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Dubai Sands
In this story CJ is in the United Arab Emirates, Fujairah, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the Empty Quarter before returning to the United States of America. CJ’s professional career is mature but his personal life and an infamous landscape cause him difficulty. CJ, trying to absorb yet another devastating blow in his personal life, takes on a huge 5-star hospitality project, the first of its kind in the Arabian Peninsula’s infamous Empty Quarter. That shape-shifting desert landscape, the Rub al Khali, becomes the focus of world attention, causing CJ to reconsider his professional and personal future. This paperback with 20 full color maps and illustrations
312 pages, Paperback
Published November 10, 2025
About the author
Edward Flaherty
14 books5 followersShort Form:
Educated in Brussels, London and Midwest America, Edward Flaherty interned for two years at the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University to earn his horticulture bonafides.
His undergraduate and graduate degrees have been in Landscape Architecture and Geographic Information Science.
An international award winner and frequently invited conference speaker, Edward Flaherty practiced landscape architecture over the past 5 decades on very large projects where he has lived as an expatriate in Africa, Europe and Asia. In Morocco, he has made his home in both Meknes and Tangier.
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Long Form:
My landscape stories are challenging, not focussed on neo-romantic beauty and wonder…why not beauty and wonder? Well, heck most of you have that right outside your front door or at the edge of your neighborhood. ;-) Don't need someone else's second hand experience, right!
I write my landscape stories like a walk through a garden, through a landscape…places that are a bit familiar but, at any given time you can, in a relaxed sort of way, just discover something, or find something fun…or awesome. Those are the landscape stories…plot secondary…characters secondary…the journey through them--primary!
I am convinced that I don't need to lead anyone by the nose. Each reader brings important resources on the journey through my landscape stories. In recognition of those individual resources, I provide opportunities for discovery within the landscape threads in the stories.
I set up the stories to have, in summary, four fundamental, discrete yet interweaving, layers of experience--sensual, emotional, intellectual and spiritual…these give a variety of entries…doors…windows, into a mysterious world for a variety of readers.
You all can take it from there. Have fun, enjoy the reading.
PS: As the author, I will never give you the answer. That is your challenge as a reader…exactly as it is in life.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
I am an American, and have been a landscape person all my life. Grandfather was a gardener at home, and a construction inspector at work. A lot of my genes came from him.
I have been an expatriate landscape architect, living and working from Tangier, where Africa meets Europe, to Istanbul, where Asia meets Europe.
Then, throw in a bunch of years in Los Angeles, Boston, SW Florida, Letchworth Garden City, and, last but not least, the Arabian Peninsula.
I have been published professionally throughout my landscape architecture career; and I draw inspiration from all the places I have lived. Now I am writing fiction…landscape stories.
I am working on four titles:
1. Tangier Gardens:(Nov2021)ARC ready
2. The 23 Club:Beta 03 Edition published 27Aug2013(now Oct 2021, I have learned more about writing and will re-write The 23 Club under the title Dubai Sands)
3. Crystal Vision:under construction
4. Orient Expresso:under construction
More information on these can be seen on my web site, https://flahertylandscape.com/.
Educated in Brussels, London and Midwest America, Edward Flaherty interned for two years at the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University to earn his horticulture bonafides.
His undergraduate and graduate degrees have been in Landscape Architecture and Geographic Information Science.
An international award winner and frequently invited conference speaker, Edward Flaherty practiced landscape architecture over the past 5 decades on very large projects where he has lived as an expatriate in Africa, Europe and Asia. In Morocco, he has made his home in both Meknes and Tangier.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Long Form:
My landscape stories are challenging, not focussed on neo-romantic beauty and wonder…why not beauty and wonder? Well, heck most of you have that right outside your front door or at the edge of your neighborhood. ;-) Don't need someone else's second hand experience, right!
I write my landscape stories like a walk through a garden, through a landscape…places that are a bit familiar but, at any given time you can, in a relaxed sort of way, just discover something, or find something fun…or awesome. Those are the landscape stories…plot secondary…characters secondary…the journey through them--primary!
I am convinced that I don't need to lead anyone by the nose. Each reader brings important resources on the journey through my landscape stories. In recognition of those individual resources, I provide opportunities for discovery within the landscape threads in the stories.
I set up the stories to have, in summary, four fundamental, discrete yet interweaving, layers of experience--sensual, emotional, intellectual and spiritual…these give a variety of entries…doors…windows, into a mysterious world for a variety of readers.
You all can take it from there. Have fun, enjoy the reading.
PS: As the author, I will never give you the answer. That is your challenge as a reader…exactly as it is in life.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
I am an American, and have been a landscape person all my life. Grandfather was a gardener at home, and a construction inspector at work. A lot of my genes came from him.
I have been an expatriate landscape architect, living and working from Tangier, where Africa meets Europe, to Istanbul, where Asia meets Europe.
Then, throw in a bunch of years in Los Angeles, Boston, SW Florida, Letchworth Garden City, and, last but not least, the Arabian Peninsula.
I have been published professionally throughout my landscape architecture career; and I draw inspiration from all the places I have lived. Now I am writing fiction…landscape stories.
I am working on four titles:
1. Tangier Gardens:(Nov2021)ARC ready
2. The 23 Club:Beta 03 Edition published 27Aug2013(now Oct 2021, I have learned more about writing and will re-write The 23 Club under the title Dubai Sands)
3. Crystal Vision:under construction
4. Orient Expresso:under construction
More information on these can be seen on my web site, https://flahertylandscape.com/.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
August 3, 2026
The core themes center around loss, personal and professional redemption, and the intersections of high-stakes corporate hospitality with the transformative power of natural landscapes.
As part of The Landscape Architect series, the book explores how physical environments reflect and alter the human psyche.
Major Themes
• Personal and Professional Redemption: The narrative follows the protagonist, a landscape architect named CJ, who has hit rock bottom after losing his wife, finances, job, and professional reputation. The book heavily explores his internal journey to rebuild his life from the depths of despair.
• The High-Stakes World of Big Business: The story dives deep into the dangerously fast, hyper-competitive, and corporate nature of top-end international hospitality development. CJ handles a massive 5-star mega-project in the Middle East, serving as a lens into globalization and commercial ambition.
• Man vs. Nature (The Shape-Shifting Landscape): A major thematic anchor is the unforgiving environment of the Rub' al Khali (the Empty Quarter), the world's largest contiguous sand desert. The "death-dealing," constantly shifting desert forces CJ to confront his past and re-evaluate his professional and personal future.
• The Contrast of Illusion and Reality: The author plays with the juxtaposition between the throbbing, highly engineered urban environment of modern Dubai and the ancient, mystical, and perilous isolation of the desert sands.
As part of The Landscape Architect series, the book explores how physical environments reflect and alter the human psyche.
Major Themes
• Personal and Professional Redemption: The narrative follows the protagonist, a landscape architect named CJ, who has hit rock bottom after losing his wife, finances, job, and professional reputation. The book heavily explores his internal journey to rebuild his life from the depths of despair.
• The High-Stakes World of Big Business: The story dives deep into the dangerously fast, hyper-competitive, and corporate nature of top-end international hospitality development. CJ handles a massive 5-star mega-project in the Middle East, serving as a lens into globalization and commercial ambition.
• Man vs. Nature (The Shape-Shifting Landscape): A major thematic anchor is the unforgiving environment of the Rub' al Khali (the Empty Quarter), the world's largest contiguous sand desert. The "death-dealing," constantly shifting desert forces CJ to confront his past and re-evaluate his professional and personal future.
• The Contrast of Illusion and Reality: The author plays with the juxtaposition between the throbbing, highly engineered urban environment of modern Dubai and the ancient, mystical, and perilous isolation of the desert sands.
Displaying 1 of 1 review