The AQALAN Initiative

ABOUT Edmund Fitzgerald

Edmund Fitzgerald
Born in Greenwich (London, UK) I began my professional life as a trainee accountant for an emblematic, though now defunct, airline. I spent the next quarter of a century gnawing my way up the corporate food chain, ascending to the agreeable billet of country manager to the Spanish branch o More...

Description

Dave loved Michelle more than life itself. But when, at 40, he finds himself alone, he can no longer cope. Big Al and James, concerned that their friend might top himself, need to formulate a rescue plan; and fast. Spanish language classes, a crash course in the traditional Andalusian dance of sevillanas and a week of fiesta in Sevilla ought to do the trick. Brilliant! It s a project requiring preparation, and in the case of tall, ungainly, rugby fanatic Big Al, a large dollop of humiliation as “second row forwards don t do bleedin  flamenco”.

With Osama bin Laden dead and the Arab Spring having reached its zenith, al-Qaeda splits into two factions. There may be a more intelligent way to Islamicise the decadent west. But could the AQALAN Initiative be strangled at birth, and the world thrown into turmoil, by a seemingly innocuous spat between two men attending a sevillanas dance class in south London?

I had lived and worked in Spain for 14 years when I had the chance to sit down and put together a novel which covered many things for which I love Spain; the history, the Moorish architecture and the fiestas - above all, La Feria de Abril (Sevilla). I wanted to juxtapose comedy with drama, light against dark, good against evil ... and to top it all I wanted an unusual and unlikely hero. So that´s what "The AQALAN Initiative" will hopefully provide. I enjoyed writing it ... something which I hope you might pick up on should you read it.

Overall a strong, crafted narrative that evokes reaction. There is confidence and originality leaping from the pages. The story is utterly engaging and was a pleasure to edit.

A clever and controlled ending to what has been a highly crafted novel that speaks of experience.

I have THOROUGHLY enjoyed reading this submission. I would go as far as saying that it is one of the best I’ve read in all my years working with BubbleCow. I feel strongly that (the author) should be seeking publication for this novel.

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