We chat with author Isabella Kamal about this delightful historical romance debut The Temple of Persephone, which is Bridgerton meets Greek mythology.
Hi, Isabella! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
I’m an Iraqi historical romance novelist and gene therapy scientist! When I’m not writing or working at my day job, I’m usually reading, singing, playing video games, or giving my dog a big kiss.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
This is such an author answer, but I really can’t remember a time when I wasn’t interested in stories. Growing up, my parents encouraged my sisters and I to read as much as possible and were always buying us books, so that definitely helped. On the writing front, I started journaling in the first grade and was happy to try my hand at creative writing by the time third grade rolled around. I still remember the first story I ever wrote—it was about a lonely girl who befriended the ghosts that haunted her swimming pool. I was awarded a Scratch ‘n Sniff sticker for that one, and I guess I’ve been chasing that high ever since!
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: The Story of the Tooth Fairy by Sheila Black. It had the most beautiful illustrations by Barbara Lanza and came with a little plush tooth that had a pocket on its front for storing milk teeth in. It sounds a little weird now that I’ve typed it out, but I promise it was very sweet!
- The one that made you want to become an author: I don’t think I can pinpoint a specific book, but I will say that other romance novelists inspire the heck out of me. I’m a big fan of Tessa Dare, Beverly Jenkins, Amalie Howard, Olivia Dade, Anne Mallory, Eloisa James—the list goes on and on. Reading their work taught me so much about the craft of romance writing and left me with this urge to try my hand at it, too.
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: I recently read The Raven Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt for the first time and am still obsessed with it! It’s no surprise that it was so expertly executed—Elizabeth Hoyt is a romance superstar, after all.
Your debut novel, The Temple of Persephone, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Greek mythology themed Regency romance!
What can readers expect?
An exploration of loneliness, anxiety, and family that somehow still manages to be lighthearted and whimsical. There’s a little bit of mystery, a little bit of spice (okay, maybe more than a little bit), and a lot of falling in love!
Where did the inspiration for The Temple of Persephone come from?
I was such a Greek mythology kid growing up. My mom bought my sister and I a copy of The Greek Gods by Bernard Evslin, Dorothy Evslin, and Ned Hoopes because we were learning about Ancient Greece at school and I thought it was the coolest thing ever. I don’t love things lightly—once I’m in, it’s likely that I’ll be in for life, so that Greek mythology loving kid became a Greek mythology loving adult. The myth of Hades and Persephone was always my favorite, so it made total sense to explore it in my debut novel. I decided to blend it into a Regency romance because, well, I love romance! I doubt I could have written anything else.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
Writing both Persephone and Aidon was a really healing experience for me because they are just so lonely. I always say I was born a lonely person—something I was only able to come to peace with through my work on The Temple of Persephone. I enjoyed writing Persephone in particular because of the anxiety she suffers. I had pretty bad anxiety in my late twenties and had to learn the hard way that there’s really no getting rid of it. You can make peace with it, can learn to better handle it, but it’s always there even if it doesn’t feel as debilitating anymore. I did my best to get that point across through Persephone—that it’s okay not to change or be fully healed by love.
This is your debut published novel! What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?
It was interesting, to say the least! I spent a good amount of time trying to sell this book without an agent backing me up, which probably wasn’t very smart of me. Just as I was about to throw in the towel, Kate Studer, the developmental editor I was working with, referred me to her agent and the rest is history! I’m still learning new things about publishing every day—it’s so different from the industry I work in, so there’s a lot for me to pick up.
What’s next for you?
I’m polishing up another manuscript that I’ll be handing in to my agent soon. We’ll see what comes of it!
Lastly, are there any 2024 book releases that you’re looking forward to?
Totally! Christy Healy’s book Unbound is already out and it’s been on my mind ever since I finished it. I’m also looking forward to reading At First Spite by Olivia Dade and The Lady He Lost by Faye Delacour. This feels like a good time to announce that I’m actually a very slow reader—no matter how many 2024 releases I’m looking forward to, I can guarantee that I won’t get to them before the year is out. But you can bet I’ll try!
