* This book is formatted for E-Ink kindles
During the second half of the 16th century, a wealthy widow by the name of Doña Antonia Nissim is arrested and charged with being a secret Jew. The punishment? Death by burning. Enter Suleiman the Magnificent, an Ottoman “Schindler,” and the most celebrated sultan in all of Turkish history. With the help of the Sultan, the widow and her children manage their escape to Istanbul. Life is seemingly idyllic for the family in their new home, that is, until the Sultan’s son meets and falls in love with Tamar, Doña Antonia’s beautiful and free-spirited granddaughter. A quiet love affair ensues until one day, the girl vanishes.
Over four centuries later, thirty-two year old Selim Osman, a playboy prince with a thriving real estate empire, is suddenly diagnosed with a life-threatening condition. Abandoning the mother of his unborn child, he vanishes from Istanbul without an explanation. In a Manhattan hospital, he meets Hannah, a talented artist and the daughter of a French Holocaust survivor.
As their story intertwines with that of their ancestors, readers are taken back to Nazi-occupied Paris, and to a sea-side village in the Holy Land where a world of secrets is illuminated. Theirs is a love that has been dormant for centuries, spanning continents, generations, oceans, and religions. Bound by a debt that has lingered through time, they must right the wrongs of the past if they’re ever to break the shackles of their future.
*The Debt of Tamar is a work of fiction, inspired by the life and times of Dona Gracia Nasi and Josef Nasi.
Targeted Age Group:
20+
How is Writing In Your Genre Different from Others?
Writing an historical novel requires a great deal of research and tremendous attention to detail that non-historicals may not need to adhere as strictly to. That being said, the research part is the very best part of the process. Sure, it involves countless hours in the library, but it also might involve traveling to exotic locals and visiting museums and cultural centers you never knew existed. Historical fiction forces you to dig up antique cookbooks that might lead you to whip up a traditional 16th century Ottoman meal. Historical research might take you to a secret local where you’ll be privy to the ancient ritual twirling that whirling dervishes have performed for centuries. So yes, there’s lots of research to be done, but that’s precisely where the adventure and discovery in historical fiction writing lies.
What Advice Would You Give Aspiring Writers?
Its not enough to think about what your character would say or do, you have to really step into your characters shoes, and LIVE their persona.
For example, listen to the music your character might listen to. Read the books your character might read. Visit the places he or she might spend the most time.
Step into their imagination by stepping into their world
Author Bio:
Nicole Dweck is a writer whose work has appeared in newspapers and magazines across the country.
The Debt of Tamar, her debut novel, was a two-time finalist in the UK’s Cinnamon Press Novel Award Competition. It has also received an honorable mention award in the category of Mainstream/Literary Fiction from Writers Digest and was the highest rated book for two weeks running on the Harper Collin’s “Authonomy” website.
Nicole lives in New York City with her husband and son.
A love of travel, writing, and multi-cultural understanding coalesced into my recently published novel, The Debt of Tamar. Set in multiple locations spanning the globe, my writing took me to Istanbul, Israel, and France several times over, where I would immerse myself in the culture and history of the locations being researched.
As an American of Sephardic descent, I’ve always been fascinated with Sephardic Jewish History. My research inevitably led me to a study of the Ottoman Empire, the region where my ancestors had fled to during the time of the Spanish Inquisition. Their incredible journey and heroic plight inspired me to write The Debt of Tamar. Do the struggles of our forefathers mean anything to us, the descendants , after centuries have passed? This multi-generational historical saga reminds readers of the invisible ties that bound us to our heritage, our history, and the legacy of our forefathers. ” condition=”isnot” value=”"]What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
A love of travel, writing, and multi-cultural understanding coalesced into my recently published novel, The Debt of Tamar. Set in multiple locations spanning the globe, my writing took me to Istanbul, Israel, and France several times over, where I would immerse myself in the culture and history of the locations being researched.
As an American of Sephardic descent, I’ve always been fascinated with Sephardic Jewish History. My research inevitably led me to a study of the Ottoman Empire, the region where my ancestors had fled to during the time of the Spanish Inquisition. Their incredible journey and heroic plight inspired me to write The Debt of Tamar. Do the struggles of our forefathers mean anything to us, the descendants , after centuries have passed? This multi-generational historical saga reminds readers of the invisible ties that bound us to our heritage, our history, and the legacy of our forefathers. [/gravityforms]
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