Monterey-based Ava Homa is the first Kurdish woman to publish a novel in English -- her third language.

Kurdistan is a large mountainous territory where Iran, Iraq, Turkey and Syria converge, each claiming a piece for itself. The 40 million Kurds native to the land have been perceived by these four states as threats to be annihilated. Coming of age among people who were subject to genocide and ethnocide, Ava Homa realized that “being alive was a victory.” Books and writing became her allies.She understood the power of having a voice.

After graduating from Tehran (M.A. in English), Homa left Iran for Canada in her 20s, on a student visa; there she obtained her second master’s, in creative writing. She published her first story collection,Echoes from the Other Land, which in 2010 was nominated for the Frank O’Connor International Prize.Her second book (and first novel), was a real breakthrough.Daughters of Smoke and Firegathered rave reviews, starting withThe Los Angeles Review of Books. In the meantime, in 2015, Homa decided to relocate to California, enchanted by its beauty.

Weekly: So you and your husband decided to move here after a trip?

Homa: Yes. My husband of 15 years, Sam Attar, is immersed in the community here because he is a realtor and an SPCA volunteer. I thrive in nature, find peace, wisdom and creativity. We dive, paddle, swim and hike frequently. Monterey is our home. Pacific Ocean is my mother and Big Sur mountains my father.

Would you go back to Kurdistan, even if just to visit?

I live in exile, because of my writing and activism. I gave a talk at the United Nations in Geneva, which put my life in danger. The video is available on my website. I wish I could visit, see my family, walk the streets of my childhood. I miss the aroma of homemade bread, the taste of Kurdish-styledolma, stuffed grape leaves, tomato and eggplant. In the early spring, mountains would suddenly change color from green to red, poppies bursting red everywhere.

I wish I could see crown lilies again; they’re on the cover of my novel. It’s a wild, vibrant and resilient flower that flourishes across Kurdistan, defying borders.

Do you remember how you started to write?

Since childhood. I wrote stories about animals who encountered hardship, coming out of them stronger. In hindsight, I recognize I was always interested in transformation. I want to turn pain into poetry, oppression into resilience, suffering into compassion.

And how did you pick up writing in English?

I thrive in the aesthetic and cognitive distance that it offers me. It lets me create from an eagle view and reexamine what’s taken for granted. It also gives me a larger audience and helps me connect with my adopted homeland.

What have you learned since then?

In the Western countries, like Canada or the U.S., you have freedom of speech. But that doesn’t mean you are heard. There is a hierarchy of voices. I was disheartened when I understood this. Then I came across the letters of a Kurdish political prisoner in Iran. His determination to hold on to his hope and integrity, to write so beautifully while being tortured in an Iranian prison shook me to the core.I realized I had a responsibility to write the untold story of my people despite all the obstacles. I vowed that I’d be so good that gatekeepers could no longer ignore me. He planted the seed ofDaughters of Smoke and Firein my heart. It’s the story of a sister’s fight for justice for her brother.

How has immigration affected your writing?

Immigration gave me a chance to rethink who I want to be, to choose the best of the world I come from and combine it with the best of what’s offered here. East and West are two sides of the collective human brain and having access to both is a true privilege.

So what’s next?

I’m working on another novel, set here in Monterey. It’s on the subject of migration. My character, a Kurdish woman working at the Monterey Bay Aquarium runs into her missing fiancé on Cannery Row… Friends don’t believe her. She has flashbacks from Kurdistan. I’m doing final edits.

Favorite writers? Current readings?

Douglas Stuart, Zadie Smith, Richard Powers – his consciousness is a vast galaxy. I also read a lot of debut authors to support them.

DAUGHTERS OF SMOKE AND FIRE is available in local bookstores, including The Bookworks, 667 Lighthouse Ave., Pacific Grove. More at avahoma.com