Lemon Curd

Listen to her interview with Juanita Watson at Inside Scoop Live.

 

An interview with Tyler R. Tichelaar of Reader Views:

Homa Pourasgari was interviewed by Mr. Tichelaar on March 09, 2009. To read about her interview, please visit ReaderViews.com.

 

An interview with Norman Goldman of BookPleasures.com:

Homa Pourasgari was interviewed by Mr. Norman Goldman on March 12, 2009. To read about her interview, please visit BookPleasures.com.

 

An interview with Cynthia Murphy of Front Street Reviews:

Homa Pourasgari was interviewed by Ms. Murphy on September 2, 2008. To read about her interview, please visit Front Street Reviews.

  

An interview with Sepideh Danosian, Editor in Chief of OC Life Magazine:

Homa Pourasgari was interviewed by Ms. Danosian on June 19, 2007 at her office. Look for the review of her book in the August issue of OCPC, an Iranian arts and entertainment magazines written in English.

 

Sepideh Danosian: I have to tell you that I took Lemon Curd home on the day I received it and finished it in four hours. What impressed me the most was the amount of research you’ve done, especially the English dialogue.

Homa Pourasgari: It was really difficult to get into Neil’s head and figure out how he would say certain phrases and build his sentences. You could say that I watched a ton of films and current events and went online to look up their vocabulary and phrasing compared to ours. I remember William and Harry being interviewed once on CBS and the station actually had subtitles underneath it. It was really funny since English is the language of both of our countries and we should be able to understand each other. Although I do think the English have the upper hand when it comes to speaking properly.

SD: You did a nice job of bringing Neil and his family into life and portraying them as English Characters. I understand that you have some experience in the marketing industry but I was amazed by your knowledge of the advertising world.

HP: Actually, that was mostly researched by checking out books from the library and doing extensive reading. Many people go through novels at a fast pace, not realizing that it took years for the writer to put it together and tell the story.

SD: What about London? Have you been there before?

HP: I went to summer school there when I was five and after that have visited there often, especially since I have friends who live out there.  But even so, I had to look at maps and figure out the logistic of different locations in reference to each other and turn to my travel books in order to revisit some of the sites I had seen during my travels.

SD: How long did it take you to do all that or rather how long did it take you to write Lemon curd?

HP: It took me about 3 ½ years to write it.

SD: Will it always take that much time or is it because it was your first book?

HP: I think it depends on the subject matter. For example, for my next novel which takes place in an environment I’m somewhat unfamiliar with, I have put in at least a thousand hours of research so far. Some books will take longer and others not as much but I do think, a writer gets more efficient with experience; that is if they can bypass the writer’s block.

SD: What about the sex scenes? Were those hard to do?

HP: Although I have more romantic scenes than I do sex scenes in my novel, I did have to read many books from different time periods and watch a lot of old and new movies to write them exactly right. I’m afraid when it comes to writing, I’m a perfectionist and don’t like to make mistakes.

SD: You know I’m so glad that you speak English fluently. Sometimes I have to interview people in Farsi and have to think hard about a word I want to incorporate in a sentence.

HP: I know what you mean. I just had a Farsi radio interview and was worried to use the wrong words but I think the Iranian community understands. When was the last time you were in Iran?

SD: I left Iran at the age of eight and grew up in Austria before moving out here.

HP: So, you speak German?”

SD: I do but haven’t practiced it in years. I probably have forgotten it.

HP: I studied French most of my life and went to school in Switzerland and Paris but haven’t had the chance to speak it in a long time. The only thing, though, is when I spend two weeks with French people, it all comes back to me as I’m sure your German will always come back to you. It’s there in our brains; we just have to tap into it.

SD: I’m going to have to try that. It has been great meeting with you today. Thank you so much for coming down to our office for the interview.

HP: Thank you for inviting me. I’m looking forward to reading your review in the August issue of OCPC magazine.

An interview with Homa Sarshar, an award-winning journalist:

Homa Pourasgari was interviewed in Farsi by Homa Sarshar, an award-winning journalist, writer, media personality and lecturer on Saturday, June 16, 2007, between 8:30 and 8:45 in the morning. Pacific time at KIRN, 670AM, an international Iranian radio station broadcast in US, Iran and Europe. Here’s an English translation of the interview.

Homa Sarshar: Welcome to my show. I would like to Introduce Homa Pourasgari, an Iranian-American writer who grew up in the US. She has a degree in business from Loyola and after that studied literature at the Sorbonne in Paris. Ms. Pourasgari has worked in many industries and her new book, Lemon Curd has been nominated ForeWord Magazine’s Book of The Year Award Finalist. Lemon curd has also appeared at book shows in New York and London and will soon be appearing in Beijing and Frankfurt.

Homa Pourasgari: Thank you for the introduction.

HS: Lemon Curd is about two people who work in the marketing industry and the difficulties women face today in the work place. Tell us a little about the title of your book and what motivated you to talk about this subject?

HP: As you may already know, there is a Lemon Curd mania in Europe and I thought it would make an interesting title. I’ve always enjoyed reading and writing romantic fiction. But my book is more than just a romantic fiction. I wanted to write a book about women’s lifestyle during our time period so that when a reader picks up my book a hundred years from now, they can say, "oh yes, this was how women of the 21st century lived."

HS: Fascinating idea. They say writers oftentimes write books about their own life experiences. Can you expand on that?

HP: Absolutely. I have worked in many industries, one of them being retail. I owned my own business at the age of 23 and I remember always being pushed around by the owners and management staff of the shopping mall and the Franchise owners. I always had to stand up for my rights. And not only that but when a man and a woman with the same education and background are up for a promotion, it’s always the man who gets it. I’ve seen this often. For example, awhile back when I was working in a bank, there was a female employee who was very efficient at her job and just as smart as the next person but when it was time to promote her, a man with similar qualifications got the job instead.

Hs: And this is so true everywhere in the world. Women must always work harder to stay on top of the game. And your book really captures that reality.

HP: Thank you. You’re quite talented yourself. Before this interview I read your website and your credits. You have lived an interesting life.

HS: I’m flattered. But since you grew up in the US, how were you able to read a Farsi website?

HP: I can read Farsi but I’m rusty. I must admit though, I read the English version of your site.

HS: Oh, that’s right. It does have an English translation. So, have you written any other books or are there any more in the works? 

HP: Lemon Curd is my first novel. I'm currently working on a second  book due in 2009.

HS: That’s great. I would love to have you back on my radio show.

HP: I look forward to it. Thank you so much for today’s interview.

HS: Thank you for being here. I would now like to let my listeners know that they may learn more about Ms. Pourasgari, her book and where to purchase it at www.homapourasgari.com.