In celebration of the publication of Suraiya Jafari: An American President, I'm delighted to share an interview with author Cindy Moy. I was among the lucky few who were able to read advance copies of Moy's brilliant debut novel and offer my own endorsement on the dust-jacket,
"Moy places an American Muslim woman at the heart of a novel in which themes of nationality, gender and politics collide in providential ways. Worn out stereotypes and age-old predudices unravel as gutsy protagonist Suraiya weaves her own rich tapestry of identity, faith, and culture."
I'll be sharing a more detailed review later in the month but for now you can hear from the author herself as she speaks about the origins of the novel, the process of writing, as well as the inspirations behind her lively characters.
Suraiya Jafari: An American President is available for purchase on Amazon. You can also have a sneak peek and find out more by reading both the prologue and first chapter of Suraiya Jafari on Cindy's blog.
Author Cindy Moy
What
led you to write Suraiya Jafari: An American President?
I
was watching the election returns the night of the 2012 presidential
election, when Barack Obama was seeking reelection and Mitt Romney
was trying to get elected on the Republican ticket. As
soon as Obama was declared the winner, the political commentators
started debating who would be viable candidates for the 2016
presidential election. Could a woman, say Hillary Clinton, get
elected? Was a Hispanic congressman such as Marco Rubio a viable
candidate?
Nobody was asking the question that I considered the most relevant: Who is the most qualified to lead the country?
Nobody was asking the question that I considered the most relevant: Who is the most qualified to lead the country?
I
mentally created a character that would never be a viable candidate
in America in 2016, and then figured out a way to get her into the
White House. At that point, I hadn’t planned on writing a novel.
It was purely an academic question for my own amusement. That
character turned into Suraiya.
What
were the most challenging aspects of writing your first novel?
When
the idea of Suraiya first came to me, I pushed it away, thinking that
there was no way that a white, Christian woman could ever
realistically portray an American Muslim woman of Indian descent.
Finally I realized that Suraiya is as much about the mindset of the
mainstream American voter as it is about Suraiya.
I
reached out to dozens of Muslim writers, artists, and leaders, but
only a few chose to talk to me. I found a collection of essays
written by American Muslim women, and those were very informative. I
grew up in a conservative Christian environment. While reading those
essays, I
realized that many of the values regarding marriage, the role of
women, and homosexuality was the same, although the religious basis
for those views was different. Most people I know, regardless of
religion, struggle to find the balance within their belief system. I
had an Indian-American Muslim woman read the final draft, and she
suggested a few tweaks, but she assured me that I had represented
Suraiya well.
Who
or what inspired the main character Suraiya?
Suraiya
is inspired by several people. Her personality and integrity are
based on an Indian-American friend of mine from law school, Savita.
Savita is one of the smartest, funniest, and kindest women I know.
At first I was going to name the main character after her, but she
told me that
Savita is an Indian Hindi name, and that I needed an Indian Muslim
name. That was my first inkling that my learning curve in creating
the Jafaris was going to be very steep. It was Savita that came up
with the name Suraiya Jafari.
Suraiya’s family background in
Africa is influenced by another Indian-American friend, Chux. He was
born in Mozambique, and his first memory as a child is being in the
internment camps there.
Chux is also known for his avocado ice cream and masala chai
recipes. Suraiya’s military career and initial political campaign
is based on the 2008 campaign of J. Ashwin Madia, a Marine Corps
lawyer who ran on the Democratic ticket. Many of the political
attacks on Suraiya, including the darkening of her skin in her
opponent’s campaign ads, really happened to Madia.
Are
any of the storylines in the novel based on events or people in your
own life?
My
husband’s grandparents emigrated from China, my children were
adopted from China, and my background is German and Scandinavian.
Some of the questions that Suraiya gets about where she’s from or
her native tongue are questions that my husband and kids have faced.
The conversation
about whether Suraiya should go to a college that offers free
tuition to students of color is a conversation that we had in our
own household.
The
majority of the events that take in the book are based on real-life
events from history. My background is in journalism and law, and my
college minor was Political Science, so I had a
solid foundation on which to begin my research. Suraiya’s
political rise to the White House is directly based on the rise of
former President Gerald Ford. Ford was a congressman from Michigan
serving as the House Minority Leader when he was tapped to take over
the vice presidency from Spiro Agnew, who was indicted on bribery
charges in 1973. Before Ford moved into the vice president’s
residence, President Richard Nixon resigned and Ford was sworn in as
President. Suraiya’s service in Afghanistan, and the Christmas Day
incident that cements her friendship with the younger soldiers, is a
conglomeration of events that happened in Afghanistan, Iraq, and
Vietnam.
The
attempted coup is based on what is known in American history as the
Business Plot, although historians disagree on how close the plan
actually was to success. It was foiled by the most decorated Marine
of that time, Major General Smedley Darlington Butler, who the
industrialists tried to recruit to lead the coup. Butler gathered
evidence against the conspirators, then alerted the Franklin
Roosevelt administration of the plan.
Have
initial reactions to your novel surprised you?
I’m
always surprised when people mention a scene from the book, and tell
me that it’s too far-fetched to ever happen in real-life. The more
preposterous the scenario, the more likely it is to be based on a
real event.
Which
character did you most enjoy bringing to life?
Cala
Jafari, Suraiya’s mother, is the most wonderful character, because
she embodies the maternal relationship we all strive to escape and
emulate. Her temperament is based a bit on Madhuri Kumar, from The
Kumars at No. 42, but the interactions come from my relationship with
my own mom, who passed away while I was writing Suraiya.
Indian
women always ask me how I managed to describe their relationships
with their mothers so accurately, and I always get a chuckle
out of that. The mother/daughter relationship is universally
difficult.
What
message/s would you like people to take from your work?
As
voters, we like to put people in boxes. Democrat or Republican.
Christian or Non-Christian. Pro-life or pro-choice. That creates an
us versus them mentality, and no one wins in that situation. We are
human beings, and humans are not so easily defined. We need to look
beyond a few boxes to really get to know our family members, our
neighbors, and our leaders. Only then will our ballot decisions be
truly informed.
Alternate
answer: You don’t have to be a white Christian male to be a hero!
What
are your expectations for the book?
My
hope is that people will get to know Suraiya and reconsider how they
view people who are different from themselves. Readers who are
Caucasian tell me that for the first time, they are aware of their
use of the hyphen to describe people who are not white. Readers who
are Muslim or Indian are happy that someone like them is portrayed as
a leader and champion, rather than a terrorist or a victim.
Which
authors or writers have inspired you in your writing?
I
read mostly nonfiction, and am partial to historical biographies,
which probably explains the shape of Suraiya’s story. As part of my
research for Suraiya, I read Soldier Dead by Michael Sledge, about
the recovery of soldiers’ remains. It was a difficult read,
emotionally and mentally, and
I thought Sledge gave the subject the respect and objectivity it
deserved. When it comes to fiction, I like to get lost in detective
novels that delve into why people behave the way that they do. P.D.
James is especially brilliant at crawling around in the minds of her
characters.
What
are your current projects?
Before
Suraiya, I was working on another novel, a screenplay, and a modern
philosophy blog (www.thesocraticproject.com) Then Suraiya
rather consumed me, along with helping to take care
of my mom during her illness. I managed to keep the blog going until
the end of 2013. It’s still live, but I’m no longer adding posts.
Now
I am back to the original novel, a farce about two badly behaved
women searching for meaning in their families and careers. It is far
more irreverent and profane than Suraiya. All the confines placed on
women, by society and ourselves, get acerbically skewered. The main
characters get to say all those things we think to ourselves but
never say aloud for fear of offending others.
★ ★ ★
You can buy Cindy Moy's novel Suraiya Jafari: An American President via Amazon and you can get a flavour for the novel by reading both the prologue and first chapter of Suraiya Jafari on Cindy's blog.
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