S. A. Hoque
Sci-Fi & Fantasy Author
Sitara, Lady of the Lotus
Inspired by a Korean folktale, a Bengali princess attends a prestigious Korean academy...
Princess Sitara has been insecure about her N'daian heritage for as long as she can remember. With a culture, religion, and appearance foreign to Oreka—the kingdom her parents immigrated to—Sitara is anxious about everything she does.
Attending the Royal Academy, Sitara records her school life in a series of journal entries. The three years at the academy are meant to shape her, or she'll be expelled from the palace. She could be a royal tailor like her only friend, Saya, a lady investigator like the wise Madame Joon-bin, or continue to defy Orekan norms by becoming a palace officer like her crush, Sir Jun-Seo.
Where exactly does a N'daian princess like Sitara belong in Oreka?
SITARA, LADY OF THE LOTUS is a cozy, diaspora fantasy novel for teens exploring friendship, first love, and self-acceptance.
Upcoming Work
S. A. Hoque is currently drafting the sequel to Sitara, Lady of the Lotus with a tentative publish date set to 2027.
Her next published work, Blood Eater, is more mature and darker in theme than Sitara. Blood Eater is an adult historical fiction novel set in 1870s Bengal about a Muslim vampire slayer fighting British colonization. Publish date is set to May 2026.
Pre-orders will be made available in December, inshaAllah. Limited quantity of a sprayed, exclusive edition with a foiled cover will also be released soon.
About
S.A. Hoque is a lifelong New Yorker and daughter of Bengali immigrants. Hoque has been a huge fan of princesses, dragons, and anything fantasy-related since middle school and now writes about them. She is an environmental scientist by profession but hopes her stories of Bengali and Muslim female leads will inspire Muslims to be confident in their faith, wherever they may be. Hoque currently resides in Brooklyn with her family.
Contact
If you'd like to contact me about a blurb request or send a note, you can email me at sahoque[@]protonmail.com!
For bookstores and stocking-related inquiries, please contact my publisher at Shaherazad Shelves.
Support
Want to support Sitara even more? Leave a review on Goodreads, Amazon, or request your local library and bookstore to carry the novels. Post to social media tagging sahoquebooks on Twitter or Instagram!