Farah Heron grew up on books. She’d read under the covers with a flashlight past her bedtime and has never been without her e-reader on the subway. She read Jane Austen while Bollywood played in the background. Her ultimate fantasy was always to be a writer, but instead she tried her hand at different careers like human resources, psychological counselling, and even had a stint as a bikini salesperson. She finally gave writing a try, just for fun at first, but it blossomed into a successful career. She’s the author of 10 novels in both adult and YA age categories. All her books, no matter the age demographic, feature Brown people falling happily in love while surrounded by yummy food and fabulous friends in Toronto.
Farah’s books are about joy and about giving Brown people the happily ever afters she couldn’t find in books growing up. Her characters come to life with their unique personalities and quirks, and genuine joy that oozes off the paper. To write joy, you have to know it, and she is so happy to be living out her writer fantasies. Farah lives at home with her two kids, husband, and two adorable cats.
-Written by Anissa Heron
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Which ’hood are you in?
I currently live in Scarborough, very close to the buffs. It’s such a vibrant and diverse part of Toronto, and it has been a great place to raise my kids. I’m pretty outdoorsy, so I love that there are amazing hiking trails and breathtaking scenery right here, but it’s also so easy to get downtown for events, theatre and restaurants. That said, as a lover of great food, nowhere in the city compares to Scarborough for food. I was born and grew up in Toronto suburbs, so have lived the GTA my whole life and don’t see myself ever leaving.
What do you do?
I’m a romance writer for both adults and teens. I have 6 adult romantic comedies, all set in Toronto, about south-Asian Canadians navigating culture and family expectations while falling in love. And I have four young-adult (teen) novels (three YA rom-coms and one YA mystery) about south-Asian teens figuring out who they are and their place in the world, all (of course) while falling in love.
What are you currently working on?
Right now, I’m in promotion mode for my newest book, A Little Holiday Fling, which is my first holiday romance. It’s about a Christmas loving free-spirit who is weeks away from fulfilling her and her late mother’s dream of owning an inn in England. She needs to impress a grumpy holiday-hating dermatologist so he’ll introduce her to his hotel-owning family to get a foot in the door in the UK hotel industry. The book is full of all my favourite Christmas in Toronto places, like the Distillery Winter Market, skating at Nathan Phillips Square, and even shopping at the Eaton Centre.
Where can we find your work?
My books can be bought wherever books are sold! I encourage you to visit one of Toronto’s many independent bookstores, and if my book isn’t on the shelf, the bookseller can order it for you.
