Bestseller at Waterstone's!

From my British publisher Little, Brown. Coming in at number 8!

Caricature!

I got caricatured a second time!! Oh my God!! I LOVE it. AND I'm sitting next to Ian McEwan!! (Can I have a bite of your hamburger? Can I have your autograph? Just spit some ketchup on a napkin and I'll frame that.) This is from the weekend's Sunday Times in Britain:

I even get a little blue box like Stieg Larsson! I thought for sure you couldn't outdo the pink cat suit from last time -- but hello, IAN MCEWAN!

Times, you are AWESOME. Thank you thank you!!!

I have the feeling these are based on my British author pic - what Mike C calls my "Dame Ferraris" photo.

Hahaha!

This is brilliant, Times, thanks again!!

Me good. But not modest.

Um - holy CRAP!! The reviews are coming in! A Publisher's Weekly starred review called CITY OF VEILS my "stellar second novel"!

And the holy crap continues! In the UK, where the book is actually out in stores, there's a Sunday Times review (the most thrilling part of which is Peter Kemp remarking on my "tremendously described sandstorm." I kiss you, man!) And a beautiful Guardian review where Laura Wilson says it lives up to the first novel. Hooooo!!!!!!

<-- British cover, by the way. Totally beautiful, LB!

Meanwhile, there's Sarah Weinman's fantastic review on Salon.com. The novel also got a rec on DoubleX (thanks Helene for the heads-up) plus read Hanna Rosin's funny blog post about Sex and the City 2 and its completely awful take on Muslim men.

Now off to swoon.

The Religious Police Go Bowling

Really. Check out this LA Times blog post about the Religious Police trying to "spruce up their image."

Bowling is not the way I'd choose to go, but hey, they've forbidden movie theaters, dance clubs, bars, mixed restaurants, so.... I guess it's bowling, guys!

Denmark

Denmark, you rock! This is the cover for FINDING NOUF, aka Ørkenmanden ("Desert Man") in Danish.

I'd really like to know why the publishing company is called Mrs. Robinson. As in...Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio, a nation turns its lonely eyes to you...Woo-woo-woo?

Goals

From Biyokulele: "Saudi members of the King's United football club train at a stadium in the Red Sea port of Jeddah on May 20, 2009, despite strict religious taboos in the desert kingdom." (And despite an actual BAN on women playing sports!)

From the AP: "Sheikh Abdul Karim al-Khudhair said in a statement Sunday that sports are 'corrupting' and 'satanic' for women. Instead, he urged women to stay home."

Here's something satanic, man. I think you've forgotten the purpose of religion:

"After sleeping through a hundred million centuries we have finally opened our eyes on a sumptuous planet, sparkling with color, bountiful with life...Isn't it a noble, an enlightened way of spending our brief time in the sun, to work at understanding the universe and how we have come to wake up in it?" Richard Dawkins

Wow, that reminds me of THIS: "The pursuit of knowledge is a divine commandment for every Muslim, male and female." The Prophet Muhammed (pbuh)

"To listen to the words of the learned, and to instill in others the lessons of science, is better than religious exercises." The Prophet Muhammed (pbuh)

Unveiled on KTVU

I am finally able to give full disclosure. If you've been reading my blog entries (here and here) about K, the son of a good friend of mine who has been imprisoned on charges of "being likely to commit a terrorist act" then you know the back story - and that I've been calling his father Mr. E.

His real name is Issa Fayad and his son, Tareq, is still in prison. I wish I could put the video here but you'll have to click the link - a KTVU news segment about the whole fiasco, revealing more detail than you've read here. It was originally recorded over a year ago.

Tareq is in a modern-day Japanese internment camp. People keep telling me that he isn't the only one being held on these charges on American soil. He'd have gotten more attention being at Guantanamo.

Edge of Arabia

Recently came across this fantastic exhibition of contemporary Saudi art: Edge of Arabia. A really cool site. From the looks of it, they started out displaying in London and Venice, but this year they're taking the show to Riyadh. I am deeply impressed, although I wonder if they're actually going to show any artwork involving female hair.

But look at "Tissues" by Ayman Daydban and tell me you don't see that blonde:

A Cover Song

FINDING NOUF from Croatia

Bet you didn't know I was published in Croatia! Well, I didn't either until this arrived in the mail. I thought I'd signed a contract with Romania. Yes I may think I know something or two about the world and then a thing like this happens and I'm just that kid who once thought that hummus was waste matter. 

When you grow up in the army, there's one thing you do know - yes, even back in the 80s - someday we were going to have to kick Muslim butt. It was no secret then, but today...um, who's kicking butt? Do you know? Please explain.

I love this cover. I love every cover but this one sings to me. It's beautiful, Ljevak Publishing. Thank you.


While we're in that general part of the world (geography gong), this cover got my friend Beth's vote for best HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL redux. From Russia with love:

FINDING NOUF in Russia

Apparently this is typical of their style and it resonates with readers. Da, publisheriskies. Da. Любовь всё преодолеет. 

AND here's a real song in case word play disappoints you.



Hahahahaha!!!! I mean, oops. Who let them in?