Sisters of War

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The Story of Us had a make-over and I couldn’t be more excited! It has a new title (Sisters of War) and a brand new cover. I’m so in love with the new concept for the book, I think it suits the plot and the atmosphere of the novel perfectly. I hope you like it too!

In other news, Her Perfect Lies was in the top 50 in Kindle store on Amazon US and number 1 in all its categories this month! It’s a first for me and I’m so grateful to the lovely team at HarperCollins UK who made this possible and to all my wonderful readers who downloaded the book. Thank you!

SBS Radio

Posted on by lanakort

I had a fantastic time on SBS radio, talking books, publishing, my writing process and inspiration, and what it’s like for new authors out there. Thank you SBS Australia for inviting me!

My journey to publication was a long and difficult one. When I finished my first book, I thought all the hard work was behind me. Little did I know, the hardest part was still to come. If you speak Russian, you can listen to my story here.

Cover Reveal for Her Perfect Lies

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My second novel is going to be published in November and I couldn’t be more excited! I’ve been working on this book on and off for years, writing, re-writing, deleting everything and starting from scratch. Over the years it’s changed titles, main characters and even genres. It started as a short story, hurriedly scribbled on a boarding pass during a holiday in Grenoble and later appearing in Spark anthology. A couple of years later it became a romance novel and then a romantic suspense novel. Finally, it transformed into a psychological thriller.

This book is dark, sinister, and scared me at times as I was writing it. Because it’s a departure from my usual genre of historical fiction, it will be released under a different pen name.

Thank you HQ Digital and HarperCollins UK for making my dream come true and for this fantastic cover.

She can’t trust anyone. Even herself…

When Claire Wright wakes in hospital, she doesn’t recognise the person staring back at her in the mirror. She’s told that she has the perfect life: she’s beautiful, famous, with a husband and a house to die for.

But Claire can’t remember anything from before the devastating car crash that’s left her injured. And now she’s surrounded by strangers, saying they’re her family and friends.

As Claire discovers the person she used to be she must also unravel the mystery that surrounds the accident. But the more Claire uncovers, the more she will be forced to face up to the dark secrets from her life before…

What readers are saying about Her Perfect Lies:

‘Awesome psychological thriller with edge of your seat suspense. If you’re planning to read only one psychological thriller this year then make it Her Perfect Lies!’

‘Unpredictable and full of suspense, this engrossed me from page one.’‘Suspenseful and full of mystery!’

‘WOW! I didn’t see that coming! So many twists and turns; I couldn’t put the book down!’‘An entertaining and gripping book that kept me on the edge till the end.’

‘Loads of mystery, twists and turns and filled with suspense!’

‘This book caught hold of me and had me hooked from the start. I was literally on the edge of my seat reading this book!’

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For more buying options, view on Harper Collins Website

Historical Novel Society and The Story of Us

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I am thrilled to be featured in Historical Novel Society Magazine’s New Voices column this month, and in such wonderful company.

I attended a writing conference organised by the Historical Novel Society in London in 2014 and it was absolutely fantastic. I got to pitch an early draft of The Story of Us to two amazing agents and received personal and insightful feedback. I also enjoyed meeting some of my favourite authors and hearing about their writing process. I still remember Conn Iggulden’s keynote speech, which inspired not only my writing but also my quest for publication. Knowing that others had faced rejection and still made it to the top was incredibly encouraging. Every time another rejection letter landed in my inbox and I wanted to give up, I thought of Conn’s words and kept going. Now that The Story of Us is finally out there for readers to enjoy and I’m working on my next two books, I’m so glad I never stopped trying. Thank you so much Historical Novel Society for this wonderful experience and for featuring me in your column!

Cover Reveal for The Story of Us

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I absolutely love the cover for The Story of Us, with its haunting images of Kreshchatyk and Pechersk Lavra under the Nazi occupation! With only two months to go until publication, I am getting super excited. I can’t wait to see this book out there and to share it with all of you!

Watching the Red Army withdraw from Ukraine in the face of Hitler’s relentless advance, Natasha Smirnova realises her life is about to change forever.

As Kiev is cast under the dark cloud of occupation, Natasha falls in love with Mark, a Hungarian soldier, enlisted against all his principles on the side of the Nazis.

But as Natasha fights to protect the friends and family she holds dear she must face up to the dark horrors of war and the pain of betrayal. Will the love she and Mark share be strong enough to overcome the forces which threaten to tear them apart?

The Story of Us is a powerful tale of love, loss, and the power of hope set in Kiev during the Second World War, perfect for fans of Kate Furnivall, Pam Jenoff, and V. S. Alexander.

The story of Natasha and her family is very close to my heart. Like most Russians, I grew up hearing about the war from my grandparents. These stories are in our blood, like our love for Pushkin and our penchant for drinking tea with every meal. My grandparents were too young to fight in the war but old enough to remember the hunger and the fear for everyone they loved, especially their fathers, far away at the Eastern front and inching their way towards Berlin.

The Kindle edition will be published in December and the paperback a couple of months later. The Story of Us is available for pre-order at all the online retailers.

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For more buying options,  view on Harper Collins Website

Savaged Lands is acquired by HQ Digital/HarperCollins

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I have amazing news! My first novel, Savaged Lands, has a new home. It has been acquired by HQ Digital, an imprint of HarperCollins, who publish many of my favourite authors. The book will have a different title (The Story of Us), a brand new cover, and will be available in December. I’m thrilled to be joining HQ Digital family and can’t wait to share the new edition with all of you!

On This Day in Napoleonic History – 21 January 1793

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Louis XVI is executed by guillotine at the Place de la Révolution in Paris

The king’s execution marked the turning point of the French Revolution. On hearing about Louis’s death, Napoleon said, ‘Oh, the wretches. The poor wretches. They will go through anarchy.’

Napoleon saw the king’s execution, followed in October by Marie-Antoinette’s, as a tactical error. ‘Had the French been more moderate and not put Louis to death,’ he later said, ‘all Europe would have been revolutionised.’ As it was, the king’s death would propel all major European powers to start arming against France.

On This Day in Napoleonic History – 15 January 1801

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Armistice of Treviso

General Guillaume Brune took it upon himself to conclude the armistice at Treviso between French and Austrian armies that forced Emperor Francis to give up Peschiera, Verona, Legnago, Ancona and Ferrara. He retained Mantua, however, and that was one fortress the First Consul really wanted.

Napoleon, who was furious with Brune, declared that he would immediately resume hostilities unless Mantua was given up. ‘I ordered Brune to immediately break this armistice and push forward, at least till he obtained the cessation of Mantua,’ remembered Napoleon.

The Austrians had no choice but to agree and a few days later Treaty of Lunéville was signed, putting an end to the Wars of the Second Coalition.

On This Day in Napoleonic History – 14 January 1806

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Marriage of Eugène de Beauharnais and Princess Augusta of Bavaria

It was another example of a marriage arranged by Napoleon, despite the fact that Princess Augusta was engaged to the Grand Duke of Baden at the time, and Eugène was in love with someone else. To convince his step-son to marry the Bavarian princess, Napoleon sent him a cup with her picture on it, assuring him that she was much better looking in real life.

When the Princess became pregnant, Napoleon half-joked, ‘Make sure you don’t give us a girl,’ suggesting she drank a little bit of undiluted wine every day as a way to avoid such an unfortunate circumstance. When in March 1807 she gave birth to a daughter, Napoleon ordered to call the child Josephine. In his congratulatory letter to Eugène, he said, ‘All that now remains for you to do is to make sure that next year you have a boy.’ They would have another girl.

On This Day in Napoleonic History – 11 January 1814

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The treachery of Joachim Murat

Joachim Murat, whom Napoleon had placed on the throne of Naples in 1808, promised in a treaty with Austria to lead 30,000 men against Eugène de Beauharnais in order to drive French out of Italy. In return for his betrayal of Napoleon, Austria guaranteed the security of Murat’s throne of Naples for himself and his heirs.

Although Murat’s actions didn’t come as a surprise to Napoleon, the betrayal hurt, not least because Murat was married to Napoleon’s sister Caroline, who encouraged his treaty with Austria. Napoleon called the conduct of his sister and her husband ‘an insult and fearful ingratitude’, adding, ‘he’s very intelligent but he’d have to be blind to imagine that he can stay there whilst I’m gone or when I’ve triumphed over all this.’

And yet, Napoleon didn’t lose hope that Murat would come to his senses. During the 1814 campaign, Napoleon wrote to Eugene: ‘Should Fortune continue to favour us, we might be able to preserve Italy. The King of Naples might change sides again.’ Napoleon was right on both accounts – during the Hundred Days in 1815 Murat would try, unsuccessfully, to join Napoleon’s side. Nor did he keep his throne for long – within two years he would be executed by the Neapolitan firing squad.