Ask the Author: Bethany Atazadeh
Answered Questions (18)
Bethany Atazadeh
Hey Katherine, I love this question because YES I absolutely have considered that! :) I have a very rough outline of a book for Hanna (Arie's mom) and had a really fun time hinting at her story in my free newsletter short story called "Gideon" as well as putting a little sneak peek into her disappearance in book four, The Enchanted Crown. Someday when I have the time and energy I definitely hope to come back to write that!
Bethany Atazadeh
Thanks Brooke! All of the names for the Jinn in The Stolen Kingdom universe are based on Biblical names actually. Jezebel in the Bible is a known evil queen, so using that name felt very fitting when I first created her character in The Stolen Kingdom series, before I ever learned her backstory writing The Queen's Rise. :)
Bethany Atazadeh
Do you mean a trilogy? I think every book needs a different amount of time for me, there's no set amount of time, but I started this three-book series in 2020. Which means it's taken me somewhere between 3-4 years from start to finish, so it's really not that fast! :)
Bethany Atazadeh
Hey Sandra! It was actually while talking with my husband about the genie in Aladdin (Disney's version) and how he was saying in his culture they're called Jinn, and the idea grew from there. And I plan to stick to YA Fantasy because that's what I enjoy writing the most. :)
Bethany Atazadeh
I do! :) Currently I'm working on the third and final book in The Queen's Rise series, which is a spin-off from The Stolen Kingdom series that shares the origin story of Queen Jezebel. It can be read before or after the TSK series, or on its own, and has tons more Jinni magic, royalty, and fairytale easter eggs!
Bethany Atazadeh
Yay thank you so much! Hmmm it would depend on which culture, because I tried to help make the names sound different by basing them on modern day cultures (ex: the mermaid names have a russian influence, the Jinn are based on the Bible (Greek and/ Hebrew mostly) and the humans have a lot of persian influences! I really enjoy Nesrin's name so I'd probably pick that!
Bethany Atazadeh
Great question! Book 1 can be read on it's own as a complete story but it *does* have a bit of a cliffhanger at the end, just keep that in mind! :)
Bethany Atazadeh
Great question Abbigail! I write very clean stories when it comes to romance and language, but there is some reference to violence since fantasy books tend to lead to battles and such. Hope that helps!
Bethany Atazadeh
Yay thank you! Oh I would absolutely love to write more of Nesrin and Malachi's story - I haven't planned anything official yet, but I can say I'm about 99% sure I'll write more of them in the future!
Bethany Atazadeh
Hmmm, I'd have to say Nesrin. She's just so straightforward, determined, and fierce haha! (And you'll meet her in The Cursed Hunter and The Enchanted Crown actually, so I can't wait to hear what you think!)
Bethany Atazadeh
Absolutely not. That's not my job. My job is writing books.
Bethany Atazadeh
At the moment, YA Fantasy is my absolute favorite and I could write about a dozen more books in that category, so I'll be there a while... but you never know, maybe I'll branch out someday!
Bethany Atazadeh
It's hard to say because it's usually the one I'm currently writing haha!
Bethany Atazadeh
Yay! I'm so happy to hear that! And great question, this fourth book will be the last one in this series. If I ever come back to this world, it would be a new series or a standalone. :)
Bethany Atazadeh
That's a fantastic question! There are actually quite a few brand new characters (most of them minor, but some more major). One in particular, I think a lot of people will love-to-hate. There will also still be lots of Arie, Kadin, Rena, Bosh, Nesrin, Malakai, and of course, Gideon. And as far as the retelling portion, if you've read the original Sleeping Beauty story, then you'll understand when I say I'm not drawing as much inspiration from this one as from past retellings! (Because yikes, that original story is dark!) But there are a few hints at Sleeping Beauty planted throughout this story, for those who are looking. :)
Bethany Atazadeh
Definitely The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer! When I found out she'd fast-drafted three out of the four books in that series during a single NaNoWriMo that made me SO excited to get back to writing. Those stories always inspire me to think, if she can do, I can do it too!
Bethany Atazadeh
I thought it would be seeing my books on the shelves - which was very exciting, don't get me wrong! But my favorite part of being a writer has actually been when a reader reaches out to talk to me about the story. "When so-and-so did this, it made me feel" type comments are the craziest and coolest to hear at the same time, because my initial reaction is always, "Wait, you know who that is?" To me, these characters and worlds I've created only exist in my head, so knowing they're out in the world feels incredible.
Bethany Atazadeh
Writer's block is really just perfectionism in disguise. As frustrating as it is, my best advice is to sit down and write anyway. Remind yourself it doesn't need to be perfect. No one needs to ever see it. Tell yourself to aim for something simple, like 100 words. Like the saying goes: hands on keyboard, butt in chair, just write. It's NOT easy advice (I struggle to do this myself), but it is simple.
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more