It is the easiest decision Johnny Harris ever makes: the dull post-University procrastination in London or the million dollar deals, seven star hotels, bright lights and brash bravado of boom-time Dubai? But when the credit crunch bites and castles built on sand collapse, Johnny has to face up to the realities of the city and the man he has become.   

My first novel, ‘This Desert Life’ tells the story of the rise and fall of a city that in two generations grew from fishing village to the ‘Manhattan of the Middle East’ before collapsing under the weight of its own greed. As much as it is the story of a specific place at a specific time, it is also about a twenty-something’s battles with sex, love, identity and responsibility, played out in the setting of a city on the make.  Please feel free to read the extracts posted here by clicking on the links above, come on over to my personal blog or follow me on Twitter. Or, if that is not enough and you are really keen, email me: charliehjtaylor@gmail.com

Charlie Taylor, March 2012