Scammers and Predators

This post is for writers. Well, actually for anyone, as a warning to be careful. Just because someone emails, texts, or calls to tell you that they are so and so, it doesn't mean that they're telling you the truth. Analyze what they write or say, and if you are able to, always verify. So, this person has been after me for a longtime. I can tell because their writing style is always the same. 

 

They started with my twitter/X account, telling me that they are a great marketer with ties to book clubs. At another point in time, they pretended to be Judith McNaught. It was easy to check and find out that they were lying. They had no marketing experience, and Judith McNaught doesn't have a social media account. 

 

However, this person didn't stop there. They tried to contact me through my website, pretending to be a Pulitzer Prize nonfiction writer who liked my books and wanted to befriend me. Later they pretended to be a literary agent, and so on. All were easy to verify. And by the way, if I cannot verify someone, I just ignore what they say.

Last week, the same person pretended to be an editor named, Maddie Thornham, from Pan Macmillan Publishers, and their request sounded pretty good. I'm guessing they used AI. Below is what they said:

 

Pan Macmillan came across the Dawn of Saudi: In Search for Freedom. Hi Homa, I hope you're having a great week. My name is Maddie Thornham, and I am an Editor at Pan Macmillan. I recently spent some time looking into your work, specifically the Dawn of Saudi: In Search for Freedom, and I was impressed by the emotionally layered storytelling, the cross-cultural perspective, and the way the novel intertwines romance and mystery with themes surrounding women's rights and personal freedom. I would be very interested to learn more about your current and forthcoming projects, as well as whether you are represented by a literary agent. If you do have representation, I would be pleased to continue any discussion through your agent. If not, I would be happy to outline how the process typically works, should there be interest in taking the conversation further. Subject to reviewing additional material, there may be scope for a broader discussion regarding potential fit within Pan Macmillan. If this is of interest, I would be delighted to hear from you. 

 

Besides being a scam artist, this person wasn't too bright. This is the email they gave: macmillan@maddie-thornham.com. If they were legit, the email would have been more like: maddiethornham@panmacmillan.com, and not the other way around. But even so, I would have still verified them through the publisher's website. Also, publishers and agents do not solicit business. Pan Macmillan publishers have a whole section on these scam artists.

 

After these attempts, they tried again claiming to be an influencer who wants to interview me for my booka on their famous YouTube channel. 

Side note: When my book about the oppression of women in Saudi Arabia first came out, someone on twitter/X invited me to Qatar to give a speech at a book convention. The Book Convention was real. This person was a real person, and I had had a bunch of conversations with him, but I ignored his offer. I knew the dangers of going to Qatar because my book was controversial. He then insisted again, telling me that his organization will pay for a first-class ticket, and a five-star hotel plus all expenses paid. All I could think of was that his organization would get me a one way ticket, and my family would never see me again. Had I gone, my fate would have been just like Jamal Khashoggi. 

 

So, be careful. We live in a world full of scammers, and it keeps getting worse, specially now with AI taking over everything.

 

Rancho Palos Verdes

On a nice relaxing day, I headed out to Pointe Vicente Interpretive center I had heard so much about. Parking and entrance fees are free. It can get busy on weekends.

It's an educational center about whales and cetaceans with charts and displays regarding when whaling began in California, the natives who lived there, and the trades they made. It talks about how when whales sleep, half their brain stays awake, while the other half rests.

Tongva, the native inhabitants of Palos Verdes, were hunters who traded salt, shell beads, and dried fish with inland native tribes. They didn't hunt whales, but they did use the bones of whales left behind to make tools, and seats.

The above whale display is great for kids. They can open each door to see the function of the whale's organ.

There is a shop there with marine theme. 

The Los Angeles Chapter of The American Cetacean Society has volunteers (above Photo) who conduct gray whale census on the patio of Pointe Vicente Interpretive center. After you leave Center, start walking toward the water, and you will see the volunteers in a roped off section with binoculars, watching, counting, and tracking Gray Whales, humpback, Risso and bottlenose dolphins, and other sightings which may also include the bald eagle, owl, osprey, and other birds. Everything is recorded on a chart, according to the season.

The day that I visited, the lighthouse was closed, but I still enjoyed looking at it from a distance.

The hiking grounds are fenced off, and some are numbered. So, if you get separated from your friends, you can call them, and say for example, "I'm at 137. Where are you?"

This is such a lovely area, and you will want to stay there forever, especially when the temperatures are comfortable, and the sun is out.

I went for an easy hike, but had a hard time hiking, because I kept wanting to stop, and take in the beautiful views.

There is a resort called Terranea, about a seven minute drive, that's worth a visit. Parking is $20 plus tipping the valet. The grounds are pretty, and the vibe is chill. They have several restaurants, and one of the more casual ones is called Nelson's. The ocean view is nice, especially at sunset, but if you're vegan/vegetarian, and don't eat fish, skip it. They have one salad on their menu, and it's pretty awful. Another option was mushroom with cheese and fries which I turned down. Also, don't order the nachos because they don't use real cheese. My friend had a shrimp taco and said it was good.

But honestly, if you want to catch the sunset, bring a picnic dinner, and go back to the patio of pointe Vicente Interpretive center with benches, tables, and incredible views, or sit on one of the wooden benches along the hiking path.

  

Mandi House

There is a Yemeni restaurant in Westwood village called House of Mandi. Most of the patrons speak Arabic, and I could tell that they were regulars because unlike my friend, and I, they knew exactly what to order.

You have a choice to sit on chairs, or on floor cushions. I wanted to sit on the floor, but my friend didn't. So, we ended up at the table. The staff was super friendly, and guided us to our seats as soon as we walked in, and gave us free bottled waters. One thing you need to know is that there is a call button at each table, and when you're ready to order, you push it. My friend, and I, did not know this, and waited like two idiots for a longtime, until we flagged down one of the servers, and he told us what to do.

They have a lot of choices on their menu. I suggest to have a look before you go. For appetizer, we ordered Mutabbal, an eggplant dish which comes with Yemeni bread. The eggplant was okay. It lacked flavor, so we added salt and pepper to bring out the taste. The bread was excellent, and highly recommended.

For the entrée, my friend got chicken Mandi, and I had the Hrada of Seltah, a stew of root vegetables which also comes with bread. Portions are large, and most likely, you will go home with a lot of leftovers. I tried my friend's rice. It was really good. I think that's what I'm going to order the next time with some kind of a vegetable dish.

The Karak tea is full of flavor with various spices. I normally don't drink black tea or milk, but I love spices in tea, and had to try it. So yum...

English

 

I went to see a new play, titled English, at the Wallis in Beverly Hills. The story takes place in a classroom setting with a couple of Iranian students, and a Persian teacher. The students are taking the class because they have to pass the TOEFL—a global exam that measures the students' English skills before they can go and study abroad. 

 

As I sat sat in my seat, I was expecting a large Iranian crowd. But no. Most of the audience were Americans. Perhaps it was unique to the day and time I attended. Nevertheless, that was a big surprise. Now, on to the play... The story explores the struggles foreigners face when learning a new language, and having to uproot their life to another country. Some people look forward to it. And I can relate to that.

 

When I first came to the U.S, I was really excited. I didn't have to take the TOEFL. At age 12, I hardly spoke English. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. The first year, I cried a lot because I didn't understand what the teachers were talking about. The math class was super easy since it's a universal language, and the level of seventh grade math in the U.S was something I had already learned at age seven in Iran. But science and history were tough because they required an understanding of the language. Learning English eventually got easier, but fitting into a completely different culture was tough. It changed me from being a funny, confident person to being shy, and awkward. And it wasn't until my college years when I was able to blend in. 

 

And that's what this play was about. The teacher who used to live abroad, felt more at home in Iran. Other students couldn't wait until they could leave, and study outside the country. Another student with an Iranian heritage, who was born in the U.S, had also decided to come back because he couldn't fit in the American culture.

 

Overall, the play was enjoyable. It took me back in time to my own struggles. The only problem I had with the play was the ending. The ending was in Farsi which I understood, but the majority of the audience didn't speak Farsi. I thought that they should have had subtitles for the American audience. Perhaps the writer, Sanaz Toossi, or the director, Knud Adams, thought that people can figure out the just of it. Also, this play was advertised as a comedy. But instead, it was a dramedy. The first half was funny, and the second half got more serious, and emotional. 

 

Nowruz 2026

It was supposed to be two weeks of Persian New Year celebration, but things took a different turn with the US-Israel-Iran war, and a funeral that I had to attend.

 

The day was sad, but not all of it was sad. It forced everyone who attended to take a pause, to slow down, and reflect on all the people who have come and gone as we walked past the graves that looked like stepping stones from far away, embedded in a field covered with grass. The sun was out. A welcomed breeze swayed its way through. The smell of fresh dirt lingered in the air.

 

It was a reminder of our limited time. No one has control over when they are born, and when they pass away. In fact, no one has control over anything. You can plan, but plans don't pan out. Maybe we live for the unpredictability of life. Perhaps if we knew exactly how our lives would unfold, we would go mad, and not want to live. But then again, if we knew exactly how our lives would unfold right from the start, we would make different choices, and our destinies would become completely different.

 

Sometimes, I equate life to a scene in Harry Potter when Ron must play the chess game whether or not he likes it, until he gets an outcome of life or death. But he hangs on tight because he chooses to live. In life, some people don't choose to live. There is a deep moral deficit in our world that pushes humanity to question the purpose of life. But there are those who say that you only see what you focus on. And that there is so much more to what we perceive.

 

My thoughts turn back to the funeral. The people buried there had similar cares as the rest of us when they were alive. And all the things that they worried about, all the things that kept them awake at night, none of it mattered. One day they were here, and the next, they were gone. As I stand toward the back next to my brother, he points out the grave of a 25-year-old girl. We both shake our heads.

 

I watch a casket lowering device pour dirt over the coffin as I think about the kindhearted person buried beneath it. It's hard to find many kindhearted people like her nowadays. The day she passed on, she was happy, looking forward to go out with us to celebrate Nowruz. And the next minute, she had a heart attack and died.

 

I realize that there is more to what we perceive. Our bodies are shells that we shed as we evolve to I don't know what. And it's the memories that stay behind in the minds of those who know us that keep us alive until one day, they too will be gone. Life is complex, and this funeral brought up so many questions that still linger on my mind.  

 

Learning Another Language

You use both sides of your brain to learn a language. I find that knowing another language makes you a better writer. When you're first starting, you're struggling, and translating from your mother tongue to a new language, but as you get better, you will begin to think, and put sentences together, not in your mother's tongue, but rather in the new language.

So, why is this important? Because you're using your brain in a brand-new way. You're learning how people from a different culture think, and view the world. This makes writers multidimensional. 

For example, when I first moved to the U.S, I used to think in Farsi, and translate my thoughts to English. But after awhile, I began to think in English, and have a better understanding of the English speaking world. And the same thing with French. I no longer translate in my head from English to French. I simply think in French. 

I was on a tour once, when I was carrying a conversation with people from three different cultures, switching back and forth in my thoughts. These types of experiences allow my writing, and voice as a writer to be more unique. I am now able to put together my sentences, and use expressions that are different.

As you immerse yourself in various cultures, you add a new layer, a new depth in comprehending the world around you. People who only speak their mother tongue should experience this on their own to understand what I'm talking about. Once you do this, you'll find a new door to a new way of thinking. And if you took a language class in high school, that's even better because you have a base from where you can start.

Image by Rachael Presky

I used to speak French long ago as a student living abroad, but my French is super rusty because I have no one to practice it with. So this year, I set some new goals, and one of them was to practice French.

I watch French movies, once with subtitles on, and repeatedly with subtitles off. I also listen to French Radio stations, and read French books when my time allows. My dad, who spoke five languages, taught me that these are some of the best methods to immerse yourself in another language. 

I don't speak like a native in English, Farsi, or French. I know this is unusual, but I have come to terms with the fact that I will never be able to speak like a native in any language, including my mother tongue. But I have no problem communicating with people, and that's what matters. 

 

The Marshes of Playa Vista

For decades, these marshes which were the habitat for various species, were damaged by developers. According to this article, the worse damage was done when they were building Marina Del Rey. 

Years later, developers and environmentalists butt heads over this area before apartment complexes, and businesses moved in what is today called Playa Vista. But the compromise was not an easy path. They even stabbed the city council member Ruth Galanter in her home, for wanting to protect the marshes.

Home to fishes, and wild life, this is an important birding area. On a day when the sun is out, and you're passing by, put away your cellphones, and you will hear the incredible voices of nature. 

Various bee species buzz around, and when there are too many, they put a yellow ribbon around a section, asking the public to be careful, especially if they're allergic to them. 

When I wear a yellow shirt, sometimes the bees land on my shoulder, and just sit there. Other times, they roam around my hair, smelling my conditioner. I keep telling them that I'm not a flower, but they don't listen 😄 

And on cool evenings, frogs and night creatures take over, making their voices heard. Unfortunately, there is not much left of these marshes, but I'm grateful for what is there and for the environmentalists who protect it. Now on to things built around the marshes...

I bumped into this pink trumpet tree, and had to take a picture. So, pretty.

4 p.m. Lunch at HomeState with a relaxed atmosphere, decent food, and good service. First time there. I got a potato Taco and mango green ice tea. 👍 Will try something else next time.

Coffee at Blue Bottle Coffee. When it comes to mixing espresso with almond milk, this place is the bomb. They have other locations, but I like this one. Rarely, a café or a restaurant gets this right, but this place knows exactly what they're doing. Will go back.

And if you don't know it already, I love, love, love sport cars, especially if they're stick shift, which I don't think this one is. My brother tells me to "grow up," you've past that age. He also tells me that I'm a woman, and not a man, and a Corvette is a "man's" car. But you know, I can't help it. This Corvette parked on the street, belonging to I don't know who, was hot hot hot, and I just had to take a photo. I cannot afford one, but I can always window shop. Right? 

Lunar Year 2026

For Chinese New Year, I decided to mozie on down to L.A's Chinatown. I asked my Chinese friend to help me out in navigating around all the closed streets and in explaining some of the traditions. 

This Lunar year is the year of "fire horse," and lasts for 16 days (Feb 17-March 3) until the Lantern Festival. Each Chinese zodiac sign comes with an animal sign, and each animal has five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water For example, a "fire horse" may have a different personality than the "earth horse".

After going round and round behind cars that were also looking for parking, we finally landed somewhere far, and headed downhill to the festivities. The crowds were considerate, and gave way to each other. The sound of drums, cymbals, and gongs drowned the voices of the crowd except for this crazy guy who wanted attention by yelling nonsense in our ears. The above video is the Lion Dance, supposed to bring good fortune, and ward off evil. Apologies for my hand in the video. The lion in front of me was waving their hand, and I was waving back.

The Golden Dragon is part of the Chinese mythology. It represents power, strength, prosperity and good fortune.

The lion dance with two performers is taxing on the body, especially if you're the end. This reminded me of a funny Lucy and Ethel Episode when they try on an Old Horse Costume, but neither one is willing to be the horse's end. 

Some people put money in Hongbao (Mandarin pronunciation) or Lai See (Cantonese pronunciation) which is a red envelope, to give to the lion. My Cantonese friend told me that sometimes the person holds the Lai See high, and the dancing lion jumps up and captures it, passing on good luck to the giver.

Happy Lunar Year!

We walked north, away from the parade. The food stalls, quite good, are there only during the celebrations. They have everything from barbecue to Thai to falafel and so on...

Incidentally, I have no connection to the people showing up in my pictures or videos, and I don't focus on anyone specific in any of my pictures. I'm more interested in the vibe when I video or take photos. So unless I identify someone specifically, I have no idea who they are, just like this tall dude who was passing by in my video.

I got a crème brûlée Boba. Both the service and the drink were excellent. You have to mix it or the top part will taste flat.

We continued walking and ended up in a permanent section of Chinatown with shops, bakeries, and places to grab a bite.

Here, I was asking my friend how to say Happy New Year, but I did not fair well. I was able to say it correctly after I ended the video. I now know how to say, Happy New Year, and thank you in Cantonese. You could say that I'm now fluent in Chinese 😝

Jinju Silk Lanterns

My friend and I decided to check out Lights of Korea: Jinju silk lanterns exhibit at the Korean Cultural center. I was intrigued to see what it was all about.

What surprised me was the cultural oasis I was about to unveil. In all the years living in L.A, I had no idea this place existed, and I know so little about the Korean culture. I didn't know how rich their culture was as I went through another exhibit, before even getting to the lanterns.

The Seonbi principal shapes Koreans through five values: Discipline, Courage, inclusion, wisdom, and honor. Their belief is instead of elitism, "live for the benefit of all humanity," and that diverse cultures, and values coexist. Seonbi embraces empathy, harmony, and balance. The first photo is about how Seonbi present themselves in public by wearing traditional clothes, and hat—"Proper behavior starts with proper dress code." The second pix is about what walking teaches you about life, staying on the path, and opening your mind to new ideas.

The above is the work of Hyungwon Kang, photojournalist, and visual story teller with decades of experience working for organizations such as the L.A Times, AP, and Reuters.

Chusa Kim Jeonghui, an artist and a scholar lived in exile because of his political views. The above is a picture of the letter he wrote to his wife, followed by a translation. He did not know that his wife had already passed away.

The hats, worn between late 1300s and early 1900s, and other items are made of horsehair. The hats called Gat, represented a satus symbol, mostly worn by aristocrats, noblemen, and scholars.

Heo Hyeong's folding screen "depicting plum, orchid, chrysanthemum, and bamboo, symbolizes the four seasons.

Inspired by Sin Yunbok's art, "Portrait of a Beauty," the silk lanterns imitate these traditional dresses, Hanbok, which were made up of layers of clothing with vibrant colors. The lanterns were used in the 1300s as indoor/outdoor lighting and in ceremonies.

During the Japanese invasion of Korea in the late 1500s, people living in Jinju began lighting up the river with lights to stop the Japanese from crossing the river. These lanterns would also have writings on them for the residents to communicate with each other across the river, checking in on their families.

There were two big screens, displaying photographs about Korea, and their food culture. I was trying to film it, and talk to my friend who wanted to know where we should have dinner.

From there we went to BCD Tofu House. It has several locations. We went to the one on Wilshire in Koreatown. It was an authentic experience as most of the customers were Korean.

Korean restaurants usually serve complimentary warm Boricha—toasted barley tea with a nutty flavor, and small side dishes. To me, this tea tasted bland, and I gave the fishes to my friend. The small plate sitting next to the Cass beer was also a fish dish. My friend said that they were both really good and did not taste fishy.

I had the tofu bibimbap in a hot clay pot, and my friend, had the same with beef. Mine was yum. My friend said that the beef was a bit too chewy, but other than that, she enjoyed it. The Cass beer was excellent, and they gave us chilled glasses! Service was great. Do recommend, and I'll probably will go back and try something else the next time.