A Caravan of Brides Update

It is Thanksgiving; a time to express my gratitude about finally publishing the novel, A CARAVAN OF BRIDES in September. It is now available worldwide, in English, 'everywhere books are sold' - from brick and mortar stores (yes you probably have to special order) to Barnes and Noble, Amazon and any e-tailer you can name. You can buy the e-book on many platforms around the world using this link:

Universal e-book purchasing link

Reviewers are all 'positive'. If you have read the book, please consider rating the book and adding an honest review on-line, or write about it on facebook, or send out a tweet. I'm hoping people will use the hashtag #acaravanofbrides on twitter.

On November 9th, Kirkus Reviews, a firm that reviews thousands of books for libraries and bookstores, gave A CARAVAN OF BRIDES a positive review, and added the distinction of a 'starred' review. Only 10% of books are designated with the Kirkus Star, and this is a very big endorsement for your first-time novelist/blogger.

To quote from the review (you can read the full review here):

"Campbell’s masterful debut novel delivers a story that matches up flawlessly with real-life aspects of Middle Eastern culture, geography, and history. The characters are deeply developed, and their stories intertwine with true events that readers may be unaware of, such as the 1918 flu epidemic and the 1979 Grand Mosque siege. The storytelling transports the audience to a foreign place and time with vivid details and timeless themes. As the well-paced plot moves forward, readers may nearly forget about its destination because they’re so wrapped up in the journey. A mesmerizing Middle Eastern tale to be savored from beginning to end." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

The official book launch will take place on December 2nd at 1PM at the Sherman's Book Shop in Damariscotta, Maine. I will post photographs from the event.

There is so much to be thankful for, indeed.  Happy Thanksgiving to you, dear Reader.

A CARAVAN OF BRIDES Cover Reveal

The cover for A CARAVAN OF BRIDES is here!  Cover designer Louis Roe worked hard to create the perfect cover for the book. My request was to make it warm and inviting, the antithesis of covers for books about Arabia..the usual veiled women, swords, Arabian steeds, and desert dunes. I wanted an illustrated cover, and Louis is an expert in that style at his day job designing covers for Beacon Press.  Here is a wonderful blog post Louis wrote for the blog of Beacon Press about his process: Each Cover Design a Collection of Small Stories

For A CARAVAN OF BRIDES, Louis suggested we incorporate the concept of paper collage, which is a current trend in covers, as it adds a warm, three dimensional feeling. The human figures are hand-painted pieces of paper. The border is hand-drawn. The background is also hand-painted.  One of the themes of the book is the pre-modern way of life in Saudi Arabia, in which women wove and sewed their own clothing. The collage and hand-illustrated cover echoes this element.

The process that Louis went through with the cover was really interesting. First, he read the book. Then he sketched out several ideas for the cover, some really interesting elements of the plot, some just fleeting moments. We focused in on one, and Louis was off and running.

There was a stretch there where neither of us was working on it. When we returned to finish it, he came up with some new ideas. He finalized it and voila. Now, he's working on the map!

 I am so pleased with the result and hope it will be enticing to readers interested in Saudi Arabia.

Becoming an author

My current headshot - will be updated this summer!

In the literary world, one is only an author when one has written and published a book. You can write magazine articles, op-eds, poems, and short stories until you fill a room with manuscript pages, but you are not an author until your work is put into a book.

If you use that definition, I have been an author for a long time. Back in the 1990's I published a very small print run of a history of the US Consulate General in Saudi Arabia. But I never used that title, perhaps because it was never released publicly.

When I started the quest of publishing my novel A CARAVAN OF BRIDES, I learned that the title author is reserved for those who have climbed the mountain from writing a book to publication.

So here I am. Publishing through the small Loon Cove Press, I'm managing the process myself. I've hired editors and designers, revised and revised the manuscript. My to-do list is long and I feel like I'm riding a big old bicycle up a hill, picking up speed each day.

Today I took the step of setting up an 'author page' on facebook. It's a big day for me, daring to declare publicly that I am indeed, an author. So here is the link to my new author page. Feel free to stop by and 'like' it if you wish.  Thank you for reading my little blog, and I plan to write more about this part of the process as the time grows near.

Here is the link:  My Facebook Author Page

Robin Practices Spring

Winter has now passed in Maine, though at our place we still have snow here and there, including a respectable snowbank at the end of the driveway.

As a certified bird call fanatic, I listen every spring for the first robin's full song. It was two days ago that I heard it, full volume. But a few days before that, I heard and watched a robin 'practice' the spring call.

It was in the afternoon. I had taken a break from my long hours of desk work, and strolled out to our little farm pond, listening for any signs of the robins' song. And wouldn't you know, a very rotund robin with a bright red breast (perhaps a Canadian robin who wintered down here), sat on the fence rail on the far side of the pond. He or she was all puffed out. The next day we were expecting the last snowfall of the season. I must say I was a little down, wishing for it all to be done and for spring to start.

As I stood still, afraid to frighten it, this little robin started clucking, but at a very quiet volume. The bird seemed like it was practicing all its calls, the warning 'chip chip', some other little cheeps, but very quietly. Then it even started up its full song, but so quiet I could hardly hear it. I kept watching the bird to see if it might be coming from another bird far away, but no. This bird was literally practicing its spring call. Perhaps it, like me, was worried that it would be 'bad luck' to declare it spring just yet. It seemed like it was puffed up with the joy of spring, but was holding it back until the time was right.

This morning, I stepped out near dawn and was overwhelmed with an orchestra of robins in the forests all around. Later, a flock of raucous red-winged blackbirds came through. And the juncoes seem to have left, save a few stragglers. So it's here at last.

Maybe there's a lesson in the practice of spring. Maybe we all need to do it!

Novel in progress - A CARAVAN OF BRIDES

It is with pride, excitement and a great deal of nervousness...that I let my loyal readers know that I've decided to self-publish my novel about Saudi Arabia, with the title A CARAVAN OF BRIDES.  In the last year I hired a developmental editor and have been finalizing revisions ever since. Now I am searching for a copy editor and a book cover designer.

My goal is to have the book ready late this summer, on Kindle and hopefully other e-book platforms, as well as a small print run.

This book has been in the making for two decades. It started out as a series of short stories about my time living in Saudi Arabia, and it gradually morphed, through many iterations, into its current form, which is a multi-generational saga focused on the friendship between two Saudi women: a college graduate and an elderly storyteller.

Even writing this blog post seems to mark a milestone. So, as I proceed in the process I will keep you updated.

In the name of God the Merciful the Beneficent. May it begin!

14th session of the Arab Dance Seminar filling up

Once again, I'm posting about the upcoming Arab Dance Seminar. It doesn't take place until November 3-5, 2017, but registration just opened up and it always sells out quickly.

This year it's taking place in Dearborn, Michigan at the Arab American National Museum. The area is filled with Middle Eastern eateries and culture, and participants will be able to enjoy a more 'organic' cultural experience. In addition, Dearborn/Detroit is a fabulous airline hub for travelers. If you are thinking of signing up, don't delay!

This year's theme about the dance of minorities will be really interesting for me to tackle since I focus on the dances of women of the "Gulf" (Arabian Gulf). I want to include some really amazing roots dances that are rarely studied and performed. It is easy to think of the Gulf countries as monolithic desert societies, but they are varied and are influenced by minorities who have lived there for many years. The Gulf is geographically at a global crossroads, bringing people in from all over.

14th Arab Dance Seminar Link to website to register

Here is a recent video of the Arab Dance Seminar, with some clips from my classes teaching "Khaliji" dance.