UNDER THE PERSIMMON TREE
Do Afghan kids have anything in common with American teen-agers?
Like American kids, Afghan kids have hopes, dreams, and best friends; they love games, their families, food, and play time. Read more...
Have you ever been to Afghanistan?
Yes. When I worked for United Press International Afghanistan was one of the countries I reported from. Read more...
Is this a true story?
It is true in that almost every scene is based on a story told to me by an Afghan, either inside of Afghanistan, or in the refugee camps in Pakistan. Read more...
What message did you intend for this story to send?
I didn’t have any specific message in mind when I was writing “Under the Persimmon Tree,” but I did want Western readers to be able to imagine themselves in the story. Read more....
Why is it that Afghanistan always seems to be at war?
Afghanistan has been at war for more than thirty years, beginning with political infighting when King Zahir Shah was exiled in 1973, followed by a number of coups, the Soviet invasion in 1979, civil war, Taliban rule, and the American campaign to oust the Taliban and Al Qaeda. Read more...
Shabanu and Haveli
Are any of the characters in SHABANU DAUGHTER OF THE WIND based on people you know?
Just about all of the characters are based on people I met in Cholistan. Read more...
Can you explain the phenomenon of mothers-in-law in India and Pakistan?
Many women in this part of the world have little power until they have a daughter-in-law to help them do housework. When that daughter-in-law becomes a mother-in-law she’ll expect the same thing! Read more...
Could you please explain a dowry in India and Pakistan culture? What does it include, what is it worth, who determines whether it's enough, are dowries ever turned down, and what happens to the dowry if a bride's husband dies?
Dowries are agreed on by the families of the bride and groom before the marriage. If the husband dies the dowry reverts to his family. Read more...
Did you include the characters Sharma and Fatima to point out beliefs in our culture about the way women are treated in Pakistan?
No. I included them to move the story forward. Read more...
Will there be a sequel to SHABANU and HAVELI?
The sequel to SHABANU and HAVELI is THE HOUSE OF DJINN, which will be released in the spring of 2008.
Read more...
Shiva's Fire
Is it based on a true story?
Bits and pieces of the story were based on real life, but mostly it’s fiction. Read More...
Have you ever met a devadasi?
Yes. I spent two days in a gurukulam in Bangalore, where people studied dance, and several were devadasis. Read more...
Why did you write this book?
I wrote it to learn more about Hinduism. Read more...
How did you learn about classical Indian dance?
When I lived in India I went to Indian classical dance
performances whenever I could. Read more...
Dangerous Skies
What gave you the idea to write DANGEROUS SKIES?
I came back from Asia in 1988, and I wanted to write about the place where I was living. Read more...
On page three you say "It was early spring that year, a season of dangerous skies." What did you mean by that?
Buck (who narrates the story) was referring to the weather. But as he looks back on it, the weather wasn’t the only thing that was dangerous about that spring. Read more...
Why did you choose to write “Dangerous Skies” in first person rather than third person? And why is it from Buck's point of view?
I usually begin writing a book by listening to where the story is coming from, so I guess you could say it’s instinct that tells me what person and what tense. Read more...
Why do the adults in the story see Jumbo as a good guy and Buck and Tunes see him very differently?
Young people and adults often interpret things differently. Read more...
Why was Jumbo Rawlin so mean?
In real life I always assume people behave according to a combination of how they were brought up and how their brains are constructed. Read more...