She is just 23, of Bulgarian-Syrian descent. She was born here, in Bulgaria, got her education here and describes herself as a bridge between the two countries – Syria and Bulgaria.

What can her motives be in writing this novel? Diane Shaer:

“The events taking place in Syria, the fact that my father’s family is over there, prompted me to sit down and write the first pages of my novel. I see him suffering when he watched the news, when he talks to his relatives. These are emotions that really pull at my heart. I have a very close relationship with my father so this is the way I chose to show my love for him – by writing a book. My protagonist is a young girl called Saraya. She starts out life by marrying in Syria. She is very happy, but once the war starts her whole life changes… The book demonstrates the power of the human spirit to vanquish any pain and suffering. She loses her family, her love, but overcomes it all in the name of life. The story begins in Syria and ends in Bulgaria. Readers will be able to travel this road together with Saraya and feel everything a human being can feel when going through the horrors of war, becoming a refugee, going to a foreign land.”

It was only when the book came out of print that Diane’s father realized it was devoted to him, to his home country Syria, as he remembers it.

Diane has many beautiful memories of the time she spent her holidays in Syria with her relatives. She says that at Bayram, for example, people would go and give neighbours meat. But there is one memory she cherishes deep in her heart. It is connected with a wonderful platonic love, a love that found expression in an exchange of letters, written in Arabic. These are memories that also served as an inspiration for the book.

Diane is deeply affected by the division wrought among people by the wave of refugees. She says that some of the refugees have suffered a great deal, that they are in need of help, of support wherever they may go, because it is a terrible thing to leave your country, to lose your family, to have nowhere to go. But, on the other hand, it should be known that not all of them seek salvation, some seek destruction…

We ask her whether she has an explanation of why young people get involved with terrorists and perpetrate terrorist acts. This is something that is frequently discussed in her family, she says that the young are easier to manipulate, easier to be indoctrinated. That is why they choose to join this wave of violence.

What place do Bulgaria and Syria have in Diane’s heart?  Here is her answer: “Bulgaria is my home, the place I grew up. I have imbibed of its traditions, upbringing and social environment. But my roots are in Syria, so I am bound to go back to them.”

Provoked by the book’s title, we ask the young author – room in heaven for whom?

“I think there is room for all those innocent souls whose lives were wasted in vain. There are two guiding forces here, on Earth and I have described them in my book. They are goodness and love. It is them we must safeguard if we want to be more human.”

Finally, here is the message Diane Shaer wants to convey: “One life is all we have and now is the time to live it, because for some of us, tomorrow may never come”.

English version: Milena Daynova