The Tsar’s Locket by Ken Czech


Publisher:  Fireship Press (April 30, 2020)
Category: Action/Adventure, Historical Romance, and Historical Thriller
Tour dates: Sept 30-Nov 25, 2020
ISBN: 978-1611792775
Available in Print and ebook, 303 pages

Description Tsar’s Locket by Ken Czech

When Duty, Honor, and Love Collide

Julian Blunt, a former sea captain and a despised Catholic, is stunned when Queen Elizabeth proposes that he help carry a betrothal locket to Tsar Ivan the Terrible in Moscow. It means an alliance between England and Russia is brewing, and the queen warns that should the locket fall into the hands of the Pope or his minions, it could mean war.

Julian joins the queen’s messenger, the lofty and spirited Jessandra Calcross, in a perilous voyage across the Baltic Sea and into the very heart of Russia. When a papal assassin determined to prevent the royal marriage strikes, Jess turns to Julian as the only man she can trust. Although at odds over religion and station, a slender emotional bond grows. Stalked by the relentless murderer, Julian is soon torn between abandoning his mission so he can better safeguard Jess, and fulfilling his vow to the queen. If he fails the queen he’ll never captain a ship again. But if he and Jess continue on to Moscow, they face a darker peril in the mercurial and sinister Tsar Ivan–a peril that will drive courage and dawning love to the breaking point.

Praise Tsar’s Locket by Ken Czech

“The vivid descriptions of the European cities, including Moscow and the Tsar’s palace, transport us to that era. An exciting and informative novel. Highly recommended.”–Waheed Rabbani, Historical Novel Society

“There were twists and turns throughout, but the climactic twist at the end really caught me off guard. If you love a really good story with action, suspense and romance, then I recommend this novel.” —Lesley Jones for Reades’ Favorite

“The historical backdrop to the tale is … fleshed out with gorgeous details and cinematic style descriptive work, enabling author Ken Czech to show off some real knowledge and a true sense of atmosphere about the period. Add to this the real excitement of a perilous journey across the sea, well-developed villains, a political versus religious thematic arc and some authentic yet accessible dialogue, and you have a truly excellent novel that readers will simply devour.” —K. C. Finn, author of the Caecilius Rex series

“I enjoyed the setting, the play-by-play of action, and the chemistry between Jess and Julian was off the charts. This is an astonishing story that had me hooked from the beginning …” —Rabia Tanveer for Readers’ Favorite

Interview Tsar’s Locket by Ken Czech

Hi Ken, thanks for agreeing to this interview. 

TR: Please tell us something about ‘The Tsar’s Locket’ that is not in the summary.  (About the book, character you particularly enjoyed writing etc.)

KC: I thoroughly enjoyed creating my vision of Moscow at the time of Tsar Ivan the Terrible. Many of the original palaces and churches in the Kremlin still exist, so I tried to incorporate as much physical detail as possible without being too pedantic.

TR: What is your favorite scene in the book? Why?

KC: Near the end of the book is a scene in which Julian Blunt and Jess Calcross, my main characters, are invited to a feast given by Tsar Ivan the Terrible. The feasting is dark, brooding, and gluttonous, filled with tension and impending doom. For me, this scene epitomizes the danger Julian and Jess face at the court of the tsar.

TR: How completely do you develop your characters before beginning to write?

KC: I try to paint a physical picture of my main characters first. I’ve found it easier to develop their mentality, their fears and foibles, their courage and sense of adventure after I know what they look like. Character development continues throughout as failure leads to eventual success and the characters grow (we hope!).

TR: How long did it take you to write this book from concept to fruition? Also, how intensive was your research into the real history?

KC: It took me about a year to complete The Tsar’s Locket. I had a general idea as to which direction my story would go and how the characters would interact. Then came the fleshing out as the plot progressed. The research component was rather extensive. I had to delve into details of the Elizabethan era, sailing a ship of the time, investigating the Livonian War (about which very little appears in print in English), and recreating the Moscow of Ivan the Terrible.

TR: How did you come across the real history that inspired you to write ‘The Tsar’s Locket’?

KC: As a history professor, I had known about Tsar Ivan’s desire to wed an English bride for commercial and military reasons. There was so much religious strife going on in Europe at the time that I reckoned what the dangers might be if a betrothal locket had actually been delivered.

TR: Tell us about your cover. Did you design it yourself?

KC: I was able to find the image of an Elizabethan-era locket at an auction site on the Internet. I tied the locket image to the image of St. Basil’s Cathedral, perhaps the most iconic building in all of Russia. Fireship Press, my publisher, refined the layout, created the titles, and presto—we had a cover.

TR: What writers have you drawn inspiration from?

KC: I’m a bit old-fashioned. Some of my favorite writers have long since passed away, including Andre Norton, Edgar Rice Burroughs, and Robert E. Howard. Among modern authors, the writings of Bernard Cornwell, Ben Kane, and Conn Iggulden have really captured my attention.

TR:  Describe the room you are sitting in as though it was a scene in one of your books.
– What words do you use over and over that drive your editor crazy?
– Which character do you love to hate?
– Using the title of your book as an acrostic, describe your work or yourself.
– Using only adverbs, describe the writing process for you.
– You are sitting in a coffee shop. What does your writer mind see?

KC: Wow! My writing room: The shelves are crammed with books, mostly old, some beautifully bound in leather or vellum. There are common themes among them including travel, exploration, and sport. The artwork filling the walls reflects those themes: here, a 19th-century chromolithograph of a pheasant, and by the window overlooking an abandoned granite quarry, an exotic papier mâché celebration mask given by Tibetan students once upon a time. My computer screen stares at me from my desk; I try to keep its glass face filled with words. A black chair rides on gray carpet, the latter wearing down a bit. Papers and notebooks abound.

In my first book, I used ‘he muttered’ about thirty times. Since then, I really watch dialog tags.

It was easy to hate Tsar Ivan the Terrible, a monster capable of truly horrific deeds. I had a wealth of research material to call upon in creating my version of the tsar, but what struck me was how unpredictable he was.

Acrostic: The – Tenacious

               Tsar’s – Thorough

               Locket – Learned

Adverbs: regularly, frequently, powerfully, elegantly, voraciously, keenly, avidly, descriptively, scholarly, thoroughly, tenaciously

The coffee shop, no, my easy chair, yes. I look out the window and see the changing seasons, the panoply of colors, the rigors of winter, the visits of birds, the sunsets. The natural world plays a large part in all of my books. 

TR: If you could be somebody else for a day who would you choose and why?

KC: Strangely, perhaps, president of the U.S. for a day. It would be a day to exercise common sense, choose decency toward all, and utilize my seventy years of life experiences from the real world.

TR: What do you do when you are not writing?

KC: I have been an antiquarian bookseller for several decades and continue to collect and sell books in my fields of interest. My wife and I also enjoy the outdoors, our time with grandkids, and peace and quiet.

TR: What book/s are you reading at present?

KC: I’m reading and enjoying Bernard Cornwell’s Fools And Mortals, a Shakespearean drama so different from his popular Napoleonic and Saxon England novels.

TR: When did you first have a desire to write?  How did this desire manifest itself?

KC: I think I first thought about writing after reading several of Edgar Rice Burroughs’s adventure novels when I was a kid. I recall writing pastiches of his works, trying to emulate his style. I had several science fiction stories published many years ago, but then academia and academic research and writing took over. After I retired from the classroom, I started writing historical fiction and love every moment (or word) of it.

TR: What are you currently working on?

KC: Continuing my Russian saga, my new novel takes place in 16th century Siberia. An army of Cossacks invades the vast, unknown region in search of furs, land, and wealth. My protagonist is a young woman rejected by her Samoyed clan because she is a half-blood Russian. She is determined to halt the Cossack incursion. Yes, the invasion really happened. 

TR:  This is your third novel. What have you learned about the writing process from first to third?

KC: I think I’ve learned to create story arcs that are not only plausible but entertaining. In The Tsar’s Locket, I had to weave story arcs on the religious and political situations of the time that enhanced the experiences of my main characters.

About Ken Czech

History has been his passion since award winning author, Ken Czech was a wee lad. After retiring from a career of teaching history at both secondary and higher education levels, He turned that passion to writing historical novels. His stories combine fiction with actual events and actors taken from the past.  He lives with his wife Mary on an abandoned granite quarry in Minnesota where they enjoy the wildlife and the changing seasons. That’s where his writing happens.

His latest book THE TSAR’S LOCKET has received Five Stars from Reader’s Favorite. His previous novels BEYOND THE RIVER OF SHAME and LAST DANCE IN KABUL have also received very favorable reviews.

Website: https://www.kennethczech.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100019397558582

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