“In this captivating debut, Yunis takes readers on a magic carpet ride….[A] sometimes serious, sometimes funny, but always touching tale of a Middle Eastern family putting down deep roots on U.S. soil.”

—Publishers Weekly

It was a 120 degrees in the car today when I left work, but the heat didn’t bother me because I was so excited to hear that The Night Counter got its first review, and according to my publisher–never a group of people to use words lightly– it qualifies as a “rave.”  I couldn’t tell because it’s a little overwhelming to have gotten this far.  I’ve sweated over this book more than I do in the Abu Dhabi sun, and that’s really saying something, trust me.  At first you can’t believe all it took you to write a book, you don’t know where the words came from by the time you have written and rewritten it–and the hours and hours at your computer, and then you can’t believe that there could be anything worse in publishing than looking for an agent you actually like and respect,  and then you can’t believe there’s anything more nail biting in publishing than working with your agent as she pitches your book, and then you can’t believe all there is to do when you start working with your editor, fabulous as she is, and then and then…more on the other thens later.

The most frustrating thing for me to hear when someone finds out I have a novel coming out:  They don’t say congratulations or I’d like to read it (or any other book).  They say, “Yeah, I think I’m going to write a book, too.”  While they do that, I’ll climb Mount Everest and work with Obama to establish Middle East peace.