Weekend with Sarah Mughal Rana: ‘I daydream a lot’
The fantasy author on her latest book Dawn of the Firebird, where she finds inspiration and Saturdays spent writing
Sarah Mughal Rana is a Canadian author who lives in Oxford. Her first young adult novel, Hope Ablaze, was published in 2024. In 2025 she published the first instalment of a fantasy trilogy which follows the quest of teenage assassin Khamilla, in search of revenge.
Dawn of the Firebird is a Sunday Times and USA Today bestseller. The sequel, Fall of the Heavenly Crane, is due to be published next year. A prequel to the series is currently being adapted for TV.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
How do you start off your weekend?
I have a no social media rule in the morning. If I log on right away, I’ll get completely distracted, overwhelmed and my anxiety will come up.
Instead, I try to ground myself spiritually. I wake up early and I do my prayers and adhkar. Saturday is when I get the bulk of my writing done.
Before you start writing, what’s for breakfast?
I am a health freak. I don’t drink coffee — I’ve never even had it. What I put into my body is important for me to have a good artistic output, so I either have boiled eggs with gluten-free toast or sourdough with avocado, or a breakfast smoothie.
And then you dive straight into writing?
I start with reading. I read what I wrote the night before or I read a few pages of a book or poetry to warm my brain up. Then I start writing sprints: 25 minutes writing, 5 minutes break. I do that for the whole day.
What are you reading now?
Perfect Victims by Mohammed el-Kurd. Seeing the passion in his words makes me want to fight harder to put the best story out there. I’m also reading Ted Chiang’s short story collection. His work is so intellectually invigorating. He is one of the most intellectual speculative fiction writers.
How do you spend your Saturday afternoon?
After writing I go to the gym, then go home and cook dinner. Also, I daydream a lot.
What do you like to cook?
I don’t know if I enjoy cooking, but I do like baking. My parents owned a restaurant, so I always grew up with food.
Is daydreaming part of your writing process?
Sometimes I will sit in the cafe where I write staring off into blank space, and visualise exactly what I want the scene to be. Then I write it down. So it’s like I’m journaling as my character. Once that’s drafted, then I know what I need to write in my actual scene.
What were the inspirations behind the fantasy trilogy?
Spending the last few years in Oxford in academia really invigorated me and gave me a lot of inspiration. I was engaging with people’s ideas of philosophy, their interpretations of global events. Every conversation with friends or with strangers in cafes was valuable.
Favourite cafe?
Opera Cafe in Oxford. They saw my tears and breakdowns while working on Dawn of the Firebird. I love their beans on toast; they do a Middle Eastern take on it with spices.
Do you take time to relax?
I don’t remember the last time I had a day off, but I like to organise retreats where my friends and I stay in an Airbnb for a few days. Just a few months ago we booked a castle in Scotland. I work during that time, but I find it relaxing because I’m in nature, around sheep and goats and horses.
The Dawn of the Firebird is out now.
