February 2016 45 www.bahrainthismonth.com Ali Shams With three books already under his belt, including one in Arabic, author Ali Shams is no stranger to literary circles in the Kingdom, and his fourth and newest offering sees him reaching out to a wider audience. The Transcendent is the story of a child who has out-of-body experiences, whose parents die under strange circumstances. He is sent to an isolated island, where he searches for answers and discovers that he has a bigger role to play in the world. Ali says that his previous works, SOLO: The New World Order, The Lounge and his Arabic offering, have helped him find his stride but admits he is his own toughest critic. He explains: “I faced a number of challenges while writing this book. For starters, English isn’t my first language so it takes me more time to find the right words. Another challenge is finding a balance between my descriptions and allowing the readers to use their own imagination.” As a Bahraini, Ali’s choice to write mostly in English may come as a surprise to some. He A TRANSCENDENT NEW PAGE-TURNER explains: “I studied in English in college and my daily work is in English; the embarrassing part is that my laptop doesn’t even have an Arabic keyboard! “In Arabic I guess my writing is more lighthearted but English tends to be more serious. I’m not sure why; maybe the brain works differently for different languages?” As all writers are fully aware, creating a story can be an arduous and often frustrating experience, especially when trying to balance it with separate work and family life. Ali works as an engineer in the oil and gas industry, a far cry from his wordsmith passion. He is also a husband and father and says that finding equal time for each facet of his life can be a tricky business. “Sometimes it feels like there aren’t enough hours in the day to balance time with work, my hobby and my family,” he says. With each of his books taking around two years to finish, Ali has the next few years of his literary career clearly mapped out. He says: “It usually takes about one year of research, putting down CHARLIE HOLDING Bahrain author Ali Shams chats with BTM about his latest book, which he hopes will be a hit with GCC youth. thoughts, plotting the story and developing it – and the second year you can start writing it down.” So, what’s Ali’s creative process? “I’ve been writing my whole life,” he explains. “Jotting down my thoughts, ideas and notes, but initially I didn’t have any intention of writing a book. “I’ve not studied literature and my experience is limited to a single course I took at university, my own personal readings and an academic friend who guided me to make the book more readable.” Ali says The Transcendent is an easily digestible story that you can read on a plane or in a coffee shop at leisure. He says: “Part of my audience is the GCC youth who don’t read heavily but would enjoy a book in English with a large font that is easy to read.” However, Ali emphasises that the book is for everyone, not just youngsters. “People who are older can also read it and enjoy it because, at the end of the day, it’s all about taste.” Ali’s books are published in Kuwait and the US. They are available for purchase in Jashanmal Bookstores and can be ordered online through @almasa.store.
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