Penned Among the Stars
Creator: Vincenzo Meucci 1759 | Credit: Wikimedia Commons
It’s tiiimeeeee ♫
The holiday season is in full swing, and I’ve been a bit quiet lately.
Between the emergence of a new editorial guideline and passion-driven posts (fueled by an indecent amount of caffeine), I’ve been hard at work recreating a safe space (once more) for my novels and screenplays.
Balancing three jobs (including fatherhood) and gathering the necessary resources to publish at a professional standard has been quite the challenge this year. Financial woes and isolation have widened the gap between my current capacity and my short-term plans, leading to a status quo on the front end—one I’ve reluctantly accepted as an inescapable trial. Indeed, I’m not a product of nepotism (or a white woman with connections), and I write for minorities: it’ll take longer.
So, no new title releases for 2024.
But there’s exciting news for the upcoming year!
I’ve completed two projects. One is a full-length spy thriller with an environmental angle (The Hourglass Network), and the other is a screenplay for a supernatural limited series I plan to pitch to a major streaming studio (Ahriman).
I’m also working on a dark comedy we’re keeping hush-hush for now. Innovative, controversial, yet nuanced…
Here’s a summary of The Hourglass Network. It’s safe to say I cannot wait to release this novel, most likely next summer:
“
Afghanistan. 2025. A feared warlord and eco-terrorist gives rise to a transformed Earth, as nature violently overtakes every trace of civilization.
At the height of a fifth industrial revolution, a detonation triggers the emergence of a new world in a stunningly destructive sequence of events.
Intelligence agencies worldwide scramble, challenged at their very core, facing a threat of unparalleled scale. Their last hope is a locally embedded CIA field officer with questionable networks and ruthless tactics.
The Hourglass Network is a high-stakes spy thriller that weaves together espionage and environmentalism, delivering a haunting cautionary tale that asks: what happens when Earth decides to reclaim its crown?
“For fans of Homeland, James Bond, and The Americans.”
”
This is my biggest project to date—massive in scope, scale, and stakes. Think of it as a James Bond epic with a dash of Le Carré and some prime Joe Weisberg.
This novel went through nine drafts, a beta read, and a thorough review by a community of Afghan scholars I am grateful to have met. I couldn’t be more proud of this collaborative effort and will invest in its release to ensure it meets my standards—and by extension, yours.
There’s also an ongoing revision of my current catalog—not the content, but the packaging. I’m looking forward to reintroducing my latest two novels.
As I mentioned before, all of this requires resources. Your support is invaluable (beyond cold sales), but this will happen regardless. My relationship with my readership is sacred, and I intend to continue fostering trust by supporting and promoting prime storytelling in my works.
I hope you have an amazing Christmas and sail into the new year with a positive outlook and the self-realization that:
