Covers Revealed

The last time I released a book was 14th June 2014. Since then I’ve been absent from the fiction market. A lot has changed. I changed careers, went back to uni to retrain as a teacher/lecturer and completed a Doctorate in Education. Now, 12 years later I’m finally looking to release not one, but two books. Well, technically its three books, but really its two books. Let me explain.

The series is called Arabian Dreams, with the stories based on the classic Arabian Nights stories, Aladdin and the Magic Lamp, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves and The Seven Voyages of Sinbad. Whilst these tales are the most famous Arabian Nights stories, they were not actually part of the original One Thousand and One Nights. They were added to the collection by Antoine Galland in 1704. Legend has it that he got these stories from Hanna Diab, a Syrian storyteller. The translated version features a number of dubious characters and themes that could be blamed on orientalist tendencies towards the exotic. These stories have been told and retold with some characters being dropped and others becoming more prominent. Most people will likely know the characters from Disney adaptations of these stories, or from Christmas pantos.

My versions of the stories have been decolonised, cleaned up and injected with some goodness. The first story is Alauddin, and focuses on the titular character, who is a student in my story, Princess Badr-ul-Badour (the original Jasmine), and the Grand Wazir Jafar. In the original stories, there were two characters, a sorcerer and the Wazir. These were later combined. I think it makes for a tighter story if there is one central villain. The second story is Ali Baba. Again, it focuses on the titular character and his brother, Cassim. There is a larger cast of characters in this story and I took a few more liberties with the plot. The plan is to release both of these books as standalone paperbacks for the Muslim market (hence no figurative art on the covers). They will also be released as ebooks. Audiobook versions may also follow.

There is also a special ombinus hardback edition planned to launch at FantasyCon 2026, which is taking place in Glasgow this year on 9th to 11th October. The hardback will be limited to 100 copies. There will be an opportunity to score one of these through the Kickstarter that will be launching in May 2026. Orders will be fulfilled in October, as soon as the books have been printed. Advance Review Copies (ARCs) will be available to Booktokers, Booktubers and general Book Reviewers sooner (so get in touch if you want a digital copy in advance of launch to review).

Keep your eyes peeled for the Kickstarter. Get in touch if you want a digital ARC. Like, Share, Comment and all that good stuff.