Advice for aspiring writers/The best thing about being a writer

My advice for aspiring writers?

Don't give up! Surround yourself with other writers and artists regularly, for the support you so very much need. And of course, do your Morning Pages and Artist Dates.

The best thing about being a writer?

It's the perfect place to hone your l'esprit de l'escalier; a French term for when you think of the perfect answer to something after you've left the room and are doing something ordinary like walking up a staircase. Not being a hothead by nature, I find well-thought-out arguments bubbling up later, after I've had the time to digest a perplexing conversation. Hopefully I've left the other person with a graceful (or possibly clueless) exit remark. On my own time, I can weave the situation into that of one of my characters; resulting in a satisfying display of verbal gallantry (at least on the part of my protagonist)!

What did I learn while writing The Secret of the Cylinder and what was the biggest surprise during the process?

I learned about daytime discos in Tehran in the 1970’s – one of the few places young people could kiss; similar to the way young people in Mexico City steal away to churches to do the same! At the Basilica of the Lady of Guadalupe in 2012 I was surprised to find myself sitting behind teenagers necking. Blasphemy! (I’m kidding here.)

The biggest surprise was when the actor who I’d talked with about playing the male lead, Mirza, was framed and thrown into jail for 2 ½ years in Dubai, while I was converting the screenplay into a novel. I was shocked and saddened by Farzan’s misfortune. But he never gave up, and neither did I. I signed his MoveOn.org petition to urge that his case be reconsidered by Sheikh Mohammed of the UAE (Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates) a.k.a. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. That didn’t feel like enough, though. So, using the power of positive intention, I wrote the character Mirza into, and then out of prison before three years had gone by. (Farzan was starting to approach his third year and he’d just turned 30!). The Swedish-Iranian model wrote a rap song while in prison, called “Save my Life” asking for the sheik’s forgiveness, mercy, and pardon. The audio for the music video was recorded through a phone booth from inside the Central Jail in Dubai. The sheik listened to the song. Farzan was released this past December, 2015. He appreciated my story!

What is the meaning behind the title of The Secret of the Cylinder?

The cuneiform-inscribed cylinder that the protagonist steals is made of a special clay that has magical properties, brought to Earth by an interstellar traveler. The abilities it confers on anyone who touches it are exactly what the planet needs. “He who possesses it will be most powerful. Yet what most think is power will be taken by its touch.” The ultimate weapon, the Cylinder has the power to geld one’s enemies . . . or bestow peace upon all who touch it.