Today, Norm Goldman Publisher & Editor of Bookpleasures.com is pleased to have as our guest Homa Poursagari debut author of Lemon Curd.

Good day Homa and thanks for participating in our interview.

Norm:

What do you do when you are not writing?

Homa:

I am always writing and when I’m not writing, I’m busy promoting my work and doing research for my next novel. In my spare time, I read books from my favorite authors, I cook or bake, go to the theater, the symphony and travel. I love hanging out with my friends and family, dinning out, walking, swimming and enjoying the California sunshine.

Norm:

Are the experiences in Lemon Curd based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

Homa:

I want to say neither. But I feel that’s not entirely true. The experiences in Lemon Curd are based on years of experience listening to people and watching their behaviour. I have met many shady characters in my lifetime and watched them manipulate the people around them, including me. I have also met many great people who have influenced my work.

What’s interesting is that both men and women can easily relate to Lemon Curd and it’s not a book just about women. I once worked at a bank and one of my work colleagues fell in love with one of the tellers. At first, he felt neutral toward her but she manipulated him until he fell in love with her. She then dumped him and started dating his best friend. My co-worker was devastated and one day after lunch, he came to work drunk and almost lost his job. 

Norm:

Would you say that the publication of your first novel, Lemon Curd is the culmination of a life long dream?

Homa:

Yes. It has always been my dream to start a novel, finish it and get it published. Years ago when I attended UCLA’s creative writing classes, I didn’t have the confidence I have today. I remember putting in many hours on a 300-page-novel and then shredding it. It wasn’t a terrible novel and had I continued working on it, it may have turned out to be quite good but I didn’t have the patience and gave up too quickly. Writing is hard work and I don’t think it ever gets easier.

Norm:

How did you go about creating the characters of Anna Lisa and Neil in Lemon Curd? As a follow up, is there much of you in Anna Lisa?

Homa:

I know people whose lives are incredibly structured. They get up at the same time, go through the same routine everyday and sleep at the same time. As for me, I never know when I’m going to get up the next day unless there is somewhere I have to be, I have no idea how late I’ll be working – sometimes I work until four in the morning and sometimes until eight at night. I just go with the flow. I wish I was more structured and I have tried many times but it just doesn’t work for me. I can’t do the same routine everyday. I mean I did it when I worked at a bank and when I worked for an accounting firm but didn’t really enjoy it. So, my long answer to your question is, Anna Lisa is based on my friends and no I’m not like Anna Lisa. I wish I had her discipline but I don’t.

As for Neil, I was lucky to have an older brother because I grew up hanging around his friends. They were a great bunch of guys – honest, loving and just really kind. And most of my friends in college were guys who treated me really well. In fact, they were much nicer to me than my female friends. So Neil is a combination of all the wonderful men I met in my life.

Norm:

Was Lemon Curd improvisational or do you have a set plan?

Homa:

I do have a set plan. I want to write about the present and I want to write fiction that challenges our ethics. In Lemon Curd, I wanted to show that it is sometimes difficult to the right thing.

Norm:

One of the themes that run through Lemon Curd is not knowing when to move on after a break-up. What made you want to include this into your story?

Homa:

I think relationships are difficult and none of us think clearly when we’re in love. But being in love with someone in an abusive relationship is really not true love. So many people are petrified to leave their spouse or lover and continue living miserable lives. I know of a woman who finally got a divorce from her husband at age ninety. She stayed married to him for seventy years before she decided it was time to move on. What a waste of her seventy years!

Sometimes we don’t want to break-up because the other person keeps stringing us along and we want to keep trying. But most people will finally reach a point when they have had just about enough. For some it may take weeks, for others months and for some years but hopefully they get out quickly and it won’t take them 70 years to figure it all out.

Norm:

Who or what has influenced your writing?

Homa:

I cannot really pinpoint who or what exactly. I spent a good part of my childhood in Tehran. The TV didn’t have cartoons 24/7 and there were no computer games. So I spent hours reading in my father’s home office and the more I read, the more books my father would bring home. I loved getting lost in the stories and being able to see life through the eyes of the writers. As I got older, I continued reading and added another hobby – writing. I had four fantastic teachers, - one was my ESL instructor in high school, another was an English tutor, the third and forth were two teachers I had in Paris. Although I wrote in French and made many grammatical mistakes, they said they really liked my work and encouraged me to write more often. And thus I never stopped writing.

Norm:

What was the most difficult part of writing Lemon Curd? As a follow up, did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?

Homa:

The most difficult part about writing Lemon Curd was putting myself in the mind of each character and asking what she would say in this situation or how would he react in response, what kind of facial expressions he would have or how was she feeling at that moment. For awhile I was starting to feel like Sybil in Flora Rheta Schreiber’s book.

After writing my book, I learned to really appreciate a book – any book, good or bad. Before, I would read a book without realizing how much work had gone into it. I read fast because I wanted to get to the end of the story to see how it ended without paying attention to the fact that it took years for the writer to finish the work. Now, when I read a book, I take my time. I read the forward, the afterword and everything else that’s in between. I page through the interior design of the book and study the cover art. I awe at the writer’s creative process and wonder about how they came up with the story.

Norm:

What do you think makes a good story?

Homa:

The characters, the plot, the writer’s voice and the depth of the story. A story should encourage us to think and ask ourselves some tough questions.

Norm:

Do you have a local writing community or fellow writers that you look to for support and advice? As a follow up, did you have a writing mentor?

Homa:

No, I am not part of a writing community but I do work with many people who are in the writing industry and I do drop in on online writers’ forums every now and then.

I did mentor someone who wanted to be a writer. After attending many workshops, she is now working on her first novel.

I would have to say that my editor who is also a writer is my mentor.

Norm:

Where can our readers find out more about you and Lemon Curd and what is next for Homa Poursagari?

Homa:

They can find out more about me at www.homapourasgari.com where I keep a journal and a blog and readers can contact me and share their thoughts or ask questions. Lemon Curd has its own website: www.lemoncurdbook.com which includes reviews, an excerpt and a sample chapter.

I have a new book coming out on June 22. It’s titled – The Dawn of Saudi – In Search for Freedom. It’s a romantic mystery about the oppression of women and the human rights abuse in Saudi Arabia. Readers can find out more about it at www.thedawnofsaudi.com. I am going to be at the UCLA Book Fair promoting my book on April 25 & 26, booth number 656, section F. If you’re planning to be there, please stop by my booth and say hello.

Norm:

Is there anything else you wish to add that we have not covered?

Homa:

No, Norm. I think you pretty much covered everything that’s important. But I would like to thank you for the in depth the interview.

Thanks once again and good luck with all of your future endeavors.

Click Here To Read Norm's Review of Lemon Curd

Click Here To Purchase Lemon Curd