Download the Skolay app
Skolay / 1:1 Audio Conversations / 
Laila Ibrahim
📆  Select a time
Select a time
💸  Checkout
Checkout
📞  Get called
Get called
Laila Ibrahim
Novelist, author of Yellow Crocus family saga and more
Historical Fiction
Women
Gender
Family
Book a 1:1 with LailaBook a 1:1 with LailaBook a 1:1 with Laila
Where else you can find me
Personal website
Substack
Book a 1:1 with Laila
Hi!

one two three four five six seven eight nine ten eleven twelve thirteen fourteen fifteen sixteen seventeen eighteen nineteen twenty, twenty-one twenty-two twenty-three twenty-four twenty-five twenty-six twenty-seven twenty-eight twenty-nine thirty, thirty-one thirty-two thirty-three thirty-four thirty-five thirty-six thirty-seven thirty-eight thirty-nine forty,

forty-one forty-two forty-three forty-four forty-five forty-six forty-seven forty-eight forty-nine fifty, fifty-one fifty-two fifty-three fifty-four fifty-five fifty-six fifty-seven fifty-eight fifty-nine sixty, sixty-one sixty-two sixty-three sixty-four sixty-five sixty-six sixty-seven sixty-eight sixty-nine seventy, seventy-one seventy-two seventy-three seventy-four seventy-five seventy-six seventy-seven seventy-eight seventy-nine eighty,

eighty-one eighty-two eighty-three eighty-four eighty-five eighty-six eighty-seven eighty-eight eighty-nine ninety, ninety-one ninety-two ninety-three ninety-four ninety-five ninety-six ninety-seven ninety-eight ninety-nine one hundred

Talk soon,
Sam

Hello!

On my mind

How did we get here? That's the question that drives my curiosity and spurs me to write about good mothering in painful circumstances. I love talking about undoing human made systems of oppression, strength in kindness, spiritual doubt and faith, as well as my journey as a writer and my writing practices. Really, I will talk about anything...ask me about my dog, or my garden, or my grands.

Why I'm excited to talk with readers

I love talking about my novels with people who have read them--even when comments are critical. Writing is mostly a solitary task, but I write to be a part of the ongoing human conversation. I want my stories to help me and readers to think about the beauty and poignancy of the human condition. Talking with bookclubs and individuals is a great joy for me.

I'm grateful for the support of readers.

Best wishes,

Laila

Let's talk! Open to...👇
Freewheeling conversations
Questions about my writing
Questions about your writing
Writing in general
Getting to know you
🔔 Don't see a time that works?
Propose a time and we'll let you know when it's available to book!
Propose Time
Date
Time
Thank you for proposing a time!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
📚 Bring me to your Book Club!
I love talking with book clubs and would be delighted to meet with yours! Once you submit your request, Skolay will reach back out to you to confirm the details.
Cancel RequestStart Request
Book Club Request 
Specify a date & time
Propose up to 3 options
:
Add option
Option 2
:
Remove
Remove
Add option
Option 3
Option 2
:
Remove
Remove
Add option
Enter contact info
Send a note
Please share any details about your group that would be helpful: e.g., what you're reading, how many members, etc.
Thank you! Your submission has been received. We'll get back to you as soon as possible.
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
My latest
My Substack
 by 
Laila Ibrahim
Where I've written

Scarlet Carnation

1915. May and Naomi are extended family, their grandmothers’ lives inseparably entwined on a Virginia plantation in the volatile time leading up to the Civil War. For both women, the twentieth century promises social transformation and equal opportunity.

May, a young white woman, is on the brink of achieving the independent life she’s dreamed of since childhood. Naomi, a nurse, mother, and leader of the NAACP, has fulfilled her own dearest desire: buying a home for her family. But they both are about to learn that dreams can be destroyed in an instant. May’s future is upended, and she is forced to rely once again on her mother. Meanwhile, the white-majority neighborhood into which Naomi has moved is organizing against her while her sons are away fighting for their country.

In the tumult of a changing nation, these two women—whose grandmothers survived the Civil War—support each other’s quest for liberation and dignity. Both find the strength to confront injustice and the faith to thrive on their chosen paths.

See more
See less

Golden Poppies

It’s 1894. Jordan Wallace and Sadie Wagoner appear to have little in common. Jordan, a middle-aged black teacher, lives in segregated Chicago. Two thousand miles away, Sadie, the white wife of an ambitious German businessman, lives in more tolerant Oakland, California. But years ago, their families intertwined on a plantation in Virginia. There, Jordan’s and Sadie’s mothers developed a bond stronger than blood, despite the fact that one was enslaved and the other was the privileged daughter of the plantation’s owner.

With Jordan’s mother on her deathbed, Sadie leaves her disapproving husband to make the arduous train journey with her mother to Chicago. But the reunion between two families is soon fraught with personal and political challenges.

As the harsh realities of racial divides and the injustices of the Gilded Age conspire to hold them back, the women find they need each other more than ever. Their courage, their loyalty, and the ties that bind their families will be tested. Amid the tumult of a quickly changing nation, their destiny depends on what they’re willing to risk for liberation.

“Book clubs will find much to love in this impassioned tale of resilient women.”

Publishers Weekly

See more
See less

Paper Wife

Southern China, 1923. Desperate to secure her future, Mei Ling’s parents arrange a marriage to a widower in California. To enter the country, she must pretend to be her husband’s first wife—a paper wife.

On the perilous voyage, Mei Ling takes an orphan girl named Siew under her wing. Dreams of a better life in America give Mei Ling the strength to endure the treacherous journey and detainment on Angel Island. But when she finally reaches San Francisco, she’s met with a surprise. Her husband, Chinn Kai Li, is a houseboy, not the successful merchant he led her to believe.

Mei Ling is penniless, pregnant, and bound to a man she doesn’t know. Her fragile marriage is tested further when she discovers that Siew will likely be forced into prostitution. Desperate to rescue Siew, she must convince her husband that an orphan’s life is worth fighting for. Can Mei Ling find a way to make a real family—even if it’s built on a paper foundation?

See more
See less
What to know in advance of your conversation
Audio-only
All calls on Skolay are audio-only.
Where and how calls happen
You'll receive a phone call from Skolay at the time of your call that will automatically connect you with the writer.
Cancellations
Skolay offers free cancellations when done more than 24 hours in advance of a call. However, calls cancelled within 24 hours of the scheduled start time will incur a fee of 25% of the total price out of respect for the writer’s time.
Late to a call
You have five minutes to join the call after the scheduled start time. After that point the call window will close and you will be charged the full price of the conversation.