24 February, 2023 is the first anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Not the first anniversary of the current war. It began in 2014, when Russia seized the Crimean peninsula, and poured money, equipment, uniforms and leadership into “separatist” movements in the Donbas. But the full-scale invasion that began one year ago has had […]
Daniele Bolelli talks history on fire on the Eastern Front In the latest episode of my podcast, Beyond Barbarossa, I’m joined by the man with the most famous Italian accent in the entire podiverse. He’s a writer, a university professor and a martial artist. That’s right, I’m talking about the one and only Daniele Bolelli, […]
I mean, just look at it. Pure, clean snow. Covering everything. For at least a short time, hiding all our sins and failings. Not just visually. Walking in fresh-fallen and still falling snow is quiet. The only sounds are the susurration of the wind and the slight squeak or crunch of my boots on […]
January 7 is, I learned when growing up in Winnipeg, “Ukrainian Christmas.” As a boy, I just accepted that Ukrainian people celebrated Christmas on a different day than my family did. At one point, I was taught that Ukrainian people observe Christmas Eve as the day the Three Magi arrived in Bethlehem to worship the […]
It’s something you just cannot avoid or escape. It’s everywhere, and no matter how much you struggle against it, eventually you have to give in. Here it is, New Year’s Day, 2023. So I have to tell you my resolutions. Or plans. So here we go. The podcast As you know, I launched Beyond Barbarossa, […]
Best wishes to all for healthy, loving holidays and a new year that makes your dreams come true.
Author, IT specialist and peripatetic This is a very special post: a conversation with Ivan Baidak, author of Invisible and five other books. Invisible has recently been published in English by Canadian publisher Guernica Editions of Hamilton, Ontario. I met Ivan five years ago on a trip to California for a writer’s conference in Russian […]
As winter teases us here in Ottawa, snowing and freezing and then treating us to warm sunshine, followed by freezing rain, I think of the looming winter in Ukraine. People there facing sub-zero temperatures without electricity, gas, or even running water. Yet the Ukrainian people continue to defy the Russian invasion. They’re committed to resisting, […]
COVID. War. Totalitarianism. Pandemic. Climate change. Terrorism. Nuclear war. Judging from hyperbole in social media, we are out-and-out terrified of these things. Just consider the rhetoric around the use of “tactical” nuclear weapons in Ukraine. Will he? Won’t he? Should we? The job of writers of fantasy and speculative fiction is to reflect our audience’s fears back […]
It’s the first of the month, and today you can download Book One of the Eastern Front Trilogy free, along with 50 more books as I’m participating in Authors XP’s First Day promo. Get them here: https://authorsxp.com/first-day-free-books AuthorsXP.com’s FIRST DAY FREE EVENT Free books on the first day of every month! 60+ FREE BOOKS – […]