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Tessa Afshar Biography

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“She thought of God, who had followed Darab to be a slave for six agonizing years. Who had not helped Adin's precious Hulda when she grew sick after just seven months of marriage. Clearly, he was not a God who offered certainties. Yet somehow, they clung to him. Even Esther, who had known she might die when she approached the king without an invitation, had chosen to obey him rather than pursue her own safety. Roxannah exhaled. That seemed her own path now. Obedience, even though it meant walking under the ominous shadow of disaster. Adin said God would help her, and she believed him. Whatever the outcome.”

TrustObedienceFaith In GodFellowship With Christ
Book:The Queen's Cook
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“How can you be so accepting? How is it that you are not screaming with frustration?" "I've been spending more time in prayer. I am learning that obedience to God means that you do not put your eyes on your longings, but instead, you simply place one foot ahead of the other into the space that the Lord opens. Tired, wounded, overwhelmed. It does not matter. You merely keep moving where God directs and stop focusing on what you wish you had. It's teaching me patience.”

PrayerPatience
Book:Land of Silence
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“An important note about Roxannah's background. In my conversation with Dr. Jessica Sanderson (please see Author Acknowledgements), what became obvious to me was that childhood wounds cause us to break down differently. The same wound can cause one person to break toward control, while another breaks toward fragility. We break toward hyper-vigilance, catastrophic thinking, workaholism, or worthlessness. Our deepest wounds can wear a thousand faces. But The Queen's Cook is a not a book about childhood trauma. It is the story of a woman who through hardship finds friendship, love, and a life-changing relationship with God.”

Faith In GodChildhood TraumaHeroineMain CharacterAuthors Note
Book:The Queen's Cook
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“Moments like this were like eating a whole platter of honeyed butter pastries in one sitting, tasting the mouthwatering pleasure of every bite while feeling a little sick at the same time. Roxannah enjoyed the sweetness of her mother's appreciation. The delight of knowing herself useful to her family. But her mother's words also made her a little nauseous. She wished she did not have to carry the weight of their survival. The burden of it proved so heavy at times that it crushed even her ability to dream of better things, leaving behind merely the battle to endure.”

NeededAppreciatedBittersweet
Book:The Queen's Cook
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“Finally, I understood. He hadn't rejected me. He had done what he could to hold on to me. And the day I had approached him with my request, he had protected me publicly, though no doubt it had cost him something with Otanes. I put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "That was a clever ploy, my lord. Far cleverer than anything I could have thought of." He whirled around so quickly the bed dipped, and I tumbled against him. He grabbed me and held on tight, his fingers not quite steady. He had expected me to criticize him. To point out the shortcoming of his plan. To complain of his insufficient power. Instead, I gave him what he needed most. I made him feel safe in his own skin, because I always saw the best in him. I understood that the forces against him wielded too much weight and power, and I saw the strength it required for him to survive them. Everyone called his father Great. He had always known he could never be a match to Darius. But what few had eyes to see was the strength it took for him to place one foot before the other and simply endure. I saw. He knew I looked up to him. Not as a king, but as a man. And that day, he learned that I knew how to forgive him also. I suppose that was why he loved me.”

ProtectiveForgiveHusband And WifeEstherKing And QueenXerxes
Book:The Queen's Cook
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“Adding firewood to the hearth, she made a thick syrup by mixing rosewater and dark meadow-flower honey, a gift from Lord Zopyrus. Setting the pot aside to cool, she turned her attention to the cake's filling. From the storehouse, she fetched a sackcloth filled with pistachios that she had harvested herself the previous fall. Pistachios always reminded Roxannah of her father. Not the man lying in his bed now, the one who had a barbed tongue and heavy hand. No. Pistachios remind Roxannah of the father she remembered from her girlhood. The quiet, amiable man who hadn't yet been ruined by the cruelty of war and too much wine. For a moment, her eyes welled. When she had been little, her father had taken her on one of his rambles through their land. They had ended up in the pistachio grove. Plucking a young fruit from a fat cluster, he had peeled off the pink and green outer skin to show her the split seed inside.”

BakingGrovePistachiosMemories Of Daddy
Book:The Queen's Cook
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“The last of the mutton simmered in water made fragrant with onions, garlic, and turmeric. Roxannah let the meat cook until tender enough to fall off the bone. It was the season for young almonds, and she had harvested a bowlful of the soft, green pods from the tree growing in the corner of the courtyard. She added the fuzzy pods to the stew and left them to boil until tender. They would give the meat a delicious tang. It was a recipe of her own making, one she had experimented with until satisfied with its consistency and flavor.”

CookingStewAlmondsSeasoning
Book:The Queen's Cook
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“You are not to blame for what that murderer has tried to do." She exhaled. "We each bear our own manner of responsibility." He opened his mouth to argue, but she forestalled him with a hand. "The point is, they are harming my people. I want it stopped, Jadon." "Yes, lady." "We will tend Shoshanah's wounds. Then we will put an end to this hunt. I am done being the prey to some invisible foe.”

Taking ResponsibilityQueenQueen Esther
Book:The Royal Artisan
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“She straightened her shoulders. "Sisy, are the ducks ready?" "All plucked and cleaned." Roxannah sautéed more onions and garlic with turmeric, adding roughly chopped walnuts to the sizzling butter before transferring them into a large mortar. Halpa gently removed the pestle from her hand. "I'll do this. You see to the duck." She cut the ducks into large pieces, trying to plan her next steps as she worked. The usual recipe required the duck to cook in water. Boiling made the meat tender. But it also meant that most of its flavor leached into the sauce, leaving the flesh of the fowl tasteless and stringy. She could roast the duck. But that would leave the sauce bland. Besides, roasted meat was never as fall-off-the-bone soft as boiled. It seemed stupid to try something new tonight of all nights. God, give me wisdom! Give me counsel so I know how to proceed. She waited for a moment, head bent low, trying to discern what to do. She felt a release, a sense of rightness about going forward with her risky plan. Nodding to herself, she added a dollop more butter to the same pan where she had fried the garlic and onions, which still held their lingering aroma. Sprinkling the duck with salt, she set it carefully into the sizzling pan. Halpa held the mortar under her nose. "Is this the consistency you want?" "Perfect." She fetched the jar of pomegranate molasses she had brought from home and added a heaping tablespoon to Halpa's paste, seasoning it with salt and a dash of turmeric, cinnamon, and cardamom. In the pan, she flipped the pieces of duck. Their skin had turned the color of bright copper, gleaming with melted butter. By now, the whole kitchen staff had gathered around to watch her. Even the Immortal craned his neck for a better view. She ignored them, keeping her attention on the duck. When both sides had fried evenly, she removed some of the excess fat, remembering Amestris's crack about the king's sleepless night. Pomegranate juice and a rich, gelatinous broth made from chicken bones would enrich the duck's flavor. She hoped the fried skin would seal in enough of the juices that simmering the fowl in liquid would not rob its flavor. Finally, she spooned in the paste from Halpa's mortar. Covering the pan, she lifted it over the fire to reduce the heat. It would simmer gently and, hopefully, be ready just in time for dinner.”

CookingFaith In GodSpicesDuckSeasoningsCookIn Control
Book:The Queen's Cook
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“Fried chickpea cutlets," he said. "Oh." That sounded like a gift from heaven. "A salad, fresh cheese, and a hunk of warm bread." He stuck a piece of it under her nose. "Smell that." Her mouth watered at the aroma wafting from the buttered wheat. Esther's bread had as much in common with the bread of mourning as a loose rock on the side of the road with the jewel on the king's belt. Jadon poured a deep purple drink from a ewer into two cups. "Water with mulberry syrup." The fragrance of fried onions, saffron, and mint had her almost salivating like a teething baby. Sitting on the stool Jadon offered her, she bowed her head as he whispered a prayer. She had to grin when Jadon closed his eyes and groaned after tasting his first bite. He waved at the food. "Your turn." She broke off a small piece of the chickpea cutlet and made a morsel with a piece of bread, trying not to feel self-conscious under Jadon's intense scrutiny. A myriad of flavors mixed in perfect harmony and exploded on her tongue. "Oh." She pinched off another piece of the cutlet. Words were wasted on this meal. Her mouth was too busy tasting.”

Food And DrinkSavoryJewish Food
Book:The Royal Artisan
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“What did your mother used to say about the potter's wheel?" Sazana closed her eyes. "When you sit at the wheel, tuck your elbow against your thigh. That's the anchor that will keep your arm from quivering." Arta joined his voice to hers, and together they finished her mother's oft-repeated advice. "But anchor your heart to God, and he will keep you from being shaken.”

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Book:The Royal Artisan
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“She lifted her head and smiled. For one moment, that face stopped Adin in his tracks. In her mid-twenties, she was tall and long-necked, her perfect posture making the most of a figure that could not be improved upon. But it was the sweetness of her expression that caught Adin off guard. This was not a woman to put on airs. Her face, dewy soft and delightfully formed by the hand of the Almighty, held no self-importance, no testy awareness of her own dignity. Her smile held about it a tinge of sadness, as if she was about to bid farewell to something precious. That very morning, she had braved death to come into the king's presence uninvited. God had heard the fervent prayers of his people, for the king had simply lifted his scepter to her and bid her to ask for anything she wished. Esther had asked for nothing, save this banquet.”

Queen EstherBurdened
Book:The Queen's Cook
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“To Roxannah, the very silence became mesmerizing, for she suspected that just beneath that fragile exterior, the queen waged a battle. Walk away and leave her enemy to deal with her own problems, or dip in her oar and try to save a woman who had, according to gossip, made it her mission to take away Esther's crown. As Hathach had pointed out, this was a simple matter. Few royals, bred to defend their position and territory, would have experienced such inner turmoil over it. Roxannah found herself drawn to this woman who had withheld her praise on purpose to protect a minor retainer and who turned white at the thought of refusing help to her enemy. Here was a monarch worth serving.”

Queen EstherBurdenedWorth Saving
Book:The Queen's Cook
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“I am older now and have learned many things. I have learned, for instance, that God allows us to hold on to our human defenses for only so long. At times, he himself calls them forth, permitting them to function for a season in order to guard us from harm. But a day will come when, in his eyes, they have served their purpose and must be removed. The hour your soul grows attached to that defense-- the moment your heart clings to it too much for safety-- is the moment God rises in his mercy to destroy it.”

DefenseGods WillQueen Esther
Book:The Royal Artisan
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“All of those different strands, the hard and the sweet, were being used in the unfolding of this extraordinary moment: Amestris offering peace to her rival. Esther would remain queen a little longer. A simple Jewish woman used by God in ways they could not yet comprehend. This was another turn in God's faithfulness. The safety only He could offer. Not a perfect protection from every tribulation flung at them by the mighty forces of darkness. But a gathering of the broken pieces to His will. Turning evil into good.”

Grace Of GodQueen Esther
Book:The Queen's Cook
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“How could I make my cousin understand that I had no influence, though I still wore a crown? Xerxes had removed the shield of his love from me when he had cut himself off from my presence. But Mordecai was not as convinced as I that the strength of my husband's abandonment could outmatch the power of God's intention. "Who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?" my dear cousin asked me. As far as he was concerned, with or without the king's affections, God could open the doors of favor to me.”

Gods PlanQueen EstherMarriage Issues
Book:The Royal Artisan
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“Yet you, LORD, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. "How beautiful. I don't know how to thank you, my lady." "No need for thanks." Esther smiled. "As a potter, you must be familiar with this verse." "I have heard it a time or two, lady." "Yes. But I want you to set your gaze upon the first line. How can you be an orphan when you have a Father in God? As a potter, you might appreciate the allusion and understand the rest of the verse better than most. But as an orphan girl, you have to learn all about the first claim. Seek your Father, that he may heal you.”

JeremiahPotterQueen EstherFather God
Book:The Royal Artisan
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“With silver ink, the scribe had copied one verse from the prophet Isaiah. Yet you, LORD, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. "How beautiful. I don't know how to thank you, my lady." "No need for thanks." Esther smiled. "As a potter, you must be familiar with this verse." "I have heard it a time or two, lady." "Yes. But I want you to set your gaze upon the first line. How can you be an orphan when you have a Father in God? As a potter, you might appreciate the allusion and understand the rest of the verse better than most. But as an orphan girl, you have to learn all about the first claim. Seek your Father, that he may heal you.”

IsaiahPotterQueen EstherFather God
Book:The Royal Artisan
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“The crystalline currents of the river Karkheh flowed to the west of Susa, irrigating the thirsty city. It was said to have the purest water in the world. For that reason, no one was allowed to drink from its waters but the king. Roxannah's favorite place was the river's fertile banks, which provided endless treasures for anyone patient enough to search for them. Here, she foraged for wild ingredients that had the advantage of being free as well as delicious resources for the new recipes she loved to create. Walking by the river's banks at sunrise, Roxannah came across a cluster of wild, twisty fig trees. It was early for the first harvest. But a few handfuls of precocious fruit had ripened enough to be picked. At home, she snipped the stems and washed the figs before letting them simmer with honey, adding a touch of her special blend of spices. They would taste delicious with the creamy yogurt she had made the day before.”

HoneyFigsYogurtForagingBy The River Side
Book:The Queen's Cook
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“Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old." Jadon added his voice to hers, reciting the words from memory. "Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." His intonation, deep and thoughtful, brought the promise to life. She pondered the words. Could God do a new thing in the midst of this wilderness that her life had become?”

MiraculousIsaiahPathwayGuidance Of GodUnexpected Change
Book:The Royal Artisan
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“Do you know how to make a kuku?" Kuku, a fluffy egg dish with herbs, had numerous varieties. "What kind?" His mouth tipped up in the corner. "You choose." Roxannah had learned her first kuku from her grandparents' head cook, a man who hailed from a populous village near the Caspian Sea. He had taught her this recipe, a specialty of his region. Quietly, she collected the ingredients she needed: dill, cilantro, parsley, a bit of fenugreek, barberries, onions, garlic, and chives. Sisy showed her where to find the spices. When Roxannah reached for the eggs, the dairy assistant threw her a filthy look. But he could do nothing to stop her since she was obeying Cook's orders. The trick to making a good kuku lay in achieving the right balance of herbs and eggs. Sautéing the onions and garlic until golden, she set them aside. In the same pan, she added a touch more butter and fried a large handful of barberries, sweetened with a spoon of honey. Their tangy flavor and ruby-red color would create the perfect topping for the dish.”

CookingEggsIngredientsHerbsPersian CuisineOmelet
Book:The Queen's Cook
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“People are not always good ambassadors for God. But Hulda held firm. To her last breath, she praised him. And I saw in her what I had never seen in empty religious observance. I saw the joy that comes from the presence of God." Roxannah crossed her arms over her belly. "Even when she was dying?" "Even as she lay dying. One night, toward the end, as I sat by her bed, weeping, she laid her hand on my head. 'Adin, you must be like Moses,' she said. I stopped my sniveling and stared at her in shock. She had not spoken for several days by then. 'Moses?' I stammered." Roxannah gave him a puzzled look. "He is our greatest prophet," Aden explained. "Hulda said, 'Remember how God spoke to Moses mouth to mouth? You must learn to speak to him like that.'" "What does that mean?" "In our language, speaking mouth to mouth is an expression of closeness. It means you are on intimate terms with someone. Friends who share their hearts openly. God spoke to Moses mouth to mouth. With the familiarity of a friend. Hulda wanted me to understand that true faith leads to that kind of friendship with God.”

PrayingFaith In GodMosesTrue FriendshipDying WordsMouth To Mouth
Book:The Queen's Cook
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“He lingered in the periphery of her vision, studying her as she shaped a tall vessel. Her fingers had an enchantment to them as they formed the clay into curvaceous lines. Like Bezalel, the craftsman endowed by the Spirit of God with skill to furnish the Temple in Israel, she seemed blessed by something beyond human talent, something from God. An innate gift to create beauty from the very dust of the earth.”

Christian RomanceTalentedPotterGifted By God
Book:The Royal Artisan
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“We both used force against the clay. We both raised it only to knock it down. But the force I used broke it, whereas you only made it pliable and centered so it could be shaped. I weakened the clay, and you strengthened it. I diminished it, and you held it together." She shrugged, not understanding the intensity of his gaze as he studied the shapeless mound on the wheel. "I am an experienced potter." The wheel had long since come to a stop. Dust motes danced above it in the fat rays of sunshine that streaked through the window. "It makes me think of God," he said into the silence. "The wheel?" She grasped the allusion. "Jeremiah's potter, you mean?" He smiled. "Yes. Jeremiah's potter: 'Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand.' "Except that for years, when I saw God as the potter, I saw someone with my hands at the wheel instead of yours. Someone with too much force, who weakens us and breaks us down. Someone who destroys us. But looking at you just now, I was reminded that you can also be knocked down for good.”

JeremiahPotterBreakerGods Creation
Book:The Royal Artisan
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“She had lived through years of teasing as a child because of her slow speech, first in Babylon, and later in Susa, being told she was a dolt, or worse, a bore, too dull to befriend. By the time she thought of the answer to one thing, the conversation had often moved in a different direction. People her own age had found her tedious, not having the patience to wait until she said her piece. To them, she was hardly present. Not worth the effort of friendship. She had learned to protect herself by not risking new friendships, a habit that had stuck into adulthood. Jadon had been different from the start. He had waited on every word, his easy smile reassuring her anxious heart. Never once had he made her feel unwanted. At times she wondered if he had been born to understand her.”

MisunderstoodChristian RomancePatient Love
Book:The Royal Artisan
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“I feel like a clay pot sitting in the furnace. Come morning, I am not certain whether I will be riddled with cracks and find I have become useless, or if I will be rendered stronger." Esther smiled. "How well you put it. I believe I have been through that blaze myself, and more than once. We all face the flames of life, whether we wear a crown or not." She opened and closed her golden fan. "I beg your pardon, Shoshanah. I know that my needs as queen have added to your burdens when you already carry much." Sazana's mouth hung open. Had Esther apologized to her? A queen asking pardon of a potter? No. A friend asking pardon of a friend. She smiled warmly. "I only wish I could be a better help to you. To our people." "Sometimes you have to tend to your own heart before you can help anyone else.”

FriendshipConsiderateQueen EstherRelating With OthersFacing The Flame
Book:The Royal Artisan
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