Happy Friday! Are you looking for a new read to spend your weekend with? We have the perfect book for you. In our newest interview, you can get to learn more about The Duchess of Kokora and the author, Nikhil Prabala. He shared his inspiration for the story, how he got Bridgerton's Adjoa Andoh to narrate the audiobook and so much more!
Get your copy of The Duchess of Kokora now!
Thank you for joining us! Could you introduce yourself to our newer readers?
Hey there! My name is Nikhil Prabala. I’m a DM in Dungeons and Dragons and enjoy all kinds of fantasy storytelling!
Congratulations on releasing your debut, The Duchess of Kokora! Tell us a bit about the story and what inspired you to write it.
So in this story, The Duchess of Kokora, Phera Ylir Mdana, enters into the marriage games of the neighboring kingdom of Ryene. But she’s not there to win the dashing prince – she’s there to win back one of the other contestants, her ex-girlfriend and first love!
I started this story during the pandemic. I’d just finished writing a dark epic science fiction novel, a story I plan to return to someday but didn’t feel was quite on the mark yet. It was also the middle of COVID so I felt like returning to my more comedic roots would not only be artistically helpful, but psychologically necessary! Starting with an amusing premise – a woman going on The Bachelor and immediately making a beeline to hit on the other contestants – I had a solid batch of funny scenes. But the more I wrote these characters, the more I began to realize that in addition to the comedy, there was a deeper world, as well as deeper character relationships to explore. So I kept exploring and this novel ended up being the finished result!
The audiobook is narrated by Bridgerton’s Lady Danbury, Adjoa Andoh. How exciting! How did that come to be?
Yeah! Honestly, I’m still in shock that something this cool happened to me.
So I was scanning through an agency website for voice actors where I saw her name and face listed. I figured it was worth a shot so I reached out to her agent via email. They requested a copy of the book which I sent over, and Adjoa liked the novel enough to be willing to work on the project!
The moral of the story? Sometimes you take big swings in life and they work out!
Can you share a little bit about your characters? Which, if any, did you identify with most and why?
Of course! There are three central characters of interest. Phera, our protagonist, Dominic, the prince, and Rocelle, Phera’s ex.
I think I consciously identify most with Dominic and subconsciously identify most with Phera.
Only when I reread Phera’s arc did I realize that some of the things that she struggles with around anger and hurt and deflection are actually things that I also need to work on.
Dominic’s discipline and strong sense of honor are characteristics that I actively try to cultivate in myself so I identify with him in a more self-aware way.
And which character do you hope your readers will connect with the most?
The cast as a whole tends to resonate with readers based on the responses I’ve gotten so far, Phera in particular. Which is good because the protagonist should probably be relatable! I wouldn’t say ‘hope’ but I am curious to see how readers will respond to Rocelle. I think her outlook on life and conflict is unique in ways that are both restorative as well as frustrating, depending on the situation. She’s a complex character and I think how much she does or does not resonate with a given reader says a lot about their own outlook on how the world and the people in it operate. And that will hopefully challenge readers to introspect and come away with some kind of useful and new self-insight.
The Duchess of Kokora has a sapphic romance between the two main characters. What was the decision behind creating this queer love story?
It wasn’t so much a decision as a natural outcome of the plot! It’s kind of hard to establish a plot like the one I’ve described without at least some of the characters being queer haha.
What was the most difficult part of writing and publishing this book?
I’d probably have to say cutting parts of the book that I really liked but didn’t really fit the tone.
I was very lucky to have some helpful beta readers who made very valid critiques of some of my early choices. Still, that didn’t make it easy to cut some of my favorite scenes from the story!
Is there any representation that you’d like to see or write more of in the future?
I’m a big fan of passive representation – stories that feature characters from all kinds of backgrounds but don’t automatically center around those backgrounds.
I’m not against stories that discuss a person’s background, particularly if done with sophistication and depth. But I do think that there’s got to be more room for stories where everyone is just a person much like everyone else, subject to the same essential human condition. Part of what I like about fantasy as a genre is that it is particularly easy to do that since we’re not dealing with our world’s historical or cultural backdrop.
If we only ever see members of various minority groups as representatives of those minority groups, we’re not actually breaking down any barriers.
You’re a Dungeon Master in the table-top RPG Dungeons & Dragons. What is it that you love about it? And does creating a story in D&D help you in your writing?
I love D&D! The rich storytelling, the improvisational freedom, and of course, the social and collaborative aspect are all my favorite parts. I love storytelling with people that I care about and like, and there’s such a rich feeling of connection and creativity that I’ve only been able to replicate onstage when I used to do theater.
D&D does help a lot with writing, just as improv does in general. As a DM it’s my job to listen to my players and let them have control of the actions and agency of their characters. And that taught me how to listen to my own characters and not try to enforce my preconceived notion of what a scene should be upon them, allowing them to instead develop and interact more naturally.
So many times when editing a scene I’ll read a line of dialogue and think: “Wow, that was a really cool thing to say that moves the plot along, but in no way was that a reasonable response to what just happened”. D&D, improv, and listening, break a writer out of that pattern.
You were also recently interviewed by Shondaland! Could you give us a little insight about this exciting experience?
Yes! They love sharing what folks in their orbit are up to – so when Adjoa got attached to the project this ended up being a natural development.
They were so warm and friendly. It was truly a great experience, and a tremendous honor to be interviewed by a studio who's put out so much incredible work!
I’ve been a fan of Gray’s Anatomy for years, and more recently Bridgerton. But pretty much every show that Shondaland creates is honestly so impressive. I’m always taken aback by their clear sense of tone and commitment to telling the story that needs to be told, while also never sacrificing fun and gripping drama. Really excited to see what new projects they take on in the future!
And as a fun personal aside, while writing this book I had the Bridgerton soundtrack basically on loop in my apartment 24/7!
We’d love a hint about any of your current projects! Anything that might surprise your readers?
Of course, I’m working on a sequel to The Duchess of Kokora (and I swear I’m writing as fast as I can! But I’m also doing a fun standalone prequel novella (rapidly becoming a novel) set in the same world!
Trying to focus on just those two but I keep getting distracted by an anthology of short stories set in my dark epic sci-fi universe as well as one of my other eternal passion projects, a somewhat cozy existentialist fantasy novel about an animated skeleton who works as a detective in an urban fantasy city. And I might be doing more cozy fantasy in general! We shall see!
Our podcast focuses on media we’re currently loving. Are there any books, shows, movies, or games you’re enjoying at the moment? Any recommendations for our audience? Bonus points if it includes sapphics!
I always recommend The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson. Its characters and themes break my heart and put it back together again every time I read. I’m a Brando Sando stan (A Stando?) and proud of it.
Besides that, I’ve recently picked up The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong, The Gods Below by Andrea Stewart, Ebony Gate by Julia Vee and Ken Bebelle, and This World Is Not Yours by Kemi Ashing-Giwa.
That last title does feature a sapphic pairing for sure, but it is also an excellent sci-fi horror so readers be warned!
About author
From playing the DM in Dungeons and Dragons to writing fantasy novels, Nikhil Prabala loves storytelling, delighting in fantasy fiction from the epic to the cozy and everywhere in between. THE DUCHESS OF KOKORA is his first published novel.
Born and raised in Austin, Texas, he graduated from Stanford in 2019 and is currently based in the Bay Area. In his free time he enjoys ballroom dancing, singing, playing the guitar, tabletop games, and spending time with friends and family.
To connect with him on social media, you can find him as @nprabala on both Instagram and TikTok.
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