A Winter Gathering is a collection of historical fiction short stories focusing on the duality of human nature, showing readers the depth of good and evil that resides among us. What was the inspiration for this collection of short stories?

I reject the idea that there are absolutes in human behavior and instead believe that a person’s surroundings and life experiences shape who they are. I therefore make it a point to probe deeper and attempt to illuminate the motivations behind people’s actions. In both my writing and actual life, I do that. When I published my first novel, “Winter Pale”, I noticed in posts, reviews, etc., that several characters were being misinterpreted. So I began writing brief snippets of their narratives, and that gradually expanded, as more ‘small’ characters from “Winter Pale” surfaced with a desire to share their stories.

What draws you to the WWII time period and makes it so appealing for you to write your collection in this period?

Ever since I was a teenager and began reading classic literature, I have been captivated by stories that take place in a set of war. From “War and Peace” to “For whom the bell tolls”, and from “Gone with the Wind” to “All Quiet on the western front”, I saw how conflict impacted people’s otherwise typical lives and their rather common desires for love, happiness, acceptance or power. WWII is the period of such massive conflict closest to my generation, so it is something I can relate to, and there are many historical sources from which to gather information, but there are also quite a few oversimplified and clichéd interpretations for why this war happened and what was ‘good’ and ‘evil’ about it. For a writer like me, it is literally like a jar of honey. Anything from alternate history to romance, military action, espionage, resistance, even fantasy and science fiction, can be written about WWII. It’s a huge chapter in history.

What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?

Most of my works, including this collection, are centered around two main concepts. First of all, that there is rarely just black or white in what people do. For anyone who cares to look a little deeper, there will always be an explanation for one’s attitudes and behaviour. That doesn’t mean, of course, that evil is acceptable, only that it can be understood. When we understand something, perhaps there is a way to prevent it from happening again. Secondly, that it is universal human nature to desire love, acceptance, recognition, and the freedom to develop to the fullest extent possible. Understanding this basic idea helps tolerate others who are different from us. And greater tolerance means less conflict.

Will there be more books in this series? If so, when will it be available?

“A winter gathering” is already Book 3 in the ‘Winter Pale’ series. The first book is “Winter Pale”, a full length novel set in occupied Paris, about a young British woman’s struggle for strength, love and acceptance through her conflicting relationship with a French Resistance fighter and a German SS-major. The second book, “A sad Chopin waltz”, is a short story where Winter illustrates the healing power of music and friendship by recounting the tragic story of Louis, the pianist of ‘The Golden Doe’ club, and one of my favourite minor characters in “Winter Pale”. Book 4 of the “Winter Pale” series is currently on the works. It will transport the protagonist to post-World War II Berlin to settle some old scores with Erhard Blut, the former Gestapo interrogator, and Karl Freier, the SS-major’s childhood friend, both of whom have played an important role in “Winter Pale”. We’ve also been able to glimpse into critical moments of these characters’ past in “A winter gathering”, and even more revelations will come in the next book. It should be expected no sooner than the end of this year or even early next, as there is a great deal of “homework” to be done on the historical accuracy of this story’s background—something to which I am fully committed. Finally, since Louis has grown to be so close to my heart, there will undoubtedly be more on his heartbreaking and thrilling tale of bravery, love, and hope in the future.

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