Interview with Tanaz Bhathena for Hunted by The Sky

Hunted by the Sky (The Wrath of Ambar #1)

by Tanaz Bhathena
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Release Date: June 23rd 2020

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Synopsis:

Gul has spent her life running. She has a star-shaped birthmark on her arm, and in the kingdom of Ambar, girls with such birthmarks have been disappearing for years. Gul's mark is what caused her parents' murder at the hand of King Lohar's ruthless soldiers and forced her into hiding to protect her own life. So when a group of rebel women called the Sisters of the Golden Lotus rescue her, take her in, and train her in warrior magic, Gul wants only one thing: revenge.

Cavas lives in the tenements, and he's just about ready to sign his life over to the king's army. His father is terminally ill, and Cavas will do anything to save him. But sparks fly when he meets a mysterious girl--Gul--in the capital's bazaar, and as the chemistry between them undeniably grows, he becomes entangled in a mission of vengeance--and discovers a magic he never expected to find.

Dangerous circumstances have brought Gul and Cavas together at the king's domain in Ambar Fort . . . a world with secrets deadlier than their own. Exploring identity, class struggles, and high-stakes romance, Hunted by the Sky is a gripping adventure set in a world inspired by medieval India.

Can you briefly describe HUNTED BY THE SKY and its characters? 

Set in a world inspired by medieval India, HUNTED BY THE SKY follows the story of a girl named Gul, who has vowed vengeance against a tyrant king for ordering the murder of her parents. Trained in warrior magic by a group of rebel women, Gul infiltrates the king’s palace with the help of a reluctant stable boy named Cavas, who has some dark secrets of his own. 

Who would you say is your favourite character from the story and why? 

Honestly, I love both Gul and Cavas, but there’s another character who has really become a favourite—a character who I can’t mention right now for fear of spoiling the book. 

How did the story occur to you? Did you find inspiration anywhere? 

I was struggling with a SF dystopian novel that I’d drafted, which was going nowhere. I loved the characters I’d created, but didn’t like the plot and the setting was weak. A friend of mine suggested trying out fantasy instead of science fiction. That’s when the gears began turning in my head. I decided to change the setting to one inspired by India—more specifically medieval India, a historical period I was obsessed with as a teen. I was also inspired by a group of women from north India called the Gulabi Gang (the Rose Gang), which works for women’s welfare. The Sisterhood of the Golden Lotus was born and I had my main character’s new name—Gul. 

If you could choose one song to describe your book, which one would it be? 

“Bad Bad Girls” from the movie, Chak De India 

If your book was going to be made into a movie, who would play your characters? 

Ishan Khattar for Cavas. I would love Tara Gupta, the model on my cover, to play Gul. 

What drink and place do you think will go with your book to have a perfect book date? 

Have a cup of lemongrass chai at the Lake Palace Udaipur in Rajasthan and take the book with you. Ambar will come alive. 

Can you recommend your readers any other books in case they are left hungry for more once they finish HUNTED BY THE SKY? 

Empire of Sand by Tasha Suri, The Tiger at Midnight by Swati Teerdhala, and The Bloodprint by Ausma Zehanat Khan 

What would you say is the most difficult part of writing a book? 

Every book has its own challenges. For this book, I had to learn more about creating a magical system and a whole world with its own history and myths. It was quite challenging initially, but also a lot of fun! 

What’s next for you? 

The sequel to HUNTED BY THE SKY!

Orders of a hardcover book will receive limited edition swag and be entered to win a $100 gift card. Open to residents of US and Canada.

Tanaz Bhathena writes books for young adults. Her sophomore novel, The Beauty of the Moment, won the Nautilus Award for Young Adult Fiction and has also been nominated for the Ontario Library Association’s White Pine Award. 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. Her latest book, Hunted by the Sky, (releasing June 23 2020) is the first of a YA fantasy duology set in a world inspired by medieval India. Her short stories have appeared in various publications including The Hindu, Blackbird, Witness, and Room.

Born in India and raised in Saudi Arabia and Canada, Tanaz lives in Mississauga, Ontario, with her family.

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Interview with Tanaz Bhathena

The Beauty of the Moment

by Tanaz Bhathena
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Release Date: February 26th 2019

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Synopsis:

Susan is the new girl—she’s sharp and driven, and strives to meet her parents’ expectations of excellence. Malcolm is the bad boy—he started raising hell at age fifteen, after his mom died of cancer, and has had a reputation ever since.

Susan’s parents are on the verge of divorce. Malcolm’s dad is a known adulterer.

Susan hasn’t told anyone, but she wants to be an artist. Malcolm doesn’t know what he wants—until he meets her.

Love is messy and families are messier, but in spite of their burdens, Susan and Malcolm fall for each other. The ways they drift apart and come back together are testaments to family, culture, and being true to who you are.

Can you briefly describe The Beauty of the moment and their main characters?

The Beauty of the Moment is about an Indian girl named Susan Thomas, who moves from Saudi Arabia to Canada, where she faces all sorts of challenges trying to fit into a new school and to adapt to a new culture. A perfectionist by nature, Susan is struggling to meet with her parents’ expectations—they want her to be a doctor or engineer, while she wants to be an artist. 

In Canada, she meets a Parsi boy named Malcolm Vakil, who is going through his own problems. He’s dealing with his reputation which has been pretty bad—he got into trouble with drugs and alcohol after his mom died. He’s also dealing with his father who has been abusive to him in the past. Now, in his final year at high school, Malcolm is trying to clean up his act. 

Who would you say is your favourite character from the story and why?

Malcolm’s uncle, Mancher, because he gives some amazing advice about love and life. 

How did the story occur to you? Did you find inspiration anywhere?

Like Susan, I was born in India and grew up in Saudi Arabia. I moved to Canada as a teenager and the book is partly inspired by my own experiences.

If you could choose one song to describe your book, which one would it be?

I’m going to cheat and choose two:

Susan’s theme song: Here by Alessia Cara

Malcolm’s theme song: Something Just Like This by Coldplay and the Chainsmokers

Since it is still cold outside, what hot drink do you think will go with your book to have a perfect book date?

Hot chocolate, for sure!

Can you recommend your readers any other books in case they are left hungry for more once they finish The Beauty of the moment?

The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon and 2 States by Chetan Bhagat 

What’s next for you?

I’m working on a YA fantasy duology set in a world inspired by medieval India. The first book, HUNTED BY THE SKY, will release in 2020.

Tanaz Bhathena was born in India and raised in Saudi Arabia and Canada. Her critically acclaimed novel A Girl Like That was nominated for the 2019 OLA White Pine Award and named a Best Book of 2018 by The Globe and Mail, CBC, Quill & Quire, Seventeen, PopSugar, and The Times of India among others. Her second novel The Beauty of the Moment releases on Feb 26 2019. Her short stories have appeared in various journals including Blackbird, Witness and Room.

A wanderer at heart, Tanaz can often be found travelling to different countries, learning bits and pieces of a foreign language, and taking way too many photographs. She loves slapstick comedies and any kind of music that makes her dance. She lives in the Toronto area with her family.

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