1--What is the title of your latest release?
THE JINN DAUGHTER
2--What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
A socially ostracized necromantic storytelling jinn mother has to save her only daughter from the goddess of Death while accepting that death comes to all.
3--How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
It was based on my Middle Eastern heritage, and I wanted a setting that didn’t feel like a typical Medieval European setting but wasn’t a stereotypical and trope-ish Middle-Eastern desert setting. I wanted the woods and the natural, yet dark, feel that setting provides to a story. And I wanted Death to be a ream that’s explored. The first fantasy book I read was Sabriel by Garth Nix and so the idea of necromancy and death has always appealed to me as a setting. Pomegranates, which feature in my novel, are a symbol of immortality, so I also wanted nature, which to me is a symbol of immortality as well, to be part of my story setting.
4--Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
Maybe. She’s very tired and stressed and holds much grief, so I think I would, but she’d be the friend I worry about from an emotional stance. She is also stuck in her cottage in the woods, tied by magic, so it would be difficult to meet with her, unless I traveled to her. She’s kind and loving, and reserved and introverted, so it would be difficult getting her out of her shell. But once she trusts you, she’d be a loyal friend. She’s more me than I like to admit. She’s also stubborn and fierce and afraid to let go. So I would spend time with her, once the barriers are overcome.
5--What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Grieving, stubborn, maternal
6--What’s something you learned while writing this book?
I have a lot of community who are so, so supportive of me and my work, which I’m grateful for. People are usually excited for you when they find out you’ve written a book and show that support in so many ways. It’s one of the greatest gifts this book has given me, the sense I have community.
7--Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I edit when I’m done since I’m a discovery writer and I don’t know what’s going to happen until the manuscript if done. I may make tweaks if something, such as the name of a place or person shifts as I write, but I hold off until the end.
8--What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Tea! I’m a picky eater, so I’m not a foodie, but tea has replaced the blood in my veins at this point, especially black, Turkish tea, with some saffron sugar in it. Highly recommend!
9--Describe your writing space/office!
It’s simple. My desk is set against the corner, near a window that overlooks my balcony. Squirrels and birds visit sometimes, more for the bread and nuts I leave out for them. A wasp visits the birdbath I have out there, and I’ll find it drinking water from it. It’s oddly cute.
There’s a blue Moroccan lamp on my desk, more for décor, and a red, ceramic pomegranate a dear friend gifted me. My desk is otherwise bare except for writing essentials – laptop, planner, and a Syrian coaster to place my steaming tea pot on. Shelves line the walls, laden with a wooden Syrian mosaic jewelry box (no jewelry inside!) and a pen holder, a Samaritan woman carved from wood, from Palestine, and a bunch of books I’m reading for my next manuscript. I replaced an older chair with a green velvet one that I love. There’s always a heating pad around because no matter what, I’m always cold, so I make sure my chair feels cozy at all times. You can actually find a picture of my writing space on my Instagram!
10--Who is an author you admire?
Any dead one whose work has survived centuries after their death! What a legacy.
11--Is there a book that changed your life?
I wouldn’t say a single book changed my life. Rather, the cumulative has, since they have all molded my mind and lend to me writing what I write now.
12--Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)/Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
It was through my agent, via email, I think. I honestly don’t even remember now! Pretty sure it was an email my agent sent, that Hoopoe (my publisher) is interested, and then some conversations around that afterwards.
13--What’s your favorite genre to read?
I’m such a mood reader! So I don’t have a favorite genre, it’s more dependent on my mood. I can shift from inhaling fantasy, to thriller, to history, to folklore.
14--What’s your favorite movie?
I don’t have one – and I’m also a mood watcher. I do like the classics, and I’ll go through phases where I watch old black and white movies, and I love period pieces, but those are usually the PBS Masterpieces, or mini-series, which aren’t quite movies. A24 has put out amazing movies, though some are uncomfortable to watch. Still, I enjoy the creativity, visually and script-wise, of works they have put out.
15--What is your favorite season?
Autumn and spring! Though winter is starting to grow on me, more for the coziness factor. I still hate the cold, though.
16--How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
Cake. I always want a hearty slice of chocolate cake, with a hot cup of tea, and a nice restaurant meal.
17--What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
Saltburn is a good show. The story is tight, the acting great, and the visuals fantastic. Griselda is also a good one. The Writer (it’s a Lebanese show on Netflix). (Can you tell I love streaming services?) The only podcast I listen to is Old Gods of Appalachia, a horror anthology. Engrossing storytelling. For a book, I’d say Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse.
18--What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Middle Eastern! I’m picky but I’ll eat Arab food any day. I love zaatar and oil with some pita, or warak enab (stuffed grape leaves).
19--What do you do when you have free time?
Read! You can’t write if you don’t read and I’m determined to read through my library, even though I add more books to it than I ever am able to get through. I’m also involved in some activist work in DC, and spend my time learning about the areas we’re working in, and developing content and strategy with my group.
20--What can readers expect from you next?
Novels that further explore my Middle Eastern heritage, but also ones that explore my maternal side’s Trinidadian folkloric heritage.
A Novel
A stunning debut novel and an impressive feat of storytelling that pulls together mythology, magic, and ancient legend in the gripping story of a mother’s struggle to save her only daughter
Nadine is a jinn tasked with one job: telling the stories of the dead. She rises every morning to gather pomegranate seeds—the souls of the dead—that have fallen during the night. With her daughter Layala at her side, she eats the seeds and tells their stories. Only then can the departed pass through the final gate of death.
But when the seeds stop falling, Nadine knows something is terribly wrong. All her worst fears are confirmed when she is visited by Kamuna, Death herself and ruler of the underworld, who reveals her desire for someone to replace her: it is Layala she wants.
Nadine will do whatever it takes to keep her daughter safe, but Kamuna has little patience and a ruthless drive to get what she has come for. Layala’s fate, meanwhile, hangs in the balance.
Rooted in Middle Eastern mythology, Rania Hanna deftly weaves subtle, yet breathtaking, magic through this vivid and compelling story that has at its heart the universal human desire to, somehow, outmaneuver death.
Fantasy Epic [American University in Cairo Press, On Sale: April 2, 2024, Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9781649033635 / eISBN: 9781649033659]
Rania Hanna is a Syrian–American writer and researcher. She is a neuroscience doctoral student at George Mason University. The Jinn Daughter is her debut novel. She lives in Northern Virginia.
No comments posted.
© 2003-2024 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy