Sunday, October 30, 2005

Now That's Poetry

Big congratulations to Hisham Alawi Al Sakin on the publication of his very first book of poetry a few days ago. His book includes a lovely collection of 30 poems written in English. This is great news not only for Hisham, but for the literary scene in general in Bahrain.

I've known Hisham for a long time as I had the pleasure of working with him during my time at the Bahrain Tribune. I remember last year, not long after I launched my novel, we met at a doughnut shop, discussing various matter of literature, poetry and publishing. And I am glad that Hisham went ahead with his work and produced this collection, which I am raring to read. Unfortunately, I missed his launch ceremony, but you can read all about it and about the book as well, in this GDN article.

Once again, congrats Hisham on this achievement and let's hope to see more of you in the future.

(PS. I still owe you a cup of coffee)

Tuesday, October 25, 2005

A Year Last Week!

Last week marked the 1st anniversary of the launch of my debut novel QuixotiQ. It was on October 21, 2004, at around 8pm in the Booksplus of Seef Mall, that scores of people turned up for the event. It was a glorious night that I will never forget for the rest of my life.

It was thanks to those people and everyone who was involved and supportive, that QuixotiQ went on to become what it is today. A national award-winning, best-selling novel. And that is why, in due time, I am hoping to release a new special edition of the novel. I am currently in the process of redesigning and revising.

But I have also been busy with the collection of short stories that I've been yearning to publish for a very long time. Now titled Moments, the collection will feature about 22 stories. You might be interested to know that I was planning on publishing the collection before QuixotiQ, as it wasn't even finished back then.

Anyhow, my dear partner Karen has been doing a great job in editing and proofreading the stories and I am very happy with the progress. I am hoping that it will all be ready shortly. Cover design and concept have also been created.

On other news, Apodis Publishing, Cavan Terrill's new exciting venture, have rejected two of my short stories (both sci-fi), Writers Block and Newton's Hope, for their future anthology. But I would like to leave you on a happier note! I had failed to mention earlier that, at long last, the new issue of Gold Dust Magazine has been published, featuring my short story Ezrael's Leaf and an author interview with yours truly. Make sure you get your hands on a copy right away!

Sunday, October 16, 2005

The Noble Way

If you think that it is not physically possible to actually laugh till you explode, then you haven't heard or seen Ross Noble yet!

Noble is simply and undoubtedly one of the funniest 'blokes' on the planet Erath today. I had the pleasure of finally seeing him perform live in the flesh at the Corn Exchange a week or so ago. Me and my partner were laughing so hard we thought we're going to have a heart attack any minute now. I had seen Noble on telly before, but the live experience is certainly unforgettable.

He is now my favorite comedian. His witt and absolute recklessness with his jokes are hard to be matched by any other stand up comedian of his generation. Nothing is sacred, his random approach to comedy is one that is sure to knock anyone down with tear-jerking laughter. With no script or rehearsed sketches, he creates situations that are certainly out of this world.

If you've never heard or seen him, I urge you to do so. God you will laugh, trust me do. I for one find myself at the verge of physically exploding from the inside whenever he is on.

Saturday, October 01, 2005

Oh It Feels So Good!

It is finally here. Right there in my hands...

Neil Gaiman latest nove, Anansi Boys. The one I've been waiting for for quite a while. And I can't wait to read it. The first few pages sound promising and I know mr Gaiman wouldn't disappoint. This is the man, after all, who inspired me to become a writer.

I'll try and post a full review of the novel once I had read it.

Progress on my third (or second?!) novel is right on track. Just a couple of days ago, I had passed the 21k mark. So, only two months into writing it, I am almost halfway there, which is, to say the least, both surprising and somewhat of a relief. Taking in mind that QuixotiQ took almost 5 years to complete and that I have already spend just around two years working on Buried, this is quite remarkable! Mind you, this will be the shortest novel I attempt, with a target of about 45k.

It's funny though, why I'm feeling more confident writing Against, even though it perhaps contains some of the most daring and controversial stuff I have come up with yet. The flow of writing it is very satisfying and I am finding that I am in full control of it, contrary to my debut novel. Having said that, I always found it the hardest when it comes to writing the second half of the novel. So I must be in for the tough part now. It's uphill from here on!

Stay tuned my darlings!