BOOKS, WRITING, LIFE
My latest release, Love Comes Later, is a contemporary multicultural romance, set in Doha, Qatar and London, England.
One of the great things about websites and indie publishing is that you can offer readers extra features.
Here’s my first one, based on feedback from beta readers who asked for family tree of my Qatari characters.
We hear songs, watch movies, and yes, read books about that most elusive of emotions: love. No matter if your culture practices arranged marriages (Indian/Arab) or not (the west). No matter if your parents are divorced (fell out of love) or not. No matter if you are married (harder to stay in love?) or not. I could tell you how at one point in human history marriage was thought of a business transaction, a way to consolidate wealth within families or across countries. Or that modern society has not eased up on women to have a man (and a baby or two) in order to think we have it all. You’re smart. You know these schemes around the world’s most sought after prize — finding one’s soul mate.
Love is at the core of contemporary culture. Despite your best efforts, there’s no way to avoid it. From Bollywood to Hollywood the themes are the ones passed to us by the Bard himself, William Shakespeare. Star crossed lovers; repudiated love; timid love; the plot lines are as familiar as the headlines for celebrity breakups. Were, for example, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes ever in love? Or was it a career furthering scheme drafted in the cold light of day between agents? What will happen to Suri Curise, the tiny fashion maven?
Those are questions for a very different story than the one I wrote inspired by the dreams, wishes, and desires of young people living in Qatar.
Love Comes Later is my second novel, a meditation on how non-western people of this generation will find happiness. I’m excited to say the book is now available for purchase on Amazon.com.
As a writer I’m not immune to the questions of the commercial love machine. After all romance readers account for a large portion of book sales year round. Romance writers are like country singers; they come out with albums on a yearly basis and their fans make them best sellers. I’m not sure if I’m going to become what’s called a genre writer and stick only to romance from now on. This story, of three protagonists, Abdulla, Hind, and Sangita, came to me as a love triangle.
I can tell you that based on the five books I’ve released this year, the novel is the one everyone gets excited about. Short stories and essays may get a passing look, but a novel still seems to inspire more wonder and likelihood of risk on a new author. This new project will help me further test my hypothesis… or you can share your thoughts on my theory and enlighten me.
If you like your romance more visual than textual, then have a look at the book’s YouTube trailer. As always, writers need readers, so please take a second and let me know what you think!
People demonstrating for the overthrow of their dictators. The first democratically elected president EVER in Egypt. The World Cup on the Arabian Peninsula in 2022. Burmese political prisoner Aung San Suu Kyi released from house arrest and running for office. America was not immune to the winds of change: president Obama became the first black president in the history of the republic.
If you’re like me, you fee the optimism in the air and are trying to find your own way to contribute to this unprecedented change. Since I’m a writer, the options for me are to blog, Tweet, share, and of course, write books, about what I see happening all around me.
You may know from previous posts about my memoir about living in Qatar. FROM DUNES TO DIOR has reached number 49 on Amazon.com’s non-fiction list.
I also wrote a creative writing guide to getting started for aspiring writers because so many people have stories to tell and constantly ask me about how to get published. There are so many guides like this in the English market but virtually none for Arabic writers. I’m thrilled to say SO YOU WANT TO SELL A MILLION COPIES is now available for free in Arabic exclusively on my website.
The publishing industry has changed dramatically with the onset of digital books. The global political landscape is changing and needs to continue to change as despots still rule in places like Syria.
But as we keep on listening, learning. and supporting the brave ones all over the world agitating for change, this the brighter future we can give our children and their children.
