MEET SARENA & SASHA
SUCCESS IS TWICE AS SWEET
Sarena Nanua and Sasha Nanuna love sharing their love of writing with passionate students.
Names: Sarena and Sasha Nanua. I was named after a picture book featuring a swan named Sarena! Our dad picked Sasha’s name. I guess you could say it’s a twin thing to have our names start with the same letter.
Currently: Our book A Riddle of Thorns has just been published! It is a young adult dark academia romantic mystery set in Edwardian Paris. Think: puzzles, riddles, and long-buried secrets in a crumbling Parisian manor!
Our lives in 50 words (or less!): Yoga, writing, teaching, cooking, reading, TV, repeat! We love sharing our love of writing with passionate students!
The writers in us took flight when: We were nine years old, on an airplane, and bored; Sasha opened up a blank notebook and started drawing. She realized she didn’t like drawing, so she started writing. I (Sarena) continued the story from there. I guess you could say our creativity actually took flight!
The creative in us wishes: That in our modern society we’re given the time and space to be creative without the need for monetization.
My favourite line in poetry: Hope is the thing with feathers – Emily Dickinson.
Favourite colours: Red (Sasha). Purple (Sarena)
Favourite designer: This is a total cop-out, as we don’t have a favourite designer, but we do adore the song Designer by NCT 127!
Favourite movies: Ratatouille and Monster House.
Favourite books/authors: Percy Jackson (Rick Riordan), Pretty Little Liars (Sara Shepard).
Favourite TV shows: Currently, Murdoch Mysteries and Masterchef Canada!
Favourite ice cream flavour: Mint chocolate chip, or something with pecans (Sarena). Chocolate chip (Sasha).
Favourite cuisine: Middle Eastern/Mexican – tacos and shawarmas (Sasha). Italian, Indian, and Chinese (Sarena)!
Favourite restaurant: Eataly! (We love Lidia Bastianich!)
Favourite activities: Reading (and bookstore-browsing), cooking, mall-walking (Sasha). Crocheting and cross-stitching (specifically for Sarena).
I hang out: With friends while playing board games or video games. There’s no better – or traumatic – bonding experience than levelling up in Overcooked.
I’m freaked out by: The fast-moving world of technology.
I need: Nightly cozy mystery and/or foodie television.
A Riddle of Thorns by Sarena Nanua and Sasha Nanua is published by Holiday House, $26.99.
My role models: Our parents, brother, and maternal grandmother.
Tips to save the planet: Read more!
In a perfect world: Everyone would understand the pleasure of a good book.
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