Sandra Wilson’s fascination with the Taj Mahal began when she taught at the American International School in New Delhi, India. Standing in the gardens that surround this exquisite building, she vowed to read the book that explained just how it came to be. What were the obstacles? Who was involved? What was the design source? Because she couldn’t find the book she sought, she wrote the book you are now examining. It will answer your questions as it has hers.

WHEN DID YOU FIRST SEE THE TAJ MAHAL?
I had just arrived in New Delhi to teach at the American International School. Several teachers and high school students went to Agra to see India’s most photographed sight. I was mesmerized by the graceful beauty as well as the vision that guided the design and construction of the entire complex. All I knew about it then was that it had been built by a wealthy emperor as a mausoleum for his beloved wife who had died in childbirth.

WHY DID YOU WRITE THE NOVEL?
I wrote the novel to explore the human background of the Taj Mahal. I wrote it to make the people who inspired and built it to come alive. Along the way I discovered others who filled the story with their fascinating personalities.

HOW DID YOU FIND THE FACTS THAT ARE IN YOUR NOVEL?
I used reference books, encyclopedias, portfolios, magazines. I took a class at the University of Washington on Mughal history. My research trip to India yielded photographs of documents from the time of the Taj’s construction, access to books in a Muslim library and a chance to absorb the wonder of the Taj Mahal while knowing I was writing her story.

WHAT PART OF THE BOOK WAS THE HARDEST TO WRITE?
The beginning. At the last minute I cut out the first four chapters.

WHY IS TAJ CALLED HISTORICAL FICTION?
While the actual story of the Mughal Empire has been recorded (the historical aspect), I wanted to fill in the spaces with how the people of the time must have felt and what they said. This is the “fiction” part of the genre.

HOW LONG DID IT TAKE TO WRITE TAJ?
It took me less than the twenty-two years it took to construct
the mausoleum.