FINDING LOVE IN CONSTANTINOPLE is a romantic, historical fiction inspired by the rich history of the Ottoman Empire. The depiction of the events between the14th and19th centuries was near accurate but the characters who moved this story during that period were products of the author's imagination. The story drew from the author's deep reverence for the legacy of the Ottomen but it turned the awe into scorn. While the social structures and norms nurtured slaves into mighty warriors who fought with their lives to honor their sultans, the same society demonized love among subjects that were not prearranged by families or the sultans themselves. Sultans perpetuated unhappy matchmaking. They destroyed lovers who did not belong to the same caste. The Empire kidnapped young boys from villages they conquered, enslaved them and trained them to fight and preserve their rule for six centuries.

A case in point was the life of a Greek shepherd, Andreas who was kidnapped and enslaved in Topkapi Palace. He became a master craftsman and soldier who was renamed Mustafa. He fell in love with Sultan Suleiman's favorite lady from the Harem - Esme. Mustafa was ordered to marry an older woman to thwart the romance. His affair continued even after the Sultan married Esme as his fourth wife. He was sent to battle to die. The hero's death ended the first book but the story of his two sons with different wives continued onto the second book. His sons rose to power in Florence and Rome. The conflict between these two cities shaped their lives. Their reconciliation and forgiveness unfolded in the third book after both realized they were half-brothers and Italy's integration was imminent.

Daisy O. Harrison

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