Mobashar Qureshi
Encyclopedia
Mobashar Qureshi is a Canadian novelist and short story writer and was born in Benin City
, Nigeria in 1978. When he was eight his family moved to Karachi
, Pakistan
, staying there for over a year and then moving to Toronto
, Canada
, where he now resides. Qureshi graduated from the University of Toronto
with a degree in Economics
.
Qureshi wrote his first novel, the unpublished sci-fi/horror thriller The Terror Birds at the age of eighteen. During university, Qureshi wrote a detective novel, An Unforgettable Mistake, about a detective mourning the loss of his wife. After many rejections from publishers and agents the novel was shelved away and remains unpublished. After graduating Qureshi wrote short stories for the amusement of himself and his friends and many are now available in a collection titled, Ten Typewriter Tales. As he entered the work force, he had to confine his writing to evenings and weekends, developing his writer’s voice, until he completed his first fully realized novel, R.A.C.E., published by The Mercury Press in 2007. R.A.C.E. is a comedy/mystery about a parking officer who is assigned by his precinct to save Toronto
from radical criminals bent on developing black-market narcotics. The debut novel was critically acclaimed and the Canadian literary review magazine Quill and Quire named Qureshi one of the top ten Canadian emerging mystery writers for 2007.
During the writing of R.A.C.E. Qureshi began plotting his next novel which would eventually become The October Five published by The Mercury Press in 2009. The October Five, another mystery, is about the ongoing investigation into a series of brutal murders by Chicago
Homicide Detective Karl Whaler. The novel has a unique cast of characters; principally, five Viet Nam veterans, who regularly meet secretly in a room.
Taking his police procedural narrative in a different direction, Qureshi’s most recent novel is The Paperboys Club. This mystery/thriller with a psychological twist again features intriguing characters including a troubled mental patient who possesses three extraordinary powers; three children who each have a different one of each of these powers and the mother of one of the children, a female police detective who must solve a cold case in order to earn a promotion.
The Paperboys Club marked an exciting new direction in publishing for Qureshi as he released the novel on-line as an e-book, along with his previous two titles, and his short story collection.
Qureshi, like most novelists, is an avid reader and he has had many influences on his writing career, including his favourite writer, the late Michael Crichton
. As Qureshi explains it, he is inspired by the way Crichton continued to reinvent and challenge himself with each book he produced by moving from genre to genre. Qureshi made a conscious decision not to repeat himself after R.A.C.E. by publishing another novel featuring the affable lead character Jon Rupret. While the publishing world seems to encourage writers to develop a series of books based on one or two popular characters Qureshi prefers to pursue his own muse and see where that takes him.
Benin City
Benin City, is a city and the capital of Edo State in southern Nigeria. It is a city approximately twenty-five miles north of the Benin River. It is situated 200 miles by road east of Lagos...
, Nigeria in 1978. When he was eight his family moved to Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, staying there for over a year and then moving to Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, where he now resides. Qureshi graduated from the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
with a degree in Economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
.
Qureshi wrote his first novel, the unpublished sci-fi/horror thriller The Terror Birds at the age of eighteen. During university, Qureshi wrote a detective novel, An Unforgettable Mistake, about a detective mourning the loss of his wife. After many rejections from publishers and agents the novel was shelved away and remains unpublished. After graduating Qureshi wrote short stories for the amusement of himself and his friends and many are now available in a collection titled, Ten Typewriter Tales. As he entered the work force, he had to confine his writing to evenings and weekends, developing his writer’s voice, until he completed his first fully realized novel, R.A.C.E., published by The Mercury Press in 2007. R.A.C.E. is a comedy/mystery about a parking officer who is assigned by his precinct to save Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
from radical criminals bent on developing black-market narcotics. The debut novel was critically acclaimed and the Canadian literary review magazine Quill and Quire named Qureshi one of the top ten Canadian emerging mystery writers for 2007.
During the writing of R.A.C.E. Qureshi began plotting his next novel which would eventually become The October Five published by The Mercury Press in 2009. The October Five, another mystery, is about the ongoing investigation into a series of brutal murders by Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
Homicide Detective Karl Whaler. The novel has a unique cast of characters; principally, five Viet Nam veterans, who regularly meet secretly in a room.
Taking his police procedural narrative in a different direction, Qureshi’s most recent novel is The Paperboys Club. This mystery/thriller with a psychological twist again features intriguing characters including a troubled mental patient who possesses three extraordinary powers; three children who each have a different one of each of these powers and the mother of one of the children, a female police detective who must solve a cold case in order to earn a promotion.
The Paperboys Club marked an exciting new direction in publishing for Qureshi as he released the novel on-line as an e-book, along with his previous two titles, and his short story collection.
Qureshi, like most novelists, is an avid reader and he has had many influences on his writing career, including his favourite writer, the late Michael Crichton
Michael Crichton
John Michael Crichton , best known as Michael Crichton, was an American best-selling author, producer, director, and screenwriter, best known for his work in the science fiction, medical fiction, and thriller genres. His books have sold over 200 million copies worldwide, and many have been adapted...
. As Qureshi explains it, he is inspired by the way Crichton continued to reinvent and challenge himself with each book he produced by moving from genre to genre. Qureshi made a conscious decision not to repeat himself after R.A.C.E. by publishing another novel featuring the affable lead character Jon Rupret. While the publishing world seems to encourage writers to develop a series of books based on one or two popular characters Qureshi prefers to pursue his own muse and see where that takes him.
Works
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | The Cases of Jack Gray | An on-line comic book site created with a friend |
| 2007 | R.A.C.E. | Available in book form and on Amazon Kindle |
| 2009 | The October Five | Available in book form and on Amazon Kindle |
| 2011 | Paperboys Club | Available on Amazon Kindle |
| 2011 | Ten Typewriter Tales | Short stories available on Amazon Kindle |
External links
- Mobashar Qureshi Official Site
- Official Facebook Page Mobashar Qureshi – The Author
- Mobashar Qureshi @Twitter
- Blog Mobashar’s Musings
- R.A.C.E. fan trailer on YouTube
- October Five fan trailer on YouTube