Mubashshera Talks About Her Book “Between Almost & Always ”

About the Author:

I’m Mubashshera, a microbiologist by profession, but a storyteller by instinct, quietly drawn to the kind of stories that unfold slowly and stay long after they’re over. In between mentoring and tutoring medical and pharmacy students, I spend my time reading, writing, and getting lost in worlds of my own making, where emotions linger, silences speak, and nothing ever rushes, especially love. I’m endlessly curious, always wandering, always observing, collecting small, ordinary moments and turning them into something softer, deeper… sometimes a little more aching than I intended. This is the first time I’m sharing my work, and it feels a lot like the stories I love, exciting, uncertain, and unfolding one careful step at a time. I’m really glad you’re here for it. I have a soft spot for slow-burn romance, the kind that builds quietly, almost unnoticed, until it becomes everything. Though I won’t lie… I do like it a little dark. And if there’s iced coffee involved, I’m already halfway in love.

Exclusive interview with the author

Q: What Inspired You To Write This Book?

A: This story was born from the idea that sometimes people don’t run because they feel nothing… they run because they feel too much. I wanted to explore love through fear, vulnerability, timing, and the quiet ache of almost choosing someone but being terrified of what comes after.

Nora and Danny became two people standing on opposite sides of that fear. Nora built her life around control, while Danny became the kind of love that stays steady even when things get complicated. Their story slowly turned into something deeper than romance for me, it became about learning that love isn’t always loud. Sometimes it’s patient. Sometimes it waits. And sometimes… it asks you to stop running long enough to let yourself be loved.

Q: Can You Tell Us About The Book?

A: Between Almost & Always is a slow-burn romance centered around two people who are incredibly different in the way they love, fear, and survive.

Nora Sterling is a cardiologist who has spent her entire life choosing control over uncertainty, while Danny Orwell is a multimillionaire hotelier who knows exactly what he wants the moment he feels it.

At its core, the story is about emotional tension, timing, vulnerability, and the quiet space between almost choosing love… and finally allowing yourself to keep it. It’s soft, intense, a little heartbreaking at times, but deeply rooted in healing, longing, and learning that love doesn’t always have to feel temporary.

Q: What Does The Title Mean?

A: The title represents the space the entire story lives in, the fragile distance between almost choosing someone and finally choosing to stay.

For me, “almost” is fear, hesitation, timing, and everything left unsaid. “Always” is certainty, acceptance, and the kind of love that remains despite it all.

Nora and Danny spend most of the story somewhere in between those two things, and honestly… I think a lot of people do too.

Q: What did you learn while writing this book?

A: I learned that sometimes people run from love not because it’s wrong… but because it feels too important to lose.

Writing Nora and Danny taught me that vulnerability is terrifying, but avoiding it costs even more. And somewhere between all the almosts and alwayses, I realized that the right kind of love doesn’t force you to change, it simply makes you feel safe enough to stay.

Q: Do You Try More To Be Original Or To Deliver To Readers What They Want?

A: Honestly, I think the best stories happen somewhere in between. Readers connect with emotions they recognize, longing, love, fear, vulnerability, but I also never want my stories to feel empty or written just to follow trends.

With Between Almost & Always, I focused more on making the emotions feel real. The originality came naturally through Nora and Danny, their dynamic, their silences, and the way they love each other.

Q: What is the most difficult part about writing for you?

A: Probably translating emotions exactly the way I feel them in my head. Sometimes a scene feels so intense emotionally while imagining it, but putting that same depth into words without overdoing it can be really difficult.

And honestly, knowing when to stop editing is another struggle. At some point you just have to let the story go and trust that readers will feel what you meant them to feel.

Q: What does success mean to you?

A: Success, for me, is creating something that truly connects with people. If a reader finishes my book and feels understood, emotional, attached to the characters, or carries a line from the story with them for a long time… that already means a lot to me.

Of course, every author dreams of their book reaching more people, becoming widely loved, and growing beyond them. But at the core of it, success is knowing that something which once only existed in my mind now exists in someone else’s heart too.

Q: Where do you get your greatest ideas for writing?

A: Majorly from emotions, observations, and people. I closely pay attention to conversations, silence, relationships, the way people love, avoid feelings, or “pretend”not to care when they actually care too much.

And honestly, reading has also shaped me a lot. Sometimes I feel like books let us live a thousand different lives, and somewhere between all those stories, you slowly start creating your own too.

Q: What advice would you give to aspiring authors?

A: First, find the genre and niche you genuinely connect with. Read a lot within that space, observe what makes readers feel attached, and slowly build your own voice from it.

I think good writing comes from understanding people deeply. Talk to people, observe them, spend time listening to their experiences, emotions, habits, and reactions. Sometimes even asking yourself, “If I were in this situation, what would I do?” helps shape scenes and characters naturally.

And when creating characters, learn everything about them, their personalities, likes, dislikes, fears, comforts, habits… even the smallest details matter because that’s what makes fictional people feel real.

This book is published by OrangeBooks Publication. All rights are reserved with the author & the publisher.