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.

Science Fiction – “The House of Styx” (Solaris, 2020) – Derek Kunsken interview

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Check the book out here https://amzn.to/2BEn6Jn

Derek Kunsken has worked as a scientist and a diplomat and has been frequently published in sci-fi short story magazines. He’s about to release a hard science fiction novel set on Venus. We spoke about the book and his writing process.

0:28 – Derek talks about the House of Styx and why he set his book on Venus.

2:38 – Derek talks about the details of the book.

4:33 – Derek talks about the amount of sci-fi technology in the book.

5:55 – Derek talks about the aesthetic of the story and his use of alien botany.

8:10 – Derek also explores the psychological aspects of colonists.

10:37 – Derek talks about the story itself being kept on Venus but Earth has its own backstory.

11:48 – Derek talks about researching Venus and various sciences for the book.

13:54 – Derek talks about what inspires him.

19:28 – Derek talks about his writing process.

22:20 – Derek talks about the serialization process in sci-fi magazines and his book.

24:14 – Derek talks about his approach to writing.

25:33 – Derek talks about having been a foreign service officer working on refugee issues.

27:19 – Derek about music and his novel.

29:11 – Derek about having wanted to adventure in Barsoom.

30:55 – Derek talks about how smoothly the writing of this book went.

32:37 – Derek talks about how note keeping process and his creative process.

34:53 – Derek talks about audio books.

36:03 – Derek can be found at derekkunsken.com and on twitter @derekkunsken and blogs on blackeight.com

Links of interest

https://amzn.to/2BEn6Jn

https://rebellionpublishing.com/product/the-house-of-styx/

http://derekkunsken.com/index.html/

https://twitter.com/DerekKunsken

Guests: Derek Kunsken

Host: Cris Alvarez

Tags: science fiction, writer, novel, novelist, fiction, hard science fiction, Venus, Quebecois, colonists, technology, dirigibles, plant biology, religious cult, Mars, Moon, Air cadet, comic books, X-Men, serialization, China, Barsoom, comic books, Covid, publishing

Check the book out here https://amzn.to/2BEn6Jn

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Speculative Fiction anthology – “New Suns” (Solaris, 2019) – Nisi Shawl interview

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

Nisi Shawl has written and edited speculative fiction for years and recently won the 2020 Locus Award for best anthology for her edited work New Suns. We spoke about the book, winning the award, the difficulties non-white authors face in the publishing industry, and about writing and editing in general.

0:42 – Nisi talks about how she felt about winning the 2020 Locus award for best anthology.

1:30 – Nisi talks about how the anthology was developed.

2:42 – Nisi talks about how she chose the stories she used in the anthology.

4:20 – Nisi talks about the process of editing the anthology.

5:45 – Nisi talks about how adult the material is in the anthology.

7:00 – Nisi talks about the various times of stories found in the anthology.

9:34 – Nisi talks about writing by non-white authors.

11:25 – Nisi talks about publishing support for non-white authors.

12:55 – Nisi talks about ways within which the industry can support non-white authors.

16:08 – Nisi talks about gender issues within publishing.

17:48 – Nisi talks about other kinds of feedback within the publishing industry.

20:59 – Nisi talks about social media in pushing change.

22:42 – Nisi talks about the nationalities of the authors in the book.

25:08 – Nisi talks about the lengths of the stories in the anthology.

26:26 – Nisi talks about the works that inspire her and works she enjoys.

28:47 – Nisi talks about her love of Outlander. She also gets into the importance of politics within the show.

34:35 – Nisi talks how she approaches the editing process.

37:38 – Nisi talks about she approaches giving editorial changes.

38:13 – Nisi talks about other anthologies she’s edited.

40:04 – Nisi talks about her editing work over time.

40:59 – Nisi talks about her approach to writing.

42:01 – Nisi talks about writer and editing interactions.

44:04 – Nisi talks about self-publishing.

46:10 – Nisi talks about past jobs she had apart from writing and editing.

47:14 – Nisi talks her desire to end world hunger.

49:07 – Nisi talks about how she got LeVar Burton to write the introduction for New Suns.

51:21 – Nisi talks about other non-white authors who should have as much notice as Octavia Butler such as Samuel Delaney and Charles Saunders.

53:44 – Nisi can be found at nisishawl.com.

Links of interest

https://amzn.to/2CKiHVT

https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/New-Suns/Nisi-Shawl/9781781085783

http://nisishawl.com/

Guests: Nisi Shawl

Host: Cris Alvarez

Tags: science fiction, fantasy, writer, editor, anthology, fiction, tags: anthology, post-apocalyptic, future, historical, Octavia Butler, gender, sexuality, flash fiction, Everfair, Middlemarch, Outlander, glaucoma, Battlestar Galactica, time traveler, Scotland, British Empire, politics, ursula Le Guin, world hunger, twilight zone, Levar Burton, Library of America, Samuel Delaney, Charles Saunders, Gloria Naylor

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

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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