This year has been a productive one with four new stories. I'm quite proud of them, and if you found the time to read or vote for any of them, I'd be honored.
Life According to Tabeeb (3982 words)
Published (UK) and (US) in Learning to Be Human from Flame Tree Press
What if machine sentience can become an ally of the exploited, impoverished, and downtrodden? How long before the machines intended to pacify us join our revolution?
Omar's Perfect Falafel (1258 words)
Published in Baffling Magazine #16 from Neon Hemlock Press
This is not the first time a story of mine inspired the cover of the magazine issue in which it appeared, but I'm particularly partial to this one! More daring than my usual yarns, this tale of self-discovery and acceptance in a mystical realm indistinguisable from our own is set in my native Cairo.
Unfit for Purpose (3970 words)
Published in Heartlines Spec
Though also published in July 2024 and set in Cairo, this story couldn't be any more different than "Omar's Perfect Falafel"! Faced with the forced separation from her beloved companion, a young girl decides to take matters into her own hands.
Rise Again (4995 words)
Published in Kaleidotrope Magazine - Autumn 2024
Perhaps it's the year's theme, even if it came about courtesy of completely random publishing schedules, this tale looks at another mother and daughter. What is not accidental is the inevitable conflict between a young woman's desire for self-determination and the strictures of a community committed to its own slow but certain annihlation.