Bayside librarian Samera Kamaleddine reveals what inspired her to become an author

From reading books at a young age to becoming a published author, Randwick resident and Bayside librarian Samera Kamaleddine shares her incredible journey.

If you were to ask Samera Kamaleddine whether her younger self would believe she’d one day be a published author, the answer is no.

“Ten-year-old Samera wouldn’t (have) even thought that was even a career,” Ms Kamaleddine said.

“If I were to go back and tell 16-year-old Samera – the Samera with a bad attitude – that she’s written not one, but two books and that she’s on bookshelves … she would never believe it.

“When I was young, I knew that all I wanted to do was write. So I knew that’s what I wanted to do. I was obsessed with books.”

Samera Kamaleddine with her latest book and the acknowledgment from the Bayside Council. Picture: Lorraine Olmedo

Her obsession turned into a passionate career, with Ms Kamaleddine working as the Bayside Council’s Youth Librarian at the Rockdale Library for just over two years.

At the latest council meeting, Ms Kamaleddine was acknowledged for her latest book The Sideways Orbit of Evie Hart being short-listed in the Children’s Book Council Awards.

“I didn’t know until I was watching it live, cooking my salmon dinner and nearly burning it,” Ms Kamaleddine said.

“I switched it on to see who was on the list. And mine came up and I almost burnt my salmon because I didn’t know about it. My sister, she’s a teacher’s librarian, called me and was ‘oh my god, this is actually massive!’.”

The council’s mayor Bill Saravinovski commented that he hoped “she wins Book of the Year when the winners are announced in August”.

The inspiration behind the main character from her latest book was drawn from Ms Kamaleddine’s own childhood.

It took her eight months to write the book and another nine months before it was published in May 2023. Picture: Supplied

“I was quite an anxious child, so I knew that there was this little girl I wanted to write about,” she said.

Discussing the issue of anxiety in a way that helped kids in primary school was another aspect that she was conscious of.

“The idea about her dealing with changes going on around her, which at the time was Covid,” Ms Kamaleddine said.

“It just brought to light the idea of what if big changes happen in the world, not only just in your little immediate world, but the big world around you.

“Which also led me to space. Evie is learning how to deal with the little changes in her immediate world and her family and her school while also learning about all the changes that happened without us even noticing in the big, wide universe.”

Ms Kamaleddine is beyond grateful for the love and support from her friends and family. Picture: Supplied

As a result, her book has created a safe space for kids to understand and navigate the complex world of mental health.

“The character in this book has an eye twitch and she gets teased at school about it. A little girl came up to me and said ‘I have an eye twitch too!’” Ms Kamaleddine said.

“It’s very sweet. If I didn’t open myself up, that conversation would never have happened.”

The Randwick local mused on her time and many days spent in her school’s library, calling it a “special place” and how often she would get lost in the world of literature. She noted that her younger self never saw authors as real people.

“I didn’t humanise them all. So I would know their names, like Morris Gleitzman and John Marsden because they were authors that I liked,” Ms Kamaleddine said.

Samera Kamaleddine always knew writing was the path she'd take. Picture: Heist Creative/Supplied

“I liked to read their books, but I never kind of personified them and thought that’s actually a real person, and that’s their job.”

For any aspiring authors out there, the biggest piece of advice Ms Kamaleddine has is to “read books”.

“Reading is sometimes more important than writing, and I say this to young people all the time,” she said.

Ms Kamaleddine’s first book Half My Luck won The Matilda Children’s Literature Prize.