Hall of Purple Light In the beginning of the novel, Ayatollah Shir-Del meets with the General Secretary of China in Beijing. Due to restrictions in place by the Communist government, pictures inside the building are prohibited so I had to use my imagination a little bit when the two characters sit down to discuss their…

EDIFICE OF THE SUN AT GOLESTAN PALACE In the beginning of the novel, the crowds in Tehran are celebrating the appointment of their new Ayatollah, Marzban Shir-Del, who stands on the balcony of Golestan Palace with President Avesta and Major General Lajani. During the years of the last Shah of Iran, the Palace was used…

Like everyone else, when I read The Da Vinci Code, I couldn’t put it down. Novels like that the captivate the world are rare gems. Maybe if I’m lucky, one day, one of my books will reach that status. A guy can dream. But one of my favorite things about the novel is that the…