AN INTERVIEW BETWEEN AUTHOR ELIZABETH DUCIE AND LESLIE POWELL AHMADI (That's me!)

Question: What does the date March 20 mean to you when it rolls around every year? For some, it signals the first day of Spring. For others, including people from Iran, it also marks the first day of their country’s New Year--corresponding to a season of rebirth and starting anew. For a brief explanation of the Iranian New Year Nowruz (pronounced as “No rooz,” and translated from the Persian as “New Day”), please refer to my blogpost on the Nowruz celebration (from March 2022).

Nowruz is a favorite holiday in Iran and one of the longest, officially celebrated for nearly two weeks (this year it will be celebrated from approximately March 20 – April 1). So, if you happen to know or meet anyone from Iran and want to pleasantly surprise them sometime between March 20 and April 1, just wish them “Happy New Year!” in Persian by saying “Saleh no mobarak!” Even if you’re uncertain of how to pronounce the words, your efforts are sure to impress!

Being US American, I still celebrate New Year’s Day on January 1. So, in my January newsletter to you all, I declared that as a new year’s resolution I would be more visible to my readers. That means sharing with you more details about me, my current life, and significant others in my life, whether the details relate to themes from my book (Road Between Two Hearts: A Black American Bride Discovers Iran) or something entirely spontaneous or random.

I count myself fortunate that I have a colleague and fellow writer who is helping me to do just that! Her name is Elizabeth Ducie, from Birmingham, England. A published author of cozy mysteries (and who doesn’t like a cozy mystery?), she playfully declares on her website that, among other things, she enjoys “telling lies for a living!” She has also made it her business to interview ME as a fellow female author and post the writeup of her interview with me on her blog (where, incidentally, the last time I checked, I didn’t spot a single lie)! I hope you’ll pay a visit to the sites, and, in the spirit of International Women’s Month, read about two women (namely, Elizabeth and me!) for yourselves!

Elizabeth Ducie, author of cozy mysteries

Leslie Powell Ahmadi (that’s me!)