The Dream Lives On follows a man fleeing with his children and mother from Ukraine to the US to seek refuge, who falls in love with a successful woman searching for meaning in her life. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

When the war began in Ukraine, it came as a tremendous shock for me. I moved to the United States from Ukraine back in 2005, but I still feel a very strong connection to my home country. I used to visit Ukraine every year. Many of my friends and relatives still live in Kyiv and I am in touch with them regularly. I was completely devastated and extremely worried about everyone when the war started. Unfortunately, the situation has not improved since the war began. Ukrainian residents still suffer from missile and drone attacks daily-just last night there was a deadly air attack that injured and killed people, as well as damaged some buildings. This is a nightmare with which we are forced to live since 2022.

Given all this background, it was only natural for me to start writing a fiction novel that takes place during the first months of the war. This is what was on my mind the whole time.

While all the characters of the novel are fictional, the events are not. As the Russian army started approaching, Ukrainians needed to make a choice of either staying or leaving Ukraine. This was not an easy choice…The characters in my novel took different routes and outcomes were quite different. Not everyone survived, unfortunately. You’ll need to read the book to know how things worked out for them.

As to the romance between the main characters, Viktor and Teresa, I wasn’t originally planning on that. But this idea came to my mind as I was progressing through the book. I thought that both Viktor and Teresa were wonderful people who faced a lot of adversity (for very different reasons). They deserved to find their happiness in the end. And happiness for me means being with a person who loves you, respects you, and truly understands you. It does not involve money, power, or other similar things.

What are some things that you find interesting about the human condition that you think make for great fiction?

For me, the most interesting ones are growth and development. Throughout their lives, people have new experiences, they learn, they adapt, they evolve and hopefully become better people in the end. In my current novel, characters learn to live in completely new circumstances. Their world essentially comes crashing down, but they remain true to their values. They help each other and build a new future. It might be quite different from the one they expected originally, but they learn to live in it. The most important thing in life is staying true to your values, no matter what happens.

What was one scene in the novel that you felt captured the morals and message you were trying to deliver to readers?

There are multiple scenes in my novel which capture the essence of war and tremendous hardships faced by civilians, especially small children. I tried to watch as many documentaries as possible to give an accurate account of what happened. Some of the most critical scenes are those that depict the damp bomb shelter in which adults, children and their pets gather; the Yurchenko family’s miraculous escape from the town of Irpin under the Russian missiles, and the crowded train platform where thousands of frightened people wait for a scarce train to Warsaw.

What is the next book that you’re working on, and when can your fans expect it?

I have two books in the works.

One of them is the sequel to The Dream Lives On, which would complete the trilogy. There are still some unanswered questions remaining. First, we still need to know why Solomon left his home country of Tanzania and moved to Ukraine. What prompted him? Did something bad happen to him back home? We also need to know what happened to Solomon’s sister, Gloria. Does she still live in Tanzania, or did she move away? What did her life turn out like? I know some answers already, but not all, so more work remains to be done.

The second book I’m writing is a novel inspired by the expat life in Uzbekistan. For the last two years, I’ve been living in Uzbekistan together with my family due to my job (I work in international development). I never imagined in my wildest dreams that I would be living in Central Asia, but sometimes life takes you to the most unexpected places. I must say it’s been a very interesting experience which I would very much like to reflect in a new fiction novel. I already have a few chapters written and I hope to finish the book before I leave my posting in Uzbekistan.

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