In Rati Mehrotra’s YA fantasy novel Night of the Raven, Dawn of the Dove, a young guardswoman struggles with her unwitting role as a major pawn in the deadly games between two kingdoms in a monster-infested alternate medieval India.
Hi, Rati! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hello and thanks for inviting me for this interview! I am an Indo-Canadian science fiction and fantasy writer, born and brought up in India and currently based in Toronto. I’ve been writing for many years now, both short fiction and novels, but Night of the Raven, Dawn of the Dove is my first YA fantasy book. I love to cook; when not writing, I am often to be found in the kitchen. Food often finds its way into my worldbuilding.
When did you first discover your love for writing?
I wrote my first poem at the age of five and my first short story at the age of eight. When I was twelve, my class teacher asked each of us what we wanted to do when we grew up, and I said I wanted to write science fiction and fantasy. You can do it, my teacher said, becoming the first person – for many years, the only person – to encourage my writing. (Thank you, Ms. Naher.)
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 first book I remember reading at the age of five is The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton. The book that made me want to become an author was Stephen King’s The Drawing of the Three from The Dark Tower series. And the books I return to again and again are from Terry Pratchett’s Discworld. They are my favorite comfort reads, especially the Witches series.
Your latest novel, Night of the Raven, Dawn of the Dove, is out October 18th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Monsters, magic, murder, betrayal, and kissing!
What can readers expect?
Readers can expect a fast-paced adventure set in an alternate medieval India infested with monsters. Slow burn romance, court intrigue, betrayal, complicated sibling dynamics, love through service, and found family are some of my favorite tropes and you’ll find them all within these pages as you follow Katyani, a plucky guardswoman in search of answers. You’ll also meet Daksh, her stoic and handsome love interest, expert swordsman and stern rule-follower – except when he isn’t!
Where did the inspiration for Night of the Raven, Dawn of the Dove come from?
During the lockdown, when I was cut off from my family in India, missing home and worried about all of them, it came to me that while I couldn’t travel to India, I could create an entire world inspired by India in my head. I couldn’t visit my childhood home, but I could write about home, what it means, and how it changes over time. That was the seed from which this entire book grew. I put all my love of Indian mythology, architecture, food, and history into it.
Can you tell us a bit about the challenges you faced while writing and how you were able to overcome them?
I wrote this book during the lockdown and edited it while enduring Long Covid. Apart from health issues, I think my major challenge was simply allowing myself this joyful escape from the rather grim reality life had become. I had to convince myself it was a worthwhile endeavour – that I could lock my door on the world, leaving my guilt and anxiety behind, and enter another. The real world would still be waiting when I got back. As long as it made me happy for a while, that was enough. And maybe, just maybe, it would give someone else an escape that they needed too.
Were there any favourite moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
My favorite scenes were between the main character Katyani and her love interest Daksh. I loved writing the banter between them. I call these my candy scenes. When facing a tough time with other, darker parts of the book, I would ‘treat’ myself by revisiting one of these scenes as a reminder that there was light at the end of the tunnel.
What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?
A long and difficult one. When I started writing my first book, Markswoman, I had no clue about the publishing process. All I had was a dream of a world. I didn’t even have an outline, I didn’t know how many books it was going to take to tell my story, I just started writing. I received dozens of agent rejections. It took me ten years from writing the first page of my novel to its actual publication. I learned along the way, both about writerly craft and about publishing. Writing a book is still extremely difficult for me, but because I have experience now, and a better handle on my craft, it should hopefully not take ten years again.
What’s next for you?
I have another book currently slated for publication in Fall 2023. I can’t announce the title yet! Without giving too much away, I can say that it is also a medieval Indian fantasy, but this time set in the sixteenth century Gujarat Sultanate. It is the most ‘historical’ novel I’ve written so far, and the research was quite challenging for me, not least because it is during this time that the Portuguese established themselves on the western coast of India. It was the beginning of European colonization of the subcontinent, and some of the details were hard for me to stomach. My book is about a girl who finds herself caught up in the politics of the Sultanate against the backdrop of the Portuguese invasion. There is magic, betrayal, adventure, politics, and a touch of romance. I hope it will appeal to all my readers!
Lastly, what have been some of your favourite 2022 reads? Any 2023 releases our readers should look out for?
I enjoyed Drizzle, Dreams, and Lovestruck Things by Maya Prasad – she has the same release date I do! It’s a charming romance featuring four Desi sisters, set in the Pacific Northwest. I also loved Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century by Kim Fu – a collection of twelve strange, captivating tales. In 2023, I am looking forward to The Love Match by Priyanka Taslim, The Scarlet Alchemist by Kylie Lee Baker, Divining the Leaves by Shveta Thakrar, and Wildblood by Lauren Blackwood.
