What is the title of your latest release?
WITCH DAUGHTER
What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
WITCH DAUGHTER is a Persian mythology retelling about the story of Tahmineh—a witch princess who desperately tries to stop a tragic prophecy in which her husband and son kill each other on the battlefield.
How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
I’m a Zoroastrian author of Indian and Persian heritage. While I’ve already written books exploring my Indian ancestry, I’d never really written about the Persian side. Once I finished my 5th book, I spent over a year researching about ancient Iran and Zoroastrian mythology, knowing fully well that my next book would be set in ancient pre-Islamic Iran.
Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?
Would I hang out with a misunderstood and fiercely protective witch princess who also walks into people’s dreams while they sleep? Hell, yes, I would.
What are three words that describe your hero?
Chivalrous. Honorable. Warrior.
What’s something you learned while writing this book?
That women in ancient Iran had far more agency than I’d expected! Even in mythology, they chose the men they wanted to marry, actively pursued them, and were not shamed for their actions by the poets!
Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I wait until I’m totally done, unless it’s something like a major plot point that needs to be fixed in order for the story to work.
What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Anything rich, decadent and chocolatey.
Describe your writing space/office!
A folding table facing the window in a corner of my room.
Who is an author you admire?
There are far too many, but I admire Arundhati Roy and Jodi Picoult for their storytelling and activism.
Is there a book that changed your life?
THE GOD OF SMALL THINGS by Arundhati Roy.
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.
This time, it was an email from my agent and not a call—which was probably a good thing because I did need to sit down to allow the news to sink in.
What’s your favorite genre to read?
Historical fantasy and Romance.
What’s your favorite movie?
History of the World Part I by Mel Brooks. It’s kooky, irreverent, and probably the best parody I’ve seen about world history.
What is your favorite season?
Spring
How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
I’m not huge on organizing parties (though if somebody throws me one, I won’t be mad!). Generally, I’m happy with a movie and dinner with my friends and family.
What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
KNIFE by Salman Rushdie was one of the best autobiographies I’ve read in recent times.
What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Indian and Lebanese
What do you do when you have free time?
Sketching and birdwatching
What can readers expect from you next?
A mythology retelling about another fascinating Persian woman from the same universe as WITCH DAUGHTER.
Rumors of witchcraft follow Princess Tahmineh like a storm cloud, making it impossible for her to secure herself a marriage or any kind of future. With her father, the king’s, health in question, it becomes shockingly clear how desperate her situation will soon become in his absence. If she doesn’t act now, she will quickly find herself destitute and desperate.
Tahmineh seeks out a prophecy, from which she learns she will fall in love with a warrior of great renown named Rostam and bear him a son. However, she is warned this match is a dangerous one for her. Heedless of the warnings, Tahmineh boldly orchestrates a meeting with Rostam and the two develop a close friendship and ultimately fall in love and marry. At the peak of her joy, Tahmineh gives birth to Sohrab, Rostam’s son.
All too soon, Tahmineh learns the tragic second part of the prophecy. Father and son will meet as enemies in battle and one will die at the hand of the other. What follows is a mother’s desperate attempt to undo the threads of fate and try to protect her son at all costs.
Romance Historical | Fantasy Historical [ Grand Central Publishing, On Sale: September 22, 2026, Hardcover / e-Book / audiobook, ISBN: 9781538780862 / eISBN: 9781538780886 ]
Tanaz Bhathena is an award-winning Zoroastrian author. Her debut adult historical fantasy, Witch Daughter, was named a Kobo Best Book of September 2026. Her young adult books include Hunted by the Sky, which won the White Pine Award and the Bapsi Sidhwa Literary Prize, and The Beauty of the Moment, which won the Nautilus Gold Award for Young Adult Fiction. Her acclaimed debut, A Girl Like That, was named a Best Book of the Year by numerous outlets including The Globe and Mail, Seventeen, and The Times of India. Born in India and raised in Saudi Arabia and Canada, Tanaz lives in Southern Ontario with her family.
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