81: Ehsaneh Sadr: Author of A Door Between Us

A child raised in both Mormon and Muslim religious traditions, Ehsaneh worked in Iran for several years and her experiences there form the backdrop to her novel about  three people whose lives are upended by the 2009 Green Wave protests in that country. We discuss how the 2020 US election echoed many of the themes she explored in her book, how she found her perfect agent, going on sub but not selling her book the first round, and how she centered her marketing efforts on activities she enjoyed, ranging from riding her bike to deliver ARC's by hand to reviewers to setting a goal to talk to 50 book clubs in her first year of publication.   Ehsaneh Sadr is an Iranian-American novelist and activist with a PhD in International Relations. She has worked, in various capacities, on campaigns related to Palestinian human rights, Iranian sanctions, access to credit for rural villagers, and safe spaces for children in crisis. She currently works with the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition to create the cultural and infrastructure changes needed to support a shift away from carbon-based modes of transportation. Ehsaneh currently lives in Northern California with her husband and two children but also considers Washington DC, Salt Lake City, and Tehran to be home. Her debut novel, A Door Between Us, has been named one of the 33neh Essential Works of Fiction by Iranian Writers. To learn more about Ehsaneh, click here.