Alexander McNabb

Alexander McNabb has been working in, living in and travelling around the Middle East for over 25 years. Formerly a journalist, editor and magazine publisher, today he spends his time advising companies on their communications strategies, with a particular focus on digital and online communications.

Alexander is a frequent conference speaker, chair and moderator, particularly on issues around online and digital communications. He co-hosts a weekly radio show and is a frequent commentator on developments in the technology and online spheres. When he's not writing books, he's posting half-thoughts and snippets on his blog, Fake Plastic Souks, which he started in 2007 during the Arab Media Forum. The title refers to the 'new' souks of Dubai, so much more convenient and classy than the real ones.

Alexander's first attempt at writing a book was in 2002, when he sat down to write high-tech comedy thriller 'Space'. Although Space was to land on the 'Editor's Desk' at Harper Collins peer review website Authonomy in October 2007, the book was not seen as a commercial proposition by agents, many of whom took the trouble to point out that humour doesn't sell. Alexander rolled up his sleeves and wrote 'Olives', a serious work that explores the attitudes, perceptions and conflicts of the Middle East, exposing a European sensibility to the strange and multi-layered world of the Middle East.

This was followed by 'Beirut', a testosterone-soaked spy thriller, which is to be released in March 2012. He is currently working on a third Middle East based novel, Hartmoor. Although the three books are by no means a trilogy, they follow a roughly contiguous timeline and share many of the same characters.