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Coppell Student Media

The official student news site of Coppell High School

Coppell Student Media

The official student news site of Coppell High School

Coppell Student Media

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October 26, 2023

    Senior proves pen is mightier than samurai sword

      For most seniors, the last year of high school is defined by FLEX periods, college applications and upperclassmen status. For senior Sayem Huq, however, senior year means most of this, along with wrapping up the finishing touches on the process of creating his first novel.

            Huq’s book, Bladin: Edge of Blade, follows the story line of Ryuu Kodachi, a ninja, and Gemori Battousai, a samurai. These two men are the last hopes for peace in their state, Bladin, and must prepare themselves to fight in war in order to ensure this, regardless of the cost. The book follows the adventures of these characters and their ultimate outcome.  

            “I used to be in martial arts classes,” Huq said. “That’s where I got some of the basics of my book from and what I used for the formation of my characters.”

            After two years of writing, Huq completed the novel his sophomore year. The next step in the process, claimed to be the most difficult one, was finding someone to publish it. Before publishing, Huq was to find a literary agent, or a mentor, to help him go over his book one last time before sending it out.

            At Scholastic Publishing Company, editor Adam Rev read Bladin and gave it a good review—a very high feat for a first-time teenage novel writer. In the end, however, Huq decided on Xlibris, a self publishing company to use for his novel.

            Bladin after published was distributed to a variety of Barnes & Noble stores where it can currently be found. The option of POD, or print on demand, can also be used on Huq’s book in the case where Bladin cannot be found in the stores, a customer has the ability to ask the front desk to order in a copy for them to read. Bladin can be found on Amazon as well.

            Huq began researching the process of a book tour slightly after this development. It was not deemed an official tour for he personally called up specific Barnes & Noble stores to hold him, however at each store Huq had the ability to publicize his book and answer any questions surrounding it.

            The knowledge of Huq’s book spread beyond just his tours, however. The topic of Bladin has been featured in two articles—one serving as a review on his life and the other a personal inspirational letter from Huq.

            “The main reason I wrote the book was because I was having trouble finding things to read,” Huq said. “I wrote something that I know I’d want to read.”  

            Though this is only his second year at Coppell High School, having recently moved from Florida, his natural writing skill is evident to those who interact with him.

            “Sayem is one of the most determined students I have ever met,” creative writing teacher Matthew Bowden said. “This is my sixth year of teaching this and I have never met anyone with the drive to go through the entire editing process, that too at such a young age.”

            Bowden also plans to have Huq teach part of his creative writing classes when they begin their unit on novel publishing. Huq’s clear passion for writing and his experience of the process are a good source for other young, aspiring writers.

            Huq plans on a future in writing, and is in the process of creating a sequel to Bladin.

            “If I could go back, I’d want to go fix all the grammatical errors that I found in the book,” Huq said. “I can work towards fixing these and honing my skills for the future.”

            Currently Huq is in the negotiations with a publishing company to sign a deal, requiring him to publish a book every so often.

            “I can already tell that a future in writing is easily possible for him,” Bowden said. “If a company is already ready to bet that he’ll be able to throw out a good book every few months at such a young age, then I can’t begin to imagine how much better his skills will be later in life.”         

            To receive more information about Huq’s book, visit his website at www.edgeofblade.com.

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