Interview with Daisy O. Harrison, Finding Love in Constantinople
23 Apr 2025
What’s the story behind the story? What inspired you to write Finding Love In Constantinople?
I was curious how the Ottoman warriors defeated the greatest army of Roman soldiers in the fall of Constantinople in 1453. How the Ottoman Empire ruled a third of the world for 3 to 6 centuries. I concluded that their practice of humanely treating their slaves, teaching them a trade, and how to read and write must be the reason why they developed slaves into loyal warriors who fought not for money or gain but to honor their sultans. Amid learning this, I also appreciated how subjects were matched in marriage by their sultans. It is in this milieu that I created the love story of Mustafa and Esme. A kidnapped Greek shepherd, Andrea, renamed Mustafa, was groomed to become the favorite artisan of the Sultan Sulayman. The story unfolds into a dramatic love story after he falls in love with the Sultan’s favorite lady at the Harem, Esme.
What’s your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?
My favorite genre to read has been non-fiction geopolitical and historical books. I travel the world on vacations and when I see the historical places I had read about in books, I imagine how people lived and weave stories out of germs of ideas I pick up from natives and tour guides. I write on my travels for the non-fiction genre and write.
What books are on your TBR pile right now?
Basic Laws of Human Stupidity by Carlo Cipolla. The Trade Trap – Putin’s War Against Freedom.
What scene in your book was your favorite to write?
My favorite chapter to write was “Chapter 8 – Marriage of Convenience.”
Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)
My quirky writing habit is one that annoys my husband. I get up in the middle of the night, like midnight, and write until 7 am the next morning.
Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?
I believe my motto in life is “I pass this way but once. Let me do all that I can because I pass this way but once.”
If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?
I would like my readers to remember that love is universal. Its bliss and tragedy are the same in the hearts of various people, whether they are Christians or Muslims. I hope my readers learn the same way I did from my research and travel about other people we find strange, like the Muslims. I learned that they are equally proud of their rich heritage and culture from Islam as the Christians are of theirs. We are all part of mankind with the same compassion for our families and friends, have the same passion in our hearts when we love, have the same blood to spill when we fight and destroy the other for the lack of understanding. We die the same way when our hearts stop beating.
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