We chat with debut author Maiya Ibrahim about Spice Road, which is first book in an epic fantasy series set in an Arabian-inspired land with secret spice magic! Read on to learn more about this exciting new fantasy, writing, book recommendations, and more!
Hi, Maiya! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hello! I’m an Arab-Australian writer who loves everything SFF. When I’m not writing or reading it, I’m enjoying it in video games and an ever-expanding collection of trading cards. I was born and raised in Sydney, I have a law degree but couldn’t tell you why, and if I wasn’t an author, I’d probably be driving trains.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
Apparently on my first day of school, I asked my kindergarten teacher, “when will I learn how to write?” so I’d say it was pretty early on. I read voraciously, and my mum kindly encouraged the habit by regularly taking me to the local library and letting me borrow a concerningly-tall stack of books every time.
I was in year four when I started penning my own short stories, and being able to create worlds and characters from nothing struck me as a wholly magical act. I’ve been obsessed with storytelling ever since.
Quick lightning round! Tell us the first book you ever remember reading, the one that made you want to become an author, and one that you can’t stop thinking about!
- The Rainbow Serpent by Dick Roughsey
- The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
- The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah, because I’m reading it right now, and it’s excellent!
Your debut novel, Spice Road, is out January 24th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Dutiful warrior hunts traitorous brother.
What can readers expect?
A tense, fast-paced quest that will take them from a hidden magical city, through spooky ancient ruins, and across an enchanted desert actively trying to kill anyone who ventures into it. There’s tea magic, monsters inspired by Middle Eastern and Arab mythology, enemies-to-lovers romance, plot twists and some hefty betrayals. Thematically, readers can expect an examination of privilege, complex family dynamics, the horrors of colonialism and imperialism, and the human duty to help each other.
Where did the inspiration for Spice Road come from?
For a long time, I knew I wanted to write a fantasy inspired by my culture, but it was the tea magic that came to me first. After reading historical accounts of Arab traders who discouraged the competition by spreading rumors that their coveted spices grew in remote places guarded by magical creatures, I began associating spice with monsters and magic. Eventually, I envisioned a mysterious, secluded land where monsters roamed and a spice grew that could grant powers when ingested. Adding the tea element seemed natural; ‘chai’ is a drink beloved in the Middle East and North Africa, always offered to visitors, and present at mealtimes and special occasions alike.
The rest of the novel sprung up around the concept of a magical spice, particularly in the question of what lengths people would go to in order to protect such a resource—and what others would do to steal it.
Were there any favourite moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I had a lot of fun writing Qayn, the roguish, cunning djinni who accompanies Imani on her mission to bring her brother home. He’s charming, in control, most certainly hiding something (or many things)—and you just know that irrespective of what happens, he always has another ace up his sleeve. He’s one of my favourite types of characters to write, and it’s immensely rewarding seeing how well early readers are receiving him!
I also really enjoy writing action, so the entirety of the third act—which is basically a non-stop extended action sequence—was a blast to work on.
Can you tell us a bit about your journey of getting Spice Road published?
I found my amazing agent by pitching an early version of Spice Road through DVPit, which is a Twitter pitch event for unagented and unpublished marginalized authors. We spent about a year revising the book together, and then after the trilogy sold to Delacorte Press, I went through several intense rounds of revisions with my editor, making substantial changes (like shifting the book from dual-POV, third-person narration to single-POV, first person narration). It was a gruelling creative process, during which I learned a lot about how to write fantasy, and by the time we arrived at the Spice Road of today, I felt like Batman climbing out of the Pit in the Dark Knight Rises movie, haha.
Are you able to give us a little teaser of the next installment in the Spice Road trilogy?
Expect to visit unexpected places with unexpected people. The world is bigger, the stakes are higher, and there’s plenty of shocking twists, reveals, romance, and darker manifestations of the spice magic throughout.
What’s next for you?
Right now, I’m in the thick of drafting Spice Road’s sequel (help! just kidding. sort of?), but I’m excited to eventually get back to an adult fantasy project I’ve had in the works for a while. I don’t want to say too much in case it never sees the light of day, just that it’s very dark, very genre-bending, and very different to Spice Road!
Lastly, are there any 2023 releases our readers should look out for?
2023 looks like it’s going to be an amazing year for SFF, so I’d love to mention some other Arab-inspired fantasies that are coming out: The Jasad Heir by Sara Hashem, Ashfire King by Chelsea Abdullah, and The Daughters of Izdihar by Hadeer Elsbai (another book I’m currently reading and loving!)
You can find Maiya on Instagram and Twitter, along with at her website.
