Karim Shamsi-Basha immigrated to the United States from Damascus-Syria in 1984 at the age of 18. His children's book, "The Cat Man of Aleppo", will be published by Penguin in 2020. His YA novel, "Cactus Pear", is about a Muslim teenage boy in love with a Christian girl amidst the Syrian civil war. Karim's work has appeared in "Sports Illustrated", "People", "Time", "Southern Living", "The Alabama News Center", "Aramco World magazine", "The New York Times", "The Washington Post", and others. He wrote an essay for the book, "Alabama Christmas", alongside Helen Keller and Truman Capote. His books include "The Beauty Box", "Shelter from the Storm", and "Home Sweet Home Alabama". His blog, "Arab in Alabama", has appeared on "The Huffington Post". Karim is a single father to three precious human beings: Zade, Dury, and Demi. He lives by the motto, "Carpe diem", seizing every moment of this beautiful life.