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| #HNSIndie |
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| Z is for oZgur |
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| Click Here for a list of other A-Zers |
Throughout April I invited 26 authorswho had been selected as Editor's
Choice
by the Historical Novel Society Indie Reviews to help me out with the 2016 A-Z Blog Challenge...
by the Historical Novel Society Indie Reviews to help me out with the 2016 A-Z Blog Challenge...
Except to be a little different interviewed
their leading Character/s...
Today is the Last Character and is
from :
HH : Hello! I believe you exist in Ozgur’s novel – what is the title of the book, and
would you like to introduce yourself - who you are, what you do etc?
My name is Coya. I am still learning how to read, but my friend Jan has told me the book is called The Wrath of Brotherhood. I would like to read it so I can understand these strange events more, but I only encountered English for the first time a few years ago when the Englishmen came in their ships to take Jamaica away from the Spanish. I grew up in the jungles and mountains of what the Spanish call New Granada. My people fled the fall of the Incas and the dominance of Spain to the west many generations ago, but the Spanish found us at last and destroyed my village, among others. I was thirteen years old, but I survived in the wild and made my way to the outskirts of Cartagena.
The families in our village all had excellent sight at night, and this helped me to escape and make a living thieving from the Spanish. I hate that I must do this, but I have little mercy for the Spaniards, whose language I had to learn to survive. I was overjoyed when, after stowing away aboard a tall ship bound for Santiago de la Vega, I finally witnessed a Spanish defeat by the wonderful English people when they took the port and renamed it Cagway, or Port Royal. When I met Captain Roy Toppings, he saw my abilities in a way I had never considered, and he invited me to join his crew as a scout.
HH : Where and when are you? Are you a real historical person or did your author create you?
I don't understand the European calendars much, but it is May of the year 1660. I know this because the sailors of Port Royal never cease talking about when someone named Charles‒seemingly the second one, though I've met others named Charles here‒will come to England to rule at the beginning of next month. At least it was the beginning of May when we left Port Royal in Jamaica. Since then I have spent much time in Curaçao and along the coast of New Granada (what you call South America) from Caracas to Coro. I and my village were created from nothing by the author. I am saddened that my village, which I felt such grief for losing, never truly existed.
HH. In a few brief sentences: what is the novel you feature in about?
The motivation for many of us seems to be revenge‒especially for Captain Roy Toppings and for me. But it seems to me now that both of us are mistaken in some part of our revenge. His will lead him to a bad place, if the Spanish invasion we became involved with is any kind of omen, but now I feel mine is perhaps satisfied.
HH : I ‘met’ my pirate, Jesamiah Acorne on a beach in Dorset, England - how did your author meet up with you?
My creator had a need in this world for many different views and experiences among his crew. Mine was a unique view to him, and a unique set of skills. And yet the other Brethren of the Coast ARE my brothers because we are all aboard The Constance to reach beyond mere survival in a world being strangled by Spaniards.
HH : Tell me about one or two of the other characters who feature with you - husband, wife,
family? Who are some of the nice characters and who is the nastiest one?
There is my friend, the surgeon named Jan. He understands my situation somehow, though he has never shared my experiences. Of course Captain Roy Toppings, who saved me from my life alone in the wild. I feel much gratitude and respect for him, but I worry about him also. Ajuban, his first mate, shares much in common with me because he was a slave owned by Spaniards before Roy freed him. I don't know about nasty characters. All Spanish are my enemies...but there was the Dutch merchant captain, Marius Gilbertsen. No one has anything good to say of him, and I feel I have not seen him for the last time. And there is Major Manuel Benito. He is now our prisoner, and he has worked against us, but for some reason, I also respect him, and I do not know how to feel about that. My crewmate, Daniel, he looks at me in a way that I do not like at all. He is the only crewmate I do not feel I would mourn.
HH : What is your favourite scene in the book?
There are many I remember with joy. However, as unpleasant as it was to participate in, I am very proud of the part I played in the final battle. I was in the hold of an enemy ship, and all my information came from what I could hear. I had a vital task to perform, and I succeeded. Now that I think on it, that was the true moment when my vengeance was granted.
HH : What is your least favourite? Maybe a frightening or sad moment that your author
wrote.
Before the scene I just told you about, I didn't know it at the time, but it was revealed why my friend Jan was really part of our crew. He should have no need for the wage‒he was a skilled city surgeon. When William read his notes back to me and I learned Jan's true reason, I was deeply saddened and I didn't want him to read any more.
HH : What are you most proud of about your author?
He made me think about all the things that happened in my life. I had always thought about what had happened to me in one way, thought of Spaniards in one way, thought of my future in one way. He made me really see things differently, and I can feel that it is much better medicine for me than the last seventeen years in the wild, alone with my thoughts.
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| Cap'n Ozgur Sahin |
HH : Has your author written other books about you? If not, about other characters?
He has just finished writing the first version of another book with me in it, but I don't yet know what it will be called. I am almost afraid to read it. I have many worries about Jan and about the Spaniards, but most of all I have worries about Roy. I think he is in a bad place now, and I don't want it to get any worse.
HH : How do you feel about your author going off with someone else!
I think if he can do for other characters what he has done for me, can improve their lives the same way, it will be good for us all. I have had enough good fortune to worry over these things.
HH : As a character if you could travel to a time and place different to your own fictional
setting where and when would you go?
I am still exploring the wonders and terrors of this place! I cannot imagine how to answer such a large question. I would like to see how my ancestors truly lived, and I would like to one day see the museums in Spain where I hear the relics of my people are once again revered by scholars. But I would love to see the future one day, when men have mastered the underworld and the middle world of men, and begin to explore the sky and the world of the gods. And I would like to see magic as my parents once told me of‒just once before I die.
Thank you that was really interesting!
Now where can readers of this A-Z Blog Challenge find out more about you and your author?
Twitter @OzgurKSahin
Sadly Ozgur finishes the tour and the A-Z Challenge
but here is the wonderful company we kept during April
so do browse and enjoy!
Thank you for your support and interest
it has been much appreciated!
but here is the wonderful company we kept during April
so do browse and enjoy!
Thank you for your support and interest
it has been much appreciated!
APRIL
A 1st Friday
- Aurelia - Alison Morton
B 2nd Saturday - Bloodie Bones - Lucienne Boyce
C 4th
Monday - Man in the Canary Waistcoat Susan Grossey
D 5th
Tuesday - Dubh-Linn - James Nelson
E 6th
Wednesday - Evergreen In Red And White - Steven Kay
F 7th
Thursday - Fortune’s Fool- David Blixt
G 8th
Friday - Gift For The Magus - Linda Proud
H 9th
Saturday - The Love Letter of John Henry Holliday) - Mary Fancher
I 11th
Monday - In Liberty’s Wake - Alexandra Norland
J 12th
Tuesday - Jacobites' Apprentice - Dave McCall
K 13th
Wednesday - Khamsin- Inge Borg
L 14th
Thursday - LuckBringer - Nick Brown
M 15th
Friday - Murder at Cirey - Cheryl Sawyer
N 16th
Saturday - A Newfound Land - Anna Belfrage
O 18th
Monday - Out
Of Time - Loretta Livingstone
P 19th
Tuesday - Pirate Code - Helen Hollick
Q 20th
Wednesday - To Be A Queen – Annie Whitehead
R 21st
Thursday - The Spirit Room - Marschel Paul
S 22nd
Friday - Sower Of The Seeds Of Dreams - Bill Page
T 23rd
Saturday -Tristan & Iseult - Jane Dixon Smith
U 25th
Monday - A Just And Upright Man - John Lynch
V 26th
Tuesday - Victoria Blake – Far Away
W 27th
Wednesday - When Sorrows Come - Maria Dziedzan
X 28th
Thursday – The FlaX flower – AmandaMaclean
Y 29th
Friday - Young, Josa - Sail upon The Land
Z 30th
Saturday OZgur Sahin The Wrath of Brotherhood
Thank you for joining us
it's been a blast!
it's been a blast!
Coya sounds like a character who has taken this over and largely written it himself, Ozgur. He sounds complex and not necessarily reliable from the reader's perspective. How much research was involved? Influences? Conrad?
ReplyDeleteCoya had many traumatic experiences that shaped her life beginning with her village being destroyed when she was 13. So while she is self-reliant, she is somewhat unfamiliar with working with others, thinking strategically rather than tactically, or understanding the nuances of European interaction and conflict. So she has a sort of "unreliable" aspect to her. There was a lot of research, but in service of the story. I drew influences from various pirate movies (Roman Polanski's Pirates! was drawn from more than once) as well as the old Sid Meier computer game, "Pirates!" But 1660 was a fun year to research, and a lot was going on everywhere in the Caribbean.
DeleteOzgur, this sounds just fascinating. Fabulous cover also, by the way. Did you do a lot of research in Spanish? Neither your name nor your appearance suggests any Spanish ancestry so I wonder how Spanish history has become a special interest for you? Good luck to Coya--he is moving on from an exceedingly difficult place but he sounds as though he has the ingenuity to prosper!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Cheryl! I really lucked out with the cover design--two royalty-free images cobbled together by a graphic designer and modified, just like the maps in the book (that's actually a Greek fort on the cover).
DeleteI'm actually half Turkish. It doesn't show, but my interest growing up in the US was more with the Caribbean pirates, as well as European history. Oddly enough, I've always been interested in trade and shipping too. I'm a big-picture guy, and I suppose international structures appeal to that side of me. I know that having dual citizenship makes me feel a BIT more of a world citizen and less nationalistic, so I love working with this setting that allows exploration beyond the narrow confines of one area or culture. Though I'm sure my Colombian friends will bust me on some of the cultural things in this book once it gets translated into Spanish...
Coya is sort of the reader's character. She is experiencing the lifestyle for the first time, and often so is the reader, so I like to write a lot of those explorative sections from her perspective. She is one of the three main characters in the first book, and I look forward to getting book 2 out there for those that enjoyed the first one.
This sounds very interesting. I'd also like to know how you first became absorbed in this area of history. What did you read that first tagged your imagination?
ReplyDeleteI grew up in the 80's, so "The Swashbuckler," "Captain Blood," Roman Polanski's "Pirates!," and a variety of computer and roleplaying games were big influences. Sid Meier's "Pirates!" helped me learn not only the geography, but the interesting way in which illicit businesses were conducted in the Caribbean, points of sail for ships, etc. I did more reading in high school, but nautical themes have always just stuck with me as a point of interest. 1660 seemed like a less structured, more pioneering stage of the colonial period than the 18th century, but with enough infrastructure to support intrigue (versus the 16th century). I always did love good intrigue.
DeleteJ here, of the #atozchallenge Arlee Bird's A to Z Ambassador Team.
ReplyDeleteHave you enjoyed the challenge? Did you hop to other blogs? The end of the alphabet here! Reflections sign up is May 9-- mark a calendar.
My blog's giveaway is still going. I'm encouraging everyone to visit more stops.
http://jlennidornerblog.what-are-they.com
I loved this post! It was fun to read. Very well written. Thanks for sharing this great character.
Thanks for dropping by - thoroughly enjoyed the Challenge!
DeleteThank you! For some reason I didn't even SEE these comments until Helen pointed them out, but I'm gratified to see I have a few! What is the Reflections signup? I've been a busy bee (job jumping lately), but trying to keep up with writing. Just started editing book 2, so keep an eye out. I'll check out your link shortly!
DeleteThank you for this month of really interesting reading. Unfortunately I am unable to add all of the books to my tbr list, as it is too large. Yet I have loved learning about all these characters and books and know that I will revisit to seek the names for some.
ReplyDeleteI know we all need to credit Helen with organizing this. I've been learning as I make the marketing circuit at conventions that one thing that is rarer than writers, artists, and blogs, is a good organizer. Helen has all of those going. I hope these entries helped you add to your never-ending read pile! ;)
DeleteI don't think Ozgur had a chance to respond - so on his behalf, thank you everyone for leaving such nice comments.
ReplyDelete