Personal Projects
Imperium
Hala Dahmani, the illegitimate and singular heir of the Dahmani Dynasty, is shoved into a world of political intrigue and high international tensions after years away from her kingdom. Raised upon the principles of honesty, honor, and loyalty, she is torn between her duty to her people and her heart. Inspired and drawn from SWANA mythologies and cultures, Imperium is a new exploration into the medieval fantasy genre through an alternative lens focusing on family and hope. Israa hopes to publish this project someday into a multiple-novel format.
Since the death of the previous king, the Dynasty has been upheld by three people - the master of war and serpent-mage Adan Jannah, the herder of inconstant nobles Raïd ibn-Karim Ibrahim, and the dowager Queen-consort Faiza bint-Hussain Malik of the foreign Malik Dynasty.
Hala was raised by the friends of her mother Ikraam, Khadijah bint-Khaled and Layla Musa. They fled from the kingdom upon the eve of the late king's death to prevent the young Hala's harm, traveling across the sea to wait for her to come of age and reclaim her rightful place upon the Dahmani throne. When they return to the kingdom, Hala is accompanied by her friend and sworn blade Noor, the daughter of Khadijah and Layla, as well as the exiled prince Arash of the west. Together they traverse the world of decrepit ruins and ancient magic to return to their home.
Eros and Psyche
A reimagining of the ancient Greek legend, the story of Eros and Psyche focuses more on the experiences of the Greek princess than that of the primordial god. The story follows Psyche as she navigates the wrath of the gods, her life away from everything she has ever known, and her new relationship with her faceless, unknowable companion.
Psyche, the youngest of three daughters, was never expected to marry by her father. She was known for her beauty that rivaled the gods, but Psyche was a wild spirit that spent her time in nature since childhood. A life full of scraped knees and bee stings has led her to be cheerful and inquisitive, doted on by her widower father until the fateful day he returned from the Oracle at Delphi.
Eros has always been untouchable and miasmic, both in nature and in appearance. His face is not known to any being besides his great mother, Nyx, the first daughter of Chaos. His duty has always been to create desire so that the world continues to turn, but since his inception he has been detached from it. That is, that was the truth before he was instructed by Aphrodite to strike Psyche's heart with love for a monster.
Neolithic
Inspired the first farming settlements of the Fertile Crescent, this story focuses on the ties of family, creed, and tradition. A woman from a valley farming settlement is met by a hunter whose clan clings to the old migration ways and a connection is forged while a dark wave threatens to overtake the entire peninsula.
Ku-Aya has lived amongst the settled peoples of the valley for her entire life, and has enjoyed the bounty of the harvest as well as the protection of a stable group. Named for the goddess of the dawn, Aya is a skilled worker who takes flax stalks and turns them into garments of bright colors.
Barbaru was raised as a hunter since birth, taking on his father's mantle as Lead Tracker within their creed and shouldering the responsibility of finding enough food to keep everyone alive. Baru has been on the hunt-path since he could walk, and knows the trail from the mountains to the sea cliffs like his own name.
Izara is the high priestess of their coastal fishing settlement under their father, and is consulted on every matter from when to bring in the nets to the predictions of an infant's life. Despite their devotion to the Mother Goddess, they have been unable to see her in their dreams, and struggles to lead their village during the harsh seasons to come without the intervention of the divine.