In 2001 I was twenty three years old and completely rudderless. I had no idea what I wanted to do or be and felt totally underwhelmed by life in small town Scotland. And then my dad got an exciting new job in Doha, the capital city of Qatar, a country I’d never even heard of. It wasn’t a difficult decision to fly out there and get my first taste of living in a foreign country.

I’ll never forget the excitement of being on that almost-deserted Qatar Airways flight, an aisle of seats all to myself, my own personal desert sunrise unfolding as we began our descent into Doha International Airport. To find out more, delve into The Qatar Collection, eight short stories detailing my long ago adventures in The Middle East.

1. Ashraf

2. Khalifa Dreams

3. Pulp Friction

4. Baptism of Fire

5. Like It Too Much 

6. The Little Pronghorn 

7. Theater 4

8. Angela Habibi

The Qatar Collection is dedicated to Emma Dawson: loyal friend, trusted confidante, literary goddess, owner of Ted. If I hadn’t gone to Doha I wouldn’t have met you and my life would have been all the poorer for it.