Sara Omer is a Pushcart Prize-nominated short story writer. She’s been a technical editor for medical and engineering publications and is now pursuing teaching. You can find her (sometimes unsettling) poetry and prose in places like The Dark, PodCastle, Small Wonders, and Strange Horizons. The Gryphon King is loosely inspired by history and culture shared by her Turkic and Kurdish family.

https://saraomerauthor.substack.com/ | @omersarae on Instagram, Twitter, Bluesky, and Tiktok | Find out more about The Gryphon King on Titanbooks.com

Welcome to the Hive, Sara! Firstly, how does it feel to know your debut, The Gryphon King will be out there in the wild soon? 

I’m so excited for people to meet all my monsters. It’s been wonderful seeing readers start to explore this world and story and feel passionately about the characters. I’m a little anxious to let it out of the nest because the book will continue to grow much larger without me, but it’s definitely time for The Gryphon King to stretch its wings.

And for our readers who might not know much about it yet, what can they expect?

You can expect an emotional grimdark story featuring military and political fantasy elements set in a Southwest Asian-inspired world with Ottoman Empire and Turkic tribe influences. There’s a decent amount of gore and violence balanced by some messy romantic tension and just as messy platonic relationships, plus a great heaping of magical monsters (all very dangerous, some rideable). If pegasus-riding princess knights, djinn magic, soul manipulation, or carnivorous horses sound interesting, I think you’d have a great time with The Gryphon King. 

I particularly loved how your book largely focuses on the politics of conquering Kingdoms. What inspired you to write about this?

Politics naturally became central when I started thinking of motivations for conquering specific places and what happens after the dramatic battles as well as what might motivate political marriages and all the mess that comes with that historically. The ways that tensions rise and the character dynamics at play in politicking are almost as fun to me as writing battles, and they’re quite similar in a way!

This leads us to talking more about Bataar, who I found fascinating! Yes, he’s this warlord but he’s also very likeable. How easy or difficult did you find crafting his character? How did you create the balance between him being morally grey but also not a sadistic tyrant? 

Different people may come to Bataar with various preconceived notions and either begrudgingly like him, ignore his every red flag, or hate him. All valid! It took a while for me to get his motivations right on the page so that readers could make their own decisions about his character. His tender interactions with his family and friends and the reader understanding both the injustice and fear that motivates him and the trauma he carries makes him more complicated. That being said, he justifies decisions that lead to the deaths of so many people—he’s a true morally gray character and is ruthless to serve his own goals. His desire to never be powerless again is relatable, but the actions he takes often aren’t.

And what about Nohra? How important was it for you to show through Nohra the consequences and aftermath of being conquered?

Nohra comes from a country that has a complicated history. There are a few mentions of different cultures that have assimilated after conflicts in the past with Dumakra and there are some border tensions her country is pushing with the steppe and some arrangements with mining and trade with a southern neighbor that at least lean towards colonial power, so her family isn’t guiltless. I see her as a morally gray and prejudiced daughter of empire who didn’t think this would ever happen to her. Nohra is a bit privileged in the aftermath of Bataar’s conquest compared to the victims of war who are impoverished and displaced, and it takes a lot for her to see that when she’s grappling with her own grief and loss of purpose. 

Did you connect to either Bataar or Nohra more than the other? Was there a perspective you found easier or more fun to write?

Nohra is so fun because she’s very impulsive and I’m not, so when I write her, I’m roleplaying this totally different type of person who makes very different decisions than the ones I would. So she surprises me more often. But I connect more with Bataar’s introspection and brand of judginess, so he also comes pretty easily to write. Initially the book was multi-POV, and Bataar and Nohra just happened to be my favorite perspectives to explore the story through, so I love my horrible children equally.

You also included a large cast of side characters. Who were your favourites to write and why? 

Darya is at once dreadfully ordinary but immensely lovable and complicated, so glimpsing the world through her is always delicious. I also greatly enjoy writing Prince Nassar because he’s guaranteed to say the most out of pocket things imaginable, so he’s another character that’s fun to get into the mind of and be surprised by. 

Your book features Middle Eastern mythology, particularly Turkic mythology. I was delighted but also surprised by not only the gryphons you included but also the pegasuses! Were there any specific stories involving these creatures which inspired you the most? 

The tulpar is a celestial horse in Turkic mythology that is often portrayed with wings. The swift Turkic horses on the Central Asian steppe are said to be descended from the tulpars coupling with Eurasian horses. So then that idea of interbreeding mythical creatures became integral to the monsters in The Gryphon King.

Although they’re a part of the mythos in the world of Dumakra instead of a monster on the page, harpies are interesting in Turkey. In Lycia in Anatolia, there is a pillar tomb called the Harpy Tomb, and in Southwest Asia more generally, in pre-Abrahamic mythology there were angelic winged goddess daughters that inspired my Goddess and her Harpy daughters. 

If you had to choose one to have by your side in battle, would you choose a gryphon or pegasus?

Definitely a pegasus! The gryphons do some major damage, but the horses are much easier to rein in (lol). They’re more domesticated and a little more removed from their monstrous wild relatives. I couldn’t see a lion bird being amenable to being ridden, or easily following commands, as much as I’m a cat person. I also just really want a flying horse.

What was your most memorable scene to write? 

The first scene of action and horror with the gryphon really sticks in my head (and probably everyone else’s). It’s persisted through all my drafts because it sets the tone for the monsters and establishes the stakes of the world. It contains triggering content, but for me, showing right away that children are the biggest victims of political and environmental conflicts was important. I also like the idea of being with the protagonist at a defining moment in their adolescence to connect with their wounds, and that first gryphon attack is very “life trajectory defining” for Bataar and his friends.

We always appreciate a beautiful book cover! How involved in the process were you? Was there a particular aesthetic you hoped the artist would portray?

The Gryphon King’s fabulous cover designer, Natasha Mackenzie was so lovely about capturing the sense of place and tone of the book. The beautiful scrollwork on the front was inspired by Turkish tile. And Nat was so kindly receptive to my suggestions to land on the wonderful color palette she picked, which wound up being the lush purple and bloody red that reflects both POV characters so well. 

Sara, what can you share with us about your sequel? What more can we expect? Will there be more mythological monsters?

You can expect many more monsters. Without spoiling too much, unicorns are on the horizon. A dark fantasy full of monsters needs a horse with a bony sword coming out of its head. I’d also like to highlight one of my favorite mythical monsters that doesn’t get enough appreciation: the questing beast. 

Also expect more glimpses into the secrets of djinn.

Are you planning anything fun to celebrate your new release? Do you have any upcoming virtual or in person events our readers may be interested in?

I’ll be at the Super Relaxed Fantasy Club on launch day (July 8th at 7 PM) and will be signing stock at some UK stores. Friday July 18th, I’ll have an exciting online talk with SFF Insiders at 8:30 PM EST. Back in the US, I have an event at the Lavender Bookstore on July 19th, where I’ll be in conversation with Nicole Jarvis at 7 PM. On the 23rd, I’ll be at FoxTale Bookshop on July 24th speaking with Mary McMyne and Jenn Lyons at 6:30 PM. 

I’ll definitely be shouting about any other engagements when I can.

Finally, what is the one thing you hope readers take away from your writing?

I hope readers will seek out more stories by marginalized authors and enjoy all the different voices out there. No story is a monolith representing a culture or identity, and there are so many diverse perspectives still needed across all genres, including those with messy characters—stories both grim and beautiful. I’d also be absolutely pleased if readers took an interest in some of the real-life historical and cultural inspirations of The Gryphon King. Because I need to talk about historic recipes with someone. 

Thank you so much for joining us today!

The Gryphon King is out today from Titan Books! You can order your copy HERE