My novel: The Promised Land

[The Silk Scarf Monkey]

Hey everyone! It's been a while since I last visited here, but I've got some great news! Even greater because it's also Eagles related.

I have written and published the first Dutch novel about the Syrian war and ISIS. The story is about a girl who gets in a relationship with a boy who adheres to radical islam. He takes her with him to Syria, to fight along with ISIS for the caliphate. The book ends with my solution for one of the most difficult political topics, maybe, ever. The book came out in The Netherlands a few months ago and it's slowly gaining more attention. I'm doing interviews on radio and will speak on a festival next month.

I got the title for my book from two of my favourite songs: Tears For Fears - Sowing the Seeds of Love, and Eagles - Hole in the World, both songs mention The Promised Land, so that had to be my title. The Promised Land is of course ISIS's caliphate.

Besides that, I have written a whole symbolism around my favourite album of all times: Long Road out of Eden, and in particular the title track. Because English isn't my mother language and I'm only 20 years old, I might have interpreted the song inaccurately, but I always thought that it was about America's war on terror, their meddling with the Middle East, in particular the Iraq war, which Don calls "a bloody stupid waste". Especially the following lines give me this impression:
Back home I was so certain
The path was very clear
But now I have to wonder: "What are we doing here?"
&
Been down the road to Damascus...

The father of the main character in my story listens to Long Road out of Eden once. I made him a HUGE Eagles fan. Anyway, later in the story, the father gazes at the stars, and wonders what else there is in the universe, that's where I write about Stephen Hawking's latest work: the multiverse. I thought of this because of the following lines in LROOE:
Silent stars blinking in the blackness of an endless sky
Cold silver satellites, ghostly caravans passing by
Galaxies unfolding, new worlds being born

I also mention the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which you could see as a reference to Hole in the World. I explain how 9/11 was the beginning of America's war on terror and how they screwed up in the Middle East after that.

Other songs that I included in my book are my second favourite album: SMiLE by The Beach Boys and the songs One of these Nights by our guys again and Undercover (of the Night) by the Rolling Stones. Stephen Hawking, Eagles and all those other artists: the book also reads as an ode to my heroes. The girl and her boyfriend are named Meryem and Mustafa, M&M, which is a reference to my favourite rapper: Eminem. I have done that kind of word play a few more times.

It's very exciting to experience all of this and I wonder what else it will get me in the future. I hope that some of the people who will read it give the Eagles a listen and they might unravel the symbolism if they listen to LROOE.

Cheers!