Spotlight & Giveaway: THE WITCH AND THE TSAR. by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Olesya Salnikova Gilmore to HJ!

Hi Olesya  and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, THE WITCH AND THE TSAR.!

 
Hi, thank you for having me! I’m thrilled to chat with you about my debut novel!
 

Please summarize the book for the readers here:

THE WITCH AND THE TSAR is a reimagining of the maligned, immortal witch of legend Baba Yaga as she risks all to save her country and people from Tsar Ivan the Terrible in 16th century Russia.
 

Please share your favorite line(s) or quote from this book:

“If I could live among mortals, healing and advising them, I would. But the legend that clung to me — the legend of Baba Yaga, built on lies and ill will — prevented it.”

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

• Initially, I was going to write the book about three Baba Yaga sisters, as they wreak havoc on modern-day Washington D.C.
• In many of my drafts, I had my characters drinking tea and vodka. Later, I discovered that tea didn’t exist in Russia back then, nor did vodka in the form we know it today.
• Yaga chose her love interest. I tried to have her fall in love with Koshey the Deathless, her enemy/ex-lover, but it didn’t work. She didn’t buy it.

What first attracts your Hero to the Heroine and vice versa?

My hero is attracted from the beginning to how different and STRANGE Yaga is: when they first meet, she is talking to her companions, an owl named Noch and a wolf named Dyen. And she has a house on chicken legs. He thinks her positively magical. Yaga, in turn, loves my hero’s self-assurance, warrior strength (both physical and mental), and the fact that he accepts her for who she is.

Did any scene have you blushing, crying or laughing while writing it? And Why?

So many (especially the blushing with the thought of my parents or parents-in-law reading the sexy scenes)! The crying scenes definitely go into spoiler territory. BUT I love the scene when my characters first get together. Here’s a tiny snippet:

“Our bodies entwined too easily, too instinctively, as if we were meant to weave into this feverish embrace all along.”

Readers should read this book….

If you love reimaginings of mythological women or villains, are open to different (and new!) interpretations of these characters, and are into history, Slavic folklore, romance, and/or adventure!

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have in the works?

I am thrilled to be working on my second novel with ACE/Penguin Random House, a historical tale of gothic suspense and horror in the vein of The Hacienda meets A Gentleman in Moscow, in which two sisters risk all to save each other and their family from their ancestral house bent on bringing back the ghosts of a royal past not only dead, but dangerous to remember in post-revolutionary Moscow. Slated for release in September 2024!
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: (1) A print copy of THE WITCH AND THE TSAR. by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: Are you familiar with Baba Yaga? What do you think of her portrayal in my book and the choices I made in her reimagining?

 
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Book Info:

In this stunning debut novel, the maligned and immortal witch of legend known as Baba Yaga will risk all to save her country and her people from Tsar Ivan the Terrible—and the dangerous gods who seek to drive the twisted hearts of men.

As a half-goddess possessing magic, Yaga is used to living on her own, her prior entanglements with mortals having led to heartbreak. She mostly keeps to her hut in the woods, where those in need of healing seek her out, even as they spread rumors about her supposed cruelty and wicked spells. But when her old friend Anastasia—now the wife of the tsar, and suffering from a mysterious illness—arrives in her forest desperate for her protection, Yaga realizes the fate of all of Russia is tied to Anastasia’s. Yaga must step out of the shadows to protect the land she loves.

As she travels to Moscow, Yaga witnesses a sixteenth century Russia on the brink of chaos. Tsar Ivan—soon to become Ivan the Terrible—grows more volatile and tyrannical by the day, and Yaga believes the tsaritsa is being poisoned by an unknown enemy. But what Yaga cannot know is that Ivan is being manipulated by powers far older and more fearsome than anyone can imagine.
Olesya Salnikova Gilmore weaves a rich tapestry of mythology and Russian history, reclaiming and reinventing the infamous Baba Yaga, and brings to life a vibrant and tumultuous Russia, where old gods and new tyrants vie for power. This fierce and compelling novel draws from timeless lore to create a heroine for the modern day, fighting to save her country and those she loves while also finding her true purpose as a goddess, a witch, and a woman.
Book Links:  Amazon | B&N | iTunes | kobo | Google |
 
 

Meet the Author:

Olesya Salnikova Gilmore was born in Moscow, Russia, raised in the US, and graduated from Pepperdine University with a BA in English / political science, and from Northwestern University School of Law with a JD. She practiced litigation at a large law firm for several years before pursuing her dream of becoming an author. She is happiest writing historical fiction and fantasy inspired by Eastern European folklore. She lives in a wooded lakeside suburb of Chicago with her husband and daughter. The Witch and the Tsar is her debut novel.
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