Digital Literature: eBooks Launched

Been meaning to get more involved with eBooks and digital publishing for a while. So I finally decided to take the plunge and release a couple of titles online.

My short story, "Fragile Beings", is now published exclusively online and can be downloaded, get this, for FREE! Yup, how about that. Just follow the link, click download and enjoy a quick read.

Here's a blurb for it:

"In a future world where a mysterious disease transforms humans into another species, one woman tries to come to terms with the loss of her husband."

Interesting? Go read to find out...




Almost 3 years after its original release, you guys can now download my poetry book, "Sad Man Dancing" in digital format here. It's available for $2.50 only (that's less than 1 dinar for you, Bahrain folks)!

Not So Random Anymore

My new book, The Randomist, is a collection of memories, tales and reflections based on my own personal experiences as a Bahraini young man and a writer, combining cultural and social commentary with personal anecdotes. These include columns, essays and blog posts.

It was supposed to be launched around springtime, but due to the current instability in my country, and around the region, it’s put on hold for now. I am even considering adding a few more bits about the recent events that my country has witnessed since February 14.

What’s fascinating is how different these writings sound now, some of them even relevant, directly or indirectly, to this current unrest, while others now paint an image of a country that was and never will be. I’m looking at it now with completely different eyes.

I had received my mockup sample a few weeks ago. It looked pretty good. Hard cover, dust jacket with 240 pages. The cover features an illustration by my good friend artist Mariam Haji and is designed by myself.

But there were also a few glitches that need to be ironed out, the biggest of which is the size of the font, which is way too small for a hardcover book. So that’s a technical issue that needs to be corrected. Apart from that, I’m happy with the look and feel of the book. And with it’s content as well. Again, some editing here and there gotta be done before the final copy is printed.

I still hope that the book will come out before the end of the year, probably even later in summer. But I wonder what it will mean to me, to my Bahraini readers, and how will others perceive it now.

It doesn’t seem that random anymore.

It's a Question of Perception

It's strange how a writer feels about a story that he revisits years after writing it! You find things and patterns and discover elements that you haven't noticed before. One thing I noticed while I was revising QuixotiQ was how the style of writing slighty altered throughout the story, I felt the first half of it was a little more disjointed, something that others have pointed out to me.

A couple of days ago I finally finished going over the novel. I did tweak some changes here and there, but they are so small and sparse that I'd doubt they'd be noticed. The biggest change and most notable is perhaps the first line of the beginning of QuixotiQ. I like the new line better and I feel that it instantly takes the reader into the heart of the story, especially into the world of our main protagonist Guy.

Another thing that bothered me a great deal was the cheesy cover, I mean, come on, seriously, it was cheesy. Don't be nice about it! I've designed one that I feel reflects the story much better, and, as someone who I showed it to said, looks much more like a 'real' thriller novel!

I give you an exclusive first peak of the new cover of QuixotiQ, which I hope will be published soon. It's just a matter of finding a publisher now, isn’t it always the case? Ah well.

Illustrating Musk for Publication

I have always had a fascinating with art and illustrations, and have always wanted to have the opportunity to publish an illustrated story. My short story, Musk, will be serialized over three issues in Ohlala Arabia magazine from September and will feature illustrations by French young artist Meriem Bennani.

I am getting excited about the concept. The story is about a "giant" boy who is abandoned in the desert where he grows up believing that he was a god and encounters a "wizard" midget!

I've seen some of Meriem's work and was impressed by some of her illustrations. After I sent her the story and some of my notes, she began working on developing the illustrations that will go with the story in the magazine.

I got the very first drawings from her yesterday. These are the rough first drafts so to speak. I give you a sneak peak of Kabeer, the giant boy/god, here. I will posting the developments of the story and the illustrations over the next few weeks and take you through the process until the actual publication of Musk.