Katiaesque

  • Jonathan Evison: “What More Can You Ask of Anybody?”

    I am so pleased and excited to give you Jonathan Evison, another fabulous author. His novel for   adults “All About Lulu” (Soft Skull Press, 2008) spans the 1970s-1990s, delves into dreams, love, obsession, growing up and family. The  book is impossible to put down, and once you reluctantly close its covers, the characters will keep haunting you.        (Also,…

    Katia Raina

  • A Question and a Giveaway: How Old Are You?

    No. I am not asking how many years ago you made your appearance on this planet. I want to know, how old is your soul?  When I sat down for an amazing chat with author Nan Marino last week, we talked about what audiences we like to write for. Her favorite readers are “MG” or middle-graders. She relates to 11-year-olds…

    Katia Raina

  • 5 Reasons why I love writing historical fiction

      1. The stuff won’t ever get dated. It’s already dated — it’s history!    2. A ready-made colorful, rich setting, ready to use. (Okay, so I am making it sound too easy. Research is hard work!) 3. The fun you can have with the language, some expressions that had been used, slang, etc. 4. I…

    Katia Raina

  • Revising . . .

    When I was going through one of my many-many Castle of Concrete drafts, a little writing book by Heather Sellers called “Chapter After Chapter” helped me make it through when I was starting to doubt if I would ever get there – and by “there” I mean “anywhere.” I love Heather’s view of revision as not…

    Katia Raina

  • 2010: an old-fashioned Russian year

    Whenever you people think of Russia, you probably conjure up images of fur-coats, snow mounds and circus bears wearing warm floppy hats . . . 🙂 In reality, Russia does have other seasons, you know 🙂 I would even argue that the autumn, the summer, and especially the spring stand out even brighter, even more sharply defined, in contrast to the long, snowy winter.  …

    Katia Raina

  • Venus Williams And I Have Something In Common

    Venus Williams rocked last night. I watched her at the Madison Square Garden, my first tennis match ever, in a sort of a corporate date with hubby (his business friends invited us). I am not a sports person, I barely understand it, follow, or care. Yet, last night, I held my breath. I could not look away, especially…

    Katia Raina

  • To enter the enchanted woods . . .

    Picture me entering a dense wood, the dark forest of Russian fairytales. Over on the right, Baba Yaga witch’s house is walking around on chicken legs. On the left, an enormous oak tree might be hiding a beautiful singing Princess Bird among its thick branches. I often find myself in this choosing place in my…

    Katia Raina

  • Snow day

    Who doesn’t love the feeling of waking up in the morning, looking outside the window and finding the world swaddled in white? It’s always a surprise, even with all the Extreme Weather warnings the night before. Having grown up in Russia – and having spent my early childhood in Siberia – I am at home in this weather.…

    Katia Raina

  • A year in my writing life: things I am thankful for

    I love lists – another great American invention! (Okay, the truth is, I don’t know where those really originated, but the idea seems so very American). So here is my list of three new things to be thankful for this year – a year in my writing life: 1. A year of setbacks: It was…

    Katia Raina