Shaila Abdullah

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Shaila Abdullah (born 1971) is an author whose creative work focuses on the strengths and weaknesses of Pakistani women and their often unconventional choices in life. Her work also deals with the Asian experience in America, the conflict between the two worlds and the culture of her adopted country. She offers her readers a window into the multicultural world through her vibrant characters.

Abdullah was born in Karachi, Pakistan in 1971. She has a bachelors degree in English literature and a diploma in graphic design. She also has a diploma in freelance writing. In 1993 she started writing fiction stories, articles and personal essays for some local publications. She got married in 1995 and moved to Los Angeles, California the same year to be with her husband. She moved to Austin, Texas in May 2000 and presently works as a multimedia/graphic designer for an educational nonprofit in downtown Austin.

Abdullah has been published in Dallas Child, Web Guru, About Families, Sulekha, Women's Own, She, Fashion Collection and a magazine of the Daily Dawn newspaper called Tuesday Review. Her latest book, Beyond the Cayenne Wall, is a collection of stories about Pakistani women struggling to find their individualities despite the barriers imposed by society.

Beyond the Cayenne Wall received the Jury Prize for Outstanding Fiction which is the highest award in the Norumbega Fiction Awards, and the DIY Convention Award. The book also received special mention in the Writers Notes Book Awards and Abilene Writers Guild Award.