We are thrilled to invite author Nadia Hashimi on the front porch for this episode. Nadia is the author of the bestselling novel, Sparks Like Stars and such a lovely person. Nadia is a pediatrician turned novelist who draws on her family’s Afghan heritage in her books. Linda reveals to Nadia that she thought the book was a true story and asks Nadia how she came up with the character of Sitara. Nadia confirms this is not a story about her own experience. Rather, Sitara comes from the origins of the novel itself – recalling the time her parents were growing up in Kabul when women could pursue higher education. When Nadia read an article about the coup of 1978, she learned about how some of the victims were buried in unmarked graves. She wondered what it would be like to experience those events as a child and how a child would carry the trauma throughout her life. Nadia shares her journey from pediatrics to writing. She believes the two fields have some commonalities in that as a pediatrician she needed to understand the stories of her patients. As a writer, she needs to understand the story of her characters. Her husband, observing her love of reading, encouraged her to try writing. After resisting for a why, she gave it a try and now she is a full-time writer. She believes her love of reading formed the foundation for her writing abilities. Nancy fangirled over the beautiful opening of Sparks Like Stars (again) and asked Nadia where in her process she wrote the prologue. Nadia typically writes the prologue after most of the story is complete. She sees it as an appetizer that gets to the heart of the story. Nadia told us, as a writer, she approaches writing each book differently based on what she’s learned writing previous books. So she has tried complete outlines, discovery writing, and everything in between. She thinks her writing works best when she lets the characters lead. Linny asks Nadia whether she kept the foster home section fairly brief, since it was so painful. She agreed it is a balance to explore the trauma the character is facing and to name it, but to be sensitive to readers, too. Linda tells Nadia how she and Nancy disagreed about the role of the guard in the murder of Sitara’s family. Nadia said she wanted to struggle with the character because she was struggling with the idea of how culpable is a person who is following orders and how far you have to go to redeem yourself. She intentionally left his role vague, but to her, he is not the one who pulled the trigger. Nadia wrote Sitara’s response, not as the perfect way to respond, but to show the struggle. Nadia said she isn’t sure how she would respond, in fact, in Sitara’s situation. Nancy asks Nadia about Sitara’s nostalgia for a disappeared Afghanistan and asked whether Nadia has experienced that nostalgia, even though she has never lived in Afghanistan. Nadia agreed that she was raised in a household awash in nostalgia for their beloved Kabul that is gone. Nadia agrees with Nancy’s assessment that, in some ways, Sitara’s family is a metaphor for an Afghanistan as a country. Nadia wishes people knew more of the story of Afghanistan, beyond the war and poverty. Afghanistan has a vibrant and colorful culture. They love music and have rowdy parties. It’s not just tragedy. Nadia tells us about her husband’s experience growing up in war-torn Afghanistan and their difficult journey to escape and eventually come to the United States. Nadia did not necessary draw on his experience in creating Sitara’s flight. She said she could have drawn on so many Afghan people’s experience because there are a diaspora strewn around the world. Nadia told us about her volunteer work with the U.S. Afghan Women’s Council and the Afghan American Foundation. Nadia revealed she has just turned in revisions on her first young adult novel which should be out in summer 2024. The story focuses on an Afghan family and the prejudice they face. Nadia does not tell her own story through her writing, but she did admit that Sitara’s experience with racism after 9/11 mirrored an experience she had. Nadia told us that Sitara’s ring is a tangible something that gives her stability but also a way to alluding to ancient civilizations and ownership of antiquities in times of conflict. Nadia also told us how she came upon the story of the Romanov girls and her decision have their story be a part of Sitara’s. Nadia talked a little about learning about trauma through her pediatric work and also watching people around her.