Hussain A. Ayoub - is Querying

@dreadunderarm

Syrian author | Historophile | Al Azhar Writing Prize winner

90 Folgt326 Follower117 Posts

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Hussain A. Ayoub - is Querying@dreadunderarm· Apr 29

Songs of Clinging to the Stones #QuestPit #Q #F #DF #A #amquerying

Hussain A. Ayoub - is Querying@dreadunderarm· Apr 29

MACBETH X ANDOR A disgraced philosopher-warrior must kidnap the Empress To save his dying father. The Empress enlists the criminal underworld to rescue her condemned son. Their collision will ignite a war that will burn the world to the ground. #QuestPit #Q #F #DF #A #amquerying

An infographic for Clinging to the Stones, a Syrian-inspired adult epic fantasy of legacy and betrayal.

Hussain A. Ayoub - is Querying@dreadunderarm· Apr 10

Inspired by Syrian history & mythology: A disgraced philosopher-warrior must kidnap an Empress to save his dying father. The Empress plots a daring heist to save her condemned son. Their collision will ignite a war, shatter a hundred-years peace, & decide the fate of nations. #MENApit #Qu #F #A

Broken and strained stone with arabesque patterns.

Clinging to the Stones

Hussain A. Ayoub

Epic Fantasy, Multi-POV, 109,000 Words

Quote from The Tartar Steppe by Dino Buzzati: “Everything goes by — men, the seasons, the clouds, and there is no use clinging to the stones, no use fighting it out on some rock in midstream; the tired fingers open, the arms fall back inertly and you are still dragged into the river, the river which seems to flow so slowly yet never stops.”

Prayer beads dangling from a black crescent on a background of broken stone with arabesque patterns.

The Pitch:

The Broken Warrior:
Born with brittle bones, Acyrnar is a disgraced philosopher-warrior of the Koldaryun Order. Driven by familial devotion, he embarks on a daring mission: kidnap the Empress of the Crimson Empire to secure a legendary spear—the key to curing his father's affliction.

The Cornered Empress:
Empress Melam is trapped in a religious, tyrannical court ruled by iron and prophecy. A desperate mother, she orchestrates a treasonous heist using street thieves. Her mission: break her only son out of an impregnable fortress known as “the Cage” before he is slaughtered in a divine succession ritual.

Two desperate hearts. Two impossible heists. One inevitable collision.

Comps:

Background of broken stone, black stone, with arabesque patterns:

The Traitor Baru Cormorant: (Geopolitical Intrigue)
The Will of the Many: (Social Criticism)
The Age of Madness: (Moral Ambiguity)
The Jasad Heir: (Immersive SWANA Setting)
Six of Crows: (High-Stakes Heist)
Andor: (Slow-burn & realistic)

Excerpt (in red):

Background of grey broken and stain stones with geometric patterns and a triangle of three green stars.

An excerpt from the book:

“You are marked by the stars.”
Mother used to repeat that grim prophecy, her voice a warm feather tickling his cheek, her words an icy blade piercing his soul. “Like the Surabrenna, three daughters bind you: one will pass without you, one will weep for you, one will burn with you.”

Hussain A. Ayoub - is Querying@dreadunderarm· Mar 25

Thrilled to finally snag a copy of THE REPUBLIC OF MEMORY by @mahmudelsayed.bsky.social, a political sci-fi destined to become a classic. #SWANA #Arabfuturism #Scifi

Book cover of The Republic of Memory by Mahmud El Sayed.

Hussain A. Ayoub - is Querying@dreadunderarm· Mar 15

"Beware the Ides of March."

Hussain A. Ayoub - is Querying@dreadunderarm· Dec 26

“Shades of grief Dance on coastal flesh Contoured eclipse A colour we call morning.” #poem from CLINGING TO THE STONES.

Hussain A. Ayoub - is Querying@dreadunderarm· Oct 16

Almosting my heist fantasy: Andor meets the Age of Madness, set in a world inspired by Syrian history and mythology. So close! #WIP #WritingCommunity #EpicFantasy #Heist

Hussain A. Ayoub - is Querying@dreadunderarm· Aug 29

"Those in power write the history, while those who suffer write the songs, and, given our history, we have an awful lot of songs." Frank Harte

Hussain A. Ayoub - is Querying@dreadunderarm· Aug 7

Thrilled — and a little stunned — to have won first prize in the Al Azhar Writing Prize for a short story that’s part of the prequel novella to my #WIP, Clinging to the Stones. So grateful to the judges & organisers! And great many thanks for @mahmudelsayed.bsky.social! #WritingCommunity

Hussain A. Ayoub - is Querying@dreadunderarm· Jul 1

"There is no better place to keep a secret than in an unfinished novel." Italo Calvino

Hussain A. Ayoub - is Querying@dreadunderarm· Apr 21

Just sat down to write again after two rough months. It feels like coming home to a place I forgot I missed. #WritingCommunity #amwriting #writerslife

A quote from a new WIP:
"Some unfortunate places remain unknown until a
massacre mark their name in blood. Karhae is one."

Hussain A. Ayoub - is Querying@dreadunderarm· Dec 4

#WIP #amwriting #WritingCommunity #Quillers25 #fantasy

Hussain A. Ayoub - is Querying@dreadunderarm· Sep 25

Yesterday there was another Israeli raid on #Syria. I was sitting on the balcony, revising my #WIP, watching the anti-aircraft missiles. Like fireworks. Writing is a luxury.

Hussain A. Ayoub - is Querying@dreadunderarm· Sep 5

A new #WIP. Journalism. Love. War. #fantasy #amwriting #WritingCommunity