
The male characters in my book, including Murat, my Turkish Darcy, are not anything like the dandies of Jane Austen’s England, but Turkish officers involved in a clandestine plot to outsmart the British occupation forces. My Turkish Elizabeth is named Perihan. She’s a smart, intelligent, and courageous woman who flirts with a Scottish officer and extracts vital information that help Murat and the others achieve their goal. I’m certain some of her behavior would have caused Jane Austen to raise her genteel eyebrows. Most of my female figures turn out to be stronger than hers. After all, I was writing not about the early 1800’s but the 1920’s, when the Turkish feminist movement started. So my book should appeal not only to Jane Austen fans but also to those who enjoy reading about strong female characters. I believe it’s a good blend of high romance and exciting adventure in an exotic setting.Here are some excerpts from House of Daughters when Perihan and Murat meet again after their breakup:
…Perihan has never seen him standing up. Nor dressed. He seemed taller, more powerful, and more masculine. Wavy brown hair made him look younger and more handsome. Much more. She could still feel his cool taut skin under her hands and the ripple of his muscles……Murat was staring at Perihan now, so different from the one in the ill-fitting nursing uniform he had known. Dressed in a full-skirt and a tight-fitting white blouse, this one had a tiny waist that he was certain his hands could encircle easily. A slender neck rose from the open collar she was nervously trying to button. He smiled. That simple act attracted more attention than if she had left it alone.If you read and like House of Daughters, try my first novel, Loveswept, a romance between a Turkish girl and an Englishman, very loosely based on an incident when I was very, very young. Engin Listen to a 15-minute radio interview about House of Daughters
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