Today, I’m thrilled to host this guest post by Tanaz Bhathena. The author of Hunted By The Sky tells us about the story behind her story and cover. The book was released yesterday, June 23, 2020 and published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Check it out!
Thank you, Tanaz Bhathena and the publisher, for gifting me a print copy and FFBC Tours for having me on this tour.
The Story Behind The Story and Cover by Tanaz Bhathena
After finishing my debut, A GIRL LIKE THAT in 2016, I wanted to try and shift genres. I loved reading fantasy since I was a child, but I never had the courage to write a whole book in the genre; I thought I didn’t have the imagination for it.
I thought science-fiction would be easier—it’s not—and soon enough I had a pretty skeletal manuscript of a dystopian novel on hand, with a weak setting and flimsy technology that my avid SFF reading friends were poking holes through. Even my map was bad—and I drew it after writing the book.
I decided to shelve the manuscript and work on another contemporary novel—which became my second book, THE BEAUTY OF THE MOMENT. But, flimsy though it was, I couldn’t get the dystopian novel out of my head. I loved the characters in that book and especially the first chapter, which opened with a bang.
I went through my friends’ comments—one suggested replacing technology with magic. That’s when the gears started turning and I decided to take a chance. (What did I have to lose?) I also 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 also knew I wanted to somehow incorporate women warriors—I was especially inspired by an Indian women’s welfare organization called the Gulabi Gang (the Rose Gang), a group that began in north India.
I began rewriting the story and started simultaneously drawing a map. Within the first couple of pages, my map was more detailed than the one I’d drawn for my dystopian novel. I knew I had something here. Before I knew it, a whole world was unfurling before my eyes and somehow, miraculously, I was writing a fantasy novel.
The book’s cover also has an interesting story. Normally authors do not have much say in their covers—I didn’t either, until this time around. My designer had a different vision in mind initially, which didn’t match with my own, but there were several elements that I loved about that cover too. I also wanted a real girl on the cover—my publishers were thinking of a painting initially. So I worked with my designer and editor and we went back and forth several times before finalizing what you see today.
The cusped arch that the model (Tara Gupta) stands under is very symbolic of arches used in medieval Indian doorways. The gold lotus engravings on the arch are reminiscent of Mughal designs and also symbolize the Sisterhood of the Golden Lotus. The most important part of the cover—the main character, Gul—is a fierce, beautiful young brown woman.
I’m thrilled to be able to share this story with you all and I hope you enjoy it!
THANK YOU SO MUCH, TANAZ BHATHENA, FOR THIS LOVELY POST.
Hunted By The Sky by Tanaz Bhathena – 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.
BOOK DETAILS
- Author: Tanaz Bhathena
- Release Date: June 23, 2020
- Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
- Book Length: 384 pages
- Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
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About the Author – Tanaz Bhathena
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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Thanks for taking time to share your book with us and it’s always a pleasure in our family to learn about a new one.