Istanbul Crossing
In this coming-of-age literary thriller, Ahdaf, a gay Syrian refugee, after watching his cousin executed by ISIS for being homosexual, flees to Istanbul for safety.
Ahdaf’s reputation as a people smuggler has put him in danger once more. A Syrian refugee himself, Ahdaf earns a meager living in Istanbul helping others make the crossing to Greece – a perilous line of work, but no less so than what he would face if the truth of his sexuality were discovered by ISIS.
Yet when the CIA and ISIS approach him about transporting high-profile individuals and serving as a double agent for their causes, Ahdaf ’s life is thrown into turmoil. And when his feelings for one of his clients come to light and as another possible relationship grows, the decision is taken out of his hands. Now a new choice lies before him, between two men and two different futures – if Ahdaf will live to see either of them. Istanbul Crossing is a story of adversity, love, and the courage of an ordinary man who must brave impossible situations in order to survive.
“Istanbul Crossing” is not just a thriller but a powerful exploration of identity, courage, and the human spirit. Smith’s ability to weave a narrative that is both thrilling and deeply humane makes this novel a standout read. – Alan Warren, bestselling author and host of House of Mystery and “Inside Writing” radio shows
“What happens to someone who loses everything and has to make their way in a world that’s completely new? Istanbul Crossing draws you in with its protagonist, Syrian refugee Ahdaf, and a plot that never lets up.” – Deborah Kalb, author of Off to Join the Circus
Timothy Jay Smith was raised crisscrossing America pulling a small green trailer behind the family car. He developed a ceaseless wanderlust that has taken him around the world many times.
En route, he’s found the characters that people his work. Polish cops and Greek fishermen, mercenaries and arms dealers, child prostitutes and wannabe terrorists, Indian Chiefs and Indian tailors: he’s hung with them all in an unparalleled international career that saw him smuggle banned plays from behind the Iron Curtain, maneuver through Occupied Territories, represent the U.S. at the highest levels of foreign governments, and stowaway aboard a ‘devil’s barge’ for a three-day crossing from Cape Verde that landed him in an African jail.
Tim brings the same energy to his writing that he brought to a distinguished career, and as a result, he has won top honors for his novels, screenplays and stage plays in numerous prestigious competitions. Fire on the Island won the Gold Medal in the 2017 Faulkner-Wisdom Competition for the Novel, and his screenplay adaptation of it was named Best Indie Script by WriteMovies.
He’s an avid theater-goer and playwright himself. His stage play, How High the Moon, a gay love story set in Nazi-occupied Warsaw, won the prestigious Stanley Drama Award.
He is the founder of the Smith Prize for Political Theater.
