My Writing Journey by Kathryn Gauci

By Kathryn Gauci

My writing journey didn’t begin until later in life – around 2012. Prior to that, I was a textile and carpet designer. 

I live in Melbourne, Australia, but am originally from Leicestershire in the UK. I studied textiles, first at Loughborough College of Art and then specialised in carpet design at Kidderminster College. That was in my hippy days; the 1960s when society was changing. At that time, Kidderminster was the leading manufacturing carpet centre of the world. After graduating I worked as a carpet designer, first in Vienna, where I stayed for a year, and then in Athens for six years. They were wonderful years and although I didn’t know it at the time, I would draw on those times when I later went on to become an author. After a short stint in New Zealand, I moved to Australia and gradually moved away from carpets to having my own studio designing home textiles.

That work frequently took me back to Europe and to other places, exploring off the beaten track. After over thirty-five years in the industry, I decided I wanted a change but still wanted to do something creative. Writing appealed to me because I could still travel physically and mentally. I was used to putting trend directions together for clients which involved mood boards on themes from various eras in art to places such as the African Savannah or the Spice Roads, etc. Somehow, I gained a reputation for being able to transport the clients into that time and place. That was the spark that set me off.

Having decided to become a writer, it became a case of write what you know, and for me that took me back to Europe. I had worked in Greece with the Asia Minor refugees who had fled Turkey after the Asia Minor Catastrophe, or the Turkish War of Independence as it is referred to by Turks. This period was from 1919 to 1922 culminating with the population exchange between Muslims being sent from Greece (except Thrace) to Turkey, and Greek Orthodox citizens of the Ottoman Empire (except for Istanbul) being sent to Greece in 1923.

Many of those families I worked with were hand-made carpet weavers. Because of my interest in art and history, I also had a great interest in Turkey and the relationship between the two countries, which was close for centuries. This led me to writing my first novel, The Embroiderer, which was also published in Greek. I then went on to write two more stories in what I call the Asia Minor Trilogy, but from different aspects – Seraphina’s Song and The Carpet Weaver of Usak. 

After that I wrote several about WWII, which is my other area of interest. Five are set in France and one in Vienna. I also wrote another two set in Greece and one in Istanbul. Three of these books won First Place in the CIBA Hemingway Awards for 20th Century Wartime Fiction. Others have become Best Sellers in German and French Fiction (in the English Language). 

I have now also put out the first in my murder mystery series: Murder in the Garden of Enchantment: The Constantinople Diaries (A Madame Theodosia Mystery). It is set in 1900’s Constantinople and the protagonist is a Greek lady. Apart from this series, I have started researching a WWII book set in Malta. I am hoping that will be out towards the middle of next year. 

Besides writing novels, I have a monthly newsletter, exchange interviews with other authors or people in the arts, write articles for various magazines, and write my own blogs on whatever takes my fancy, but usually it has something to do with art or the period in which I write. I also give slide presentations at libraries or overseas through Zoom. It’s a full time job, but I love it. I think you have to be dedicated to write. One aspect I love is the research. It takes me down the rabbit hole into a world of the unexpected and that leads to other stories. When I began, I had no idea where it would lead. I still don’t know, but that’s part of the fun and I would encourage anyone who thinks they’d like to write to have confidence and give it a go. Like me, you never know where it will lead.

—

Website: https://www.kathryngauci.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100006545417928

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/KGauciAuthor

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/~/e/B00OPW68SM

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathryn-gauci-409a638b/

Twitter @KathrynGauci

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kathryngauci/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kathryn-gauci

For my newsletter. Please fill out the form on my website.

Murder in the Garden of Enchantment
The Constantinople Diaries: (A Madame Theodosia Mystery. Book1)

“A liar is like a mirage. He would make you think the distance is near.”

Constantinople 1900. A captivating murder mystery set in one of the world’s most exotic and cosmopolitan cities, where high society and royalty graced grand events and where the thing to do was to see and be seen.

When Theodosia Vasileiou receives an invitation to attend what is expected to be one of the society events of the year – the wedding of Hamid, son of Ferid Pasha, to the beautiful Behice, youngest daughter of Ömer Pasha, two of the most eminent families in the city – little did she realise that the elegant and happy event would quickly turn sinister.

The wedding takes place in the picturesque Garden of Enchantment at Ferid Pasha’s waterside mansion and as guests revel in the couple’s happiness, the last thing anyone expects is a murder.

Before long, Theodosia, together with her trusted manservant, Abdul Agha, finds herself drawing on her late husband’s work as a judge in the Greek community to help investigate the murder alongside Chief Inspector Ibrahim, a man entrusted to solve the murder by the sultan himself.

Murder in the Garden of Enchantment is a suspenseful story filled with lively characters and endless twists. It is a story that will immediately transport you into the sights, scents, and tastes of Belle Époque Constantinople – into the era’s distinguished fashion houses, through the winding alleys of the Grand Bazaar, and inside the pastel-coloured waterside mansions that line the picturesque Bosphorus.

For lovers of the intrigues of Agatha Christie and the grandeur of Downton Abbey, this is a murder mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end.

BUY HERE

 

   

Tags: featured, women writers

Category: On Writing