We chat with author Soraya Bouazzaoui about Aicha, which is the story of Morocco’s warrior goddess, her strange magic, fierce rebellion, and devastating romance, weaving an epic tale of female rage and hidden myths, perfect for fans of The City of Brass and The Stardust Thief.
Hi, Soraya! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hi! Yes, of course! I’m a writer and romance editor from London. Editing is my day job and writing is my night job, haha. I grew up reading R.L. Stine, Malorie Blackman and Jacqueline Wilson. I like horror, anime and romance and apparently can’t think of anything else that’s interesting about myself right now! Haha.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
Very early on. I think I read Rainbow Fish a thousand times and just always loved kids/YA. I borrowed every Jacqueline Wilson book from the library as soon as it was available – it was my saturday treat with my mum.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: Rainbow Fish haha
- The one that made you want to become an author: Lola Rose by Jacqueline Wilson and Noughts & Crosses by Malorie Blackman
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Crash Into You by Simone Soltani, I read it recently and adored it so much.
Your debut novel, Aicha, is out March 24th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Violent. Angry. Sad. Vindicating. Bloody.
What can readers expect?
This is scary to answer, because what if it doesn’t live up to the expectations I’m setting?! Haha. Perhaps expect lots of war talk, family bonds, sisters being sisters and maybe some tears.
Where did the inspiration for Aicha come from?
AICHA is based on the old myth of Aicha Kandicha; who is essentially a boogeyman in Morocco. She is described as a succubus with the legs of a camel, prowling road sides to enchant and kill truck drivers. Her story, however, traces back to Portuguese colonisation of the Moroccan coast. As a freedom fighter against that helped drive them out of Morocco.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I love writing all the sister scenes between Aicha and Samira. There’s a lot of sisters in my family – my mum is one of five – and so I drew from my relationship with my sister, as well as the women who surround me. It was an important thing for me that I wanted to nail, and I hope I did.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
As this myth is so short, I tended to police myself a lot on how far I could go with creative license. There was a lot to build around her, and I often feared I was straying away from the myth and essence of Aicha if I did impose limits on myself. I’m not entirely sure whether I succeeded in that, but I did my best!
This is your debut novel! What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?
It’s honestly very boring, haha! The only difference is that I actually had my agent before writing AICHA. She signed me on a different project that I decided to indefinitely shelve, and then after some brainstorming with a friend over whatsapp, I pitched AICHA to my agent. She loved the idea so I went away and worked on it. We did three rounds of edits, then went on submission and by the end of the month I had chosen Orbit after a short auction!
What’s next for you?
Another standalone! I don’t know if I’m allowed to talk about it, but I’ve been researching 1920’s Morocco and the Rif war – which was when indigenous Moroccans in the Rif mountains rebelled against French and Spanish occupiers. There will, of course, be magic.
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up this year?
I’m really excited to Burn the Sea by Mona Tewari and Mothsblood by Lynn D. Jung
