Meet Author Sohaila Elshater

​Born and raised in Switzerland, ​Sohaila Elshater loves to write about the human experience, in all its beauty and hardship.

Her stories often centre on characters dealing with the lack of belonging that characterises the experience of a person of mixed descent, touching on socio-political injustices, and the power of self-healing. 

The Dark Knight of the Souls is Sohaila’s debut romantasy, and offers a narrative that challenges imperialism, converging the voices and journeys of resilient BIPOC characters in their struggle for justice and liberation. When she isn’t writing, you can find her cocooning on her couch with her cats, a steaming coffee, and a good book.

Meet Sohaila Elshater:

If you could be friends with one character in your debut novel, who would it be?

Why? 

Definitely Amarah. She is my favourite character in my novel & I guess the main

reason for that is cause, duh?! She has dragons (yes, plural), and she is a badass.

Need I say more?

What is your favorite food? 

A nice plate of pasta with a glass of red wine.

What’s your favorite genre? 

Romantasy and Dark Fantasy.

Do you have any inspirational quotes you live by? 

“Live & let live.” Life is an objective experience. I think people spend too much time

imposing their truths onto others instead of letting people make up their own opinions

in their own time and through their own mistakes and experiences.

What’s one piece of advice you wish you’d known when you first started writing? 

Don't let your worry about the quality of the end result stop you from writing.

There is no right or wrong in art. Just do it. The worst that can happen is you will never publish what you wrote, but at least you processed unresolved emotions and traumas. I think for me, writing is therapeutic, no matter the quality of the output.

Was there anything else you wanted to be, besides a writer, when you were a kid? 

Oh yes, besides the usual astronaut and doctor, I wanted to be a singer and musician

for the better part of my childhood and adolescence.

What is one kind of character (baker, ghost, strong female character) that every book

What do you enjoy about it? 

I’d be a strong female character. I generally love the “Female Rage” trope. And to

develop it well, I think every story needs its own badass female character. As Amarah

would say, “A touch of savagery never hurt anyone.”

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Want to learn more about Sohaila Elshater?

Instagram: ​@sohailathebibliophile

Website:​ sohailaelshater.com

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All the best,

Kara