Author Interview - Bethany Atazadeh

Hello and welcome to our latest author interview with YA fantasy author, Bethany Atazadeh!

Please tell us a little bit about yourself and your writing.

Back in 2016 I was laid off from a corporate job with a whole team, and I took the opportunity to pursue writing and self-publishing on a whim. Here I am seven years later, thankful I did! At this point in my career, I have written 10 novels (published 9), as well as published a children's book, five nonfiction books on marketing with a co-author (two of which I personally wrote), and a writing planner. While I've loved every single book-shaped project, my absolute favorite is young adult fantasy books, especially if they have a touch of fairytale retelling elements to them.

Your favorite thing you've written or published?

Honestly, I almost always say my most recent book—and because I love The Secret Curse (book 3 in The Queen's Rise series) so much, I have to say that's true this time as well.

Who would you say your biggest literary influences are?

So many... Every book that I read influences me (whether good or bad!) by impacting my writing and my understanding of good story. I wish I could point to a specific person, but it's really every author I know or enjoy reading!

Do you feel like your writing has been impacted/influenced by Tolkien? If so, in what way(s)?

Hmm, while I have to admit I didn't read in full and watched the movies instead (don't hate!) I can still say he has an incredible ability to create believable characters and worlds that every author should aspire to. I have no idea how he does it, but at least one element might be that he's not afraid to give them flaws (and big ones sometimes!) amidst all the good.

How has the history of the middle ages impacted/influenced your work?

I guess maybe in a backwards way? A lot of fantasy has middle ages vibes, and I specifically wanted to do something different so I tried to intentionally create a fantasy world in The Stolen Kingdom series (and now The Queen's Rise series) that was based in a very different time/culture (or multiple cultures at this point). 

What do you think the current innovations in your genre(s) are?

There are two big innovations currently that I see: romantasy (aka fantasy books that are mainly about the romance) and having "spice" in books (aka sexual scenes to some extent). Personally I love the romantasy vibes and have really enjoyed adding more romance to my fantasy books to embrace that trend. But I strongly dislike the way that the "spice" trend is affecting young adult age books in particular, because that content doesn't belong in young adult books.

What is something in your genre(s) you'd like to see more of?

I love unique fantasy worlds that branch out from the typical King Arthur and the round table / middle ages style worlds. 

What is something in your genre(s) you'd like to see less of?

I already got on my soapbox a little, but I believe young adult books should be more innocent for the age group, and that there's too much adult content in them these days, specifically spicy scenes. 

What are your favorite themes to work with or write?

Hope. Overcoming. Loving yourself the way you are. Faith.

Where online can our readers find you and your work?

Website: https://www.bethanyatazadeh.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorbethanyatazadeh

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/bethanyatazadeh 

My books on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B077FRKJGW/allbooks

My books on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/bethanyatazadeh

Bethany, thank you so much for the interview and sharing your fun and insightful answers with us!