Dora Levy Mossanen was born in Israel and moved to Iran when she was nine. At the onset of the Islamic revolution, she and her family moved to the United States. She has a bachelor's degree in English Literature from the University of California-Los Angeles and a master's in Professional Writing from the University of Southern California.Dora is the bestselling author of the acclaimed novels Harem, Courtesan, and The Last Romanov. Her fourth and most provocative book, Scent of Butterflies, was released January 7, 2014. She is a frequent contributor to numerous media outlets including the Huffington Post and the Jewish Journal. She has been featured on KCRW, The Politics of Culture, Voice of Russia, Radio Iran and numerous other radio and television programs. She is the recipient of the prestigious San Diego Editors' choice award and was accepted as contributor to the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference. Dora Levy Mossanen's novels have been translated into numerous languages world-wide.