An awakening of characters

A British artist and illustrator aims to dig up interest on Bahrain’s burial grounds with the launch of her first graphic novel The Awakening of Shamal. No time to waste!

Author and multi-talented artist, Anna Leanda Thackray, has a bachelors Honours degree in Fine Art from Southampton University, UK, and has featured many of her paintings in exhibitions and competitions.

Her paintings are her multi-faceted journals and statements on her travels. Living in The Middle East has given her the opportunity to study the different cultures combined and she finds that the kingdom is the perfect backdrop for her fictional trilogy.

Anna said: “Bahrain to me is a storyteller’s dream. Everything is here to spark the imagination and at the forefront of that is the immense contrast of this island. Every one of the 44 pages has been painstakingly drawn and redrawn by me over the last year or so.

“This is the first book of three graphic novels with the remaining two to follow in due course. By graphic novel, I mean a comic book over 30-pages to which an International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is awarded.

“Although Bahrain is the backdrop, along the way, I will be drawing in other GCC countries as well.”

The novel is centred on an expat archaeologist, Dr Lorna Carse, who is studying the ancient burial sites in Bahrain with her mentor and colleague, Bahraini Professor Ahmed. Together, they discover something fascinating and intriguing in an old grave in the desert next to the Tree of Life. Interweaved with the present day story, they learn of two brothers in ancient times that were up to no good.

The two brothers Shamal and Samun were part of the Sanguis clan. They were ruffians who thieved and plundered villages and robbed their inhabitants.

Anna will be sharing the tale with readers on Sunday evening at 7pm at Words BookstoreCafé in Palm Square on Budaiya Highway.

She said: “This fictional book is not about the burial grounds but centres around the awakening of characters which have supernatural powers. It is also really about the artwork and images within. It is set in locations within Bahrain that readers can identify with.

“I am very excited to see my book on the shelves of Words BookstoreCafé. What an amazing place to enjoy a cappuccino, eat delicious food and read your favourite book, all the while mixing with some of the intellectuals and professional residents of Bahrain.”

Anna is also well into drawing and writing her second book. She hopes to have it ready for print by the middle of this year.

She added: “The next book will be a follow-on from this one. This was just the introduction and there are two more to follow to complete the story. I think the readers are going to be very surprised at how this saga is going to transpire.”

For details, contact 17690790, visit www.desert-comic.com or www.annaleandathackray.com, or follow her on Twitter and Instagram @althackray.