’m reading about my best friend, or I’m reading about like my sister or someone that I’m close with,’” she said.
From the grief and dedication found in Saphira of The Baby Dragon Cafe to the insecurity-driven fear and deep care found in Basma of A Witch’s Guide, Qureshi has succeeded when she sends out this wish: “I really just want these characters to feel real.”
Speaking of characters, EnVi had another question for Qureshi: Which of your characters in your recent books (2025 releases) do you think you’re most like. After mulling over her answer, Qureshi eventually pointed to sweet but strong Saphira. And why this dragon-loving, cozy-environment loving character? “I try to be happy and to be focused on being happy, being warm, and being kind of like a sunshine character,” Qureshi elaborated. “I think for Saphira as well, it’s really important for her, with the cafe, to create the space that people can come to and feel safe and feel connected and feel warm and happy and give away their stresses and worries and anxieties.” The author wrapped up her thoughts, emphasizing, “That’s something that I tried to create through my books.”
Although A Witch’s Guide was only just published in March, the author has one more book up her sleeve for this year. The second Baby Dragon Cafe book, titled The Baby Dragon Bakery, is set to be published by Avon UK on August 28. As a spinoff standalone to The Baby Dragon Cafe, new readers do not have to read the first book to understand the story. However, readers who are already familiar with The Baby Dragon Cafe crew will also spot some sweet Easter eggs woven in between the pages.
In the end, the reasons behind writing are simple for Qureshi. “I can write stories that make people feel less lonely or help them escape from life stresses or make them happy, make them laugh, maybe give them hope, help them renew their faith in something, teach them a lesson,” the rising author reflected. Through her stories, her characters, and her ideas, Qureshi has a unique power to be a “source of goodness in the world.” As we concluded our hour-long chat, Qureshi left one more thought behind: “I think that’s what really drives me and motivates me to want to create something worthwhile.”
Keep up with Aamna Qureshi and her stories on Instagram, X, and TikTok. Find ways to support her books — such as book-buying links — on her website.
Want more cozy reads to add to your TBR? Check out EnVi’s book recommendations here!
