Why Russia Is In All My Books


If you've read any of my books, you've no doubt noticed there is a connection to Russia in all of them. Perhaps you've wondered, "What's her fascination with Russia?" Well I'll tell you. It's the language. I absolutely LOVE the Russian language. I love how it sounds, I love how they express things. Some people like French, others like Spanish. I think Russian sounds like a perfect blend between the two. 

If you've read Identity, then you might have guessed, I speak and read Russian. I wouldn't say I'm fluent, but conversational. I can carry on a decent conversation and if I was stranded alone in the middle of Moscow, I could get by.

One of the advantages of speaking a language that so few in the US speak is that you can carry on a private conversation in public with little fear of anyone understanding. Funny story, I went out for a drink with one of my friends a couple nights before I was going to have surgery on my ankle that would put me out of commission for 6 weeks. (Result of a hiking injury I suffered shortly after publishing Identity. Side note: there is no way April ran through the woods with a broke ankle ... Simply no way. Haha!) Anyway, we went to a really cool martini bar that was built in an old train tunnel. It's a really neat place to sit and have a drink. There are sets of plush wing-back chairs facing each other with coffee and end tables between them so you can relax and socialize. (Fond memories of pre-covid life.) The place was packed with young 20-somethings and my friend and I were searching for an open spot for the two of us but there was none. So after looking around we spotted an older couple, maybe 60's or 70's, sitting with two empty seats across from them. We thought it might be nice to sit with them and enjoy some mature conversation so we asked if we could join them. They happily agreed and invited us to sit with them. Soon after the greetings though, they immediately began making out. Which was not exactly what my friend and I were expecting, to say the least, and it was quite awkward. We spent the majority of the evening talking about them to each other in Russian because they never came up for air. It was fun to be able to commiserate about the awkward experience without worrying about offending anyone. 

Well, now you know why I'm obsessed with Russia. There may come a day when I write a book without a Russian in it, but it's probably not likely. Ha. :)

Small Announcement
To help kick off sales on Identity outside of Amazon, I'm offering it for 50% off during the month of June at Smashwords and Google. Use coupon code YL92S for Smashwords.

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