The Brides’ Fair : Tale of intrigue, cultural clashes, terrorists, and diplomats in Morocco, a country the author knows well Fictional Tale Depicts Ancient Ritual, Along with AK-47s
The Brides’ Fair , a work of fiction by seasoned diplomat and world traveler Hal Fleming, brings to life an ancient ritual practiced in today’s Morocco – and witnessed by the author during his five years in that north African country.
Weaving the stories of American and other foreign diplomats, terrorists, young girls destined to be brides (often against their will), and Moroccan police and counter-terrorist personnel, Fleming has the divergent groups converge on the site of the annual fair.
It is this interplay of sometimes-opposing forces that impressed the reviewer in the prestigious Foreign Service Journal to write: “The story unfolds steadily, moved along by the author’s authentic insights into both the diplomatic community and Islamic history.”
The Brides’ Fair provides an accurate, close-up view of the subject matter not always found in works of fiction, since the author was intimately familiar with not only the Brides’ Fair ritual itself, but with diplomatic life, as well as the frequent, convoluted interplay between local demands that sometimes were opposed to American foreign policy.
Enriching the plot are various love interests, the often-challenging interplay between the American diplomats, and the struggles among the terrorists and their hatred of anyone – foreign or Moroccan – who is not siding with their cause.
Fleming, now a retired Foreign Service Officer, served in several countries, often in northern and western Africa, with the U.S. Department of State, the Agency for International Development, Peace Corps, and the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, as well as UNICEF.
These experiences, plus missions to 20 other African countries and assignments to nations in Asia and the Pacific region, provided Fleming rich experiences for his short stories, novels, and poetry.
Fleming is available for lectures and book signings. More information on the author may be found at www.halflem.com. The book is available through bookstores and various book websites.
The Brides’ Fair, PublishAmerica, 212 pp., 2008, paper, ISBN 1-60563-706-8, $23.00
For Immediate Release Contact: John Sherman 317-923-6775 john@shermanandcompany.net