As I’ve begun to delve deeply into my second novel, I’m considering using the time of the year as a contrast to the characters’ …
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Things you never knew about the Russian cradle
A criticism of an early version of my first novel was that it was not grounded enough, too “out there,” too interested in the …
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Everything You Need to Know about the Russian Kaftan
Something a little lighter this week. I generally like to have a vivid mental picture of events and places and people before I …
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The Honor Code of a Russian Officer
Too often in modern fantasy fiction, the invented societies and characters are reflections of the failings of our world. There are …
How the Legend of Prester John Influenced Slavic Mythology
Did you know that Columbus was looking for a mysterious Christian king of India when he stumbled upon the New World? Most people …
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Cossack Family Values
As I was doing research for my first series of novels, I came across a Russian article about the Cossacks and how much they …
A Tale of the Tsar and a Sable
About two years ago, my dear wife—then my fiancée—and I were preparing for the worst of all fates—a four-month-long separation …
Delusional Lovers of Beauty
“Sit down, make yourself comfortable. Let me tell you a story.” This is what the paintings of Evgenii Mukovnin seem to say to …