The final manuscript is finally proofed and ready to go to formatters.

Here’s what Autocrit says about the manuscript:

Overall Genre Identification: The text is best described as speculative historical thriller with strong elements of mystery, supernatural fantasy, and speculative science fiction. It combines the atmospheric tension of geopolitical thrillers, the mythic resonance of historical epics, and futuristic intrigue driven by advanced technology and genetic experiments.

Overall Premise: The story is an epic, multi-layered narrative blending historical mystery, supernatural intrigue, futuristic technology, and ancient prophecies. At its core, the novel follows a sprawling cast—from World War‑era paranormal research teams and ancient matriarchs in prehistoric Anatolia to modern-day negotiators and corporate magnates—as they unravel bizarre relics (such as the “black stone” and the “blue light”) and contend with past traumas, secret genetic legacies, and messianic destinies. Personal relationships, political intrigue, and esoteric conventions intertwine as characters battle inner demons and global threats, making the narrative as much a journey of self‐redemption as it is a quest to save—and understand—the world.

Target Genre:

The overall genre of the book is speculative fiction, which encompasses elements that explore imaginative and futuristic concepts.

Sub-genres include:

1. Historical Fiction
   • The narrative weaves historical events, such as those during World War II and ancient civilizations.
2. Fantasy
   • Elements of magic, supernatural beings, and prophecies are present throughout the story.
3. Thriller/Suspense
   • There are intense moments involving conflict, danger, and high-stakes situations among characters.
4. Science Fiction
   • Technological advancements like MoxWorld devices and genetic experimentation play a significant role in the plot.

These genres combine to create a rich tapestry of storytelling that explores complex themes through various character perspectives across different timelines and settings.

Similar but different, Google Gemini says this about the book’s genre:

The primary genre of this book is science fiction.

The secondary genres are:

• Fantasy: The story involves a magical object, supernatural powers, and a prophecy.
• Romance: The story focuses on the romantic relationships between Zara and Peter, Mei and Peter, and Tallia and Nirra.
• Adventure: The characters embark on a quest to find a mythical object and save the world.
• Thriller: The story features suspenseful plot twists and dangerous situations.

Target Tropes

1. The Chosen One: This trope features a character, often with special abilities or a significant destiny, who is selected to fulfill a crucial role in saving the world or resolving major conflicts. In the text, Zara embodies this as she grapples with her identity and responsibilities tied to ancient prophecies.
2. Family Legacy: Characters are often driven by their family history and expectations, influencing their actions and decisions throughout the narrative. Nikolas Gollinger’s journey reflects this as he contends with his family’s paranormal research legacy.
3. Betrayal of Trust: Relationships are tested when characters betray one another for personal gain or survival. Multiple instances occur throughout the story where trust is broken among allies, leading to dramatic confrontations.
4. Sacrifice for Love: A common theme where characters must make difficult choices that involve sacrificing their own desires or lives for loved ones’ well-being or greater causes. Tallia’s willingness to sacrifice herself illustrates this trope vividly.
5. Mystical Prophecy: The presence of prophecies that guide characters’ paths and foreshadow events plays a significant role in shaping actions within the story. Various characters receive cryptic messages about their destinies related to ancient artifacts and powers.

The ancients’ story plays a pivotal role in The Matriarch Matrix. The journey of Orzu and Nanshe from the Crimea to Anatolia is a reader favorite. Their story is founded on actual archeologic findings. Nanshe, the great matriarch of the story, founded the temple at Göbekli Tepe. Their family founds settlements at other similar developments.

Archeology since the publication of The Matriarch Matrix has continued to validate the extent of technology and art of the actual people who lived in the fictional times of the great matriarch Nanshe.

One such site is Karahan Tepe, lying 46 kilometers east of Göbekli Tepe.

Historical Significance

Karahan Tepe holds immense historical significance as it challenges traditional views on the development of early human societies. The site includes homes within a vast ritualistic complex, indicating that the inhabitants built permanent settlements long before the advent of agriculture.

This suggests that settled life began while humans were still hunter-gatherers, and agriculture was a result, not a cause, of settled life. The presence of both sacred and secular spaces at Karahan Tepe highlights the complexity of these early societies and their ability to engage in ritualistic practices alongside daily activities.

Discoveries Since 2018

Since 2018, Karahan Tepe has continued to reveal its secrets, providing a deeper understanding of early human civilization. Excavations have uncovered numerous monumental statues, architectural elements, and painted sculptures from the pre-Pottery Neolithic era (PPNA and PPNB), dating back to the 10th to 9th millennia BCE.

Among the most notable discoveries are a 2.3-meter tall statue of a seated figure holding a phallus, considered one of the earliest examples of realistic human sculpture. Additionally, a vulture statue with detailed features was found, showcasing the high level of craftsmanship of the site’s inhabitants.

Astronomical Implications and Ancient Aliens Theories

Karahan Tepe’s monumental structures and intricate carvings suggest advanced astronomical knowledge. One of the most intriguing discoveries is the site’s alignment with the winter solstice, indicating that its builders had a sophisticated understanding of celestial events.

This alignment, along with the site’s acoustical properties and shamanic symbolism, has led some researchers to propose that Karahan Tepe was used by shamans to connect with the Milky Way’s Galactic bulge, seen as the head of the cosmic serpent.

Theories about ancient aliens have also emerged, with some suggesting that the advanced engineering and astronomical knowledge displayed at Karahan Tepe could be evidence of extraterrestrial influence.

These theories often draw parallels between Karahan Tepe and other ancient sites around the world, proposing that a lost supercivilization or extraterrestrial beings may have played a role in the development of early human societies.

Relation to Göbekli Tepe

Karahan Tepe is often compared to its more famous neighbor, Göbekli Tepe, located about 40 kilometers away. Both sites share similar architectural features, including T-shaped pillars and animal sculptures, suggesting a cultural connection between the two. Karahan Tepe is part of a broader region known as Taş Tepeler, which includes several other prehistoric sites that collectively provide a more comprehensive understanding of early human civilization in the region.

While Göbekli Tepe is often referred to as the “zero-point of history,” Karahan Tepe’s discoveries indicate that it may be even older, potentially predating Göbekli Tepe. The similarities between the two sites suggest that they were part of a network of interconnected settlements that played a crucial role in the development of early human societies.

Inhabitants of Karahan Tepe

The people who lived at Karahan Tepe were part of a complex hunter-gatherer society that built permanent settlements and engaged in ritualistic practices. Despite the presence of permanent structures, there is no evidence of farmed vegetation, indicating that the inhabitants relied on hunting and gathering for sustenance. The site’s elaborate architecture and artistic achievements reflect a high level of social organization and cultural development.

Excavations at Karahan Tepe have revealed multiple layers of residential structures. The site includes various domestic buildings, communal structures, and enclosures, indicating a long-term, complex settlement. These layers provide valuable insights into the architectural and social evolution of the people who lived there over time.

The inhabitants of Karahan Tepe were skilled craftsmen, as evidenced by the detailed sculptures and carvings found at the site. Their ability to create realistic human figures and intricate animal depictions suggests a deep understanding of both artistic techniques and symbolic representation. The presence of both sacred and secular spaces indicates that the people of Karahan Tepe had a rich spiritual life, with rituals and ceremonies playing a central role in their society.

Conclusion

Karahan Tepe continues to captivate archaeologists and historians with its rich array of discoveries and its potential to reshape our understanding of early human civilization. The site’s monumental architecture, advanced astronomical knowledge, and intricate carvings provide valuable insights into the lives and beliefs of its inhabitants. As excavations continue, Karahan Tepe promises to reveal even more about the complex societies that existed long before the advent of agriculture, challenging our preconceptions about the origins of settled life and the development of early human cultures.

In the annals of Chinese mythology, few figures are as intriguing and venerated as Jiang Yuan, a goddess whose history intertwines the celestial with the earthly. Hailing from a mystical origin in the West, Jiang Yuan is celebrated not just as a divine being but as the progenitor of some of China’s earliest emperors. Her story, rich in symbolism and divine intervention, offers a fascinating glimpse into the spiritual and cultural fabric of ancient China.
She is featured as the patron goddess of Mei Tang in the novel The Matriarch Messiah showcasing the diversity of beliefs, culture, and faith across the world.
Origins from the West

According to legend, Jiang Yuan originated from the West—a detail often interpreted as symbolic, possibly representing a divine but unknown place or a confluence of different cultural influences that she embodied. Her miraculous arrival set the stage for a tale that would leave a profound imprint on Chinese mythology.
She is estimated to have lived during the time of the legendary Five Emperors, which is a period based on myth and legend. Some say this era was around 2000-2500 BCE – the age of Sumerians and Akkadians as well as the Old Kingdom of Egypt.

The Immaculate Impregnation

Jiang Yuan’s most celebrated myth involves the immaculate conception that led to the birth of Hou Ji, a culture hero and deity associated with agriculture, who was key to the survival and prosperity of China’s early societies. The story goes that Jiang Yuan, a chaste woman disturbed by the thought of marrying, took a walk in the wilderness to reflect upon her life. During her journey, she stepped inadvertently into a giant footprint. This was no ordinary footprint; it was miraculous and believed to belong to a great giant associated with the divine realm.
This simple act led to Jiang Yuan’s miraculous impregnation. Overwhelmed by the supernatural nature of her conception, she bore a son named Hou Ji, whose name signifies the “Lord of Millet.” Hou Ji would later be venerated as a god of agriculture, responsible for introducing millet cultivation to humanity, drastically altering the course of agriculture and aiding the stabilization and growth of civilizations.
Relationship with Emperor Ku (Di Ku)

While traditional sources predominantly stress Jiang Yuan’s matronly role, her presence in mythology is further amplified by her relationship with Emperor Ku (also known as Di Ku), one of the ancient sage-kings of China. Known as the first consort to Emperor Ku, their union of powerful entities is a divine endorsement of the lineage that would perpetuate through the ages, reinforcing the divine right of kingship and the celestial approval of the ruling families.
Influence on China

Jiang Yuan’s influence on Chinese culture and religion extends beyond her mythological narratives. As the mother of Hou Ji, she is indirectly responsible for one of China’s central agricultural advancements. This act alone situates her as a key figure in the survival and success of early Chinese civilizations, linking her to the seasonal cycles and harvests, essential aspects of agrarian society.

Moreover, Jiang Yuan is revered for her virtues of chastity and piety, embodying the ideal feminine virtues extolled in various epochs of Chinese history. Her story is also a testament to the powerful role of women in ancient mythologies and royal genealogies, often serving as crucial links between the divine and the mortal realms.

Legacy

Today, Jiang Yuan stands as a testament to ancient Chinese spirituality and cultural values, reflecting an era where gods and mortals interacted closely, and where the divine directly influenced the everyday life of the people. Her legends offer more than mere tales of gods and heroes; they serve as foundational narratives that have shaped the cultural and spiritual landscape of China for millennia, reminding us of the deep and enduring connection between the land and its spiritual guardians.

In the annals of the Mongol Empire’s expansive history, tales of conquest and dominion often eclipse the remarkable personal stories of its figures, especially women. Not so for El Qutlugh Khatun, daughter of Abagha Ilkhan, the ruler of the Ilkhanate from 1265-82. Her life is a compelling narrative of martial prowess, religious devotion, and cultural integration, making her one of the most fascinating figures in the Ilkhanid era. Let’s delve into the life of this Mongol princess who not only broke gender norms but also contributed significantly to the Islamification of Mongol culture through her actions and travels.

Warrior Princess Defying Gender Norms

In a culture where warfare and bravery were predominantly male attributes, El Qutlugh Khatun stood out for her combat skills and courage. Historically, Mongol women had more freedom compared to their counterparts in other contemporary societies; they rode horses, practiced archery, and participated in the governance and military strategies that were crucial to the Mongol’s nomadic way of life.

El Qutlugh was a woman of great strength and courage. She embodied the legacy of Mongol women in the Eurasian Steppe, known for their independence and active participation in society. When her husband Ghurbati, a prominent Mongol commander, was murdered, El Qutlugh took matters into her own hands. She rode into battle, slew his killer, and carried his severed head on her horse for days, a stark reminder of her unwavering determination and powerful sense of justice. This act of revenge, while shocking in its brutality, was a testament to her ability to break free from traditional gender roles and challenge the patriarchal structures of her time.

El Qutlugh’s defiance didn’t stop there. When the Mamluk commander Aqqush al-Afram, known for his ambition and influence, proposed marriage, she rejected him outright. Her response was scathing, stating that he was not even worthy of being a horse groom for her. This rejection was not simply a refusal of a suitor; it was a powerful statement of her self-worth, demonstrating her disdain for the Mamluks’ position as slaves compared to her Chinggisid lineage.

A Devout Figure in the Islamification of Mongol Culture

El Qutlugh’s contributions were not limited to the battlefield. During a period when the Mongols were transitioning from traditional shamanistic beliefs to Islam, she played a pivotal role in the Islamification process within the Ilkhanate. Her devotion to Islam was profound, as evidenced by her pilgrimage to Mecca — an undertaking that was both a personal religious commitment and a politically significant act. It underscored the acceptance and integration of Islamic practices within the Mongol elite, serving as a bridge between Mongol traditions and the Islamic faith.

Her pilgrimage in 1323, which coincided with the period of newly established peace between the Ilkhanate and the Mamluk Sultanate, was not just a spiritual journey but also a diplomatic gesture that helped to solidify the peaceful relations between these two powerful states. Furthermore, her generous donations during the Hajj exemplified the Islamic virtue of charity, reinforcing her image as a pious Muslim.

Cultural Mediator Through Travels

El Qutlugh’s travels, especially her pilgrimage, also highlighted her role as a cultural mediator. The Mongol Empire was known for its vast connections and interactions among different cultures, and her journey from the Persian heartland of the Ilkhanate to the holy city of Mecca was a high-profile event that drew attention from all across the Islamic world. By undertaking the Hajj, she not only fulfilled an important Islamic duty but also brought the Mongol presence into the Islamic cultural sphere, helping to weave the Mongol identity into the broader tapestry of Islamic civilization.

Throughout her journey, she continued engaging in traditional Mongol practices such as hunting, displaying her skills in horsemanship and archery. These activities, while rooted in her cultural heritage, were performed in a landscape that was foreign to her traditions, showcasing the adaptability and openness of Mongol culture under Islamic influence.

Conclusion

El Qutlugh Khatun’s life is a spectacular narrative of a woman who maneuvered through the complexities of her time with grace and strength. Her story is a powerful testament to the resilience and defiance of the human spirit. She broke through the confines of tradition, challenged societal expectations, and lived a life that was both courageous and devout. Her journey, from her act of revenge to her pilgrimage to Mecca, serves as a beacon of individual strength, challenging us to reconsider the possibilities of life beyond pre-defined boundaries and embrace the dynamism of change.

In the intricate tapestry of ancient Near Eastern religions, Asherah, a goddess worshiped in the ancient Levant, emerges as a figure of considerable intrigue and controversy. Recent archaeological findings and scholarly research have reignited debate over her role and her potential connections to Yahweh, the God of the biblical Israelites. This post delves into the captivating evidence and varying perspectives on whether Asherah might have been considered Yahweh’s consort, exploring the implications of this for our understanding of ancient religious practices.

Who is Asherah?

Asherah, often associated with fertility, motherhood, and the sea, was a prominent deity in the ancient Near Eastern pantheon. References to Asherah appear not only in the archaeological records of Canaan but also in texts from Ugarit, and through mentions in the Hebrew Bible. However, in these Biblical texts, she is frequently referred to in a context that suggests monotheistic writers saw her cult as idolatrous and her worship as a threat to the worship of Yahweh.

Archaeological Insights and Scholarly Debates

One of the pivotal pieces of evidence supporting the idea that Asherah was considered a consort of Yahweh comes from several ancient inscriptions, including those found at Kuntillet Ajrud and Khirbet el-Qom. These inscriptions from the 8th century BCE refer to “Yahweh and his Asherah,” indicating a worship practice where Asherah was venerated alongside Yahweh. These findings suggest that, at least among some groups, there was a tradition of pairing Yahweh with Asherah.

Critics argue, however, that these inscriptions could have been misinterpreted. Detractors suggest that “Asherah” in these contexts might not refer to a goddess but could instead be indicative of a sacred symbol or object associated with Yahweh, such as a sacred tree or pole, commonly mentioned in biblical texts. This uncertainty presents a significant challenge in conclusively identifying Asherah as a divine consort.

Theological Implications

The possibility that Yahweh was once part of a broader pantheon where he had a consort fundamentally challenges traditional views of ancient Israelite religion, which is predominantly viewed through the lens of monotheism. This complicates our understanding of the development of monotheism in Israel. If Asherah was indeed worshiped as Yahweh’s consort, it suggests a more gradual shift from polytheism to monotheism in this culture, rather than a sudden break.

Cultural Impact

The debate over Asherah also has wider cultural implications. In modern times, understanding the roles and representations of female deities in ancient religions can contribute to contemporary discussions about gender and divinity. As scholars peel back the layers of history, exploring figures like Asherah can help to illuminate the complex ways in which ancient societies understood the divine and structured their spiritual practices.

Conclusion

The discussion about Asherah and her possible relationship with Yahweh is far from settled, with new discoveries and analyses continually shaping the dialogue. Whether as Yahweh’s consort or as a distinct cultic symbol, Asherah’s presence in ancient texts and artifacts continues to challenge and enrich our understanding of ancient Near Eastern religions. As we explore these ancient connections, we not only uncover more about the past but also potentially redefine our own interpretations of spirituality and divinity.

This exploration into ancient beliefs not only enriches our historical knowledge but also invites us to reflect on the complexities of our own spiritual landscapes. What other forgotten deities lurk in the shadowy corners of ancient texts, waiting to be rediscovered and reinterpreted in the light of modern scholarship? The story of Asherah reminds us that history is not just about uncovering facts, but about understanding the myriad ways in which humans have related to the cosmos.

For further reading:

Kindle: Did God Have a Wife?: Archaeology and Folk Religion in Ancient Israel

In Search of Asherah: The Lost Hebrew Goddess

7500-year-old idol of Goddess Asherah located in Israel

What do Dan Brown, David Mitchell, and William Falkner have in common? Apparently, The Matriarch Matrix!

Amazon reviews have compared this book to works from these three esteemed authors. I am very flattered and thank all reviewers profusely for their time and efforts in leaving their thoughts.

The second edition launched at the turn of the New Year 2019. This re-edit reflects the critical comments and suggestions from all reviewers, both positive and critical. I had trimmed the length nearly 20% from eliminating sections that contributed to uneven pacing.

With great sorrow, I eliminated a very eloquent chapter with Zara’s back history. I wrote this to explain the very rational and logical religious and cultural traditions of her character. I had put this in the first edition to answer back the ill-informed “islamophobic” comments I heard during the ISIS invasion years. As I have written, cultural and religious tolerance is a major theme in this book and in my family’s lives. I will republish this chapter as part of a prequel book.

Some had commented upon sexuality in the book within the first thirty reviews. Ironically, I had fifteen women as alpha and beta readers and they did not mention the same issues. As well, my editors are women. No issue from them. But I listen to these readers and the second edition had been radically re-tooled on these issues. However, I needed to speak out about the history of sexual violence against women in most all armed conflicted throughout history. I wrote Zara’s personal history as allegorical. The issues she faced have all been documented in books, articles, and biographies describing the transgressions against Kurdish and Yazidi women in the past decade and the centuries before.

Read more about the slavery of the Yazidi women.

“I’ll never forget,” 40-year-old Bissa says softly, as she recounts being “bought and sold” by six different jihadists.

“We did everything they wanted to do with us. We couldn’t say no,” says the Iraqi woman from the Yazidi religious minority, after fleeing her IS captors.

Read blog post: Zara’s character as a reflection of Kurdish oppression.

The new title says “The Matriarch Matrix: Mystery of the Matriarchs Book I”. Yes, there is the sequel in the works as well as an outline of the prequel. The prologue and the first two chapters of the sequel are included in edition two of The Matriarch Matrix.

After three alpha readers, some of the smartest most accomplished women I know commented on the first draft of “The Matriarch Messiah: Mystery of the Matriarchs Book II”, I sent the second draft for an editorial assessment and to three female beta readers who had read the first book. Heaven as the first two beta readers love the draft. Better than the first book. The editorial assessment praised it as well. Then the hell of the third beta review. Panned. One’s and two’s rating the different elements of the draft.

That was at the end of October 2018 – three months ago. I did what veteran authors say you shouldn’t. I stopped the third draft edit. In part, because I need to do other work to pay the bills of paying editors, book designer and formatters, and the costs of advertising. But mostly I feel prey to writer’s slump. That last beta review stopped me in my tracks.

This past month, the second edition of The Matriarch Matrix has been flying. It has sold in five weeks almost half of what it did in its first year on the market. The reviews have been fair and encouraging. I thank these new reviewers for their insights and thoughts, which has given me the inspirations to make the final push to get The Matriarch Messiah to the finish line.

Spoiler Alert: The sequel is even more surprising that the first book.

“The challenge for each one of you is to take up these ideals of tolerance and respect for others and put them to practical use in your schools, your communities and throughout your lives.

Nelson Mandela, 2011

A year ago I was in the midst of finalizing the final draft of The Matriarch Matrix. A story full of twists and turns. Perhaps too many for most readers. For in part, it was designed to demonstrate the principles of tolerance and its link to human stereotypes among readers.

Why is tolerance important? Peace for mankind comes when we as humans take the time to be open and learn about the culture, history, and beliefs of those who appear different from us. Think about how much of the world’s strife comes when the exact opposite happens.

Judging something rapidly is likely a self-survival mechanism inherited from our most ancient ancestors. Making a snap decision could mean the difference between life and death. But when such a decision is not needed for survival, then what is the harm in taking the time to understand the other party better?

Through the course of The Matriarch Matrix I lead the reader into situations where one might make a judgment which later, if the reader is still open-minded, they will find that judgment would be wrong. I have read each and every review of this book in detail. Those who stay open-minded write one type of review. Those whose minds closed down part way into the book write something else. I appreciate the thoughtfulness of those who recognized this book as a metaphor for our times.

The metaphor of oppression and violence as tools of genocide

The story of Zara and the oppression of her people, the Kurds, the largest ethnic group in the world without a geographic political nation, represent what has happened to numerous ethnic minorities around the world today and throughout the millennia. I pulled no punches in this book describing the violence and organized rape that oppressed people endure. Why? Because we must learn from the atrocities of the past and the current so we can strive to not have these crimes against humanity to persist in our future. My parents’ generation lived through violent occupation and survived such atrocities which irrevocably altered their views of the world. A number of reviewers noted the emotional roller coaster within the book. I wrote the ancient ancestor sections with particular attention to elicit deep feelings by readers in hope that more people will be willing to speak out against the violence we see happening all around us.

Everything that I described has been documented in the news or in historical records. I purposely made a fictional people from the past as the perpetrators of these heinous acts as to not stereotype any ethnic or cultural group today. For the assigning of blame to any group perpetuates intolerance.

For the Kurds, not only were the acts of oppression part of their history but still occur in this day and age. See the links below:

http://www.newsweek.com/rape-weapon-war-wielded-against-girls-women-syria-un-report-says-846887

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/05/world/middleeast/syria-video-kurds.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

The taking of 3,000 Yazidi women in Sinjar, Iraq by the Daesh in 2015, repeated what has happened across the ages. These women were sold in markets as sex slaves.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jul/25/slaves-of-isis-the-long-walk-of-the-yazidi-women

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/yazidi-isis-sex-slave-rape-survivor-nadia-murad-a8064311.html

The same is still happening in Africa and Southeast Asia today.

http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2141719/humiliate-and-terrorise-myanmar-military-blacklisted-united

https://www.cnn.com/2017/12/14/africa/hrw-kenya-election-sexual-violence-report-intl/index.html

https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/boko-haram-survivors-starved-raped-nigeria-military-180523144207062.html

I had hoped for more readers to be inspired to speak out against the violence that is happening today all around them. But for some, they could only react and pass judgment to the first chapters of the ancient people which symbolized the violence and oppression of the ages. Intolerance in action.

Follow the money

One of the messages in The Matriarch Matrix is how power struggles and wars ultimately are about resources. Often these conflicts are sugar-coated with words about how bad the other side is or a religious reason. But if you follow the money, inevitably you will find control of key resources is the root.

For example, the fictional Father Jean-Paul Sobiros comes from the south of France and traces his ancestry to the Cathars, a dualist Christian sect. A million Cathars were killed in the Albigensian Crusade authorized by Pope Innocent III. Was this a religious war or was it the way the barons of northern France justified plundering the riches of the south?

And thus, the fictional Peter Gollinger laments that oil dominates the world’s politics. Look at the lands where the Kurds live. Mostly oil-rich and mineral-rich territories. Look at the recent conflicts in Turkey, Syria, and Iraq. Are these politically motivated or based on control of the oil?  To let the Kurds have semi-autonomous rule means they might control oil fields and other valuable commodities.

Before one judges too quickly, look for the motivations behind the glossy surface. Too often people in power prey upon our weakness to accept their stories.

Growing up knowing hate

When a child grows up thinking that the world around them hates them, they learn to hate back. The fictional Zara grew up knowing the love of her parents, of her relatives, of God. But as she ventures outside her community, she learns of the hatred others have of her people and by default, her. Over her teen years, she begins to stray from the teaching of her family, to stray from her faith, and hate begins its cancerous ways devouring the love within her soul.  The Matriarch Matrix is a story of how such a lost soul finds her way back to the love she once knew through her tolerance of someone who is her exact opposite. Someone who at first seems to her an irrelevant, disrespectful fool. Someone who many readers have dissed his character. I grew up with many people who were like Peter Gollinger. Hence he represents the composite of many real people. And these folks are no different from any other – they seek respect. And so does Peter, who meets a woman, Zara, who is so far beyond him he can only stand in awe.  It is through him, through his tolerance that Zara learns to shed her hate, shed the cancerous nodules in her soul.

When Zara meets Peter, she is intolerant of him. Those who grow up being hated begin to assume the worst of what others think of them. We see this so often in our press today how minorities view an incident which the majority did not see the same way. An oppressed minority is on the alert for being attacked and reacts according. So does Zara which is demonstrated by how she verbally attacks first. Her intolerance blinds her to those who might be on her side.

I purposely chose to write Zara as very religious. Many Kurds are not very religious which I am told is why they suffered particular persecution by the Daesh. In Zara, I wanted to address the Islamophobia that millions face throughout Europe and the Americas. It is the same bias, same discrimination, same hatred that many ethnic minorities face throughout the world. It is the manifestation of intolerance.

Europe’s experiment with multiculturalism, or the side-by-side existence of different cultures, has failed throughout the continent. Integration requires a minimum basis of shared values, that is, a culture of mutual tolerance and respect – in other words, what constitutes the heart of European culture.

Walter Kasper, German Roman Catholic Cardinal and theologian

The stereotypical heroic man

Poor Peter. He gets no respect. Many readers felt he was weak. Or weak compared to Zara. I wrote him as courageous, but not in the American Hollywood superhero way. He was courageous enough to take the time to understand Zara, his exact opposite. He was courageous enough to stand up to the most powerful monstrous man in the world defending her honour. But he curls into a ball when the bombs dropped.

One of my most important life mentors fought in the French Resistance when he was a teen. He was not courageous when he blew up Nazi trains and bridges when he saved Allied bomber pilots from capture. He said he was but a crazy teenager. My friend was Jewish fighting the oppression of the Nazi’s who would have killed him if he were ever to be captured. And that he was only to be saved by the ingenuity of a Catholic priest who told him to say he was circumcised because he was North African.

My mentor told me of the concentration camp he was sent to next to the V2 rocket factories which were bombed by the Allies. He crawled into a ball in terror of the bombs which fell on a weekly basis. One time when he emerged from his ball, he found his friend next to him without his head. Even courageous people crawl into balls. And so I wrote Peter as so.

Those raised on Hollywood movies have an appetite for seeing the superhuman male. Courageous when bombs and bullets are flying. Real people have fear. Real people seek cover when bombs are dropping. Tolerance includes empathy for real people actions and reactions.

Why must the evil ones be killed in the end?

I found it an interesting essay in human desire that a few of my alpha and beta readers commented that they were let down that the “villain” Alexander Murometz did not die in the end. How many Hollywood movies feature the protagonist killing the antagonist in the end to fulfill the audience’s desire for justice?

In writing the final draft of The Matriarch Matrix I let Alexander Murometz explain why he lived.

With a look of disappointment, Alexander says, “Peter, let’s look at things in a different way. So many people want to, they need to villainize others. They need a clear bad guy who suffers the consequences of violating their morality. But isn’t this the essence of intolerance? Isn’t that your own intolerance not seeing who I really have been? Ask yourself, who equipped the world’s greatest militaries with the most advanced tech ever to be invented? Albeit, tech incredibly fragile to the most frightful electromagnetic pulse known to mankind. And who sent you and Zara out there to find the object?”

Perhaps when mankind can truly embrace tolerance and tame the desire to kill those who are considered different, we will finally find peace. Maybe our great grandchildren will live in such a world. Only if we teach our children today the essences of tolerance.

For Further Reading:

Biographies of Iraqi Kurdish women who endured oppression

Four nice vignettes of the lives of Kurdish women in Iran

An inspirational novel about the Cathars

An interview with Alexander Murometz

https://www.tailofthebird.com/exclusive-interview-mr-alexander-murometz-chairman-moxworld-holdings

“Mylène Farmer? Non, mais non. Not the singer, but Sister Magali. I thought they were having an affair in the Philippines when he was nearing the end of his Regency…..he never stopped loving her.’”

Father Petrus, comrade in arms and prayer of Father Jean-Paul, June 2021

 

I read that many authors have their playlist of songs they listened to as they wrote their books. If I told you mine, you’d might say “Mylène Farmer, who?”

Mylène Farmer arguably is the most successful singer in France, of either gender, of any nationality according to Syndicat National de l’Édition Phonographique (SNEP).  From 1988 to 2016, she has had 15 singles hit number one in France, 9 of which went straight to number one.  More number one singles than any other artist American, English, French, of all countries.  Seven of her albums went diamond (million copies) more than any other artist in France.  Her success in francophone markets over the decades has mirrored that of Madonna in anglophone markets.

With trademark red hair, some fans have called her an angel on earth. Many of her songs feature her “trademark” harmonious soaring refrains as if lifting all of us into the heavens with her voice.  While drafting The Matriarch Matrix in Bruxelles, I picked up her 2016 album “Interstellaires” in a local FNAC and three songs gravitated into the book’s play list:  “A Rebours” which features her soaring chorus vocals, “Voie Lactée” a mix of reggae and urban beats, and “City of Love” her 15^th number one single.

Below is a YouTube video of City of Love – a mini story of a higher love discovered, much like the metaphors in The Matriarch Matrix.

 

Why would a Jesuit priest love Mylène?

The Matriarch Matrix is a book of metaphors.  And former Father Jean-Paul Sobiros’ love of Mylène’s music is his metaphoric expression of his love for another redheaded “angel on earth” for whom overt love was no longer an option given his choice in life and spirituality.  Ironically, if you watch some of Mylène’s videos from the 80’s and 90’s, you will see the darkness of her songs and rebelliousness against the Church. And yet Father Jean-Paul finds listening to her as the acceptable means to appreciate his unrequited love for Sister Magali – the songs of someone so, so different.

You can read a stand-alone chapter about Brother Jean-Paul and Sister Magali during their formation period in the link below.

https://www.tailofthebird.com/chapter-26/

This vignette follows the traditional romance story rhythm, but speaks of the different types of love between a man and a woman.  It serves as an allegory to the love that Zara seeks and Peter is destined to find.

You can read about the history of romance stories in this blog post. The Jean-Paul and Magali story is reminiscent of the 17^th and 18^th century French romantic dramas where love is often a higher order concept.

https://www.tailofthebird.com/2017/09/27/is-it-a-romance-or-not/

What is the higher love that Zara seeks?

Zara Khatum devoutly follows Sufism, a mystical form of Islam.  In chapter 6, one is introduced to Zara’s desire to emulate one of the greatest Sufi saints, Rabi’a al-Adawiyya, an eighth-century Persian philosopher and mystic, more commonly known in English as Rabia of Basra.

https://www.tailofthebird.com/chapter-six/

Rabia was born into a poor family in the lands now known as Iraq. Legends written 400 years after her death said at her birth her father saw a vision of the Prophet Muhammad who said Rabia is a favorite of the Lord.  Poor Rabia was orphaned at an early age and sold into slavery.  Even as a slave, she prayed many times a day.  Legend tells of how one of her slave masters awoke one night to see her praying and a holy light illuminated around her head. Afraid, the slave master set her free the next day.

Rabia’s poetry bespeaks of Divine Love.  Love of the Lord and a mutual love back as the purpose, the destiny to which a person should strive towards.  She never married as she did not need an earthly husband with her love of the Lord.  She is considered one of the most important of the early Sufi saints.

Her story provides a parallel for that of Zara, who after having been taken into sexual slavery by the Daesh and freed by her oligarch benefactor, Sasha, she turns to the love of the Lord as her guiding path and has opted to forgo seeking the love of a man. The forceful request by Sasha to bond with Peter, her spiritual, physical, and emotional antithesis from the other side of the world is against everything she has thus far evolved to be. How could she continue seek the love that she so desires tethered to this man?  Therein lies a critical conflict driving this story of love like no other.

I have loved Thee with two loves –

a selfish love and a love that is worthy of Thee.

As for the love which is selfish,

Therein I occupy myself with Thee,

to the exclusion of all others.

But in the love which is worthy of Thee,

Thou dost raise the veil that I may see Thee.

Yet is the praise not mine in this or that,

But the praise is to Thee in both that and this.

Rabia al Basri

For Further Reading and Viewing:

Mylène Farmer

http://www.europopmusic.eu/France_pages/Farmer.html

https://www.mylene.net/

http://www.parismatch.com/People/Mylene-Farmer-ses-racines-sa-liberte-1258895

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Rabi’a al-Adawiyya

http://www.khamush.com/sufism/rabia.htm

https://sufipoetry.wordpress.com/poets/rabia-al-basri/

http://www.rabianarker.com/html/rabia_stories.html

 

 

Photo credit: licensed from depositphotos.com

“Peter, we had a few weeks of time together. We became close in ways normal people never will know. Alas, it was only a few weeks. Here in America, in your films, a man and a woman meet. They have an adventure for a couple of weeks. And it’s love for life. Happily ever after.”                                 

Zara Khatum, June 2021

 

Why do you have to pick a BISAC code?

And while we’re at it, what is a BISAC code?  And why do you have to fit within a genre?

One of the first things someone asks you when you say you writing a book or have written a book is “What is it about”?  Well that’s a signal you should give the elevator pitch version of the book.  It helps if you can say “It’s a thriller” or “It’s a mystery” or “It’s a romance” because most folks have an idea of what type of story it might be.

At the Writer’s Digest Conference in NYC this year, a renown literary agent, giving advice to the few hundred-strong aspiring author audience, made it very clear that she would need to know how to categorize your book in order to sell it to a publisher.   “It’s a such and such, like this famous book but different in this way.”  Classical marketing 101.  What is it you are offering and why is it unique.

On this author journey, I’ve learned that many readers have a distinctive set of expectations for a book when it is listed as part of a specific genre.  If that book does not follow these expectations for that genre, these readers feel dissatisfied which shows in their reviews.  Hence, many authors face the peril of having to write to the unwritten rules of a specific genre.

BISAC stands for the Book Industry Study Group which has established 52 general codes for fiction and non-fiction book categories.  When one files with the US Copyright Office, you are asked for BISAC codes.  When you submit your book to Amazon you are asked for BISAC codes.  That is a defining moment.  What is your book?

How Amazon liberate us from tight genre definitions

In the world of the brick and mortar bookstores, that unfortunate dying breed of retailer, one can understand the need for book categories and classifications.  The need for where should the book seller place your book?  Which section and aisle of the store?  And where might a such-and-such genre reader go in that store to find their favorite genre?  And given a bookstore only has so many shelves, there are logically only so many classifications.

But now in the virtual digital bookstore, there can be nearly unlimited classifications due to the power of search engines and hierarchical hyperlinked lists.  In my first writers’ meeting, I had the distinct honor and privilege of having dinner next to Melinda Leigh, who, little did I know at the time, is the number one Amazon author in Romantic Suspense.  When she wrote her first book, she did not write to any genre but to the story she had envisioned.  Amazon had approached her for publishing her book in one of their new companies.  They were able to envision how her book crossed genres and how they were uniquely able to help her sell across genres.  And Romantic Suspense was born.  Her books lead on romantic suspense, mystery-crime-murder, and romance-mystery in Amazon.  A traditional publisher would not have had that ability to merchandise so easily across genres.

Outlier Sheep

At a recent writers’ conference sponsored by a chapter of the Romance Writers of America (RWA), Damon Suede, a RWA board member and an immensely popular speaker, gave a reflective talk about the state of the book publishing industry.  As many published authors are acutely aware, the book publishing industry is in a downturn.  The Kindle revolution was, at first, a boom to authors.  But as self-publishing led to the pricing of books to drop tremendously, the quality of book offerings dropped as well.  Consumers who used to rely on established traditional publishers to screen books for quality now are faced with a glut of books offered at nominal or free price which no longer have that quality control.  Thus, the moral of this part of his talk was the need for authors to focus on quality, the best possible book they can write, to give readers the best product as opposed to producing volumes of books.

Perhaps, the most intriguing part of his talk focused on sheep.  Wool?  No, social dynamics as an allegory to genre bounds.  Sheep will tend to stay in a flock for predator defense and consequently eat together at one spot until the vegetation is gone – right down to the roots.  Survival of the flock depends on the “outlier” sheep who wander off and graze somewhere else.  Most of these outliers will be eaten by predators as they no longer have the security of the flock.  Once the flock has decimated the spot they are grazing, there are “bellweather” sheep who lift their heads and look around for where the “outlier” sheep are – that is the ones who haven’t been tragically eaten.   And the “bellweather” sheep will lead the flock to new grazing grounds.

Hmmm…think about that when a sub-genre is over published with marginally original works.  Are the outliers the future?

The Matriarch Matrix – A member of the outlier sheep family?

That dinner sitting next to Melinda Leigh, who told her life stories and author history, of course led to the fateful moment when she asked me politely what I was writing.  And I couldn’t tell her anything other than “it was an epic”.  Partially it was newbie disease, but I know understand mostly it was because I didn’t write to any genre in particular.  As a reader, I read across a number of genres.  In writing this book, I had a story in mind and I pulled from different genre styles as needed to tell that story. But I had no idea what genre(s) this book fit into.

At that same meeting, I attended a seminar on emotions given by romance author Virginia Kantra.  My book was in review with beta readers at that time and I didn’t think I would need the craft she so artfully espoused.  But a week later, the first of three eventual rounds of beta reader feedback arrived.  Ouf – as the French say.  I needed the craft that she taught.  Perhaps the lack of deep POV was fine for an action-thriller, but no so if this book was to broach a broader audience.  So, the next edit became more intense.  And fortunately, I also attended Michael Hauge’s Story Mastery seminar from which I began to understand the concept of the inner wound and inner journey to deepen POV and reader engagement.  I also joined RWA to access their huge library of past meetings’ mp3s.  And I studied and incorporated these veteran RWA authors’ advice into the rewrites of The Matriarch Matrix.

Come September 2017.  The moment of truth comes.  What two BISAC codes do I select for the US Copyright Office?  What two BISAC codes do I select for Amazon?  I chose Metaphysical Fiction and SciFi Adventure.  Why metaphysical?  The book has a sub-theme about the characters’ religious beliefs which shape who they are and how they interact.  I didn’t want someone who would dislike religiously based characters to be misled by the genre I picked.  I had learned from a RWA lecture that what I wrote was not Inspirational Fiction.  So metaphysical fiction was as close as I could get to signal to readers about the spiritual character based content in the book.  And because the book had both a created past world, 9600 BCE at the founding of Göbekli Tepe, and a created future world in 2021, I listed it as a science fiction book and adventure as a sub-genre as the second half of the book had an adventure timbre.

And The Jury Says…

The power of Amazon in post-hoc defining “what is your book” comes from two sources.  The first is the reader feedback in the reviews.  The second comes from their infinite wisdom artificial intelligence which then starts categorizing your book based on sales insights.

I thank all of the kind people who took the time to write a review.  All of your feedback has been invaluable and appreciated – high stars and low stars alike.  Three of the many learnings I have made from the first thirty reviews are:  1) suspense and mystery began to emerge in the verbatims; 2) comments about how the book crosses genres which could be a positive or negative; and 3) some readers not feeling fulfilled or satisfied by the end.

I think #2 and #3 are linked.  If you are expecting the unwritten rules of a certain genre as part of what makes a book satisfying to read, you might not like this book.  I listened to many authors over the last year describe what their genre is and is not.  And this book does not fit cleanly into any genre.  That said, after the first thirty reviews I asked Amazon to change the Kindle classification from SciFi Adventure to Religious Mysteries and left the Metaphysical Fiction categorization in place.

Last week, the power of Amazon sales information revealed a number of things about this book.  I ran the KDP free book program for five days and 3,500 copies were downloaded.  The book hit #2 in the entire science fiction genre free Kindle books.  #1 in science fiction/adventure.  #1 in science fiction/metaphysical & visionary. #1 in religious mysteries.  #1 in metaphysical fiction.  People voted with button pushes.  We will see in the subsequent reviews if the book meets their expectations of whatever genre they thought they were downloading.

In contrast, the paperback version reflects Amazon’s sales intelligence.  They have the paperback categorized under:  Metaphysical & Visionary Genre Fiction; Romance – Science Fiction; and Romance – Action & Adventure.  The second two bowled me over.  Perhaps the learnings I made from RWA authors came through in the final book?  See my blog post “Is it a romance or not?”

https://www.tailofthebird.com/2017/09/27/is-it-a-romance-or-not/

All that said, I think this reviewer’s advice is best taken:

“I had heard a lot of good things about this book and I was not disappointed. Great plot, a lot of food for thought and good entertainment. If you don‘t mind reading About spiritual and religious topics, and are comfortable with books that do not bother to conform to unspoken genre rules give this great work a try. *** I have been given an ARc of this book and this is my honest and voluntary review.”

“I do not live in an American film, Peter. Love is something that happens over years. Over decades. Over a lifespan. And my love is for my mother, my family, and my country.”

Zara Khatum, July 2021

 Further Reading:

BISAC Codes

http://bisg.org/page/BISACFaQ

http://bisg.org/page/BISACEdition

Outlier Sheep

http://www.worldanimalfoundation.org/articles/article/8948554/181125.htm

Romance Writers of America

https://www.rwa.org/

Melinda Leigh

http://melindaleigh.com/

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Damon Suede

http://www.damonsuede.com/

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Virginia Kantra

http://virginiakantra.com/

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Michael Hague

https://www.storymastery.com/

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Photo Credits:  licensed from depositphotos.com

“And the other principle I asked everyone to recite. ‘Woman’s true freedom is only possible if the enslaving emotions, needs and desires of husband, father, lover, brother, friend and son can all be removed. The deepest love constitutes the most dangerous bonds of ownership.’”
Zara Khatum, May 2021

“That’s why I followed you and still do. You made tangible, made real for our soldiers the teachings we learned in our Peshmerga training. Were we not told that a country cannot be free unless the women are free? Under Kurdish rule, women have equal say in political rule.”
Peri, Zara’s best friend before she met Peter

I read with fascination each and every review for The Matriarch Matrix. And I thank every single reviewer for their candor and especially for their time they took not only reading this epic, but the extra time taken to write a review. Merci.

The subject of feminism has arisen in some reviews. In the blog post https://www.tailofthebird.com/2017/08/29/from-patriarchy-to-matriarchy-and-back/,
I discussed the strategic change from a patriarchal story to a one about a matriarchy. As such, the focus went from Orzu and Peter to Nanshe and Zara. And the flavor of the book forever changed.

Why A Feminist Protagonist? Or Maybe, Why A Kurdish Protagonist?

When the story line was still about a patriarchy that created the 12,000 year old monolithic sanctuary at Gobekli Tepe, a secondary character, a guide from the local area, would escort Peter and Father Jean-Paul to the archaeologic site. As the story morphed into one about matriarchy, this secondary character became a woman, one who would share the same genetic heritage as did Peter. The link hidden in their beings connecting them to the originating matriarch and her family from 9600 BCE.

So why did Zara’s character become Kurdish? I envisioned this woman as a fighter. Someone who would offset Peter’s inability to be a fighter mimicking his ancient counterpart Orzu. Perhaps the most well-known aspect of Kurdish women in the west are the images and interviews with women who fought in Iraq and Syria against the Daesh (ISIS).

In Iraq, these women fought and still fight as part of the Peshmerga, the military forces of the Iraqi Kurds. They helped the American forces in 2003 in the fight to topple Saddam Hussein’s regime. 1600 Peshmerga women were involved in fighting the Daesh in Iraq.

In Syria, these women fought and still fight in the YPJ, or Womens Protection Union. These all-female make up 40% of the Kurdish forces battling the Daesh in Syria. The YPJ and the male counterpart YPG are controversial in their link to the PKK in Turkey, considered a terrorist organization.

What is Jineology?

“A country can’t be free unless the women are free.”
—Abdullah Öcalan, imprisoned leader of the PKK, recognized as a terrorist organization by the US, NATO, and the EU.

Jineology is the science of women, a form of feminism espoused by Abdullah Öcalan, head of the controversial PKK. Female soldiers in the Peshmerga and YPJ are taught jineology as part of their on-boarding. Why? The thought is two-fold. 1) A nation is only half as strong with just men. For the Kurds to gain the independence and freedom they have desired for centuries, women must be empowered; and 2) The regional traditions of patriarchy must be broken in order for women to help the nation.

In older traditional Kurdish communities and non-Kurdish communities in the same lands, the patriarchal tradition leads to a form of women’s oppression. Women are not as highly educated, their career opportunities are limited, and they do not play strong roles in family and societal decision making. In some of these areas, this patriarchal tradition leads to honor killings, political rapes, and other forms of physical and violent oppression.

Activist author Dilar Dirik from Turkey writes a clarification between feminism and Kurdish freedom:
“First, it should be mentioned that Kurdish women’s relationship to the feminisms in the region has often been quite complicated. Turkish feminists for instance had the tendency to marginalize Kurdish women, which they perceived as backward, and tried to forcefully assimilate them into their nationalist “modernization project”. In practice, this meant that all women first had to be “Turkish” in order to qualify for liberation. Their political struggle, especially when armed, was often met with harsh state violence, which used a gross combination of racism and sexism, centered around sexualized torture, systematic rape, and propaganda campaigns that portrayed militant women as prostitutes, because they dared to pose themselves as enemies of hyper-masculine armies….The struggling women in Kobanê have become an inspiration for women around the word. In this sense, if we want to challenge the global patriarchal, nation-statist, racist, militarist, neo-colonialist and capitalist systemic order, we should ask which kinds of feminism this system can accept and which ones it cannot. An imperialist “feminism” can justify wars in the Middle East to “save women from barbarism”, while the same forces that fuel this so-called barbarism by their foreign policies or arms trades label the women who defend themselves in Kobanê today as terrorist.”

In contrast, in Rojava, the Kurdish part of Syria and in parts of Kurdish Turkey, women are in co-leadership positions with a male counterpart reflecting the philosophy that a nation will not be strong unless women are included.

The Kurdish Women Who Fight For Freedom From Oppression

The following are quotes from some of the real Kurdish women from whom the beliefs of the character Zara were fashioned after:

“We are defending a democratic, secular society of Kurds, Arabs, Muslims and Christians who all face an imminent massacre. Kobani’s resistance has mobilized our entire society, and many of its leaders, including myself, are women. Those of us on the front lines are well aware of the Islamic State’s treatment of women.” Meysa Abdo, October 2014, a commander of the resistance in Kobani.

“The hallmark of a free and democratic life is a free woman”
“Isis would like to reduce women to slaves and body parts. We show them they’re wrong. We can do anything.” Asya Abdullah, co-chair of the Syrian Democratic Union Party in Rojava

These women are subject to tremendous risk fighting the Daesh as noted by Colonel Nahida Ahmad Rashid leader of the 2nd Battalion, a 500-strong force based in Sulaymaniyah in Kurdistan, northern Iraq. From her interview by The Sun:
….she says her soldiers must never allow themselves to be captured by ISIS, usually contemptuously called ‘ Daesh ‘ in the Middle East, as they face torture and rape at their hands.
In fact, her fighters are always careful to leave a bullet in their weapons to use on themselves if it looks like they will be taken.

These sentiments are echoed by another Peshmerga soldier:

“We always have a bullet ready to use on ourselves in case we are about to be taken prisoner.”
“We will tear them apart. When they have killed our babies in the womb why should we show them mercy.”
“Here the men cook for us.”
Mani Nasrallahpour, Peshmerga solider, in November 2016 Reuters interview

Zara Khatum – The Manifestation of the Matriarch 

Who is she? Is she the voice of a feminist book? Or is she the reimagining of many Kurdish women who are seeking the best for their people, for other women like her? Loaded question.

I feel simply horrible for the women who have reviewed this book for whom violence and rape have been the most looming impressions from this book. These parts of the book were intended only to realistically portray the struggles of Zara as a Kurdish woman, the real-life struggles faced by Kurdish women. I hope what has been outlined in this blog help bring forth an understanding of why Zara’s story and her character were told they way they were. There are many sources, articles, books, which outline the inhumanity inflicted upon Kurdish women by oppressors in recent years. Zara’s depiction is mostly true to these depictions. See reading list below at end of blog post for book suggestions.

The barbarity, the uncivilized behaviors of tyrannical men exists today in this decade. A fact that is hard to believe. In 2014, 3000 Yazidi women were taken by Daesh soldiers and made into sexual slaves for the soldiers or sold in open markets. Girls as young as 12 to 13 taken and raped and sold. But this is not an isolated case. In 2015, 200 school girls were taken into sexual slavery by the Boko Haram. In the 90’s during the Bosnian war, institutionalized rape by the oppressors has been estimated to be committed to a range from 12,000 to 50,000 girls and women.

Zara’s character was born into the savage years of Kurdish oppression and genocide known as the Anfal Campaign, where 4000 villages were raised to the ground, where deadly gases were used on civilian populations, and women were taken to rape prisons. After her father returns from being taken a political prisoner, he eventually commits suicide. An act that drives Zara to join the Peshmerga with a local boy, someone she has interest in, to fight Saddam’s tyranny. Later in life, she joins the YPJ to fight tyranny against the Kurds there as well as the Daesh invasions. With passing of two bad relationships with men, she comes to realize that she does not need men to be the person she want to be. And thus she finds the principles of Jineology very compatible with her emerging belief system.

Core to the character Zara’s inner wound was a critical moment in Sinjar, 2014, when the Daesh overran her half-Yazidi cousins’ home. She did not have that bullet ready as described by female Kurdish soldiers earlier in this blog. And thus, she could not kill her cousins, her aunt, or herself before being captured and subjected to several months of captivity of the worse kind. The guilt of not having that bullet and what happened when she did have such a bullet haunted her until she met Peter, her “other half of the apple”.

Excerpt from chapter 37:
“Rona begged me to leave her there and save her sister. She cried and cried about what those monsters would do to her. She could not take any more. We all were so disfigured already….And then Rona looked at me, her eyes saying what she wanted me to do. To shoot her. But I could not. I just could not. She was my sister.” Zara Khatum, June 2021

Writing a novel is a very daunting affair. You simply want to stop and go onto something else many times along the way. But it was the comments from a 22 year old beta reader from Germany which gave me the inspiration, the courage, the commitment to bring Zara’s story, un-softened, unadulterated, into fruition. She wrote:
“I would actually like to extend my gratitude. I can’t explain how touching it has been to read about a character like Zara. I think it sends a really strong message home that people seem to really forget. We can all be subject to rape. The world isn’t pretty. And it doesn’t matter how strong you are. But through everything, Zara is so incredibly beautiful. I think that’s important. Whether she agrees or not, she’s a stronger person for everything she’s been through. Thank you for not writing her as some typical rape victim. Thank you for creating something so much more powerful.”

I hope Zara’s story can be a source of strength for others as much as she was for this woman from Germany. The world is not always a pretty place. But together we can work to help make it better for our children.

For Further Reading:

First I would like to thank Ava Homa, author of Echos from the Other Land, for her advice on Kurdish women and politics.  Please take a look at her book which offers four lovely vignettes sharing the lives of young Kurdish women in Iran.

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Kurdish women in military

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/nnem3x/female-fighters-of-kurdistan-part-1

https://www.vice.com/sv/article/4w7yk3/meet-the-kurdish-female-freedom-fighters-of-syria

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/female-kurd-soldiers-fighting-isis-8732664

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-mosul-womenfighters/kurdish-women-fighters-battle-islamic-state-with-machineguns-and-songs-idUSKBN12Y2DC

MEYSA ABDO’s Op-Ed piece in New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/29/opinion/turkeys-obstruction-of-kobanis-battle-against-isis.html?_r=1

Jineology

Jineology: The Kurdish Women’s Movement by Meral Düzgün
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/625064

The Kurdish Women’s Movement: Challenging gendered militarization and the nation-state by Meral Düzgün
http://womeninwar.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Beirut/7/1.pdf

Feminism and the Kurdish Freedom Movement by Dilar Dirik
http://kurdishquestion.com/oldarticle.php?aid=feminism-and-the-kurdish-freedom-movement

Enslavement of Yazidi, Nigerian, Bosnian Women

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jul/25/slaves-of-isis-the-long-walk-of-the-yazidi-women

https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/show-me/video/a-german-program-is-helping-yazidi-women-rebuild-their-lives-1053948995508

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/evil-isis-thugs-cooked-baby-10697937

https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/life-aftehttps://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/isis-terror/once-used-sex-slaves-isis-these-yazidi-women-are-rebuilding-n801226r-isis-slavery-for-yazidi-women-and-children

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/isis-harvests-organs-yazidi-sex-6281626

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-life/11342879/Nigerias-Boko-Haram-isnt-just-kidnapping-girls-its-enslaving-them.html

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/bosnia-war-crimes-the-rapes-went-on-day-and-night-robert-fisk-in-mostar-gathers-detailed-evidence-of-1471656.html

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