My eternal and profound thanks to my agent, Jennifer Azantian, for listening to my (many) voice memos, fiercely championing me and my work, and always knowing what to say when I spin out. To my editor, Nivia Evans, for seeing the potential in this story in its earliest phases. You sent me the Twitter DM on October 27, 2020, that changed my life, and I’m so grateful to have your editorial talent and sharp eye on my side. A giant thank you to the rest of the passionate, brilliant team at Orbit for their enthusiasm and support in bringing The Jasad Heir to life—Angelica Chong, Rachel Goldstein, Angela Man, Laura Blackwell, and Ellen Wright. To my wonderful Orbit UK editor, Jenni Hill, for seeing something special in The Jasad Heir, and editorial assistant Rose Ferrao for sending emails I’m excited to open. Lisa Marie Pompilio and Mike Heath, please know I’m never going to stop screaming about the beautiful cover you created. Thank you to the #DVPit organizers who created the amazing event that connected me and my editor. Koren Enright and Kalyn Josephson, I’m still so relieved you read the pure chaos that was this book’s first iterations and said, “Yeah, I’ll take this one.” Your mentorship during Pitch Wars kept me sane while I dove into the world of publishing. I don’t know where I (or this book) would be without your incredible wisdom, insight, and Arin jokes. Team Void Cats forever!
Every author knows how scary it is to send their baby WIP into someone else’s hands, but Destiny, Janae, and Abby—you guys made it so much less terrifying. I can’t believe you didn’t block my number the seventieth time I asked if you were still reading. Hannah Sawyerr, our sprints and Facetimes and overlapping deadlines have meant the world to me, and I’m so blessed to have you and your endless cheer in my life. Olesya Lyuzna, my first critique partner and co-podcaster, one of these days we’ll meet and the world will never be the same. Jess Parra, one of the funniest and most fiercely supportive women I know—thank you for always telling it to me straight and being the coolest honorary aunt on the planet. Carolina Flórez-Cerchiaro, Brittney Arena, Ream Shukairy, and Maeeda Khan, I’m so grateful for your enthusiasm and kindness.
My family probably skipped directly to this section as soon as they opened the book (as if I would ever forget you). Mama, you’ve been telling people I was a writer since I was in the third grade, and I’m sorry I spent years begging you to stop. Baba, who always listens and always knew I’d get here. I’m so grateful you ignored my whining and made sure I learned Arabic and fell in love with Egypt. To Yusuf, for having endless ideas for promoting the book, despite your general disinterest in fiction. Hend, who started reading my half-formed stories when she was ten and never stopped asking for more. And Hanan, who didn’t originally read much but happily read this book three times—I adore you and your willingness to let me talk your ear off about my ideas.
To every reader and bookseller who picked up this book, ordered it to their library, added it to their TBR—your kind words and support have been an unending source of joy for me throughout this journey. I’m forever thankful to you for taking a chance on a debut author.
Finally, to my elementary school librarian, even though you may never see this. You saw me reading alone every day at recess and took me under your wing. You let me check out five books at a time instead of the school-sanctioned two, and you asked about every single one I read. You put a chair just for me behind the counter, so I could scan books with you if the world became too overwhelming. Because of you, the library was more than just a place to read—it was my haven. I will never be able to thank you enough for reminding me the real world can sometimes be as magical as fictional ones.
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extras
meet the author
Sara Hashem
SARA HASHEM is an American Egyptian writer from Southern California, where she spent many sunny days holed up indoors with a book. Sara’s love for fantasy and magical realms emerged during the two years her family lived in Egypt. When she isn’t busy naming stray cats in her neighborhood after her favorite authors, Sara can be found buried under coffee-ringed notebooks.
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interview
What was the first book that made you fall in love with the fantasy genre?
I’d say the major players for binding my heart to fantasy were the Magic Treehouse and Charlie Bone series. The itch to travel for me started young, and those books took me places a plane never could. I will never get over how fortunate I am to share a world of my own in hopes it whisks a reader away.
Where did the initial idea for The Jasad Heir come from and how did the story begin to take shape?
A story typically takes shape for me around a central question. For The Jasad Heir, I wanted to know: What do you owe to a place and a people you’ve barely known, but without whom you wouldn’t exist? I’m not the biggest fan of revenge story lines, so I was stymied with her character for a while. I kept thinking, what should she do? How should she fight for her kingdom and her people?
And then eventually, why should she want to?
I wanted Sylvia to feel familiar to eldest daughters of immigrant families in particular, who feel the weight of duty and obligation far earlier than most. But we usually carry it out of love, even when it wears us down. Sylvia was missing love. Responsibilities were stacked so high on her shoulders that she broke, severing herself from any kind of tie or duty so thoroughly that she stopped associating herself with Jasad. In the first half of the book, she refers to them as “they” or “the Jasadis.” There’s the other her, Essiya, who represents an idealized version of herself.
Once I had Sylvia’s arc (sort of) nailed down, the rest came easier. I love scheming and court machinations, magical mayhem, book versions of the Rocky training montage, and a villain who doesn’t realize he’s a villain.
What was the most challenging moment of writing The Jasad Heir?
The most challenging moment was after Soraya stabs Sylvia. Sylvia is vowing to take down Soraya, but her motivations when she makes the declaration are incredibly tricky to balance. She’s torn between her burgeoning sense of community and duty toward Jasad, her own lone-wolf brand of self-preservation, and a very personal pain at discovering a relationship she’d cherished was a lie. Especially since she realized trauma has rendered her own mind and memories unreliable. The guilt, the defensiveness, the stubborn hurt and anger are emotions Sylvia grapples with throughout the novel.
The Jasad Heir is partially inspired by protests and uprisings of the Arab Spring. What was your approach to incorporating those ideas into your work? Did you do any specific research to build the world?