Author Q&A
1. What inspired you to write Dreams of the Alhambra?
Dreams of the Alhambra is another fusion of my passion for travel and stories that transport me to another time and place. In my youth, I favoured novels set in far-flung corners of the globe, places I could only dream of visiting one day. One such example is The Constant Princess, Philippa Gregory’s account of Catherine of Aragon’s life, which begins with the princess’s early childhood in the Alhambra, before she eventually becomes Henry VIII’s first wife. I vowed that if I ever travelled to Spain, I would make Granada and the Alhambra a priority—so said, so done. While divine inspiration failed to strike as I toured the palace grounds, a sleepless night upon my return home became the spark for Dreams of the Alhambra: a woman having trouble sleeping, the why, and the use of drugs to help her deal with her trauma.
2. Why did you choose a dual-timeline structure?
I’ve always been drawn to historical fiction by authors like Susanna Kearsley, Kate Morton, and Jane Johnson, where dual timelines reveal how deeply the past shapes the present. That approach inspired me to explore my own stories in a similar way, weaving together two narratives that echo one another through themes of identity, loss, and resilience.
3. Can you tell us about the two main storylines?
Dreams of the Alhambra weaves together the story of Mackenzie, a modern Canadian student who travels to Spain to recover from an ill-fated trip to Istanbul when her travel companion mysteriously disappears, and that of Zahra, a spirited Moorish princess, navigating forbidden love, betrayal, and political upheaval in 15th-century Granada. When Mackenzie begins to lose herself in the past in order to escape the present, she finds her life intertwining with Zahra's in ways she cannot explain.
4. What themes do you explore in the novel?
At its heart, Dreams of the Alhambra explores memory, identity, love, and resilience. It also looks at how history—both personal and cultural—shapes who we become, and how the past can linger in ways we don’t always understand.
5. How did your own background influence the story?
As someone born in Trinidad and now living in Canada, I’ve always been aware of how place and history shape identity. Travel has also been a major influence in my life, and that sense of cultural immersion plays a key role in how I approach setting and character.
6. What kind of research went into writing the novel?
My research began with reading Washington Irving’s Tales of the Alhambra, which helped lay the foundation for Zahra’s story, a retelling of “The Legend of the Three Beautiful Princesses,” one of the many tales which was inspired by the summer Irving spent at the Alhambra in Granada in 1829. Extensive research into 15th-century Spain revealed that this tale was based on real historical events that took place in the early 1400s during the final decades of Moorish rule in Spain.
7. How would you describe the tone or genre of the book?
It’s a blend of historical fiction, romance, and a touch of magical realism, with an undercurrent of suspense. Like my debut Palmyra, it’s very much driven by atmosphere, character, and the emotional journeys of the protagonists.
8. What do you hope readers take away from the story?
I hope readers come away with a sense of how interconnected past and present can be, and how resilience and self-discovery often emerge from the most difficult experiences.
9. How does this novel differ from your debut, Palmyra?
While Palmyra is rooted in Caribbean Gothic suspense, Dreams of the Alhambra expands into a broader historical and geographical arena. However, both novels share an interest in memory, identity, and the lasting impact of the past.