Interview with author Raidah Shah Idil

We are so excited to interview Raidah Shah Idil on our blog today about her latest book, How to Free a Jinn. Read more below. 
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KLiC: What was your inspiration for How To Free A Jinn? 

RSI: Insyirah - my book's protagonist - came to me, fully-formed in a dream. I wanted to write a fantasy novel that my younger self could have related to, and found comfort in. I've always loved the fantasy genre, but it was so rare to read fantasy novels featuring characters that looked like me. This book is a love letter to complex Muslim families and living proof that neurodivergent Muslim kids can have exciting adventures too!

KLiC: Please tell us about your writing process. How long did it take you to write and sell this book? 

RSI: Writing my book was the easy part! I drafted my book while I was pregnant with my third baby and I had so much fun writing it at my favourite restaurants. I completed it right before I gave birth to my baby boy, then I worked on my submission package and started querying when he was about 2 months old - while also caring for my 4 year old and 1.5 year old daughters. I look back and honestly do not know how I pulled that off! Working on my book was my way of refuelling my creative well amidst the exhaustion of caring for little children. 

It took ten months of querying before I signed with my US literary agent, Allison Hellegers of Stimola Literary in 2020. I revised it with her help, then we went out to US editors in 2021. This was for the original YA version of my book. We had lots of complimentary rejections. An American beta reader pointed out that Insyirah  sounded more like a twelve year old instead of a sixteen year old (thank you Allison!) so I decided to age her down. I realized that the voice of my novel was much more middle grade, anyway. My agent agreed with my decision, so 2022 was the year of ruthlessly cutting out subplots and secondary characters. 

Finally, in 2023, I put my foot down and told my agent that I couldn't bear to look at my book anymore, and that it was time to send it back out on submission with editors. She made the brilliant decision of sending my book out to Australian publishers first in the hopes that an Australian book deal would pave the way for a US book deal. Jodie Webster, the acquiring editor at Allen & Unwin, absolutely loved my book, and during our first Zoom call, she described it as a 'gift to readers'. My publication date was roughly a year later, in September 2024. Shortly after we announced my Australian book deal, Deeba Zargapur, the editor of Salaam Reads (an imprint of S&S) asked my agent if North American rights were still available - and that's how I got my US book deal!

KLiC: What’s the one thing you want children to take away from your book?

RSI: I want children to know that they are enough as they are in this very moment, and so worthy of love and belonging - especially if they don't often read characters like themselves in fantasy novels. 

KLiC: Do you have any tips for pre-published authors?

RSI: Read widely, build a community of fellow creatives, keep improving your craft, and try not to take rejection personally. Publishing is absolutely not a meritocracy, and often, it's just a matter of timing before you land that coveted debut book deal. 

The amount of stubbornness you’ll need in publishing is incredible. It's a marathon, not a sprint, and the only way to not get published is giving up. Definitely take lots of breaks though.

KLiC: What’s next for you? 

RSI: I'm working on my next middle grade fantasy novel starring boy protagonists and sibling relationships - stay tuned!

Raidah Shah Idil was born in Singapore, grew up in Sydney, Australia, worked in Amman, Jordan and now lives in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia with her husband, three children and mother-in-law. Raidah earned her BA in English and BSc in Psychology from the University of New South Wales and her Diploma of Counselling from the Australian Institute of Professional Counsellors. Her writing has been published in local Malaysian anthologies, SBS Voices, Muslim Matters, SISTERS magazine, The Feminist Wire, Daily Life, Lip Mag, The Elephant Journal, Venture Beat and MuslimVillage. Raidah loves ginger tea, noodle soup and dreams of uninterrupted sleep. 

Raidah’s debut Middle Grade fantasy novel, HOW TO FREE A JINN, was published on September 3rd (in Australia, New Zealand, Asia and Oceania). Raidah is represented by Allison Hellegers of Stimola Literary Studio.