Somaiya Daud interview about her space fantasy fiction novel “Court of Lions” (Flatiron Books, 2020)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
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://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250126450
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.
Bethany C. Morrow interview about her fantasy novel “A Song Below Water”