DEBUT SPOTLIGHT: Olesya Salnikova Gilmore
As a writer, you make many friendships during your journey. Some of those friendships endure through all the ups and downs, successes, and uncertain times that an author faces. Olesya and I first met on Twitter, due to a mutual interest in historical and gothic fiction. We started chatting, then soon began trading our work back and forth as beta readers (she was one of my beta readers for Parting the Veil and gave freely of her support and advice). After spending time in the query trenches, we signed with our respective agents within months of one another. Our debut book deals came soon after.
When I first read the manuscript that became Olesya’s debut novel, The Witch and the Tsar, in its very early stages, when it was simply called Yaga, I knew Olesya’s book would someday go far. And now, that day has arrived! THE WITCH AND THE TSAR launched this week, to widespread critical acclaim. I’m absolutely thrilled to present this interview with Olesya about what inspired her to create this breathtaking saga in which she reclaims the story of the mythical Russian folk witch, Baba Yaga.
THE SYNOPSIS
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 bringing to life a vibrant and tumultuous Russia, where old gods and new tyrants vie for power. This fierce and compelling novel draws from the timeless lore to create a heroine for the modern day, fighting to save her country and those she loves from oppression while also finding her true purpose as a goddess, a witch, and a woman.
"A delicate weaving of myth and history, The Witch and the Tsar breathes new life into stories you think you know."–Hannah Whitten, New York Times bestselling author of For the Wolf
The Interview
Paulette: Hi Olesya! Thanks so much for joining me during your very busy debut month! The buzz and advance praise for The Witch and the Tsar is so well-deserved. It’s been exciting to see your wonderful book make its way into the world. Can you tell us the premise of the novel and what inspired you to choose Baba Yaga as your main character?
Olesya: THE WITCH AND THE TSAR is the retelling of the maligned and immortal witch of legend known as Baba Yaga as she risks all to save her country and her people from Tsar Ivan the Terrible in 16th century Russia.
Baba Yaga was a major (sometimes, very real) presence in my childhood, which was spent in Moscow, Russia, before my family moved to the U.S. My mother would often evoke her name every time I misbehaved. Over the years, my fear of her turned into a fascination bordering on obsession. But I didn’t just want to write about the fearsome old hag from the fairy tales, frequently shown as a figure of ridicule and sexist contempt, a caricature, a joke. I was sure there was something more to her. It turned out I was right.
Many scholars believe the Baba Yaga we know is actually based on a fertility and earth goddess (or her descendent) that was worshipped by ancient pagan Slavs long ago. I instantly became interested in the concept of how a goddess was turned into a witch—and an old, ugly one at that—and wanted to reframe the story of Baba Yaga, imagining what she could have been like if she was a goddess and a human woman both, before the rumor had reduced her to a silly crone. I had found my story, to reinvent Baba Yaga into a living breathing woman, extraordinary yet relatable, multi-dimensional, and real. And I would call her simply Yaga.
Paulette: The way you went about reframing Baba Yaga for a modern audience, while staying true to the folklore and history of Medieval Russia, is so refreshing and powerful. I often find that the maligned, so-called witches in history were merely women ahead of their time, on the fringes of society—and I love to see authors reclaiming these women’s stories, whether they are mythical characters or real women who lived lives that set them apart from societal norms.
The time period in which you are writing—16th century Russia—was a very tumultuous era. If you could travel back to the time and place where The Witch and the Tsar is set, would you?
Olesya: I would love to time travel to medieval Russia; as for living there, it was very much a wild place, a bloody and dark time under Tsar Ivan the Terrible, and not very friendly to women, being male-dominated and very sexist (most women weren’t even allowed out of the house without an escort, frequently a male one!).
Paulette: Yes. Yaga certainly faces many of those challenges as a woman in a patriarchal society—which you are very honest about portraying—yet she always retains her agency and her strength, no matter her circumstances.
An epic novel of this scale is a huge undertaking. What does your writing process look like? Do you have any habits or routines that you adhere to as an author?
Olesya: I’m a total plantser (—did I get that right?)! I write character profiles and a 3-4 page synopsis, followed by a chapter-by-chapter outline that I then scrap about 100 pages in, rewrite, then go off whenever my characters want me to. Basically, all the prep materials are used only as a guide. I give myself *full* permission to allow my creativity to take the story wherever it’s going.
Paulette: As a fellow plantser, I totally understand! I like having some sense of structure, but if it’s not working, I’m not afraid to go in another direction.
Do you have any other projects in the works that you’re at liberty to talk about?
Olesya: I am thrilled to be working on my second novel with ACE/Penguin Random House, a historical gothic horror tale in the vein of A Gentleman in Moscow meets The Hacienda, in which two sisters risk all to save each other and their family from their ancestral house bent on bringing back a royal past not only dead, but dangerous to remember in post-revolutionary Moscow.
Paulette: That sounds fascinating! And those comps are spectacular. You had me at gothic horror!
Now, for my favorite question: What are you reading right now?
Olesya: Currently, I am reading Gabriella Saab’s (author of The Last Checkmate and Daughters of Victory) next project, The Safe Place by Anna Downes, and Daughters of a Dead Empire by Carolyn Tara O’Neil. I am also rereading some Russian fairy tales!
Paulette: That’s a great list. And Gabriella is such a talented author! I’m beyond excited for Daughters of Victory. (You can read my debut spotlight interview with Gabriella Saab HERE).
One last question: If you had any advice for aspiring authors, especially those who are approaching their debut year, what would it be?
Olesya: Debut year is a very emotional, up and down kind of time, and my advice is to focus on what you can control, temper your expectations, and just enjoy the ride!
Paulette: Some sound advice! Thanks again for joining me, Olesya! I cannot wait to see where the future takes both of us as writers, and many, many congratulations on your spectacular debut!
THE WITCH AND THE TSAR is now available wherever books are sold, or you can purchase from these online retailers: Bookshop, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Books-a-Million
A discussion guide for book clubs and libraries is available here.
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. You can connect with Olesya via her Website, Twitter, and Instagram.