Interview with Nejoud Al-Yagout, author of When the Haboob Sings

What can you tell us about your new release, When the Haboob Sings?

It is a novel that touches on a subject that is both feared and ignored in my part of the world: apostasy.

What books are currently on your nightstand?

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi and The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell.

What advice would you give your teenage self?

Meditate. Meditate. Meditate. Rinse and repeat.

If you had an extra hour each day, how would you spend it?

I would spend that extra hour researching all the scientific and spiritual theories of how and why twenty-four hours became twenty-five! And once the novelty of having entered a portal of another temporal paradigm wore off, I would add that extra hour to my daily reading regimen.

What makes your world go round? Why does it bring you joy?

The notion of transcendence. It brings me joy because I see what is possible beneath (or beyond) our self-imposed illusions.

What scene in When the Haboob Sings was your favorite to write?

The opening scene where the protagonist Dunya Khair is in a prison cell because I knew that a book was in the making. I just knew.

Nejoud Al-Yagout is the author of the new book When the Haboob Sings.

Connect with Nejoud
Author Page