Bab al-Shajar

LS — Fri, 28 May 2010 07:49:55 +0000

After some months of work and travel, and many weeks of revision, I have finally completed the edited draft of “Diamonds.” I’ve begun to submit queries to literary agencies and hope for the best!

Novel completion

LS — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 02:08:39 +0000

I have finally finished the last of almost 300 pages of “Diamonds.” After a month or two of revisions, I will begin sending queries to publishers. Despite the dedication it requires to write a novel for two years, the storyline and themes have richened continually in the same way a person changes over the years.

Contest results- or not?

LS — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 07:18:09 +0000

As mentioned in the previous post, I had submitted “Borderline” three months ago for a short story contest organized by the Arab Academy in Cairo. Well, they never announced the results. I emailed them a couple of times, and they continued to postpone the results deadline. Whew, I worked hard on that translation! Oh well. At least they told me they liked the story!

About “Diamonds”

LS — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 07:11:51 +0000

I began writing “Diamonds” on a whim in December 2007, never expecting it would excede five pages. A year passed, and I was on page 100. It is a work in progress, and I am expecting to finish it by December this year. I am currently seeking feedback of any kind, and especially from experts on Soviet Russia and the Communist party in Europe to verify facts in the story.

About “Borderline”

LS — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 21:55:47 +0000

This story was recently submitted to the Arab Academy Short Story Contest in Cairo. I translated the first four pages into Arabic, employing Palestinian Colloquial Arabic for the dialogue. The results of the contest are scheduled to be announced in the next few weeks, so I will post an update soon.