Welcome to Behind The Words. Thanks for joining us, Tessa! Your book, The Queen’s Cook, kicks off your new series titled QUEEN ESTHER’S COURT. Can you tell us a little bit about where this series will take readers?
Tessa Afshar: The Persian court is a place of opulence and beauty. It is also rife with intrigue. Queen Esther has been married to the king for five years when her world is shaken by an incomprehensible edict against her people. As Esther navigates through heartache and danger, she finds friends in unexpected places. The QUEEN ESTHER’S COURT series recounts the story of three of Esther’s friends. Through the series, we occasionally hear from Esther herself as we read entries from her secret scrolls.
Esther is a familiar touchpoint for those of Jewish heritage and Christians alike. What led you to center the series around her reign in Persia?
TA: I grew up in Persia, where Esther lived and reigned as queen, and where her simple tomb still survives to commemorate the life of an extraordinary woman. Esther’s life, the people who surrounded her, and the world they occupied together present an irresistible fascination that I could not resist!
Other authors have written novels on the life of Esther—after all, her story is intriguing and has so much to teach us. What sets The Queen’s Cook and the rest of the series apart from these other novels?
TA: Although we hear from Esther through her secret scrolls, this series actually focuses on three of Esther’s fictional friends. Each book introduces us to a woman with a unique profession whose life is changed by Esther.
Your main character in The Queen’s Cook, Roxannah, is the daughter of a highborn Persian lord, but hard times lead her to pursue a job working in the queen’s kitchens. Can you elaborate on where readers find Roxannah at the opening of the book?
TA: When Roxannah’s impoverished father, Lord Fravartish, suffers a head injury, Roxannah asks the Jewish physician, Adin, for help. There is an instant attraction between the two—an attraction that Adin, a committed Jew, cannot allow. When a terrible edict gives Persian citizens the right to attack the Jews and seize their property, Lord Fravartish decides Adin would be the perfect target. Now Roxannah must decide between the loyalty she owes her father and her desire to protect Adin.
Your previous novels have been praised for impeccable research and vivid storytelling that allow the reader to really put themselves right into the story as they read. Can you set the historical scene for this first book? What might readers need to know about this historical time period in the Persian kingdom and how it affects the story?
TA: Thank you! It’s a privilege to write these stories for my readers. Let me try to set the scene of The Queen’s Cook for you.
Picture yourself in a sprawling palace complex surrounded by breathtaking gardens. The bricks are glazed in a hundred shades of blue, and when the sun shines on the walls, you feel as if you are surrounded by endless waterfalls. Rulers and officials from 127 provinces and nations visit the palace at Susa to present the king with gifts and tribute, and to seek his favor. The Achaemenid dynasty was the largest empire the world had ever seen at that point in history, spanning 2.1 million square miles.
King Xerxes was the grandson of Cyrus the Great, and the son of the famed Darius, who had managed to expand the borders of an already extensive land. To everyone’s surprise, Xerxes had chosen an unknown woman of little influence named Esther as his queen.
Far from all that opulence, in a hot, plain kitchen, you will find our heroine, Roxannah, who is trying to survive the malicious ploys of the other cooks. To Roxannah’s amazement, she earns the trust and friendship of Queen Esther.
Roxannah is Persian born while the Jewish physician, Adin, is not. The two couldn’t be more different, yet they initially connect over shared meals, thanks to Roxannah’s hospitality. What is it about food that brings people together, like it did for Roxannah and Adin?
TA: Food is one of the basic common denominators of life. We all need food to survive. At the same time, food can be a delight to our senses. When someone goes to the trouble of providing for us not only what we need but also what we enjoy, and adds to that the pleasures of companionship, something touches our hearts and binds us together. There are few things in life as sweet as sharing a meal with a dear friend.
Like Roxannah, you certainly know your way around a kitchen. What inspired you to write about a daughter of Persia who has a talent for making delicious foods?
TA: I love puttering around the kitchen, and my Middle Eastern background gives me a special affinity for Persian food. Making one of my heroines a Persian cook seemed like a no-brainer.
What are the defining characteristics of Persian cuisine? How is this incorporated into the story?
TA: Persian cuisine uses exotic spices like saffron and cardamom and fresh herbs like mint, tarragon, and parsley to intensify flavors. Dishes use delicious ingredients like pistachios, pomegranate, honey, and rosewater. Lamb and beef braises, along with vegetarian stews and legume-enriched cutlets, are often elevated in flavor by the use of caramelized onions, verjus, or pomegranate paste.
Roxannah’s cooking talent and creativity open the doors of the royal kitchens to her. Here, she finds the friendship of a queen, the joys of love, and the power of faith. You might say food is the bridge to fulfilling her destiny.
Do you have a favorite recipe to share?
TA: It will be my pleasure. I am going to share the recipe for an herb kuku, which Roxannah prepares for Queen Esther. You can view the recipe or download a copy for yourself at the link below.
What do you hope readers gain from reading The Queen’s Cook and the rest of this series?
TA: The Queen’s Cook is the story of a woman who has never learned what it means to feel truly safe. As the novel unfolds, Roxannah discovers that while she can’t forge her own security in this broken world, she can find the inner peace she has always longed for. God himself is able to give her the sense of safety that childhood wounds have robbed.
I hope readers will enjoy the adventure and romance in Roxannah’s story. But I also hope that they will find a more profound sense of safety in God, even when the world around them is shaken. Each of the heroines in the series will fight their own battle with something hard that I pray will encourage my readers as they face personal challenges.
Can you share with us what you’re working on next?
TA: I am working on the second book in the QUEEN ESTHER’S COURT series. Sazana is an artisan whose exquisite pottery graces Susa’s households. But her master, Lord Haman, does not know her secret: Sazana is really Shoshana—one of the Jews he loathes so much. Only Arta, Sazana’s guardian since childhood, knows her secret identity. All seems lost, however, when Haman discovers Shoshana’s true identity and threatens her life.
When the king condemns Lord Haman to death and transfers the ownership of the pottery workshop to Queen Esther, Arta and Sazana assume their troubles are over. But tragedy strikes when Arta is murdered. In desperation, Sazana asks for the queen’s help. The following day, Jadon, a former member of the king’s elite guard, arrives at the workshop. Jadon, who works for Esther, is the man who broke Sazana’s heart years ago. Now Sazana and Jadon must set aside their personal heartaches and unite to discover the mystery surrounding Arta’s death.
Together, they uncover an astonishing secret: the object that Arta has been hiding for a generation can help Queen Esther protect the lives of the Jewish people as dark battle approaches.
And finally, where can readers go to connect with you and purchase their copy of The Queen’s Cook?
TA: Please visit me at TessaAfshar.com. To receive a free short story as well as monthly devotionals and book news, please sign up for my newsletter. You can purchase a copy of The Queen’s Cook at your favorite book retailer.
Thank you for joining us today, Tessa.
Readers, here’s a quick look at The Queen’s Cook which releases today!
“A tender and touching tale. Tessa Afshar has given us two wonderfully charming heroines.”–ANGELA HUNT, New York Times bestselling author of The Emissaries series
In the heart of ancient Persia, the empire’s Jewish citizens face an ominous edict that threatens their very existence. Roxannah, the daughter of an impoverished Persian lord, is devastated by the news but feels helpless to come to the aid of her Jewish friends. Desperate to support her family, Roxannah approaches the royal physician, Adin–the man whose kind eyes haunt her–and seeks his help to find employment in Queen Esther’s kitchens.
In the opulent palace of Susa, Roxannah tries to survive the spiteful ploys of the other cooks as she ascends through the ranks. Her loyalty earns her the trust and friendship of Queen Esther, who is navigating dangerous politics with wisdom and grace. When Roxannah and Adin uncover a sinister plot against Amestris, the king’s most powerful wife and Esther’s archenemy, they find themselves tasked with the impossible job of discovering the culprit. As secrets unravel and alliances are tested, the fate of Esther’s reign hangs in the balance.
