Thanks to Author Loubna Hassanieh, Ph.D the search for a good summer read is officially over! Thank goodness! Where Will My Heart Beat is the perfect engaging, hard-to-put-down book that you will want to take with you everywhere.

Screen Shot 2019-06-25 at 3.16.22 PM.png

Where Will My Heart Beat is a poignant story of good and evil, and loss and redemption. One of the main characters returns to his past where he reconnects with a former love and searches his soul for intuitive guidance. IdentifyLA got a moment to catch up with the author about her books' debut!

The following has been edited for continuity purposes.

Identify LA: What can our readers expect from your book? What makes it different from other books out there?

Loubna Hassanieh: Where Will My Heart Beat? is an ingenious and gripping page-turner that tells the story of young lovers torn apart. It conveys the struggle between good and evil, where one brother is obsessed with money and power, while another, in tune with his spirituality, strives to mend and help. The complex narrative explores universal themes, connecting the past to the present, as the drama comes full circle. The main characters are forced to move beyond the limitations of human consciousness in an effort to understand the mysteries of the human experience. Where Will My Heart Beat? is a visionary novel that is thought provoking and emotionally engaging.

IDLA: Please tell our readers what inspired you to write the book as well as more about your background.

Screen Shot 2019-06-25 at 3.16.03 PM.png

LH: I was born and raised in Beirut, Lebanon, during the grueling years of wars and invasions. Growing up in a country torn by uncertainty and violence was painful and limiting for a young child curious to learn about life and the world. And while I may have never met the kids growing up down the street from my parents' house in Beirut, I was courageous enough to come to LA, learn a foreign language, and embrace a multicultural and vibrant society. I earned a BS in biology from UCLA, and a PhD in biochemistry and molecular biology from USC. I worked as a Research Scientist at Vasgene Therapeutics in LA, in collaboration with USC. I am a published scientist with a deep conviction that science alone is not enough to understand the mysterious world we live in and our part in it. I believe that if we nurture our spiritual side, we will be able to connect with each other better and maybe make the world a friendlier place. Where Will My Heart Beat? is a conscious attempt at raising questions and sparking the conversation about life and death.

IDLA: How long have you lived in Los Angeles county and what ties do you have to the area?

LH: I have been a resident of LA for the last 30 years. My son, Jason, and daughter, Grace were born in LA county. I currently reside with my husband and two children in Oak Park, CA.

IDLA: Tell us more about your upcoming Barnes & Noble book signing in Ventura and where else your book is available to be purchased.

LH: Barnes & Noble in Ventura will be hosting a book-signing event for my book Where Will My Heart Beat? on June 29, 2019, 1 PM - 3 PM located at 4820 Telephone Road, Ventura, Ca. My book, Where Will My Heart Beat? is available in hardcover, softcover, and e-book through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and can be ordered from bookstores worldwide.

IDLA: Do you have any more books planned?

LH: I am in the process of writing my second novel.