18-year-old Luton author celebrates debut novel with a book launch event in town

An 18-year-old author from Luton is celebrating the release of her debut book with a launch event in town.

Safiyyah Umar’s book ‘The Heart Crusher’ is due to be released on Friday (October 21), with the launch event taking place at Luton Town Hall on George Street, at 4pm.

Safiyyah was 14 when she began writing The Heart Crusher, and reached out to publishing company The Endless Bookcase in 2020.

She says her favourite part of the writing experience has been “the writing itself. Reading and writing have been hobbies of mine for as long as I can remember and writing up stories and ideas is something that I love to do whenever I can.

“It's a great stress relief for me and the experience of putting yourself into the world and minds of your characters is always fun and exciting.

“I think age should never be a limit when it comes to writing and as I've learned, the younger you are, the better it is. Don't wait until you're older.

I”f you've got a story to tell, then go for it! It's not easy, that goes without saying, but with the right kind of mindset and commitment, you can write a book at whatever age you want”.

Safiyyah hopes that The Heart Crusher will be the first book in a trilogy.

She added: “Right now, I've already started writing the second book in the series and I look forward to seeing where my books will take me in the coming years”.

Speaking about literary activities available in Luton, Safiyyah said: “There are some great events that take place such as the literary fair that has just passed. But more definitely needs to be done for students who are into writing.

“Literary based workshops etc would be beneficial for a lot of high school and college students who have a passion for writing and would like to have their own books published”.

Born in Leeds, Safiyyah moved to Luton and attended Luton Sixth Form College.

Tamsyn Kramer, Head of Creative Arts, English and Languages at the college, said: “Safiyyah Umar was in my English Language class for two years and always impressed me with her creative writing. What I didn’t know until late last year was that while she was at Luton Sixth Form she had finished writing a novel and had a publisher for it - I was amazed!

"It was really remarkable for an 18-year-old. I was honoured but a bit worried when she asked me to read it prior to publication. What would I say if it was terrible? But it wasn’t– it was excellent!

"From the very first page it was gripping and she has created some memorable characters and an exciting plot. She is a very talented writer and everyone at the college wishes her success with The Heart Crusher as well as any future books she writes”.

To find out more information about The Heart Crusher, visit Safiyyah’s instagram page.