Summer is here and this year it means getting prepared for WorldCon in Glasgow.
I’m excited to see old friends, meet new people, listen to great panels, discuss SFF all day long and enjoy temperatures at least 15°C below what I’m used to!
Glasgow is a city I know and love so it’s an added pleasure to be returning there.
​If you’re around, feel free to say hi!

I’ve been invited recently to sign a letter to an institution. I had no reason to refuse. The people who wrote the letter are people I’d be proud to see my name alongside with, their words encapsulate the issue perfectly, and the cause they defend is one I defend myself. 
But statements aren’t in my culture. It also seems to me that these days too many people are rushing to proclaim their support of this or that in frantic dashes only to prove the world they’re "good people". Until it becomes background noise.
After a lot of pondering, I’ve decided not to sign this statement or any future statement I might be invited to sign. People who see me every day would tell you that my anger at the world is always loud, but I rant and rage out of the public eye.
And anyway, anyone who reads my fiction can be left in no doubt of my political beliefs.

My (very enthusiastic) review of the Doctor Who 2023 Specials is now up on the British Fantasy Society blog.
Donna and the Doctor together again! My expectations were high and the show delivered!

The review.

My review of Strange New Worlds Season 2 is now up on the British Fantasy Society's blog.
I've managed to limit the squeeing to the bare minimum, but this show goes from strength to strength and I'm here for it!

The review.

It is such a pleasure for me to finally see "The Tightrope Walker" in print. The anthology Rosalind's Siblings had a long journey to reach this point, which is probably fitting for my story!

"The Tightrope Walker" was the first short story I wrote with a character who shared so many of my traits. It was important for me to get them right, even if it was sometimes at the expense of what is considered the norm.
The short story was born from a little boy I saw walking in the street holding his mother's hand and shielding his eyes from the sun. I had the first sentence and by the time I arrived home I had the first paragraphs. It was a story my subconscious was bursting to tell but lacked the spark to reach my conscious mind! That little boy provided it.
The name Saadia offered me the opportunity to create a character whose name--feminine in Islam and masculine in Judaism--united two faiths inseparable from the Mediterranean area.

I'm deeply thankful to Bogi Takács for gathering so many wonderful stories and picking mine among those, but also for fighting for this anthology for so long. Many thanks too to E. D. E. and Chris Bell at Atthis Arts who have been a pleasure to work with and who believed in Rosalind's Siblings!

My review of Good Omens Season 2 is now up on the British Fantasy Society blog.
It was kind of a mixed bag for me, but your mileage may vary!

You can find the review here.

The issue when you chatter on social is that you forget to post your news in a place where everyone can see it!
Anyway, an announcement and a review as the title said.

I'm thrilled to announce that my short story "The Tightrope Walker" will appear in the anthology Rosalind's Siblings, edited by Bogi Takács. The table of content is absolutely fabulous, with stories by Premee Mohamed, Vajra Chandrasekera, Polenth Blake and Stefani Cox to name a few.
I'll speak about "The Tightrope Walker" and Rosalind's Siblings again when we're closer to publication., but in the meantime, you can check the complete ToC and pre-order your copy here.

I also have a review up on the British Fantasy Society blog. I love a good show and the BFS was kind enough to publish my thoughts about Silo, the adaptation of the Hugh Howey trilogy. The review is here.
Will it lead to more reviewing? Qui vivra verra!

Enjoy!

I'll be attending FantasyCon on 17 and 18 September 2022. I really look forward to it.
The last time I went to FantasyCon was in Glasgow in 2019 and I'm so glad I can meet again some friends I haven't seen in 3 years.

Feel free to come and say hi if we cross paths!

The first draft of "Zero" was written in Cairo in 2019. It had a long way to go until it was ready for publication, but Śūnya and Yasara were characters I couldn't let go. It was also a pleasure to put on the page my love for Cairo, in all its glorious complexity, and its inhabitants.

Many thanks to Jasen at HyphenPunk for his patience and his work!

I hope you'll enjoy it!