Of course, characters are inspired by real life characters! But the trick is to use real life as a starting off point for your imagination. 

Gretchen McCullough – 18 November 2024

The Back Flap

Shahrazad’s Gift is a collection of linked short stories set in contemporary Cairo—magical, absurd and humorous. The author focuses on the off-beat, little-known stories, far from CNN news: a Swedish belly dancer who taps into the Oriental fantasies of her clientele; a Japanese woman studying Arabic, driven mad by the noise and chaos of the city; a frustrated Egyptian housewife who becomes obsessed by the activities of her Western gay neighbor; an American journalist who covered the civil war in Beirut who finds friendship with her Egyptian dentist. We also meet the two protagonists of McCullough’s Confessions of a Knight Errant, before their escapades in that story. These stories are told in the tradition of A Thousand and One Nights.

About the book

What is the book about?

The collection is a book of linked short stories, inspired by the colorful characters of Cairo: a Japanese Arabic student driven mad by noise; an American seamstress who works for belly dancers; an Egyptian housewife who becomes obsessed with her gay neighbor; a Greek-Egyptian ballroom dancing teacher on the run.

When did you start writing the book?

 I started writing these stories in 2005. They were all collected and published in 2013 in Cairo with a small independent press, Afaq. The first title was Shahrazad’s Tooth. This is a reprint of the collection, although I added two new stories.

How long did it take you to write it?

The stories were written over a period of five or six years.

Where did you get the idea from? I was inspired by the local characters in my neighbor and in the building I lived in, in Cairo.

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

I struggled especially with the story of Gary, an American professor who loses it and is put in a mental hospital. It was hard to get the right tone of his voice.

What came easily?

I wouldn’t say writing comes easily. But in 2006, the university gave me a semester off and I was writing one story after another. I had lived in Cairo at that point for five years.

Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?

Of course, characters are inspired by real life characters! But the trick is to use real life as a starting off point for your imagination.

We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?

There are so many! I love Mark Twain, the wild exaggerator.

Do you have a target reader?

I would say a reader who delights in the quirky and the offbeat.

About Writing

Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?

I do keep a notebook and jot down ideas. My process for writing a short story is different from writing a novel.

Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?

It’s good to have a loose plan, but if I am writing a novel, I am not rigid. I may change my mind as I go along.

Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?

I do edit as I go, but of course, show my work to many readers after I am finished.

Did you hire a professional editor?

I do have a copy editor who looks at my work, even though I was published by a small press.

Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?

No. An idea gets my fingers tapping….and the idea that I have a free morning!

About Publishing

Did you submit your work to Agents?

 I have, but have not ever landed an agent.

What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?

I tried for some time at writers’ conferences and writing query letters. I found my publisher through a friend, someone I met on my Fulbright to Syria. The publisher, Scott Davis had a boutique press, Cune, that published work about the Middle East.

Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?

This was organized by my publisher.

Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?

I do have two publicists who find opportunities for me.

Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?

If you go with a small press, you will still have to promote your book. Small presses do not have the budget to help you.

About You

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Harlingen, Texas, a small town close to the Mexican border.

Where do you live now?

I live in Cairo, Egypt and have lived here for twenty-four years.

What would you like readers to know about you?

 I think my experience in Cairo gives me an unusual perspective of the place, one that differs from what journalists report.

What are you working on now?

A novel set in the 1930’s during the Great Depression about a CCC camp in Texas.

End of Interview:

Get your copy of Shahrazad’s Gift from Amazon US or Amazon UK.