- Thursday, April 25, 2024
By: MITA MISTRY
AUTHOR TASHA SURI DISCUSSES HER POWERFUL NEW NOVEL
FABULOUS fantasy authors like Tasha Suri have created great gateways to new worlds with their beautifully crafted books.
The talented London-based writer has followed up the success of her debut Empire Of
Sand with the newly published novel The Jasmine Throne, which revolves around a longimprisoned princess and a maidservant in possession of forbidden magic teaming up to rewrite the fate of an empire. The beginning of the Burning Kingdoms trilogy is unique on many levels and sees the rapidly rising awardwinning literary star create a thrilling new world with south Asian protagonists that light up the pages with girl power.
Eastern Eye caught up with Tasha Suri to discuss her new novel, inspirations and the cinematic quality of her writing.
What first connected you to writing?
My love of reading! I loved books even when I was very young, and that made me start writing for fun. But I only began writing in earnest for publication after university, when I realised becoming an author was one of my biggest dreams.
What connected you to the fantasy genre?
I have always really enjoyed reading fantasy, and I love how much possibility there is in fantasy. You’re not constrained by the limits of the real world, and that means you can explore big themes and emotions in interesting ways.
What led you towards The Jasmine Throne?
I wanted to tell an epic story that drew on ancient Indian history and epics, with a strong focus on women – their anger, their ambitions, their desires and choices.
Tell us about the story of the book?
The Jasmine Throne is an epic, Indian-influenced fantasy about a captive, vengeful princess and a maidservant with forbidden magic, who work together to bring down the princess’s tyrannical emperor, fall in love along the way, and set an empire ablaze.
Are the two lead characters inspired by anyone in particular?
The lead characters Malini and Priya weren’t directly inspired by anyone, but I was influenced by Draupadi in the Mahabharata and historical female figures like Jahanara Begum, a Mughal princess involved in a conflict for the throne.
How does this compare to other books you have written?
All my books draw on Indian history and focus on women’s lives, but The Jasmine Throne
is the biggest in size and in scope, and has a large cast of characters.
What was the biggest challenge of writing this book?
Keeping track of all the point of view of characters! I think there are over eight or nine, which is quite a lot to manage.
Who are you hoping connects with this fantasy story?
I hope this story appeals to a wide range of readers: fans of fantasy, people who love Indian history or mythology, or anyone who enjoys feminist fiction.
Fantasy books have that larger-than-life cinematic quality. Do you think about that while writing?
I try and focus more on getting the smaller, character-focused moments right. Big, cinematic sequences in films only work if we care about the people caught up in them, after all. That’s the same for books – if you don’t care about the characters, you won’t feel any wonder, fear or joy when big moments of magic hit.
What do you enjoy reading and do you have a favourite book?
I enjoy reading fantasy, of course. But I also love romance and some literary fiction. One of my favourite books is The City of Brass by SA Chakraborty, which is a wonderful adventure with djinn, a con artist, and historical Cairo.
Do you have a favourite author?
I love lots of different authors! But I’ll buy anything by RF Kuang, NK Jemisin or Silvia Moreno-Garcia. All fantastic SFF authors.
What makes for a good story?
Characters you really, really care about with stories you feel compelled to follow.
What inspires you as a writer?
Everything inspires me. Mythology and fairy tales – things I’ve read or watched, music and random pieces of knowledge I pick up when I’m researching history.
What can we expect next from you?
The sequel to The Jasmine Throne, which will be out next year! I also have a teen novel coming out next year – a retelling of Wuthering Heights.
Why should we all pick up your new book The Jasmine Throne?
You should pick up The Jasmine Throne because you want to read Indian-inspired fantasy! Or because you want to read something with morally grey women making questionable choices that may change the world. Whatever you prefer.
