About Saleema
Saleema Ishq doesn’t just write what she knows; she writes what she fears.
Her gripping psychological thrillers are born from the unsettling 'what ifs' that gnaw at her mind -- existential questions like, "What if I’m a danger to everyone around me?" or "What if I wake up as someone else?"
But fear has a funny way of showing up off the page, too. That same mind once made her blurt out “I have OCD” to more than 100,000 listeners on live radio. What she was sure had just ended her career instead filled her inbox with messages from people saying, “Thank you, I thought I was the only one.”
That moment taught Saleema that the parts of ourselves we’re most afraid to share are often the exact things people connect with most deeply. It’s the thread that ties together her fiction writing and keynote speaking: helping audiences turn self-doubt into self-trust, confidence, and opportunity.
Saleema's debut novel, Sisters Arcana, was a finalist in the New Mexico Book Awards and nominated for Best Thriller in the Indieverse Awards. She was also one of the Top 5 Nominees for Best Author in the 2025 New Mexico Entertainment Awards.
When she’s not writing or speaking, you can find Saleema trail running in the Sandia Mountains, journaling, or trying to type with a cat sprawled across her keyboard.
