Author Interview: Cindy Davies of The Afghan Wife.

Book Review of The Afghan Wife.

Interview with Cindy Davies author of The Afghan Wife published in November 2017 by Odyssey Books. The novel is available on Amazon and Goodreads.

The Afghan Wife has been one of my favourite reads of 2018. Thanks to the author for taking out time to answer my each and every question. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it Cindy ma’am and your writing space is one to die for 😛

– Vithya.

Tell us about your book?

My book is called The Afghan Wife and it’s a romantic thriller set in Iran during the time of the revolution in 1979. As the story progresses, the main character Zahra, an Afghan woman, must choose between her love for Iranian Karim and loyalty to her Afghan cousin, Firzun. You can see a video pre-view of the novel on my website: cindydavies.com.au

How did you come up with the idea for your book?

I’ve had the idea for a long time. I worked with migrants and refugees here in Australia and heard a lot of dramatic stories of people leaving their homelands.

What sort of research did you do to write this book?

I did an enormous amount of research! I read about the historical events surrounding the fall of the Shah of Iran and his exile from Iran. I also researched the American involvement and how American diplomats came to be hostages in their embassy in Tehran. As you can see from my picture I’m not Iranian but I have lived in the Middle East and returned many times. I used my experience gained from these times as background for the novel. I researched Islamic customs and also visited Iran for three weeks. I visited Elahiyeh, the suburb where the novel is set in Tehran to give the novel an authentic feel.

Describe Zaira and Karim in short?

Zahra is a very strong woman, beautiful but not conceited. She’s had a tough life, orphaned at the age of twelve and married off by an unsympathetic aunt to a violent husband. This makes her vulnerable but she’s a good mother to five-year old Ahmad and loyal to her useless cousin Firzun. She loves Karim but is prepared to sacrifice her love for him to save her cousin’s life.

Karim is clever, charming and worldly. However, because he’s good looking women adore him. He fell in love with Zahra when he was 23. In the novel he meets her again ten years late and knows she’s his true love. He is loyal to his family, brave and has great integrity.

What was the most difficult scene to write in the book?

I hate violence, particularly towards women, and the scenes with Zahra’s husband were hard to write.

Which is your favorite character in the book?

Actually the one I enjoyed writing the most was Karim’s mother Esmat. She’s a go-getter who has never got on with her mother-in-law. However my favourite character has to be Karim, educated, kind and loves children.

If your novel were being made into a movie, whom would you pick to play the lead roles?

I’m not sure if any Hollywood actors would be suitable. I think the actors would have to be Iranian or at least Middle Eastern. There are some wonderful Iranian actors out there.

How did you begin writing? Did you intend to become an author, or do you have a specific reason or reasons for writing each book?

I’ve always wanted to be a writer. I wrote short biographies for a weekend magazine a long time ago. Then I wrote travel articles about Turkey and the Middle East and England. I tried short romance fiction but wanted to write something longer and more intense so I started writing The Afghan Wife. I want my books to both entertain and educate, especially about other cultures. There are a lot of misconceptions about different religions and cultures.

What does a typical workday look like for you?

Sometimes I only write for a couple of hours a day. I like to have a work-life balance. Other days, I’ll start at 9.00 a.m. and work through with a few breaks until 6.00 pm.

What does your writing space look like?

Now that my children have left home I actually have a small home
office—luxury!

What authors do you like to read? What book or books have had a strong influence on you or your writing?

I do like JK Rowling—Harry Potter of course. I also like the novels she wrote as Robert Galbraith. I love the works of the Brontë sisters too, which are still relevant and fresh after 200 years!

What are some great books you’ve read recently?

Sarah Waters: The Paying Guests and Liane Moriarty: Big Little Lies, also Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan
They’re all different but gripping in their own ways.

What types of books do you enjoy in your downtime?

Mystery thrillers and well-written romance.

What are your top three favorite books of all time?

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. I read the first meeting love scene from this novel to help me write mine.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. It works on so many different levels.
Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy. A love story set against the background of rural England.

What are the upsides and downsides to being an author?

The upside is when a reader loves the book. I get a real thrill reading reviews like the one Vithya wrote! The downside is criticism.

What is the most unethical practice in the publishing industry?What were some of the challenges you faced on the road to publication?

I’ve been lucky with my publisher. One of the challenges is that publishers keep you waiting a long time before rejecting a manuscript then you have to start sending it out all over again.

As a new author, what is your favorite part of the writing/publishing process? Least favorite? (For debut authors.)

Favourite is seeing the book in print, the words I carefully crafted coming to life on the page. Least favourite is having to double check the book for typos.

How do you deal with writer’s block?

I have a detailed chapter plan so I know where I’m going. I also talk ideas through with my husband or my writing group. Then I just sit down and write my way out any blocks.

What do you do in your free time when you aren’t writing?

I walk a lot usually with a friend or my husband or spend time with my three children. I’m also in a choir. I give lectures about Iran and the Brontës to various groups. I belong to a writing group and a book group.

What has been one of your most rewarding experience as an author?

Picking up the printed copy of my book for the first time. Feeling that my work has given pleasure to other people.

Is there anything about the writing life that you think is misunderstood by the public?

I think some people believe that writers earn a lot of money—not true!
Also I wonder if many people realise the amount of checking, editing and re-drafting required to produce a good book.

What are you working on now?

My next book called The Revolutionary’s Cousin, a sequel to my first novel.

When is the sequel coming and what can we expect in it?

The sequel, The Revolutionary’s Cousin is due for publication in April 2019. In it Karim and Zahra end up living in an English speaking country but life is not easy for either of them ….

What do you like and dislike about book reviews?

I like hearing that people have really understood what I’m trying to say. What I dislike is the people who write things without realising that there’s a fine line between negativity and constructive criticism.

Are there any nuggets of wisdom you can impart to aspiring writers?

Don’t give up! If you’ve been rejected (I got ten rejections for my novel), treat it as a learning experience and do another edit. Believe in yourself, someone will love it, honestly.

What is the main thing you want readers to take away from your book?

An understanding that we are all human beings, with shared dramas in our lives, whichever cultural background we come from.

Buy The Afghan Wife