Tag Archives: The Sultan’s Enchanter

Complain to the Armenian priest

Posted on July 18, 2018 by dan

I’m putting the finishing touches on The Sultan’s Enchanter right now, including adding in some salty Bulgarian idioms. These include what I am loosely translating as “so I should open some jam for you?” (kompot da li  ti otvorya?) and “you can … Continue reading →

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Ottoman Clothing

Posted on July 16, 2018 by dan

I wrote a line last week in The Sultan’s Enchanter: ” “The man’s beard was long and tangled, cap and shoes missing, without vest or sash over his stained shirt and breeches.” Oh. My. Blob, but that sentence took a lot … Continue reading →

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Spring Sense Impressions

Posted on April 6, 2018 by dan

Happy Gyulovo Week, everyone! This week, between Lazarov Saturday and Orthodox Easter, covers almost all of the events of my nearly-finished historical fantasy The Sultan’s Enchanter. It’s during this week in early spring that Elena, the witch of Gyulovo, makes … Continue reading →

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Beta-readers for The Sultan’s Enchanter?

Posted on December 18, 2017 by dan

Friends, arkadashli, and arkadaşlar! My historical fantasy-romance-alternate-history is done…again! Three years ago, my agent told me to rewrite the first three chapters and send it back to her. Three years later, I have somewhat done so! If you’ve read earlier versions of The … Continue reading →

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Done with The Sultan’s Enchanter!

Posted on December 14, 2017 by dan

(which is what I’m calling Charming Lies now) (and it’s just the latest round of edits that I’m done with but it’s still a big milestone, damn it! Including breaks I’ve been working on this thing for over four years!) 204 pages, … Continue reading →

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Done III, return of the son of Done!

Posted on July 26, 2015 by dan

The third and final read-through of Charming Lies is done! So, I’m going to change things around a bit from comments from my agent and a few last beta-readers, but I’m calling it now: CHARMING LIES Final Draft Finished 7/26/15 … Continue reading →

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The Sultan’s Enchanter chapter 1

Posted on April 1, 2015 by dan

Here’s the first chapter of The Sultan’s Enchanter, the historical fantasy currently in need of beta-readers! Comment below if you’re interested. ~~~ Chapter 1 The ropes around his wrists and ankles pulled tight. Bursalı Turhan stiffened his muscles, breathed past … Continue reading →

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Bulgarian Bibliography

Posted on February 21, 2015 by dan

A while ago I met with an ethnologist at Sofia University, who gave me a nifty reading list. I can’t promise I’ll actually be able to read (or even find) all of the resources, but if you’re as interested in 16th-century … Continue reading →

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The Casting of the Rings

Posted on February 2, 2015 by dan

Work continues on my research for Charming Lies with some information about the spring holiday that marks the first scene of the book. Lazarus’ day (Lazarovden) is the Saturday before Easter, and its festivities consist of girls (Lazarki) dressing up … Continue reading →

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Ottoman-period Bulgarian terminology is Great!

Posted on December 17, 2014 by dan

…or what I did on my vacation. Last weekend I spent three lovely nights with my wife in Koprivshtitsa, an architectural preserve in central Bulgaria. Koprivshtitsa was a town of wool-merchants (and the center of the April Uprising, which is … Continue reading →

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