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Sara Fashandi is the author of Message in a Matchbox, an unforgettable memoir that shares her brother Mohsen’s coming of age in the slums of Tehran, Iran. She sits on the Cal Poly Pomona Women’s Leadership Advisory Board, has been recognized with numerous international literary awards and her interviews have been published by local and national media publications.

A multi-faceted talent, Sara moved to the United States in 1977 to attend The Ohio State University, where she earned a graduate degree in biochemistry. She currently lives in Northern California with her family, but will always consider herself a Buckeye.

Sara enjoys traveling, reading, and connecting with people from diverse backgrounds. She spends her spare time writing the sequel to Message in a Matchbox.

This one-on-one interview shares Sara’s background and experience writing Message in a Matchbox.

Tell Us About Message in a Matchbox.

Message in a Matchbox is an inspiring ode to my eldest brother, Mohsen Fashandi, and the experiences that shaped the man he would become. The book is a compilation of 26 short stories that catalog his most vivid memories from ages six to 23, capturing the trials and triumphs of the hand-to-mouth existence he shared with my struggling parents and siblings.

As a young boy, being rich meant having a full stomach. My father worked as a shoe repairman and my mother sewed clothing for neighbors to help with expenses, even though it was unusual for Iranian women to work at the time. It was my mother’s dream to be a homeowner, and when our family bought a house, she sold some of her wedding jewelry in order to afford it. But the home created an immense financial burden and our family rented space to three tenants to make ends meet.

Growing up, Mohsen was especially resourceful. He taught himself how to become an electrician and contributed to the household through do-it-yourself repairs. He also endured terrible tragedies, including the loss of his nine-month-old brother, Majeed, and sudden death of his first love, Banu.

Yet, despite all these hardships, Mohsen remained cheerful and optimistic. Motivated by the support of our mother, Mohsen realized his dream of going to university in America, emigrating in 1973 to study electrical engineering.

Written in Mohsen’s voice, the book invites readers to walk in the shoes of my brother as he relives some of the most painful and joyful moments of his life.

What inspired you to write Message in a Matchbox?

Message in a Matchbox illustrates the rewarding outcome of perseverance.

My mom harbored a life goal: to secure a brighter future for her children through education.

She sewed tirelessly to earn money so that she could send her children (all seven of us) to college for a better life.  Through hard work and determination, she broke the cycle of poverty in our family. 

A speaker once remarked that each of us requires someone to disrupt the cycle in our lives for improvement. For us, that person was my mother.

How did you feel when you found out you received a Book Excellence Award?

The Book Excellence Awards is a prestigious awards program, so receiving the award filled me with joy and pride. It was validation that my book has met a certain quality, innovation and significance, as determined by a panel of judges.

Not only does the award enhance my book’s credibility, visibility and reputation within the literary community—it has also motivated me to continue writing my story.

How did your background and experience influence your writing?

It all started during a family reunion in the summer of 2006, when I discovered an invaluable treasure: my oldest brother Mohsen’s memories of growing up in Iran.

Hearing him speak about his childhood and the challenges he encountered, I felt a wave of emotions wash over me—elation, sadness, surprise, amazement. Although we were siblings, it seemed as though we had grown up in two different households; Mohsen is the eldest, and I am child number six.

I realized the struggles he went through made him the fascinating, jovial and hardworking man he is today. He had been through so much, that by the time he was twenty-three, he had lived a fuller life than most people ever experience. I was inspired to share his story to show that nothing had ever been given to us on a silver platter. It was through hard-work and perseverance that we built a better life for ourselves and our family.

In preparation for writing the book, I took two years of memoir writing classes in Berkeley to hone my craft. The class provided me with discipline to write regularly and the feedback I received from my instructor and classmates played a big role in helping me improve my writing.

What is one message you would like readers to remember?

Message in a Matchbox shares stories of commitment, perseverance, continual learning, and growth. Through the book, my hope is for readers to have the realization that they can accomplish any life goal they set their mind to. By continuously focusing on the goal, adapting to obstacles, and seeking support when needed—anything is possible!

Purchasing the book

Message in a Matchbox is available for sale on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Readers are encouraged to purchase their copy today: https://a.co/d/5RIENwK

To connect with Sara and receive updates about upcoming events and new book releases, visit: sarafashandi.com. You can also find Sara on Instagram.

Media Contact
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Press Release Distributed by ABNewswire.com

To view the original version on ABNewswire visit: Message in a Matchbox by Sara Fashandi Named Finalist in International Book Award Contest

Diane Covington-Carter is a best-selling, multiple award-winning author, journalist, photographer and commentator.

She has received numerous awards for her journalism, books, photography and NPR commentaries including a Book Excellence Award, Willa Award, Lowell Thomas Journalism Award, Gold Award from the Society of American Travel Writers, and an award from the Society for Professional Journalists.

She has authored three memoirs and one novel. Her articles have appeared in AARP.ORG, The Los Angeles Times, Hemispheres, Sierra.com, Reader’s Digest, France Today, and many other publications.

Active in the literary community, Diane teaches creative writing in person and online and is a member of the Society of American Travel Writers and Bay Area Travel Writers.

Diane holds both American and Australian passports, living in New Zealand and on an organic apple farm in Northern California, when she is not off having other travel adventures.

This one-on-one interview shares Diane’s background and experience writing Finding Gilbert, A Promise Fulfilled.

Tell Us About Finding Gilbert, A Promise Fulfilled.

June 1944, France. A young American Navy Lieutenant reaches out his hand to a hungry French orphan boy, Gilbert, and invites him to share a meal. This simple act of kindness will reverberate down generations, across cultures, languages and oceans.

Growing up, I found myself captivated by my father’s stories about his time in France during World War II, and the orphan boy, Gilbert, who he tried unsuccessfully to adopt and bring home to America. Gilbert felt like an invisible brother to me and France, where it had all taken place, felt like somewhere I already knew.

Fifty years after the war, I set out to find the man who could have become my brother. Through a combination of miracles and providence, I connected with Gilbert on what would have been my father’s 80th birthday.

Spanning eight decades, beginning and ending on the shores of Normandy, the book shares the remarkable true story of my journey to Gilbert, and how I was able to tell him that my father had never forgotten him. He did eventually become my ‘brother’ and I now visit Gilbert’s family each year in Normandy, where there are now four generations who know and love the story of my father and Gilbert.

Ultimately, the book is a testament to the importance of a father’s love and how a caring father can change lives in ways that ripple down through time.

What inspired you to write Finding Gilbert, A Promise Fulfilled?

I originally wrote the story of Finding Gilbert for Reader’s Digest in 2009, and it was voted the “#1 Must Read” on their website for a year. Readers sought me out by phone, email and letters telling me how much the story meant to them. The editor-in-chief even thanked me, saying how each person who worked on it was touched, moved and inspired.

I knew then that I had to write the book.

Writing a memoir presents a unique challenge of what to leave in and what to take out, especially because the story began before I was born and spans 80 years. So, it took me a while to write the book I wanted to write.

I am so happy that readers have loved the book and that it has won awards because it is a story that is so close to my heart. I am now working on a screenplay for it.

How did you feel when you found out you received a Book Excellence Award?

Writing is such a solitary pursuit, so it feels so good to know that your words have had an impact out in the world. Receiving a Book Excellence Award was a thrill!

How did your background and experience influence your writing?

My father was a storyteller. He passed that down to me. Maybe that is why I have been compelled to be a writer, to be the ‘keeper of the stories’ in my family and in my life.

As a child, when I listened to my father’s stories of his time in France in World War II, his efforts to speak French, the kindness and gratitude of the French people at being liberated from the Germans, and of course, Gilbert, it was as if I could see it all in my mind. That could be when I discovered the power of words and of course, my first link to Gilbert.

Much later, at UCLA, I chose a major which required me to write my own thoughts and observations and I discovered my passion for writing. That was in my twenties and that passion has only increased over the decades.

My father’s stories led me to France and to Gilbert. They also created a deep connection to the D-Day anniversaries. As a journalist, I covered the 50th, 60th, 70th and 75th anniversaries of D-Day in France, working as a translator and guide for returning veterans.

This year, June 6th, 2024, marks the 80th anniversary.

My book’s story began 80 years ago, just after D-Day, and lives on to honor not only my father and Gilbert, but all the men of ‘The Greatest Generation’ who risked their lives in France, fighting to preserve our freedom.

What is one message you would like readers to remember?

I hope this story will remind readers of the power of love and kindness, the power of stories to soothe and calm us, and that our dreams and passions open a doorway to our destinies. For all the years that I studied French, I couldn’t explain the wonder the language held for me. And then, when I found Gilbert and was able to tell him that my father had never forgotten him, in French, he wept.

Secondly, if you have dreams that you have put on the back burner, go ahead, dust them off! It is never too late to bloom. It is never too late to fly.

Finally, we’re here to love and be loved. Everything else is like cotton candy—it looks pretty, but then you discover that there is no real substance to it, no real nourishment there. Someone said, “In the end, it’s all about who you love and letting them know.” That is true. I know that now. Finding Gilbert and writing this book have taught me that.

Purchasing the book

Finding Gilbert, A Promise Fulfilled is available for sale on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo and other online bookstores. Readers are encouraged to purchase their copy today: https://www.amazon.com/Finding-Gilbert-Fulfilled-Diane-Covington-Carter-ebook/dp/B00K1DVXUM

To connect with Diane and receive updates about upcoming events and new book releases, visit: https://dianecovingtoncarter.com. You can also find Diane on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Media Contact
Company Name: Author News Network
Contact Person: Media Relations
Email: Send Email
Country: United States
Website: authornewsnetwork.com

Press Release Distributed by ABNewswire.com

To view the original version on ABNewswire visit: Finding Gilbert, A Promise Fulfilled by Diane Covington-Carter Wins Top Prize in International Book Excellence Awards Contest