Less Than One Month
As seems to be tradition, I am writing this a day late. In less than a month my book comes out. I wish I could focus on just that amidst the devastation of the world.
But I kind of did yesterday!
Acknowledgements
The reason I did not work on this update and my newsletter yesterday was I finally managed to sit down and spend a few hours on writing Acknowledgements. It's not complete as there's one name of an editor I know I'm missing and I've reached out to my publisher to find out who they are.
Looking at it from a very mercenary perspective, that was probably time I could have spent elsewhere, but I'm finding I'm not caring much about the mercenary aspect of things lately. It was the right thing to do to remember all the many people who have helped me get the novel to where it is and recognizing everything they have done. So I did, and it makes me happy to have done so.
Updates on Happenings
Some of these happened last month but I only learned about them now! I was on a very interesting podcast, Arash's World Podcast , that delved into the research I did for "Under the Full and Crescent Moon". There was a very thoughtful Q&A feature, Power Q & A with River Street Writing, and I'm on a list of anticipated Canadian Fall Fiction 49th Shelf 2025 Fall Fiction Preview!
The interest people are showing will, Inshallah, get more people to learn about the book, but in and of themselves, each one of these has been an honour and pleasure.
Overt politics
While I'm doing all of these things, the starvation of Gaza is finally acknowledged by the world community, and the American bloc countries finally start to say something about it... but not in any way that will make things better. I wrote a lot and made a number of videos about the horror. It's not much at all, but it's infinitely better than silence. The only way to ensure justice is to never stop talking, never stop being loud. The only way to stop the horrors of the moment is to escalate our advocacy.
I have the book in my hand
Another major milestone is I have print copies of the book in my hand! Please enjoy a picture of me holding it!
It's surreal to have the book becoming more and more real. It's a blessing.
Act for Gaza
As I try and get my self sorted for the last month push before launch. I have to again appeal to everyone reading this to do what they can for Palestinians, especially those undergoing horrors in Gaza. The tide in public opinion has turned even in the heart of the American empire so we need to build on the momentum and keep pushing harder.