ROSHANI CHOKSHI INTERVIEW AND THE STAR-TOUCHED QUEEN GIVEAWAY

Happy Monday Everyone! Today I’m thrilled to have debut author Roshani Chokshi here to share about her YA fantasy THE STAR-TOUCHED QUEEN. I’m super excited to read this because it’s based on Indian mythology. I met my husband in India many, many years ago and have a soft spot in my heart for India.

Here’s a blurb from Goodreads:

Fate and fortune. Power and passion. What does it take to be the queen of a kingdom when you're only seventeen?

Maya is cursed. With a horoscope that promises a marriage of Death and Destruction, she has earned only the scorn and fear of her father's kingdom. Content to follow more scholarly pursuits, her whole world is torn apart when her father, the Raja, arranges a wedding of political convenience to quell outside rebellions. Soon Maya becomes the queen of Akaran and wife of Amar. Neither roles are what she expected: As Akaran's queen, she finds her voice and power. As Amar's wife, she finds something else entirely: Compassion. Protection. Desire...

But Akaran has its own secrets -- thousands of locked doors, gardens of glass, and a tree that bears memories instead of fruit. Soon, Maya suspects her life is in danger. Yet who, besides her husband, can she trust? With the fate of the human and Otherworldly realms hanging in the balance, Maya must unravel an ancient mystery that spans reincarnated lives to save those she loves the most. . .including herself.

A lush and vivid story that is steeped in Indian folklore and mythology. The Star-Touched Queen is a novel that no reader will soon forget. 

Hi Roshani! Thanks so much for joining us!

1. Tell us about yourself and how you became a writer.

Thanks for having me! Never quite sure what to say about myself. I am probably shorter than you imagine. I became a writer the usual way: finding magic in books, trying and failing to imitate that same magic until eventually the cyclical sorcery of repeatedly trying and failing yielded actual success.   

2. Where did you get the idea for your book?

My childhood was the foundation of my book. Growing up, my parents gave us lots of books on folklore and world mythology to introduce us to our heritage (Filipino and Indian). The more I read, the more I saw how these stories were the same even when they were from different parts of the world. With THE STAR-TOUCHED QUEEN, I wanted to celebrate that by telling a familiar story with components of fairytales I loved. There’s bits of Hades and Persephone, Shakuntula, Beauty and The Beast, Savitiri and Satyavan. I wanted to write something both new and familiar.

3. Share a bit about the Indian mythology your story is based on and how you created your own world in THE STAR-TOUCHED QUEEN based on this mythology.

One of the wonderful things about Indian mythology are the vast worlds that fill it. There’s a realm for nagas (Otherworldly serpent creatures), a kingdom of gold in Lanka, a city of yakshas (fairies) in Alaka. I drew on this aspect of multiple words to demonstrate the liminality of Maya and Amar’s palace in Akaran. Even though I didn’t base my own made up places (such as the interior of Akaran’s palace, the Night Bazaar or the Chakara Forest) on those other realms in Indian mythology, they informed my construction of these places as both opulent and sinister, beautiful and dangerous. With the story itself, I was most inspired by the tale of Shakuntula and the tale of Savitri & Satyavan. I loved that these stories featured strong women, lapses in memory, moments of outwitting death and relationships that defied all odds.

4. Your book has gotten rave reviews and many people really connect with Maya, your main character. How did you develop Maya so that readers would relate to her so well?

I’m so glad to hear that! When Maya walked into my head (I assure you she did this…she’s not one

to wait around for her slow creator to dream her up) she had a lot of demands. She’s a very ambitious character. She was active from the start, and a bit on the sneaky side. She’s transparent when it comes to her ambitions and she’s not afraid to want something. I see that in so many women I respect, and I think I subconsciously tried to honor that in Maya’s characterization.

5. What was it like working with your editor? Was there a way your editor helped you really strengthen your story?

Working with Eileen has been AMAZING. My editor has a strong background in romance, and her notes strengthened the story’s emotional core. I love romance (especially historical) and I think that romance is one of those genres where characterization and heart really have to shine or else people feel distanced from the narrative. Her comments really dug at the story’s emotional core and I couldn’t be more grateful.  

6. I read that you were in law school in 2014 when you already had signed your book deal for this book. I can’t imagine juggling writing or thinking of debuting as an author with law school. All I did back then was go to school, work part-time to support myself, and study. That was an 18-hour day. How have you juggled all your writing and author duties with being in law school?

We didn’t sell The Star-Touched Queen until March 2015. But I did a massive rewrite during my first year while still balancing a WIP and I wouldn’t wish that stress on anyone. What it came down to was not compromising on time management. When I wrote, I turned off all distractions because I knew I could only allot so many hours in a day to writing. When I studied law, I turned off all distractions for the same reason. Balancing both forced me to stick to my schedule. It was strenuous and sometimes panic-inducing, but I don’t regret it. It taught me a lot about myself.

7. I would definitely not wish that on someone. Your agent is Thao Le. How did you get your agent and what was your road to publication like?

I got my agent through the traditional route. I sent a bajillion query letters out into the universe with a hope and a prayer and a typo (still upset about that) and waited and waited and waited. She requested my full, but then she rejected me. And it was *devastating*. She was my dream agent! The first time I read an interview she gave about what she was looking for, I literally hyperventilated. Anyway, when Thao rejected me, I digested the notes she sent over for why she was passing. They made a lot of sense! So I emailed her three weeks later and asked if she’d be interested in a revision. She offered representation in August 2014. We went on submission in October 2014. Then came the cascade of rejections that rattled my soul and left me bedridden with angst more times than I’d like to say. In February 2015, I got over myself and tore my book to shreds and rewrote it based on editor feedback. In March 2015, we sold.  

8.  Your book is definitely multi-cultural. Are you connecting with any group like WeNeedDiverseBooks and how is that helping you spread the word about your book?

I think WNDB does great work, but I’m not officially part of the organization. I was very grateful that WNDB named THE STAR-TOUCHED QUEEN one of their most anticipated debuts on the Barnes & Noble blog! There are so many members of WNDB who have expressed enthusiasm about The Star-Touched Queen or talked about it, and I’m deeply grateful for the exposure.

9. How are you planning to market your book?

Argh! I would not know how! Thankfully, I can entrust that skill to the geniuses over at St. Martin’s Press.

10. What are you working on now?

Right now, I’m working on a heist fantasy set during La Belle Epoque. It’s got smart boys and smarter girls, absinthe and Art Deco. I love it.

Thanks for sharing all your advice, Roshani! You can find Roshani at:

www.roshanichokshi.com

www.startouched.roshanichokshi.com

Twitter: @NotRashKnee

Instagram: @roshanichokshi

Facebook: Roshani Chokshi

Roshani has generously offered an ARC of THE STAR-TOUCHED QUEEN for a giveaway. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower (just click the follow button if you’re not a follower) and leave a comment through May 21st. If your e-mail is not on your Google Profile, you must leave it in the comments to enter the contest.

If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an extra entry. This giveaway is for US.

Here's what's coming up:

On Wednesday I have an agent spotlight interview and query critique giveaway with Ronnie Ann Herman.

Next Monday follower Jessica Lawson will be back with her agent Tina Wexler with a guest post and query critique giveaway by Tina and a giveaway of WAITING FOR AUGUSTA, Jessica's new MG contemporary.

The following Monday I have an interview with debut author Lindsey Klingele and a giveaway of her YA fantasy THE MARKED GIRL.

Then I'm off the following Monday for Memorial Day. My first Monday off since the first of the year!

Wednesday that week I have a guest post by Fauzia Burke, who has spent her career working in book promotion and marketing and has worked with authors like Sue Grafton, Tim Burton, and Deepak Chopra, and a giveaway of her book, ONLINE MARKETING FOR BUSY AUTHORS: A STEP BY STEP GUIDE.

The following Monday I have a guest post by Cassandra Brown, a freelance editor, with a query, synopsis, 10 page manuscript critique, or 30 minute consultation--winner's choice.

Hope to see you on Wednesday!