My Writing Journey

From a grandfather’s bedtime stories to an award-winning novel

Evenings Before Screens

I grew up in the 1960s, when television was still new and families spent their evenings together, talking. We knew each other well.

Fifty years later, I watched that world disappear. My family still gathered in the living room, but the TV was blaring, and every face glowed blue from a phone or an iPad. We were all in one room, and we weren’t together.

“I decided to do something about it.”

Stapled Pages and Bedtime Stories

I began writing children’s stories filled with colorful pictures. I designed them on my computer, printed them at home, and stapled the pages into little storybooks.

My grandchildren loved them. That wasn’t because the stories were brilliant. It was because their grandpa had written them just for them.

Every night, my daughter-in-law read them aloud at bedtime. Soon the children were talking about the characters as if they were real people, and pulling me into the conversation.

“Grandpa, Publish Them”

When my granddaughter reached her teens, she asked me to publish the stories. My daughter-in-law and daughters soon joined in.

In 2025, I uploaded my first storybook to Amazon. More followed, including Dream World, Zainu Goes to a Lake, and Facing the Dinosaurs.

Then my eldest daughter convinced me to build a website, and R. Suleman, the author, was born. Storytelling connects generations. This is a place to explore human emotions, live through other people’s experiences, and find strength for life’s challenges at every age.

Stories for a Digital Generation

Teenagers today face pressures my generation never imagined: bullying that follows them home on their phones, and apps that promise connection but take their privacy.

My young adult novels, Invisible Girl: Finding Light in the Shadows and Terms and Conditions Apply, take on these struggles honestly.

The Battle I Never Trained For

Then came COVID-19.My wife and I took every precaution, yet we both caught the virus and became very sick. We lost our taste and smell, and every breath was a struggle.

As a fighter pilot, I had faced danger many times. But I had never felt as helpless as I did then. And I worried far more about my wife than about myself.

Our son and daughters came as soon as they heard. Our grandchildren called many times a day. My granddaughter told us:

“I know you both are very strong, and you will beat the virus. Be sure to fight a little harder for us.”

My grandson said:

“You will get well. You have to tell us stories you told Daddy when he was a kid.”

Their words worked better than any medicine.

From Survival to an Award-Winning Novel

That illness turned a belief into an article of faith: when all seems lost, family and love give you the strength to keep going.

It became the heart of my first novel, When the World Held Its Breath. The book follows the Harrison family as the pandemic upends their comfortable life, and shows how love held families together when everything else fell apart.

The novel won the Literary Titan Book Award. I hope readers remember it long after the last page, and I welcome your reviews, because they help me grow as a writer.

What Comes Next

I’ve finished the outline for my next novel. Once again, it explores human relationships in trying times, this time following people from different cultures who come together to help each other survive.

All my books are available here on this website, and on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Walmart.

Thank you for being part of this journey.

— R. Suleman. Award‑winning author of contemporary fiction exploring courage, compassion, and resilience.