News

While updating the site, I realized there’s one more review of The Haze  I never shared here. Susie Fiddes at Reedsy wrote a generous, detailed review, and I want to thank her properly for it. She called the novel “multi-layered and exciting,” praised the level of detail in the world-building, and said it delivers a “satisfyingly challenging read without the need to spoon-feed.” She also recommended it to readers who enjoy the heavier, more complex side of espionage fiction.

I have written fiction in English and Arabic (under different pen names), but I have also taken a deep dive into translation—turning Arabic stories into English prose—and it changed how I think about language. In my interview with ArabLit, I said that translation made me aware of the merits and limitations  of each language: Arabic has a power and resonance you can’t always render in English, and English has a precision and edge that Arabic sometimes hides.  Working on these

This is a bit late, but I’m mentioning it now because I’ve just rebuilt my whole website and I’m slowly gathering the important things in one place. Kirkus Reviews reviewed The Haze  and called it “a knotty and satisfying tale of action, drama, and secrets.” They also singled out the writing itself—how the island and its city come alive on the page—and noted that the story is twisty, full of duplicity and deception, with complicated characters whose loyalties and motives keep

So, this happened, and I'm sharing this belatedly: Publishers Weekly  reviewed my novel The Haze . They called it “ engrossing ,” and said I “ keep the twists coming ,” and even added that fans of post–Cold War espionage will be satisfied. Honestly, that meant more to me than I expected. I wrote this book during a strange, messy phase of my life—before my conversion to the Catholic Church, before a lot of things settled—and seeing it described that way feels… surreal. What st