Why did I set my new book, The Secret of the Cylinder, in 1979 Iran?

I was 19 years old in the US in 1979; just starting to spread my wings and enjoy the freedoms of adulthood in a Western nation. My world was expanding. By contrast, 1979 in Iran was a time of diminishing human rights, especially for women. Granted, Iran was westernized because of US interference and manipulation, as is done with so many other countries. We’re enjoying the fallout of this now, with the rise of Daesh. 

Back in 1979 Iran, women protested having to wear the hijab (headscarf). Today, a new generation has grown used to wearing it, and some prefer it. The contrasts intrigue me. I feel so lucky to have chosen in this lifetime to be born in the US, with all the freedoms we take for granted. Anoush takes is upon herself to try to protect those freedoms, by saving the cylinder and Inanna statue from clerics of the incoming regime, who would certainly destroy them. One because it bore the story of a woman; which would be blasphemy in a patriarchal era. The other, the statue, because it was a reminder of the power of the feminine. Then, as in some places even now, men were afraid of women and their true power.