Desert Warrior

This was my very first published book and I don’t think anything can ever replace it in my heart. I wrote DW while working full-time at a demanding legal position. I used to write late into the night, on the bus and in my lunch hour if I could grab a few spare minutes. I was, you could say, obsessed with Tariq and his Jasmine.

Zulhiel

People often ask me how I came up with Zulheil, a desert kingdom with a touch of fairytale magic. The answer is actually in the question – I wanted to write a story that was a modern fairytale, and for that, the kingdom had to be extraordinarily beautiful. So I filled my thoughts with all the tales I’d read or heard that conjured up the right images – the Arabian Nights, Byron’s poetry set in the mysterious East and a thousand childhood stories. After a while, Zulheil appeared out of a mist. It was a delicately beautiful place full of jewels, color and laughter. And it was exactly what I wanted for Jasmine. Because every fairytale needs a princess. The idea of an exotic desert land continues to fascinate me. In fact, I loved Zulheil so much that I went back to it in Craving Beauty. A few years ago, I gave in to the urge to visit a real desert and spent several days in the Tenegger Desert and surrounding areas. It was the experience of a lifetime. Watching a huge, glimmering moon come down over the endless dunes is an image burned into my soul, something that may one day, urge me to return to Zulheil just one more time.

The Journey

Desert Warrior began life as a manuscript titled Coaxing the Sheik . That manuscript won the Reader’s Choice Award in the Clendon Award.   However it wasn’t picked up for publication as a result and was, in fact, rejected twice more before it found a home at Silhouette Desire. For the writers among you, here’s something not many people realize – when I sold, I did so out of the slush pile, through a simple old-fashioned, non-agented submission. So if you’re going into the slush pile right now, don’t lose hope. People do sell that way. I’m living proof.

Bestseller Status

First, Desert Warrior made it to the Waldenbooks bestseller list. Then, it sold out on eharlequin.com. Both things delighted me, as did the letters that started coming in from readers. I love you guys – you make my day every time you tell me you loved something I wrote. DW was also one of the finalists in the “Best Debut Novel” section of the RIO Awards (Reviewers International Organization).

Where can we find print copies of Desert Warrior?

I’m often asked this question but I’m afraid to say that new print copies of DW have become almost impossible to get hold of. The UK edition came out in 2005 and is the most recent English-language edition, so you may be able to track down some of these. In this case, second-hand copies may be your only option. They’re available online and in brick and mortar bookstores. Of course, feel free to write to my publisher and let them know you’d like DW to be reprinted!