About Me

Author and Podcaster

Hello, and thank you for stopping by!

My name is Tasneem Abdur-Rashid and I’m a British Bengali writer born and raised in north London. Growing up as a visibly Muslim woman, I rarely saw myself reflected in the books I loved; an absence that continues to shape my writing today. I write stories for both adults and young people that celebrate underrepresented cultures with nuance, heart and humour, with the aim of creating a world where all readers can see themselves on the page.

I’m the author of three adult novels, including my debut rom-com Finding Mr Perfectly Fine, published by Bonnier/Zaffre in 2022 as part of a two-book deal, followed by The Thirty Before Thirty List, which was longlisted for the 2025 Jhalak Prize for Fiction and the 2025 Diverse Book Awards. In 2011, I also wrote the anonymous bestseller Desperate in Dubai, published by Penguin Random House India, inspired by my time living and working there.

My Carnegie-nominated YA debut, Odd Girl Out, was published by David Fickling Books in 2025 and has since been shortlisted for the Warwickshire Teen Book Awards, Redbridge Book Awards and the Branford Boase Award, among others. It has also been selected for the 2026 Read for Empathy Collection.

Before becoming an author, I worked in media, PR and communications for over twenty years across the UK and the Middle East. I hold both a BA and an MA in Creative Writing. Alongside my writing, I’m the co-host of the award-winning podcast Not Another Mum Pod, which amplifies voices often left unheard, and in 2023 I was honoured to receive the SHE Award for Arts and Culture for my work championing underrepresented communities.

I’m also a mum, and when I’m not writing you’ll usually find me juggling family life or cooking, eating, hosting, or talking about what to cook and eat next. I come from a big, loud Bengali family where food is love, storytelling happens around the table, and entertaining is a sport. A cookbook may well be on the horizon. Watch this space!