Suzanne Strong's Blog, page 17
October 27, 2019
No. 3 Hot New Releases Amazon
Hey guys,
Just excited that Where the Sun Rises is Number 3 on the Hot New Releases today Amazon USA.
Thanks for reading. Have a lovely day! 
October 23, 2019
Where the Sun Rises…Kurdish Sun…
[image error]
Hello,
I wanted to write about the title of my new novel Where the Sun Rises, and say that if or when you read the book you will know why I named the book this.
My reasons for naming the book this, are not what one would think straight away. After I named the book, I found out that the Kurdish flag had a sun in the middle of it! So, Where the Sun Rises can represent where the Kurdish people rose in the successful battle against ISIS in Kobane.
Also, after I named the book I found out that the Kurds have a website called the The Rising Sun, which represented their struggle for more autonomous regions, and how their nation is rising. To me, this was a sign that I had named the book the right title, for so many reasons.
Thanks for reading! Have a great day!
October 22, 2019
How people walk… :)
Hey guys,
Lately, I have been watching people walking…sounds weird hey? Not because I am a strange character haha…but because I was interested in how differently each of us walk, hold our bodies, how we crane our necks, do we look down, do we lead with our hips or do we drag our feet? How are our shoulders?
All of these details makeup our overall presence, the experience other people have with us, our aura. Most of us are not conscious of these details. We take it all in but don’t stop to look at it. Only strange writers notice these things. (haha). It is these beautiful minute elements of who we are that we need to put into our fiction. I wanted to work out how to recreate this on the page.
Those of you who are writers will know what I mean.
October 18, 2019
Recent reviews – Where the Sun Rises…
October 15, 2019
A wonderful story that pulls at your heart strings while reminding you how strong and determined women can be. The author puts you right in the middle of their dilemas, their joys and sorrows while beautifully weaving in the culture of the land. I very much enjoyed this book!
October 15, 2019Format:
With Turkish forces invading northern Syria, the release of Strong’s new novel Where The Sun Rises offers a timely and necessary insight into the conflicts of this region.
The focus in Strong’s novel is the village of Kobane, a Syrian town within walking distance of the southern Turkish border. In contemporary times – late 2019 – forces backed by Turkey are amassing to drive out the Kurds, but back in 2014-15, when the novel is set, the Kurds are pushing back against Daesh, an Islamic terrorist group. Although the conflicts are not identical, there are correspondences in what it means to be Kurdish against oppressive forces driven by religious imperatives.
We enter the story when Daesh are advancing towards Kobane. Karin, who is a medical student, is estranged from her fiancé, and is in the final stages of completing her medical degree. In a story that runs parallel to this, we are introduced to Roza, married mother of one, and teacher of English at a local school. It is soon evident the woman who are the focus of these alternating chapters have been strong allies in childhood. A decade later they still remain friends, despite their diverging paths.
When Karin’s brother, Mani, announces he’s off to join the war against Daesh, she laments that he lacks the imposing physique of a soldier.
“His shoulders seemed smaller and bonier than before, vulnerable somehow. She wanted him to be large and bulky, and felt a terrible dread of wanting to protect him but knowing she couldn’t.” Mani leaves for the war and when he doesn’t make it through, Karin decides to stand in place and fight in his honour. There is a female militia group she already knows about, and now she treks off to enlist. On her journey there she reflects on the irony of her decision: her life won’t be dedicated to saving lives – as it would have been in her medical career – but instead will be dedicated to taking lives away. We forgive Karin’s decision because it is clear she has so few choices. The border into Turkey is closed, the war puts a stop to her degree, and her family’s lives are endangered. Good people defend their territory even if it costs them their lives.
Roza wrestles with a similarly difficult decision. She has seen her husband go off to war and the school where she teaches is emptied of students. When she learns her husband has been killed, she struggles to be an effective parent for little Yez. Overcome with grief, she believes the best course of action is to take arms against her pain, and fight to obliterate the loss of her husband. Leaving Yez with relatives, she, too, joins the female militia. Roza and Karin meet at the military training camp and are grateful each has the other for this next harrowing chapter of their lives.
The experience of war brings Roza and Karin closer together, but ultimately the friendship implodes in a defining incident which is both harrowing and emotionally powerful.
Despite the central focus being war, there are keen moments of levity. In the midst of crossfire, we duck into a local bakery – still operating throughout the conflict. Tension is ratcheted down when characters cut loose with singing, dancing and the tembur. There is even an intervention from a gaggle of ducks.
“ “Chh, chh, chh,” Roza said to the ducks, getting them to move along, and guiding them into the nearest yard, relieved they didn’t have any young with them.”
It stands as a testament to Strong’s writing that while she has no direct experience of war, readers still feel immersed in an authentic experience. Take Strong’s description of Roza’s first experience killing Daesh:
“It was strange to see a connection between her fingers, some wood, metal, and powder, and taking a man’s life. Instantly she felt sick, an emptiness she had never experienced seemed to open up inside like a cavernous ravine, as she watched his deep thick blood oozing into the dirt.”
Key scenes are rendered in simple but powerful prose.
“Your daddy became a martyr today,” she told him. “He gave his life for us.” She could barely say the words; they seemed hollow. They embraced the dirt of the street. …It was as if they were the only people in the world.”
If you are curious about how women are inculcated into army life, if you are engaged with feminist empowerment stories, or if you enjoy learning about new cultures through a touchstone like war, I strongly recommend this novel. The story also serves as a sobering reminder of how fortunate most of us are not to be embroiled in conflicts so persistent and harrowing.
Highly recommended.
October 12, 2019
Authenticity…finds an audience…
“If the book is true, it will find an audience that is meant to read it.”
— Wally Lamb
I like this quote. I think he is saying if your book it will find its receptive audience. Bravo,
October 10, 2019
Syrian Kurdish women my novel is about…
Some of the women from YPJ Brigade, at the battle of Kobane, February 20154 February 2015, 23:08:21
Source: VOA [Public domain]
Hey guys,
In light of recent events in Syria, I must mention that it is an attrocity that the area where I based this novel is now being attacked by Turkey. Below, is my blog about where my novel came from. But I must say I am extremely concerned and incensed that the Kurdish people in this area who fought Daesh are now being abandoned and have to try to survive another attack. The battle my novel is about was the battle for Kobane which is on the border with Turkey.
About the Battle for Kobane
Within the first month of when Daesh surrounded the town the world watched on, but no one helped the Kurds – thousands of people left. I remember watching it on the news. There were approximately a thousand civilians who stayed, and they only had rudimentary weapons in which to fight Daesh who had tanks and heavy military gear. This is why there were Kurdish protests all around the world for someone to step in. In the end Barrack Obama did act and the US air strikes did help the Kurds after one month of fighting on their own. They held Daesh off by giving their lives in street to street battles. There were a large amount of women soldiers who enlisted for this battle. This is what compelled and inspired me to write this novel.
This is the real detail of this book, based on real facts of the courageous fight made by a combination of Kurdish forces, including many women. These people were not soldiers to begin with.
I hope you enjoy my character’s stories, Karin and Roza who feel compelled to join the battle to defend their families and their land.
This battle was the first successful battle against Daesh and led to its demise in Syria. My book Where the Sun Rises is available on Amazon, in e-book or print format.
“Where the Sun Rises is an ambitious, compassionate and powerful novel. Sensory memories accessed through scents and tastes are used brilliantly to evoke the physical strain, tenderness and revulsion of war for female soldiers in the fight against ISIS. Their story deserves a far wider readership and Strong’s achievement lies in her ability to take us into their dangerous world.”…
Dr Toby Davidson, Senior Lecturer, Macquarie University, Sydney.
“Powerful and credible. An eye-opener to a story we rarely hear.”
Dr Lynne Spender, UTS Lecturer, Sydney.
October 9, 2019
Where the Sun Rises no. 1 on Amazon…
Hey guys,
I was excited today when I released my book that it went to Number 1 on Amazon Australia and Number 1 on Amazon USA New Releases. Very excited to be releasing my book to the world.
October 8, 2019
My novel Where the Sun Rises Released today!
After three years of research, writing, editing and travel finally my novel, Where the Sun Rises is launched today! Where the Sun Rises follows the story of two Kurdish women who take up arms against ISIS in the Syrian town of Kobane. I’m very excited to finally release my novel.
Click on the link below to order the e-book, it is available in print as well. Contact me for further info about how to get a hold of it.
October 6, 2019
Early Reviews of Where the Sun Rises…
‘Where the Sun Rises is an ambitious, compassionate and powerful novel. Sensory memories accessed through scents and tastes are used brilliantly to evoke the physical strain, tenderness and revulsion of war for female soldiers in the fight against ISIS. Their story deserves a far wider readership and Strong’s achievement lies in her ability to take us into their dangerous world.’
Dr Toby Davidson, Lecturer, Macquarie University, Sydney.
“Strong has taken care to accurately present the reality of the lives of Kurdish women and the dramatic choices they make as fighters defending their land. The story is remarkable for the authenticity of the detailed portrayal of the geography, the intimate lives of the women fighters and the ferocity of the killing in which they are involved…Strong makes good use of the senses to convey the sounds and smells of battle and death and contrasts it with the delights of singing and dancing, the smell of freshly baked bread and the taste of goat’s cheese. The extraordinary amount of research undertaken pays dividends. Recollections of peaceful days and olive groves are neatly woven into the narrative, as are the reassuring pots of tea.
Powerful and credible, Where the Sun Rises is an eye-opener to a story we rarely hear.’
Dr Lynne Spender, Lecturer, UTS, Sydney.
My novel will be released in a few days time. I am excited to finally be introducing my new novel baby to the world.
September 25, 2019
To Singapore … ☀️
Flying off to Singapore today – should be nice and relaxing – pausing my novel editing for the moment. I need a break. 
