The Poseidon Project

Hi everyone! I'm sorry I haven't updated the blog for a while, but I've been really busy finishing a new project. More about that in a minute.

For some reason, Dubai has always been a place I've wanted to visit. This November, I had a chance to take a quick trip there.

It all started on a Friday evening. After working a full day, I got to the airport and flew on an evening flight to Newark, connecting to Dubai, the largest city in the United Arab Emirates. After a short delay, we took off at 11pm and were told by the captain that despite our 45 minute delay, we would arrive early in Dubai. After enjoying a comfortable sleep in United's Polaris cabin, we started to make our descent into DXB - Dubai International Airport. By the time we were on our final approach, I looked out at the sea of lights below. Towering above every building stood the Burj Khalifa - the tallest building in the world. I had to rub my tired eyes to make sure I wan't seeing things, but the skyscraper loomed over the city, an animated light show dancing on its facade. From the air, it looked freakishly tall - at least double the height of any building in the downtown area. It was 7pm on Saturday when we landed and after an incredibly fast facial recognition scan, I breezed through passport control and was greeted by the driver I'd organized. His all-electric Mercedes sedan had the interior of a starship, as he whisked me into the back seat and blasted the air-conditioning. It was November at 7:30pm and the temperature outside was still close to 90 degrees. I welcomed the air-conditioning and sat back as he drove me to my hotel.

From the ground, the Burj Khalifa looked even taller than from the sky. While I'm not a huge fan of heights, I promised myself that I'd get as high as I could go in that beautiful building that looked like something out of a futuristic movie set. It was designed by the USA firm of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and is probably one of the most amazing structures I've ever seen.

The next day, I went to the Dubai Mall, the largest mall in the world by square footage (4.5 million square feet.) Four floors of shops, restaurants, a giant waterfall, and an aquarium one can walk through (they also offer scuba gear a shopper can rent, you know, to kill time waiting for your Tiffany's appointment.) There is a multiplex movie theatre complex, an ice-skating rink and (I forgot) a family of penguins, a coral nursery and two Australian crocodiles, each measuring over 20 feet in length. This is their f-king mall!

It was massive. It was opulent. It was over the top, and the lowest grade store I saw in there was a Banana Republic. There were stores that had velvet rope lines where shoppers stood in line to look in the windows. Every major brand I knew (and some I'd never heard of) was represented in the biggest mall on earth. So unlike many gay men and people in general, I hate to shop (gross stereotype alert.) It's not in my DNA. My personal hell is being stuck for eternity in a Dubai Mall type place, with no money to spend and being forever chased by those two twenty foot long crocodiles.

The next day, I went up. And up. And up. I bought a ticket to the 154th floor of the Burj Khalifa. Standing at over a half mile tall, the building holds numerous records - I and I was about to visit one; the world's highest observation deck at almost two thousand feet high. After an incredibly fast elevator ride, we transferred to another elevator that took us up to the top.

It's hard to explain being so high up in the air on something attached to the ground. But here I was walking around a well-appointed VIP lounge with floor to ceiling windows. I was considered a VIP because I paid the extra ten bucks to get to this floor. Not very VIP-ish price, but I didn't complain. I could see for miles; the blue Persian Gulf, the Palm Jumeirah (artificial archipelago in the shape of a palm tree) made from reclaimed seabed It was all pretty amazing.

So, you may be wondering why I took this four day long trip halfway around the world. If you're not wondering why, then I'll just pretend you do and I'll tell you anyway.

I have written my second novel, and part of the story takes place in Dubai. The book was being reviewed by a few publishers at the time. Since I had never been to Dubai, I figured I better make sure that what I wrote was accurate so I checked out the locations of the story. Less than a week after returning from Dubai, I was offered a contract to publish the novel.

And that's my news.

The Poseidon Project, is an international thriller and mystery.

Check back here or on Instagram & Facebook to learn about updates on the publication date. In 2024, it's coming to bookstores and will also be available as an e-book through Amazon Kindle, iTunes, Nook and other platforms.

The Poseidon Project

by E. William Podojil

Publisher is The Wild Rose Press www.wildrosepress.com