Zahra Kaardaani is a young novelist and fiction writer.

Her husband is a seminary student who travels to impoverished places to spread Islamic ideology, and his first trip was in the summer of 2017, during the holy month of Ramadan, to a village in the south of Fars province, and it was such a wonderful experience among the lovely people there that she decided to write a book about the journey and her memories. 

* Tell us about your time in the village and why you chose to write a book about it.

This trip was much more than a trip for me. I had no intention of writing a book on these memoirs at first, and I only kept a notebook to record interesting things I saw. I also posted some of my memories on social media, which got some interesting reactions from my followers. Then I realized that my experiences were not so ordinary, and I decided to write a book to share them with others, and finally, in March 2017, Surah Mehr published my book.

* Why didn't you mention the village's name?

Some of the negative aspects of the village, such as people's belief in magic, are described in the novel. As a result, I don't want this label to spread to others.

* Did the people of this village have any specific Ramadan traditions?

Not much, but there was a certain vibe during the holy month of Ramadan that I believe has disappeared in the big cities, such as neighbors waking up each other for Sahar time or cooking special meals for Iftar.

* What was the source of inspiration for the book's cover?

Its design was inspired by one of the book's stories, which refers to the time when we first arrived in the village. Women from the village used to cook for us in the early days, and their dishes were left at home, so I decided to return their bowls with Ash in them. The problem was that my husband had forgotten to tell me that the water in the village was salty and that if I cooked with water, I should not use salt!

* What were the reactions of the neighbors?

They simply laughed and said that Ash was fine.

* As a mother of two little children, didn’t you find it difficult to travel to the most impoverished areas?

I've always believed that it's our responsibility to help others, and I chose to be with my husband whenever and wherever he was; even when we went to the most impoverished locations, our hope and love kept us going.