I got to read an e-galley of The Star-Touched Queen as part of this blog tour, and this is a book you don't want to miss out on. The prose is rich, and it's such a fresh fantasy.
The Book
The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi
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.
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.
The Author
Roshani Chokshi comes from a small town in Georgia where she collected a Southern accent, but does not use it unless under duress. She grew up in a blue house with a perpetually napping bear-dog. At Emory University, she dabbled with journalism, attended some classes in pajamas, forgot to buy winter boots and majored in 14th century British literature. She spent a year after graduation working and traveling and writing. After that, she started law school at the University of Georgia where she’s learning a new kind of storytelling.
The Q&A
·
What/Who were your biggest inspirations for the
characters in The Star-Touched Queen? Which character in The Star-Touched Queen
did you personally relate to the most and why? For Maya and Amar, they were inspired by the Hades/Persephone. But I
imagined those two mythological characters a little more differently. In Maya’s
case, I knew that ambition was her defining trait, but I wasn’t sure whether
that would manifest as seeking emotional or material fulfillment. Turns out, it
was a bit of both. Kamala was inspired by my love of fiendish side characters
like Mogget from Garth Nix’s SABRIEL and is probably the character I relate to
the most. Her sense of humor can be a little abrasive. But she’s fiercely loyal
to her friends. Other people in TSTQ were inspired by a collection of people
whom I met/knew/heard of growing up.
·
Have you always been drawn to Mythology and what
are some of your favorite mythological tales? What myth specifically inspired
Star-Touched? Always! I was raised on
mythology. It was one of the most important outlets for me to connect to my
Filipino/Indian heritage. My favorite Indian myths are Shakuntula, Nala and
Damayanti, and Savitri. My favorite Filipino story is the Igorot tale of the
Sky Maiden. My favorite Western myth is Hades and Persephone. TSTQ was
specifically inspired by Hades & Persephone.
·
Let's talk inspiration. What Indian folklore inspired The
Star-Touched Queen and where could someone who might be interested in reading
and learning more about it and other Indian stories (cough, me, cough) learn
more? The main Indian folktales/myths
that inspired TSTQ or particular scenes were: Shakuntula (plays on the idea of
memory and forgotten loves), Savitri & Satyavan (bargaining with Lord of
Death, wily females!) and Narasimha (the fourth avatar of Lord Vishnu who
defeated the demon king Hirayankashipu). Honestly, most of these were stories I
heard growing up with my family. But my favorite
thing to read when I was younger were the Amar Chitra Katha comics! They’re
these illustrated tales from Indian mythology and I love them so so so
much.
·
What scene in THE STAR-TOUCHED QUEEN was your
favorite to write? Definitely the scene
where Amar and Maya are working together in the constellation room. I think
it’s an important scene about interpretation, which, to me, is a major theme in
TSTQ.
·
Did you listen to any music while writing this
book? If yes, what would you say was your MOST played artist or song? Sometimes I listen to music when I write.
It just depends on whether the song is distracting me or fueling some weird
atmospheric part of the scene. Sometimes it’s just one song on repeat. I listen
to a lot of hip hop. And when I
pretty much rewrote TSTQ in February 2015, I felt furious. Not with anyone. But just with the story. Like it was
itching to be told right and I was failing it. I think the songs I listened to
the most with TSTQ was either Kid Ink’s “Show Me” or Kendrick Lamar’s “Poetic
Justice.”
·
What is your dream movie cast for STAR-TOUCHED? LOVE this question. I’ve always envisioned
Lakshmi Menon (the Sri Lankan model) as Maya-esque. Amar has some definite
Arjun Rampal undertones (swoons forever). Gupta is kinda cheeky and nerdy, and
reminds me of Imran Khan (actor not Pakistani cricket player). Gauri is cheeky,
but fierce, so definitely Preity Zinta or Deepika Padukone. Nritti: Aishwarya
Rai. And Mother Dhina: Rekha.
·
What is the most exciting part about publishing
your first novel? Interacting with readers.
Talking to the YA community gives me so much life.
·
How did you build your world and keep everything
straight for STAR-TOUCHED? Flashcards, charts, webs, etc. I know everyone has
their own tricks! Flashcards, backs of
receipts, corners of napkins. Which is to say, I did not keep things straight
at all. This is why you have beta readers. To throw virtual tomatoes at you and
point out that given the rules of your world, you cannot do the thing you just
did.
·
What is your next project? Is it in the same
world as STAR-TOUCHED? I just finished
the companion novel to TSTQ! So, I’m hoping to get started on edits soon. I
can’t wait for y’all to read it. I love it so much.
·
What is the one thing you want readers to walk
away from STAR-TOUCHED with? I hope
readers see a little of how fairytales and folklore celebrate our shared
experiences across cultural spectrums. And I hope their dreams are a little
star-touched and that they close the book thinking they’ve tasted fairy fruit
and walked through more than one life.
What is your favorite fairytale and why? It’s a toss up between Beauty and The Beast or Snow White. I love the transformational aspect of Beauty and The Beast and I love the horror of Snow White.
When you read a book, do you appreciate the plot, characters, setting, or narration most? Narration.
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