Five Works From Regional Authors, Perfect Addition To Any Bookshelf

National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo, occurs every November. To commemorate the occasion, many people throughout the world start the 30-day challenge, in which they try to finish a book in a month. A list of UAE writers who made the transition from unpublished manuscripts to published books has been compiled by the Emirates Literature Foundation.

By Natalie Kebbe

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Aisha’s Pearl by Julia Johnson and Maitha Al Khayat

The most recent book by this writing team, located in Dubai, tells the endearing tale of Aisha, who discovers a very remarkable discovery and asks her grandfather for assistance in learning more about it, leading her on a journey of her own.

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The House of Whispers by Anna Kent

Abi Allerton, a housewife and amateur painter, reunites with Grace, a friend from her university days, when she lets her stay over while her husband is abroad in this gripping drama of poisonous relationship and secrets. But before long, Grace starts interfering with Abi's life and staying too long, all the while threatening to spill her deepest, darkest secret.

The novelist Annabel Kantaria, who won the Emirates LitFest Writing Prize and has since published five books, writes under the pen name Anna Kent. Kantaria also mentors aspiring authors in the area for First Chapter, the ELF Seddiqi Writers Fellowship.

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Illustrado by Miguel Syjuco

The narrative of Crispin Salvador, a well-known but struggling Filipino novelist, is told in Illustrado, a literary mystery that relies on the politics and poetry of Manila. Crispin Salvador appears to have committed suicide, which causes the narrator, Miguel, to return to the Philippines. Miguel, who was Salvador's sole friend and former pupil, must deal with the loss of his literary master while simultaneously looking for a book that has gone lost and is rumored to contain information on some of the major criminal organizations in the nation.

Syjuco's first book, Illustrado, would go on to win the 2008 Man Asian Prize. At the moment, he teaches at NYU Abu Dhabi.

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When I Wake Up by Jessica Jarlvi

Jessica Jarlvi is also a winner of the LitFest Writing Prize. In “When I Wake Up,” Anna, a devoted teacher and mother of two, is brutally assaulted and put in a coma. News of the incident shocks Anna's family and the small Swedish community because she didn't appear to have any enemies and left them questioning who would have wanted Anna dead.