We chat with debut author Zohra Nabi about The Kingdom Over the Sea, which Aru Shah meets One Thousand and One Nights in this lavish middle grade adventure.
Hi, Zohra! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hi! I’m twenty-four and currently live in a multi-generational house in London. I used to be a law student, and was going to train to be a lawyer, but then in between my undergraduate and postgraduate degrees I wrote the Kingdom over the Sea, and decided I preferred writing. I like cooking and sea swimming, and can play the double bass.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I first started writing proper stories for myself when I was about fourteen – I’ve always loved reading (and watching TV) and essentially wanted to take over and write my own versions, and create my own scenarios. But recently I was digging through some old boxes with my sisters, and we found a ‘book’ I’d written aged six by stapling pieces of paper together – ‘authorised’ by Zohra Nabi.’
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 is Jill Murphy’s The Worst Witch, which is still one of my favourite reads. The book that made me want to become an author was Italo Calvino’s ‘If on a winter’s night a traveller’. It made me fall in love with storytelling all over again. The book I can’t stop thinking about is Rebecca West’s The Fountain Overflows – it’s such an odd, intelligent, heartfelt book.
Your debut novel, The Kingdom Over the Sea, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Adventure, family, voyage, community and magic.
What can readers expect?
An adventure which takes you from an ordinary seaside town in the UK to a world of alchemy, sorcery and forbidden magic. A story about a girl discovering her language and culture and heritage, and finding community after the death of her mother. And a near-perfect recipe for masoor dal.
Where did the inspiration for The Kingdom Over the Sea come from?
From two sources – firstly from my favourite period of history: the golden age of the Islamic world. I wanted to create a city that could stand alongside the cities of that era, which were these incredible places of scholarship and learning. I read so many books and articles, just to try and get a feel for what it must have been like to live in that time. And secondly from my own family history, and my grandparents’ experience of immigration and displacement.
Were there any favourite moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I really enjoyed writing the dialogue scenes for Yara (my main character) and Leyla Khatoun (the sorceress who reluctantly agrees to take her in). I loved exploring the different ways they tested and aggravated each other, and trying to build a relationship between them. One of my favourite books is Anne of Green Gables, and I adore the dynamic between Anne and the adults in her life – I had so much fun exploring how that could work with a more modern child!
Can you tell us a bit about your journey of getting The Kingdom Over the Sea published?
I’ve been very lucky. After doing an online creative writing course in the UK, I was mentored by a brilliant middle grade author called Aisha Bushby, and with her help I started querying. After a short time I found my agent, who found a home for Kingdom very quickly. The only stressful part was trying to edit the book alongside my postgraduate degree – where I was studying, they were quite strict about us not working on outside projects or jobs during term-time, and I definitely broke that rule on multiple occasions…
What’s next for you?
I’m excited to be working on a sequel for The Kingdom over the Sea! We travel further into the kingdom, and learn more about Yara’s past, and the history of sorcery. It’s been so much fun writing more about the characters, and exploring the world even more.
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for our readers?
For more books about the magical power of words, try ‘Inkheart’ by Cornelia Funke, ‘Pages & Co’ by Anna James, or ‘Magyk’, by Angie Sage. For more magical adventures, I’d recommend ‘Nura and the Immortal Palace’, by MT Khan, ‘Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun’ by Tọlá Okogwu, and anything by Diana Wynne Jones. And for books about children taking responsibility and finding belonging and community, I love ‘Anne of Green Gables’ by LM Montgomery and ‘Ballet Shoes’ by Noel Streatfield.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Zohra Nabi grew up inventing stories for her two younger sisters. She studied law at Cambridge and Oxford universities, but secretly dreamed of being an author. Now she lives in London, browsing bookshops and writing magical adventures. The Kingdom over the Sea is her first book. You can find her online on Instagram at @zohra_nabi and Twitter at @Zohra3Nabi.
