Somaiya Daud interview about her space fantasy fiction novel “Court of Lions” (Flatiron Books, 2020)

Somaiya Daud interview about her space fantasy fiction novel “Court of Lions”

Check the book out here https://amzn.to/2DE3tlW

Interview Timeline

Somaiya Daud loves high fantasy and science fiction. She has taught the subject and she’s released her second high space fantasy novel Court of Lions. We spoke about the book, Moroccan culture, Tolkien, and getting the book written and published.

0:31 – Somaiya talks about how the idea for the novel came from seeing a Star Wars prequel costume exhibit.

1:49 – Somaiya talks about how her series is a space fantasy with a lot of political intrigue.

4:28 – Somaiya talks about the culture that stands in for Morocco in the book.

4:53 – Somaiya talks about the backstory of the setting.

5:12 – Somaiya talks about the protagonist and the conflict in the book.

7:04 – Somaiya talks about writing about serious subjects for young readers.

8:55 – Somaiya talks about research in to the Moroccan years of Lead.

11:28 – Somaiya talks about how her research fed into her novel.

12:07 – Somaiya talks about sympathetic characters among the antagonists.

13:59 – Somaiya talks about how she created her conquering antagonists.

16:35 – Somaiya talks about her interest in Arabic poetry and her use of it in the book.

19:53 – Somaiya talks about her use of religion in the book.

22:04 – Somaiya talks about her love of science fiction and Tolkien.

23:27 – Somaiya talks about her interest in comic books and non-fiction.

24:36 – Somaiya talks about the musical aesthetic of the books.

25:37 – Somaiya talks about her writing process.

28:36 – Somaiya talks about writing a lot of Star Wars and Lord of the Rings fan fiction.

34:58 – Somaiya talks about completing the book.

36:28 – Somaiya is on somaiyabooks.com, on twitter @somaiyadaud and on instagram @somaiiiya

Links of interest

https://amzn.to/2DE3tlW

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250126450

https://www.somaiyabooks.com/

https://twitter.com/somaiyadaud

https://www.instagram.com/somaiiiya/

Contact Information

For more “Full Contact Nerd” please follow me at crisalvarez.com, on Facebook at CrisAlvarezFCN, on youtube at Cris Alvarez on twitter @CrisAlvarezFCN, on Instagram @crisalvarezscifi, and on Apple Podcasts / Google Podcasts / Stitcher / Spotify for the podcast

Guests: Somaiya Daud

Host: Cris Alvarez

Tags: science fiction, fantasy, writer, novel, novelist, fiction, Star Wars, prequel, Morocco, conquest, moon, queen, colonial, war, indigenous, dissident, Arabic, Arab, worldbuilding, poetry, Islam, Muslim, the Expanse, Killjoys, Tolkien, Luis Delgado, Silmarillion, Middle Earth, apocalypse

Check the book out here https://amzn.to/2DE3tlW

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Fantasy novel – “The Poet King” (Tor Books, 2020) – Ilana C. Myer interview

Check the book out here https://amzn.to/2LpArXn

Ilana C. Myer is a former Jerusalem based journalist turned novelist. She has wrapped up her Harp and Ring Sequence with the third book The Poet King. We discussed the book and her writing process.

0:49 – Ilana talks about why she wrote the series.

3:35 – Ilana talks about poetry versus prose writing.

4:42 – Ilana talks about the details of the book.

8:52 – Ilana talks about the research she did for the novel.

10:45 – Ilana talks about Middle Eastern magic.

12:41 – Ilana compares Eastern and Western magic systems.

13:26 – Ilana talks about the works that have inspired her.

14:53 – Ilana talks about the musical aesthetic of the book.

16:12 – Ilana talks about her writing process.

25:42 – Ilana can be found at ilanacmyer.com.

 

Links of interest

https://amzn.to/2LpArXn

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780765378347

https://ilanacmyer.com/

For more “Full Contact Nerd” please follow me at crisalvarez.com, on Facebook at CrisAlvarezFCN, on youtube at Cris Alvarez on twitter @CrisAlvarezFCN, on Instagram @crisalvarezscifi, and on Apple / Stitcher / Spotify for the podcast

Guests: Ilana C. Myer

Host: Cris Alvarez

Tags: fantasy, writer, novelist, novel, fiction, poet, Celtic, myth, literature, magic, french troubador, prose, art, medieval, Homer, Arabian nights, djinn, journalism, Middle Earth

Check the book out here https://amzn.to/2LpArXn

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.