And now, a heart-to-heart from Ulysses (Joyce)

On Arabic Sweets and the Middle East: Kunafa – NICHOLAS ANDRIANI

All of these things are true… I had been in Jordan for several weeks and my love affair with Arabian sweets had reached a lofty peak. In fact, I would begin and end each day with a platter of pastries, smothered in honeys and syrups that would flood through heaps of pistachios on my plate. Then it happened… I…

On the Road Less Traveled : A Personal Essay on the Path of Most Resistance and the Adventure That is Life.

Don’t be victimized by the culture of fear. Our planet is waiting to be explored, to reveal it’s secrets to you, to me, to any who dare ask, it will expose you to the raw truths of life. To the quarks of distant cultures and alien tongues. To disgusting foods and delicious cuisines, to dangerous and countless blessings.

Interview with Maria Rochelle

Get to know Nicholas over this discussion on travel, literature, writing, life, love and losing oneself in the beautiful madness of modern life.

10 Creative Ways to Declutter Your Home (guest post)

“People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing.” —Dale Carnegie The idea of living a simplified, uncluttered life with less stuffsounds attractive to many. They have considered the benefits of owning fewer possessions: less to clean, less debt, less to organize, less stress, more money and energy for their greatest passions. They are ready

The 9-Minute Novelist: How to Write a Novel in Just Minutes a Day (from Writer’s Digest)

Writing a novel is a complicated equation involving a lot of variables and moving parts — not the least of which are the authors themselves. In fact, the process of writing a novel is so arduous and soaked in magical thinking that many writers struggle to explain the process coherently,

“The Dying of Baal,” A Poem by Helen Wing

“The Dying of Baal,” A Poem by Helen Wing
“…Oh Syria! With the god of Storm
and Dew now thunder-mute
in Homs, Aleppo, Damascus and Palmyra… “

Top 5 Most Frustrating Writing Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them) – from Grammarly

“Recently Grammarly asked its social media communities which writing mistakes were the worst kinds of errors.”

Have We Met? Subscribe + Like = Gifts

Did you know that every week I draw a name from my mailing list and send out a personalized gift?

Sign up and you could be next. 

Who knows, if i’m in Morocco maybe i’ll send you a crystal from the Sahara. If in California, a shell. Or if i’m home in my lonely Middle West i’ll send you a book based on our friendship. Or some local chocolates. Mhmmm.. chocolate. 

So, what are you waiting for? 

Ten Songs for Winter: For Rich Emotion, Deep Inspiration, and Lucid Dreamin’.

You know how it goes:] the blustery mornings. Watery eyed and minus-7. The frozen pipes and snowed in nights. The red faced wind burns. But look at that, the stars have never been so sharp –outlined in the thin air like diamonds under keen inspection. 

Meet Nicholas: or, Hello There! | Crafting My Author Biography

Novelist. Reader. Archaeologist.

After high school I hit the road. A spontaneous bus ride to Mexico City led me into the hazy mountains, the deep emerald forests of Chiapas where I discovered the beautiful and heartbreaking world of the Maya (yes, they still exist) and found something deeply rooted, down in my heart of hearts: A need to be part of something greater, to commit myself to people less fortunate.

Books, Brew & Merry Christmas (or whatever you’re up to) be it naughty or nice.

Whether you’re downing books, brew, or both, I’m wishing your a wonderful holiday season and merry Christmas,

Opening lines: A Story About Identity, Revolution, and What it Means to Be a Modern Human. A Work in Progress #LiteraryFiction

Excerpt from The Outsider: A Memoir?
“The sky out my window is that fiery red which makes the heart swell with life and there it is again: that sensational expanding within my chest, rising to my throat, gripping and stinging my eyes.”

Win an Exclusive Freewrite: Distraction Free Typewriter for the Modern Writer

Enter Here To Win: http://bit.ly/2jO9jUk

Hurry, enter now to win a Limited Edition Freewrite in cream color (1 of 100) before it’s too late.

“Getting Over Yourself: Advice for Novelists — A Writer’s Path” |Absolutely phenomenal insight from Richard Risemberg

by Richard Risemberg There are many ways to become a good writer, but one of the best ways to become a great one–besides giving yourself a thorough grounding in the mechanics of language–is to get over yourself. The fact of the matter is that, even though you’re writing the book, the book is not […] via

A Breath of Fresh Air

It may be that the satisfaction I need depends on my going away, so that when I’ve gone and come back, I’ll find it at home. -RUMI It’s been a while. 160 days or so and the whole world has shed its skin time and time again in the act of revisions and the hopscotch

NaNoWriMo : Into the Wild

Earlier this year, I set a goal to finish a solid draft of my memoir and to achieve this mission i’m going into the wild, er, offline… A MONTHLONG period away from social media, the internet, ethernet and all those nets, in an archaic approach to finish this labor of love that i’m damn excited

TBEX, TRAVEL BLOGGERS AND NORTH AMERICA

“Tbex is love made visible” –To misquote Khalil Gibran never felt so right Last week I participated in my first Tbex conference. This coming together of like-minded artists in the travel industry has opened my eyes to the potential we have within. From a passionate and lyrical lesson by Don George to the dynamic Dave and Deb from Planet

Under Construction

You may have noticed many changes here at Yallah’Bye. In fact, we’re now operating under the banner of Nicholas Andriani–reserving Yallah’Bye for my manuscript alone. Over the next week pages will come and go as we transform this site into a portfolio to showcase my writing and promote my memoir “Yallah’Bye.” Expect to see many changes. The addition

My First Guest Post: Uncovering the Shores of Aqaba

I’ve met some great people through this blog, twitter and other social media outlets. One person in particular stands out as someone whom I feel especially lucky to have met, the talented creator behind For The Intolerants, JoAnna. JoAnna and I have a lot of similar interests, as do many travel bloggers; exploring exotic lands,