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Just thought you'd all like to know that it's been accepted by HarperCollins and we're working on a Christmas 2005 release - yeehar! Book 2 - Emissary...has very quietly begun. I'll start in earnest in March probably and give myself the rest of this month to work on the structural edit for Odalisque which should arrive any moment. I'll keep you all posted. F

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Thanks for keeping us updated Fiona. Great to know where you're at. Will you be needing to work as fast now that publication has been pushed back till December?

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Is the Christmas 2005 release date true for the US, too?

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Congratulations on the acceptance and happy days with the structural work etc. One Xmas present sorted out. Will you be using the same artist to do the cover work - or someone else this time - have you proposed any preferences for how it should look? :gold

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Well perhaps not that one... how about this engraving?? :gold :gold

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That is fantastic news, congrats on getting it well on its way. Gunslinger - more likely we'll just be getting Bridge of Souls here in time for Christmas, oh well, at least now we have something right? Keep up the great work Princess Fiona and let us know if you're chocolate reserves run low - if needed I'll EMS you some from the States :wave

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A room without books is a body without a soul - Cicero

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December 05 was always the date for Odalisque but sadly only for Australia...will have to see what we can do about the U.S. My agent will be showing the publishers the manuscript very soon and I'm feeling nervous! Better eat some chocolate....

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Being in Australia continues to be a blessing. Hope you got a major supply of chocs for St Valentines Day... being nervous about a major venture is healthy - means you are taking nothing for granted and are keeping your writing skills at peak level for us hungry readers. Thank you ...:kisshug

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I couldn't wait that long for more Wyl Thirsk, so I ordered Blood and Memory and Bridge of Souls from an Australian book store called Dymocks www.dymocks.com.au. The total cost for both books and shipping to the US was under $50 US. I didn't think that was bad at all! I got an email the other day that they've shipped, so I hope to see them soon.

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I'd just like to thank Amirzand for that photograph. Now remind me again...which one's you and which one's Miss Lithuania ? :nw Adios imp

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The fabulous Afghanian tribewomen are unfortunately not relatives or self portraits. Sorry... can't introduce you to either of them. I do like the adornments but prefer Japanese influences or preistess power dress. Have you read the other Sheri Tepper books yet? I found a better version of an Odalisque - again not self portrait not in this or a previous life...

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Amirzand, I stand corrected. Thank you for the photo of the Afghani chicks taken outside the McDonalds in Kabul. Now, in my dictionary under [i]Sexy[/i], I have that happy-snap. You really have to hand it to those Kaliban dudes...they're a wild and whacky bunch aint they. I wonder why McDonalds don't have cool uniforms like that over here? As for the Tepper books, (which I didn't even acknowledge receiving orry ) in the same dictionary under [i]Slack As[/i] it has [u]my[/u] photo. I will get to them, especially books 2 & 3 of [i]The True Game[/i]...for which, given how long I've been hunting for them, I will be forever in your debt. Adios imp [u]Old Celtic Saying[/u] [i]If it wasn't for that last minute...nothing would ever get done[/i]

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What goes around comes around... McDonald's have a lot to answer for already.... what will Subway do you ask???

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Beautiful artifacts dont you think - the tribal pieces are ancient looking and unique - I have purcahsed a few pieces from specific regions - especially the Turkomen - the best pieces are too expensive - like an Alexander teh great chalice $$$$$$, weaponary and musical instruments are amazing. Living history. I added these amazing women not as somethign to laugh at but to take notice of and appreciate. The world is an amazing place....:yes :yes :yes

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Has anyone wondered what an odalisque is??? Where do you think the story is set and what do you think the main female character looks like??? :gold

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Yep.... it's to do with a harem/ hareem... but who is an odalisque in the women's hierarchy and what is her role in this life of seclusion?

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An odalisque is a woman who cohabits with an important man. She is a paramour or a concubine. There is no mention of her in a heirarchy diue to it being a generic name for all Turkish and middle eastern type harem girls. You can see Ingres' famous painting le Grande odalisque at the louvre. You can see other paintings by Fenton and Ingres' Turkish Bath. odlaisque is also a long forgotten movie ... not worth watching. Odlaisque is french from a turkish name and means : Chambermaid or close enough. A grand old odalisque should never deign to turn housewife. F Morton. That's about all I know on this subject. Never having had a harem of my own... I know you all find that hard to believe. Lol. Also remember no one likes a smart arse.

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From my reading of Lord Kinross and his wonderful book on the Ottoman Empire, an Odalisque is the simple form of a woman in the Harem of the Grand Sultan.  Such women did  serve the higher women in the hierarchy.   Godze is the term for a woman who catches the Sultan's eye and shares his bed.  Ikbal is one who is a favorite.  And Kadine is the title of one who has born him a son. 

The Sultan's mother is the Valide and has the distinction of being a slave who gains the power of rulership.  Many Valides actually held the real power in the Ottoman Empire.

As mentioned above, the Western idea of what an Odalisque was (and how the word is corrupted into the French from  the Turkish Odaliq) was a corrupted version; assigning a high and lofty rank for what was actually the lowest level in the Seraglio.

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Quite right! Odalisque is actually a slave within the harem and the royal favour didn't necessarily fall on all odalisques. Any girl within the harem is an odalisque but she can climb in rank to Favourite - if noticed by the Murad - then Absolute Favourite and then Valide. That's the hierarchy in my tale although I'm trying not to attach too much importance to history - Percheron is my imagined world and I'm borrowing from what we know and embellishing to suit my own purposes. I think the direct translation of the turkish odaliq or how ever it is correctly spelt, means woman of the room or along those lines. She is the lowest level in the Seraglio as Kemala rightly explains and often given away by the Murad to his friends for their own 'use' as gifts, payment, whatever. Charming eh?

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Nobody ever gave me a presie like that. Adios imp