Imperfect – A Book about Loss, Courage and Perseverance was the winner in the Women’s Fiction category in the 2025 IndieReader Discovery Awards, where undiscovered talent meets people with the power to make a difference.
Following find an interview with author Katy Motiey.
“I am humbled and honored that my book was selected for this incredible award.”
What is the name of the book and when was it published?
The name of the book is: “Imperfect – A Book about Loss, Courage and Perseverance.” The book was published on May 12, 2024 (Mothers Day 2024).
What’s the book’s first line?
“PROLOGUE: January 1979, Tehran – Everything around Vida went dark. So much lost already and now the power outage for the sixth time this week.”
What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch”.
The book is fiction based on a true story, about a custody battle and civil lawsuit my mother faced in 1970s Iran with her inlaws, before the fall of the Shah and after my father suddenly passed away from brain cancer in London in 1971. In order to support herself she got a job with a library run by the American Embassy, and when there signs of the brewing of the Iranian Revolution in 1979 we were forced to flee.
What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event?
I was inspired to write this book based on certain events that happened to my mother in 1970’s Iran. I heard bits and pieces of the story from my single mother when I was growing up, and heard the full story when I was in college and overheard her telling a friend.
What’s the most distinctive thing about the main character? Who-real or fictional-would you say the character reminds you of?
The most distinctive thing about the main character is her strength, courage, boldness and strong sense of right and wrong. I can’t think of a real or fictional character my main character reminds me of, she was an ordinary woman to whom extraordinary things happened.
What’s the main reason someone should really read this book?
The main reason someone should read this book is if they are interested in issues related to single mothers, international legal matters, immigration to the US, and the history of Iran pre-1979 during the Shah’s regime.
If they made your book into a movie, who would you like to see play the main character(s)?
If they made my book into a movie, I would like to see Penelope Cruz or Selma Hayek play the main character.
When did you first decide to become an author?
In October of 2009 I started writing this book and in August of 2023, I decided to finish the book and become an author.
Is this the first book that you’ve written?
This is the first book I’ve written.
What do you do for work when you’re not writing?
When I am not working, I am an executive at a high tech company. I am the Chief Legal, Administrative and Sustainability Officer at Extreme Networks.
How much time do you generally spend on your writing?
When I started writing the first draft of this book, I was writing 3-4 hours per day.
What’s the best and the hardest part of being an indie?
The hardest part of being an indie writer is marketing and distributing my book especially since I have a full-time job. The best part is knowing I still own all the rights to the book.
Would you go traditional if a publisher came calling? If so, why?
I would absolutely and without hesitation “go traditional” if a publisher came calling because I would have support in getting the book to a wider international distribution, translated into other languages and get expert advice on how to shop the book for a movie or television series.
Is there something in particular that motivates you (fame? fortune?)
I write because I have stories to tell and as therapy. I was born in Iran, moved to the US when I was one month old, and then moved back to Iran when my father passed. My mother was the head librarian of the US Embassy run library which is why we fled Iran in 1979. We first moved to Munich, Westchester County and later immigrated to Newton, MA. I grew up with a strong and determined single mother and an older brother. I graduated from law school and later clerked for a US Federal Judge. I’ve worked for 3 publicly traded companies and 7 CEOs. I have never been married and I live with a partner with whom I went to elementary school in Iran. We lost touch when we were ten years old, and reconnected when we were fifty. Lots has happened and I noodle over writing ideas all the time. I wrote the first draft of a memoir in 2019.