CRW 2015 Award of Excellence Contest Finalist

I'm pleased to announce that my novel Shadows Of Damascus was chosen as a finalist in the Mainstream w/Romantic Elements category of the Colorado Romance Writers 2015 Award of Excellence Contest. To see the finalists list on the CRW website, click here. Winners will be announced at the CRW conference in Denver, Colorado on August 8, 2015.

BITTER ALMONDS Excerpt

"They told five-year old Fatimah not to turn around, but no one told her to close her eyes. No one told her not to listen. She pressed her face against the window, a rag doll forgotten in her lap. Quiet rain speckled the cold glass, and ..."

Read the first chapter of my upcoming novel Bitter Almonds, to be released August 13, on my revamped website lilastaha.com

Cover Reveal for BITTER ALMONDS

I'm excited to reveal the cover for my second novel Bitter Almonds to be published by Bloomsbury QFP. Release date in the UK and worldwide is August 13, 2015. 

US publication date is January 19, 2016.

RONE Award Nominee

I'm excited to find out that my book SHADOWS OF DAMASCUS is nominated for the RONE award (Reward of Novel Excellence) by InD'tale Magazine in the Contemporary: Sweet - 2015 category. Having passed their initial judging process, voting is now open to the reading public. Six books with the highest votes will proceed to the final judging round by professionals in the industry.

Public voting starts today April 20 through April 26. If you're inclined to participate, I would appreciate your vote. You will need to register to see the list of nominees and vote. Please scroll down to the Contemporary:Sweet category. Here's the link:

http://indtale.com/2015-rone-awards-week-two

Live Chat

I will be chatting live on Coffee Time Romance about SHADOWS OF DAMASCUS plot and character creation today March 24th at 9:00 pm Eastern time.

Essence-capturing review of Shadows of Damascus

SHADOWS OF DAMASCUS received this review recently on Amazon that really captured what I intended in the book:

"I finished reading Lilas Taha's novel "Shadows of Damascus" and did not want it to end! It took me back to the Middle East, to the sights, sounds, aromas, people and to the sad realities, and then transplanted me back to the US on an emotional journey with many dizzying resonances. The author created believable and charming characters and managed to portray so well the hurdles that Jasmine and Adam had to go through with all their human flaws and differences: differences that go beyond those of a Syrian woman and an American man, but on to the nuanced relationship between the Middle East and the United States. She ends her novel without really ending it, for the story, like the relationship between the US and the ME has not ended yet. A lovely novel that leaves us hungering to know more about Jasmine and Adam's journey, as well as that of the US and the sad and torn Middle East."

Character Creation

When I seriously considered writing a book, I knew that in any story, characters have to become alive, invoke emotions, reactions, and thoughts from readers. Whether the character is the main one in the story, or secondary in a subplot, it doesn’t matter. All the actions and dialogue coming out of the character have to be convincing. 

With Shadows of Damascus, I had a general idea of who the characters were, and how they interacted with each other. Developing the specifics of how they went about their daily lives, their views of the world they lived in, and their convictions became my true challenge.

It is important to pin that down to create a character that readers could connect to, if not personally, then to someone they know. Real people, with quirks and shortcomings, weaknesses and strengths, dreams and aspirations, successes and failures. Even if the plot doesn’t call for all the details, writing them in brings the character closer to the surface, to be understood, accepted or rejected, despised or fevered, whatever the reaction from the reader maybe, a reaction nonetheless. I found as I developed my characters, they pushed me to a different angle, a different scene or a new problem that wasn’t in the plot to begin with. This approach may not work with all genres, and every writer has his or her method.

It was also very important to pin down the physical image of the character. I’m one who doesn’t cut out pictures from magazines and stick them to a board or in a sketchbook to help with images, though I think that is an effective way to go about it. I’m one who keeps everything in my head, which may explain the lost look I sport around when I’m developing a scene. I got in the habit of observing people. Wherever I am, I take in details: facial expressions, hair styles and colors, manicured fingernails, scruffy beards, the way a tall man walks, how a plump lady tries to cross her legs, the small gestures between couples they try to hide in public, yet fail. To me, it’s more than hair and eye color, skin tone and body structure. It’s more about how the characters carry themselves, and most importantly, what they try to conceal.

Lilas Taha is a novelist, winner of the 2017 International Book Awards  and is the author of Shadows of Damascus and Bitter Almonds.