Sara Sharaf Beg

Assalaamu alaykum, hello, and thanks for visiting my site!

My name is Sara Sharaf Beg – but you can just call me Sara. No need for formalities here!

I am a proud Pakistani-American Muslim author and mental health counselor. My debut YA contemporary novel Salaam, with Love releases January 4, 2022 with Underlined and Delacorte Press. For more information and to order your copy of Salaam, with Love, click here!

Now, let me introduce myself properly. After being born in Florida to Pakistani immigrants from Karachi and Hyderabad, I was raised in New York and New Jersey. As an adult, I’ve lived all over – Central Florida; Seattle, Washington; Central Michigan; and now Houston, Texas. Most of those latter moves are to be blamed on my husband. I’m happiest wherever I have year-round access to plenty of sunshine. I am ethnically Sindhi (mostly) and am fluent in Urdu.

I have a B.A. in Radio/TV from the University of Central Florida and M.A. in Counseling from Northwestern University. When I’m not writing, I’m typically in a counseling session with a client or checking out online Pakistani shops – even though I have more shalwar kameez than western wear at this point. I’m a major foodie, have a soft spot for cats, and know way too much about Bollywood and Pakistani dramas compared to…well, everything else.

If you want to chat books, desi life, mental health advocacy, food – or anything in-between – send me an email or get in touch on Instagram or Twitter. I’m excited to hear from you!

I have a tendency to get myself into strange yet admittedly hilarious situations. To read about my real-life misadventures, check out the blog. Trust me, it’s worth it.