Sitting in the Denver home that he shares with his husband, gay first-time novelist Luai Qubain is free, living his dream, and heading into his future.
His freedom was not without a price, however, and it was painfully hard won. The 35-year-old former oil and gas engineer's pain and struggle for his liberty is detailed in his first English-language autobiographical novel, "The Kingdom Sandcastle," which was published in April.
Qubain's life in Jordan was made for fiction, he said, stating that 95% of the book was drawn directly from his life. There was no need to make up dramatic plots, betrayals, or Earth-shattering discoveries; the story was already embedded in his own experience.