He carries a dangerous secret, but can he survive long enough to expose it?
Count Dimitri Sokolov has been charged with overseeing construction of the legendary Trans-Siberian Railway, but during this work, he witnesses an appalling crime, the truth of which threatens the Russian monarchy. In an effort to silence him, the czar has stripped Dimitri of his title, his lands, and his freedom . . . but Dimitri has one asset the czar knows nothing about: his deep and abiding friendship with Natalia Blackstone.
Natalia is the lead analyst for her father's New York banking empire and manages their investment in the Trans-Siberian Railway. Her bond with Dimitri has flourished despite the miles between them, but when Dimitri goes unexpectedly missing, she sets the wheels in motion to find him. Once they join forces, they embark on a dangerous quest in which one wrong move could destroy them both.
From the steppes of Russia to the corridors of power in Washington, Dimitri and Natalia will fight against all odds to save the railroad while exposing the truth. Can their newfound love survive the ordeal?
Natalia is the lead analyst for her father's New York banking empire and manages their investment in the Trans-Siberian Railway. Her bond with Dimitri has flourished despite the miles between them, but when Dimitri goes unexpectedly missing, she sets the wheels in motion to find him. Once they join forces, they embark on a dangerous quest in which one wrong move could destroy them both.
From the steppes of Russia to the corridors of power in Washington, Dimitri and Natalia will fight against all odds to save the railroad while exposing the truth. Can their newfound love survive the ordeal?
ISBN-13: 978-0764238444
Hero Interview
(Count Dimitri Sokolov from Saint Petersburg, Russia)
What are your greatest strengths and flaws?
My greatest strength is my ability to endure, which is a good thing since I have been suffering for the past four years while stuck in the middle of this desolate, strangely beautiful Siberian wilderness. I have been charged with overseeing the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway, and I confess it is a lonely job. Most of the workers are convicts who resent me or imported laborers whose language I don’t speak. My only companion is the woman who manages the railway’s finances who I’ve never met, but whose telegrams have provided a glimpse of sunlight in my otherwise barren world. Isn’t that odd?
My greatest strength is my ability to endure, which is a good thing since I have been suffering for the past four years while stuck in the middle of this desolate, strangely beautiful Siberian wilderness. I have been charged with overseeing the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway, and I confess it is a lonely job. Most of the workers are convicts who resent me or imported laborers whose language I don’t speak. My only companion is the woman who manages the railway’s finances who I’ve never met, but whose telegrams have provided a glimpse of sunlight in my otherwise barren world. Isn’t that odd?
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My greatest flaw? Well, Natalia would say it is that I am a hypochondriac. Or that I complain too much. Or that I fatalistically wallow in grief and secretly enjoy my suffering. First of all, while these are perhaps true, they are also very common traits among Russians. Of course I have illnesses and torments. Wouldn’t anyone if they were stationed in the middle of nowhere with only telegrams from New York to keep you company?
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What do you like most about Natalia, and what drives you crazy about her?
The answer to both questions is that she is a New Yorker. She thinks like an American. She is brisk, efficient, and sometimes blunt to the point of shocking. She always knows the latest novels and symphonies, and I love arguing with her about them because she is usually wrong. She is convinced that all novels should have a happy ending. What sort of novel deprives the hero a chance to prove his loyalty by dying for a heroic cause? Well, that’s Natalia’s sunny optimism for you.
Now…. as to the city of New York. I don’t like it. I traveled literally from the other side of the world to meet Natalia and see New York, but please… the buildings are too big and on plots that are too small. A man can’t breathe in New York, and claustrophobia is not a comfortable condition. I have been trying my hardest to convince Natalia to come with me to Russia, where we can live and celebrate beneath the wild Russian skies.
The answer to both questions is that she is a New Yorker. She thinks like an American. She is brisk, efficient, and sometimes blunt to the point of shocking. She always knows the latest novels and symphonies, and I love arguing with her about them because she is usually wrong. She is convinced that all novels should have a happy ending. What sort of novel deprives the hero a chance to prove his loyalty by dying for a heroic cause? Well, that’s Natalia’s sunny optimism for you.
Now…. as to the city of New York. I don’t like it. I traveled literally from the other side of the world to meet Natalia and see New York, but please… the buildings are too big and on plots that are too small. A man can’t breathe in New York, and claustrophobia is not a comfortable condition. I have been trying my hardest to convince Natalia to come with me to Russia, where we can live and celebrate beneath the wild Russian skies.
Heroine Interview
(Natalia Blackstone of New York City)
What is the one thing you can’t do without?
There’s nothing I can’t do without. I’ve had a lot of disappointments in my life, but I find that if you shift attitudes and adjust your sails, you can learn to seek out new horizons.
There’s nothing I can’t do without. I’ve had a lot of disappointments in my life, but I find that if you shift attitudes and adjust your sails, you can learn to seek out new horizons.
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That being said…I have recently suffered the loss of my best friend, Dimitri Sokolov. He seems to have vanished somewhere in Russia, and I’m trying to track him down. For the past four years his letters to me have been the lifeline that keeps me grounded, that inspires me to try harder, to laugh when I want to cry. When I see the world through Dimitri’s overly dramatic eyes, everything is a little more fun and splendid. I fear something terrible has happened to him, and I won’t stop searching until I find him.
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What do you like most about Dimitri, and what drives you crazy about him?
I love that Dimitri has the soul of a poet and the heart of a lion. Nothing will stop him once he sets his mind on a task, and its rather charming.
As for what drives me crazy: Dimitri is a shameless hypochondriac. I know he’s been through a lot, but when he gets a hang-nail he comes pounding on my door and demands that I tend it lest he catch blood poisoning. I don’t mind. The suffering Dimitri has endured over the past few years would have killed most men, so I love pampering him.
I love that Dimitri has the soul of a poet and the heart of a lion. Nothing will stop him once he sets his mind on a task, and its rather charming.
As for what drives me crazy: Dimitri is a shameless hypochondriac. I know he’s been through a lot, but when he gets a hang-nail he comes pounding on my door and demands that I tend it lest he catch blood poisoning. I don’t mind. The suffering Dimitri has endured over the past few years would have killed most men, so I love pampering him.
Elizabeth Camden
Please share something that has been on your mind as an author:
The last couple of years have been hard on most of us, but I’ve always thought our best memories are born during our greatest trials. They become happy only in hindsight. Maybe ‘happy’ isn’t the right word. Proud? Grateful? Maybe all these things.
Written on the Wind is about grueling trials for both Dimitri and Natalia, and yet, the overall tone of the novel is joyous. They’re proud of the work they’re doing, even though it is alternately terrifying, physically dangerous, and their fate is uncertain. I hope readers will enjoy the wild, exhilarating romance as much as I had writing it. I hope it might inspire them to put their own challenges into perspective, and learn to be proud about the way they handle them.
The last couple of years have been hard on most of us, but I’ve always thought our best memories are born during our greatest trials. They become happy only in hindsight. Maybe ‘happy’ isn’t the right word. Proud? Grateful? Maybe all these things.
Written on the Wind is about grueling trials for both Dimitri and Natalia, and yet, the overall tone of the novel is joyous. They’re proud of the work they’re doing, even though it is alternately terrifying, physically dangerous, and their fate is uncertain. I hope readers will enjoy the wild, exhilarating romance as much as I had writing it. I hope it might inspire them to put their own challenges into perspective, and learn to be proud about the way they handle them.
It's Time For A Giveaway!
Elizabeth Camden is generously giving away winner's choice of
a print copy of Carved In Stone or Written On The Wind**
(USA ONLY)
a print copy of Carved In Stone or Written On The Wind**
(USA ONLY)
**Written On The Wind will not be shipped until after release in May.
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