***
Brothers bound by blood but fated to be enemies. Can their Empire survive or will it crumble into myth?
Istanbul, 1903.
Since his younger brother usurped the Imperial throne, Sultan Murad V has been imprisoned with his family for nearly thirty years.
The new century heralds immense change. Anarchy and revolution threaten the established order. Powerful enemies plot the fall of the once mighty Ottoman Empire. Only death will bring freedom to the enlightened former sultan. But the waters of the Bosphorus run deep: assassins lurk in shadows, intrigue abounds, and scandal in the family threatens to bring destruction of all that he holds dear…
For over six hundred years the history of the Turks and their vast and powerful Empire has been inextricably linked to the Ottoman dynasty. Can this extraordinary family, and the Empire they built, survive into the new century?
***
***
Q&A
When and where do you prefer to write?
I need complete silence to write. Not easy with five children, so I tend only to write when they are at school / university. I also like to have a full clear day to myself, so that I know I have a long chunk of undisturbed writing time. I am not naturally creative and need to escape to the sanctuary of my study, surrounded by shelves of books and piles of research material, before being able to immerse myself into the scene I am working on.
Do you have a certain ritual?
I am most definitely not a morning person! So on a writing day I am rarely at my desk before 11ish, but once there I am ensconced for the day! I usually begin by re-reading the chapter I have been working on, go over any relevant research notes, and then just start tapping away at the keyboard. Once I have written a scene, I will re-read it a few times, make whatever edits I feel are needed, then reward myself with a few pieces of chocolate!
Is there a drink or some food that keeps you company while you write?
Absolutely!! I must have a cold Diet Coke, and a tube of Pringles within easy reach!
What is your favourite book?
That’s simple! It is Birds Without Wings by Louis de Bernières, and I recommend it to anyone and everyone who asks! It is beautifully written, deeply moving and tells the tragic love story of a Turkish boy and a Greek girl torn apart by intolerance and war. My own father is Turkish and my mother is Greek, so the story touched me on a very personal level. It is also set in Turkey during the last days of the Ottoman Empire – a period in history that I find particularly interesting.
Do you consider writing in a different genre in the future?
No, I don’t think so. My dream is to write a series of 6-8 books following the lives of the characters in The Gilded Cage of the Bosphorus during the turbulent and rapidly changing period of 1903-1924. I think this dream will keep me busy for at least the next 20 years!! I like to do a lot of thorough historical research and I do not write fast, so I think I may run out of time! Having said that, I studied History and Politics at university, so I might consider jumping from Historical Fiction to Historical non-Fiction.
Do you sometimes base your characters on people you know?
My characters are real people. Members of my own family, who lived in another time, in another world… I based their true natures and individual characteristics on my grandparents’ and on my father’s memories and recollections. They met and knew most of the characters in the book, which has allowed me to portray as accurate a picture as it was possible to get.
Do you take a notebook everywhere in order to write down ideas that pop up?
No, but I do take my iPhone almost everywhere I go, and often email myself an idea, photograph a location I want to describe, or screenshot something I find interesting while surfing the internet.
Which genre do you not like at all?
Fantasy. Being a historian, I like dealing with hard facts!
If you had the chance to co-write a book, whom would it be with?
Great question. If only it were possible!! I would choose Leo Tolstoy for the way he weaves such compelling themes into his stories and bares open his characters’ souls. And if he were busy, I would ask Jane Austen on account of her wonderfully subtle wit and her detailed and perceptive character portrayals.
If you should travel to a foreign country to do research, which one would you choose and why?
I shouldn’t really say Turkey, as for me it is not a foreign country. But I would choose to do further research in Istanbul. For my next book I would like to revisit the Yıldız Palace as there will be a lot of important scenes set there. I would also like to visit the city of Salonika in Greece, now called Thessaloniki, as this is where the spark that ignited a revolution came from.
Thank you so much Els, for inviting me to answer your probing and interesting questions and for hosting me on your Blog, and thank you to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for organising my Virtual Book Tour to celebrate the 1st Birthday of The Gilded Cage on the Bosphorus.
Thank you, Ayşe Osmanoğlu and Rachel’s Random Researches
***
About the author
Ayşe Osmanoğlu is a member of the Imperial Ottoman family, being descended from Sultan Murad V through her grandfather and from Sultan Mehmed V (Mehmed Reşad) through her grandmother. After reading History and Politics at the University of Exeter, she then obtained an M.A. in Turkish Studies at SOAS, University of London, specialising in Ottoman History. She lives in the UK with her husband and five children
***
Author Links
https://www.facebook.com/ayseosmanogluauthor
https://www.instagram.com/aysegulnevsultan/
https://twitter.com/AyseGulnev
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/aysegulnev/the-gilded-cage-on-the-bosphorus/
***
***
Book Links
getbook.at/gildedcagebosphorus
https://www.kobo.com/ebook/the-gilded-cage-on-the-bosphorus
B for Bookreview 