Happy Persian New Year and we just got our 1st COVID-19 vaccines

Have you been immunized against COVID-19 yet? If so, which brand did you get, and how were your first days, and later?...

Happy New Year Everyone from da-AL

Let’s each of us Take a Chance on making this world a better place for ourselves and each other, hairy, scaly, feathered, muddy, and all the rest. Hope this makes you smile -- keep an eye out for Cher!…

Let’s get to Business: A Checklist for How to Become an Indie Author by Shabnam Curtis

Picture by Andrew Neel @andrewneel
Picture by Andrew Neel @andrewneel
Picture by Andrew Neel @andrewneel

Combining creativity with business can be challenging. Author/blogger Shabnam Curtis is one heck of an organized writer! Here she generously shares her detailed and well-researched gameplan for self-publishing success of her book, “My Persian Paradox: Memories of an Iranian Girl”…

Shabnam's avatarIntegral Life Coaching

independent pic

Picture by Andrew Neel @andrewneel

(1121 words – 8 minute read) Independence has been the magic word through out my life. Since I was a little girl, I wanted to be independent. I’ve tried hard and succeeded in so many aspects of my life; immigration, finance, job back in Iran. But, I have been a paycheck lady ever since I came to the U.S. Every now and then I thought about becoming a freelancer again but didn’t seriously pursue it. I was not and am not ready for the financial risk. But a few years ago, I noticed an inside revolution and strong desire, demanding to create something new other than a freelance project analyst. The uprising in my heart took me home; I began writing my memoir.

Writing my memoir taught me develop more critical thinking skills, approaching the society from not one but many different viewpoints. In short…

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Hope for Novelists and Other Writers by da-AL

Bunny rabbit outfitted person reads paper.

Do you have an elevator speech? Book writers are told that they need an 'elevator speech' -- a one-minute pitch for when they inadvertently meet their star-maker. It's also useful for talking about one's book with everyone else. Theoretically, that is. My elevator speech rarely gets past the first floor. But I love my books,… Continue reading Hope for Novelists and Other Writers by da-AL

Part 2: Tehran Visits The Louvre

Abbas Kiarostami, (Iran 1940-2016)

Art bridges cultures and makes us see differently (that's why the first of my novels-in-progress is titled, "Flamenco & the Sitting Cat")  -- look again at these art photos by Abbas Kiarostami, a noted Iranian film producer/director/screenwriter, poet, and photographer. In his photos, Kiarostami examines the relationship between art and visitors. He shot them at the… Continue reading Part 2: Tehran Visits The Louvre