Conversation with Sarah Kushairi
Sarah Kushairi is a clinical pharmacist and lecturer from Malaysia who never quite shook off her childhood dream of becoming a writer. Armed with a Bachelor of Pharmacy (Honours) from International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) and an MSc in Clinical Pharmacy from University College London (UCL), she splits her time between the world of pharmaceuticals and storytelling.
At twelve, Sarah ambitiously started her first Harry Potter-inspired novel. Two chapters in, she decided to “come back to it later”—she never did. But her love for writing found other outlets. Her health and beauty articles have appeared in Malaysian newspapers, and she’s shared her expertise on TV and radio. Her personal piece “Tudung Mana?” was featured in the anthology Hijab: Everyday Stories of Muslim Women from Singapore and Beyond (Helang Books, 2023).
When Master’s coursework at UCL became overwhelming, Sarah turned stress into creativity, self-publishing her first travelogue Snippets of Travels: Musings and Travelogues across 5 Countries (Amazon KDP, 2024). Her upcoming non-fiction book The Art of Embracing Failure (Karangkraf, 2025) explores finding strength in setbacks.
Jannah is ^NOT Average marks her return to fiction—her debut novel inspired by true stories from her days as a science stream student in 2006-2007 Malaysia. Sometimes the best stories come from writers who’ve taken the long way around.
1. Sarah, you’re a clinical pharmacist, lecturer, and now an author—how do you balance science and storytelling in your life?
Sarah: I would like to say ‘I don’t. I’m really tired!’- just like that one famous interview on the internet. Hahahah.
Okay, let’s get serious. For me, the after-working hours/weekends/public holidays are very precious. I’ll try not bring work matters home. I’ll optimise my working hours towards doing only work stuff. Once I’m home, I’ll dedicate my time towards my passion- reading, writing, crafting, playing musical instruments or just relaxing and watching Netflix. I feel that it’s important to create a barrier between your ‘profession’ and ‘passion’ hours, so you can really focus on each in their specific time.
2. What role did your late grandmother’s words, “Be someone who’ll make me proud,” play in shaping your journey?
Sarah: In JINA, it was her late grandmother who inspired her. In my own journey, it was my late mother. Growing up, I never really felt any IMMENSE pressure to make her proud. She wasn’t too strict or harsh on me or my siblings (and yet we turned out well!) and I think that she had always been proud of us, no matter how small that achievement is. She was someone who encouraged us to do our best, no matter what the outcome is. Whenever we faced any difficulties, she always tried to get us back on our feet. It made her proud whenever she saw us bouncing back from failures and setbacks. It made her prouder whenever we achieved something worthwhile, of course.
Even when she’s no longer here, I’ll try my best to make her proud. It means that I shall continue doing my best, and to be resilient when facing adversities.
3. You started writing at 12 with a Harry Potter-inspired novel. How did that early spark influence your later writing?
Sarah: When I was in my early teenage years, I loved fantasy and magical stuff. Hence, I was particularly obsessed with Harry Potter. But later on, I realized that life is not easy. Hahaha. It’s hard being a teenager, it’s harder being an adult with responsibilities. From thereon, I felt that I wanted to write something that could comfort or motivate people, something that could touch their hearts, make them feel seen and heard, consequently making them feel that they’re not alone. Doing this heals me as well. I believe that when you help other people, you’re also helping yourself.
4. Many know you for health and beauty articles—how different was the experience of writing your first travelogue, Snippets of Travels?
Sarah: The health and beauty articles are scientific and factual, and shouldn’t contain errors that could mislead the readers. Those were written to educate and disseminate new information to the public.
Snippets of Travels consists of a collection of blog posts I had written since 2014. It was fun, and I didn’t write them for other people, as I wrote them for my own satisfaction. So, it was more laidback.
5. Your upcoming book, The Art of Embracing Failure, explores setbacks. What personal experience led you to this theme?
Sarah: A friend once told me “It’s nice being you” and I am left puzzled. Sure, I’m doing my best to live my life to the fullest, but people only see what I had chosen to display to the public, but people do not see various hurdles and setbacks that I had to overcome (still have to overcome- healing is not a linear process) to get to where I am. Not just me, the same goes other people you see online- who seemingly lead a perfect life. But these people have had their own battles as well. The only reason why they emerged successful is because they managed to win their own battles- battles that no one had seen. So in this book, I want to help others to embrace failure and move forward in life, and live life to their fullest.
6. Jannah is ^NOT Average is inspired by your school years in Malaysia. How much of Jannah’s struggle reflects your own teenage journey?
Sarah: Additional Maths. Seriously. It was my worst subject at school- eventually managed to get an A1 for it- thanks to Mr. Chong! Also, the pressure of taking up to 10 subjects for SPM, and the struggles of being in a science stream where everyone else was such a genius.
7. The novel blends ambition, academic pressure, and even a mysterious old house. What inspired that mix of realism and imagination?
Sarah: The Japanese dramas I watched. When I was 18-20, I watched A LOT of Japanese dramas. These dramas are short, usually 10 episodes (1 hour/episode), but they are really meaningful. Succint, straight to the point, inspirational. School dramas such as Gokusen, Nobuta wo Produce, Dragon Zakura sometimes feature different genres in each episode. The characters are quirky as well, and the storylines often don’t make sense, but they are entertaining. I can say these dramas inspired me to write JINA.
8. What message do you hope young readers—especially those who feel “average”—will take from Jannah’s story?
Sarah: Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t achieve the things that you want. As long as you work hard towards it, then you will achieve it! Also, be someone who supports and encourages people, rather than someone who is pessimistic and discouraging. Sometimes you need to be realistic, of course. But do it kindly.
9. Looking ahead, do you see yourself focusing more on fiction, non-fiction, or keeping one foot in both worlds?
Sarah: Both, of course! I love reading fictions and non-fictions. Both are important! You can’t say that reading non-fictions is more beneficial than reading fictions. Fictions teach us something that non-fictions couldn’t. So I have to write both!