Rita Avaud A Najm

My name is Rita A. Aouad Abinajm, and I am an American-Lebanese mother of two wonderful boys, Leonid and Mark.

I have always loved writing; it has been one of my passions, along with painting, since I was seven years old. My very first work was a play with song lyrics. As a child in Lebanon, I developed a deep love for reading and writing Arabic and French poetry, even winning first prize in an Arabic poetry competition when I was 11.

While I lived in Lebanon until I was married, moving my family to Houston, Texas in 2007 spurred many changes. I shifted my career from a cardiac surgery registered nurse and returned to college to study business management. This led to a rich and joyful experience working as a library assistant, which ultimately changed my professional focus. My college graduation project became a Teacher and Parents’ Guide designed to encourage elementary students to read more non-fiction and poetry, that I had the chance to publish recently.

My destiny brought me to Utah, where I was excited to discover the availability of dual French immersion programs in many public schools. As a multilingual person whose second language is French, this inspired me to write a collection of children's stories.

These stories feature a seven-year-old girl named Rita, reflecting some of my own childhood experiences that I wished to share. Young readers will enjoy following Rita’s daily life, cute adventures, and learning basic French words through her short conversations with her parents.

I have many other children's stories prepared for future publication, and I remain committed to growing my collection. My hope is that my love for writing will inspire young readers everywhere.