Laila Rifaat
Children’s AUthor
About
Originally from Sweden, Laila moved to Cairo, Egypt, in her twenties to explore her father’s native country. Laila has an M.A in English and Comparative literature and has worked as an ESL and IGCSE teacher. As an author, I am represented by Lucy Irvine at Peter, Fraser and Dunlop, London.
Laila is available for event bookings and editing for middle-grade writers. Whether you’re a school looking for a visiting author, a writer looking for friendly, affordable help, or someone arranging something deliciously bookish – Laila would love to hear from you.
Books
At home in Cairo, an unexpected gift arrives for Aliya, promising to grant her greatest wish - to know more about her lost parents.
The her surprise, she’s whisked off by flying carpet to a parallel Egypt, where she’s enrolled at an academy for...time-travellers!
But while she’s there, an enemy is watching - a master of forbidden magic. If they can unlock Aliya’s inherited talent, they can change history forever...
Aliya sets off on a grand-tour of Egyptian history with her classmates, aboard the state-of-the art ‘chrono-train,’ The Silver Express. Despite the tight security on board, it does not take long before terrible things begin to happen. The passengers fall prey to a strange sleeping sickness, and soon Aliya’s guardian is murdered! Could the be magic at work again? With the adults asleep, Aliya and her friends must save the train, the passengers and themselves while zooming through history!
GET ON THE WAITLIST
Coming in August, 2024
Available in:
What some
readers say
‘A powerful reading experience introducing a vivid and intruiging fantasy world.’
- BookTrust
‘Incredibly unique and magical! This is definitely up there as one of my favourite reads ever! ‘ - Faria, Bookseller
‘If I could add 2 5* reviews I would, since my son also read my proof copy after me, and then liked it so much he sent me on a mission to get hold of a second copy so her could give it to the girl he likes for her birthday.’ - Amie Jordan
What a way to start a series!! For the beginning it was just packed with mystery and adventure. I loved watching Aliya develop as a character. Some great twists that I definitely didn’t see coming. Book two of the series is already pre-ordered.’ - Mrs Walsh, Goodreads
First Cover draft
Illustration by Gaia Alessi
Extras
ACTIVITY PACK FOR STUDENTS
Events
School visits - Assembly Style
Laila conducts a 45-minute assembly style presentation to a large group using a powerpoint presentation, interactive excercises, creative writing prompts, props and fun games, in addition to a reading and questions.
School visits – workshop-style
This 45-minute creative writing workshop session will include creative writing tips and prompt-based exercises.
Laila can provide later feedback on the student’s work, if desired.
Virtual author session
This session takes places over Zoom, Teams, or Google Meet.
It can be tailored to focus on creative writing (using Laila’s books as a reference). By using the novel/s as a starting point, the session can also introduce the students to the culture and rich history of Egypt.
Bookish Events
Laila would love to hear from you, whether you are a book blogger or arranging a festival.
School visit reviews
Reviews on my school visits at NCBIS in Egypt:
“Creative, imaginative and informative - students were left motivated and equipped to start their own fantasy journey.”
Sam Tooby-Broome - Teacher of English
“She knew her audience and how to excite and inspire them; that was evident from the snippets of her book she shared, the engaging activities she prepared and the lovely manner she displayed in the face of a hall full of Year 7 students!”
Jag Khurana - Teacher of English
“Laila Rifaat created a wonderful atmosphere of intrigue and delight! Her workshop was perfectly pitched to her audience, and perfectly delivered, with a wonderful sense of patience and a genuine interest in the children’s ideas. The activities were engaging as well as exciting; students left the venue feeling inspired to write their own stories. Truly motivating!”
James Bannister - Teacher of English
Type of Edits I Offer:
Developmental Edit
A developmental edit is an in-depth look at your story. Thorough attention is given to all the main story elements such as voice, pacing, structure, plot, and character development. This edit also includes scene-by-scene feedback. It looks at the story and the way you’ve told it, and makes sure the reader’s experience of the book matches with your vision. You’ll get two thorough read-throughs, inline edits and comments, a detailed letter of editorial feedback —which together serve as both a revision plan and a personalized learning tool.
What’s Included:
- Two close reads
- A heavily annotated manuscript
- A 15-20 page editorial letter identifying your manuscript’s biggest strengths and weaknesses, with revision suggestions explained in depth
£7.50 per thousand words of manuscript
Turnaround time: 4 - 6 weeks
Manuscript Evaluation
A manuscript evaluation provides an editorial overview of your novel without the full depth, detail, and expense of a developmental edit. It gives you a good assessment of your novel, especially at the earlier stages, of what aspects of your work are in most need of attention. This edit will make sure that the main story elements of your novel are working, and that they fit your vision.
What’s Included:
- One close read with comments in the margin
- 5-10 page editorial letter, including my view on your novel’s readiness for submission to agents and/or publishers
- My recommendation on next steps, and where you need to focus your revision efforts
£ 5.00 per thousand words of manuscript
Turnaround time: 4 weeks
These services are limited so please get in touch to discuss.
Are my editorial services right
for you?
I can help you if…
- You are writing for children between the 9 - 12 years.
- You want big-picture feedback (not sentence-level).
- You have taken your manuscript as far as you can on your own or with critique partners.
- You are ready for honest but kind feedback.
I can not help you if…
- You are writing for adults.
- You haven’t finished your manuscript.
- You are not open to feedback on your writing.
- You want line editing or copyediting.
Editing experience
Courses I’ve taken:
- Developmental Editing: Fiction Theory (Sophie Playle: Liminal Pages)
- Developmental Editing for Fiction (Editorial Arts Academy, Pat Dobie)
- 12 week course (Golden Egg Academy)
Related Experience:
- Masters in English and Comparative Literature
- Worked as an IGCSE literature teacher
- Worked as a writing coach at a university writing centre
- Traditionally published children’s author
Some editing testimonials...
‘’I felt I was in the hands of a professional that gave me constructive feedback in a caring way, which is so hard to do. I would recommend her without hesitation, and hope to use her invaluable editing skills again.’
- Mandi Rusher Haqq, Writer
‘She has a good understanding of story structure and has an especially good eye for finer details like character development. She was very good at noting areas in my story where characters' actions/behaviors weren't authentic in relation to how they'd been described earlier, where my characters were evolving too little as the story went on. Thanks to Laila, I felt like my manuscript ended up with much better and more well rounded story/character arcs.’ - Dimitri Verikio, Writer
‘Laila is excellent at getting to the heart of character emotions and motivations, and she helped me to reach for deeper layers in my scenes. She provided specific feedback but also asked questions that made me think in new ways about my characters. I would definitely recommend her as an editor for middle-grade projects!’
-Megan Clandeman, Writer
‘No matter how experienced a writer you may be, you always need someone with a sharp eye, a clear head, and a kind heart, to read your work and make suggestions. I found Laila to be just such a person. She has extensive experience writing for and reading with children. She has good intuition for the things a child will understand and for what will interest them. She looks for simplicity, clarity, and imagination. She is positive in all her comments, being careful to address equally the parts she likes as well as the parts she thinks could be improved. For the parts she thinks need work, she provides clear explanations and alternative ideas. Her suggestions are always to the point and helpful.’ Karima Sperling, Writer
In the News
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