If you had asked Ranya Khalifa what she did, right after she graduated with a B.A in Mass Communication from The American University in Cairo, she would have excitedly told you that she was a journalist. But she didn’t feel that was where she belonged so she started working as a researcher and went on to receive an M.A in Middle Eastern Studies. While she wholeheartedly loved the field, her heart was somewhere else and she found herself writing a psychological thriller. Her just-released Sophie’s World, tells the eponymous character’s story who has to deal with unreciprocated love while also suffering from a mental illness.

We spoke to Ranya to find out more about her journey towards writing and her new book.
You have a degree in Mass Communication and an M.A in Middle Eastern Studies, have either of these helped shape who you are today as a person or an author?
I strongly believe that you are the sum of your parts. Not feeling a passion for journalism, made me delve deeper into fiction writing, as I felt restricted in my writing as a journalist. My M.A helped me excel as a researcher and writer. So, yes, I believe that my academic studies did help shape who I am today as an author.
You have worked in journalism, advertising and research, have your jobs helped you on your writing journey?
I would say that research has helped the most in my writing journey. As an author, research is crucial in adding authenticity and depth to your writing.

Did you always know you wanted to become a novelist? What inspired you to write Sophie’s World? Why did you start with a psychological thriller?
I have always enjoyed writing from a very young age. I began by writing poetry and by the age of twenty, I had compiled fifty poems. I always dreamed of becoming a novelist, but I wasn’t sure I had the patience and consistency to do it, that is because poetry is completely different in its writing style and format.
Sophie’s World was born during the pandemic, in 2020, when fear and panic gripped the entire world. I had both the time and the motivation to want to express myself in writing more than ever before. I started with a psychological thriller because that is my favorite sub-genre, in the thriller genre. I wrote the book to challenge myself to become persistent, and in doing so I felt that I was keeping my passion in writing alive, waking up every morning knowing that I was accomplishing my dream despite all the obstacles and restraints. In fact, writing gave me a sense of power during one of the most tumultuous and difficult periods in modern human history.

How do you describe the book? What kind of reader would enjoy it?
Sophie’s World is a psychological thriller, filled with riddles and mysteries, as well as characters that are meant to leave an impression in my reader’s mind. The book sheds light on the plight of psychologically or mentally challenged people, and the need for family, friends, and society to have more empathy and consideration when dealing with such cases.
I think that this book will have a broad range of readers, as it has young and mature characters that play very important roles in the story’s narrative. Readers need not be die-hard thriller genre advocates per se, they could also be readers interested in psychology, as well as novels infused with family drama. I truly hope the book will be enjoyable and thrilling for everyone who reads it.

Can you tell us a bit about your writing process?
My writing process is founded on two pillars, consistency and persistence. I would wake up at around five o’clock in the morning, when everything was quiet and peaceful. That is usually when my inspiration is at its peak. Of course, in order to be consistent and persistent, I had to find a compelling plot that would interest me enough to remain committed to the storyline. It took me three months to write the book, in the summer of 2020. My publisher helped with editing. My daughter was perhaps the only person who read parts of the book before it finally went to print.

How did you select names for your characters? Are any of them based on people you know?
I have always liked the name Sophie, and luckily for me it turned out to be a common Scottish name. I chose the rest of the character names according to the characteristics of each character and how I wanted each character to be portrayed. For example, I named Sophie’s mother, Grace. I chose that particular name to bestow upon Grace’s character an air of kindness and generosity.
The characters are all purely fictional. I did, however, do my best to try to make them as lively and realistic as possible.

Now that your first book is out, is there something that you would like to do differently?
Not really. I think for my next book, which I am currently in the process of writing, I will continue to do my best to be consistent and persistent.

Your book centers around mental illness, is that something you have always been interested in? Was researching it difficult? Are there any trigger warnings for your book?
I have always been interested in how humans, whether or not they are mentally or psychologically challenged, have different perceptions of life and events. I am very interested in human psychology and in human interaction in general.
Researching schizophrenia was very compelling, as I have always wanted to understand how it differed from other mental disorders. I think that people tend to confuse it with split personality (dissociative identity disorder) and bipolar disorders. It was very challenging for me to portray some of the manifestations of schizophrenia in a thrilling and compelling manner to the reader.

Did the pandemic affect the way you had planned to release the book?
Definitely, due to the pandemic I chose not to have a public book launch event, for everyone’s safety. Hopefully, my upcoming book signing events will have social distancing measures and safety guidelines, whereby I will able to interact with readers and discuss my book with them! I truly look forward to such a privilege with my enthusiastic readers.

There’s a teaser on your website about a second book, will it be related to Sophie’s World? When can people expect to see it on book shelves?
I have already been asked if there will be a sequel to Sophie’s World by some readers. I would really love to write a sequel to this book, but that will depend upon a number of variables and considerations. So, it is open for discussion.
The book I am currently writing is a crime thriller and I hope I will complete it in about two months from now. I will aim to have my next book released by April or May of 2022.

Visit ranyakhalifa.com to purchase the book and to stay up to date with Ranya’s work.