Kiss of Frost and Flame by Ken Czech
Guest Review by Laura
'Kiss of Frost and Flame,' by Ken Czech has everything that a historical fiction reader could want in a book. Action, romance, adventure and lots of rich historical detail that fleshes out the atmosphere. I couldn't believe how immersed I became while reading this book and I want to give it five stars so that other readers can experience the same joy!
'Kiss of Frost and Flame,' starts with the heroine, Umey, on her own in the Siberia wilderness in the summer of 1581. Umey has not always been on her own. But after enduring lifelong shunning from her Samoyed people for being half Russian, she decides to set out on her own as a grown woman, to live amongst the trees in peace. Unfortunately, this is not to be, as one day, when she is hunting, Umey discovers a village that has been recently burned down, it's people slaughtered.
After narrowly escaping being killed, Umey is taken in by a group of Volgul people who nurse her back to health.
Meanwhile, in Moscow, Lieutenant Alexey Danislov wakes up after a night of drinking to find that he has been falsely accused of treason against the Tsar. Alexey is almost hanged, but saved at the last minute and given the option to go to the battlefront to fight the Tartar raiders in Siberia.
Of course, Alexey accepts and winds up being taken to the same place that Umey stumbles upon in her quest to discover who burned down the village. When the two meet, sparks fly immediately, and they strike up a hesitant friendship that is loaded with romantic tension. Caught between the war and the conspiracy at the heart of it, Umey and Alexey soon begin to realize that they are falling for each other.
But will their love last? You'll have to read the book to find out, and I highly recommend that you do!
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How Umey, the main character of Kiss of Frost and Flame, came to be.
c. Ken Czech
I have been enamored with early Russian history since I was a graduate student a lifetime ago. While researching the chain of events linked to the Cossack invasion of Siberia (sanctioned by Tsar Ivan the Terrible), I came across a primary source passage noting that the beautiful daughter of a Siberian prince had been offered as a gift to Yermak, the Cossack leader. Yermak not only refused her, he forbade her to his men. This princess was never named in the written histories and remains unknown today. Women, generally, received short shrift from the chroniclers of the time.
Umey, my main character, emerged from this mysterious Siberian woman. While definitely not a princess, she is the product of a mixed racial marriage. Abandoned by her father, rejected by her Samoyed (Nentsy) clan, and saved from death by Yermak, Umey carries a huge chip on her shoulder throughout my story,.
Umey was actually my third choice of character names. Originally, I called her Khira, but that sounded a bit too European. Because she has the blue eyes of her mother, which helps mark her as an outcast among the indigenous peoples of Siberia, she became Blue Willow. However, that name became a bit unwieldy, especially when working with dialogue. While reading an online travel magazine, I came across an article focusing on winter camping in Siberia. The young Nentsy woman who was a guide went by her Russian name, but was also called Umy in the language of her people. She revealed that the name meant kiss, and so Umey became my character's name and finds a place in the title of my book.
I was able to call upon several sources that identified various characteristics of the Samoyed culture. Although the sources focused on more modern aspects, it did not take a leap of faith to consider that nuances in traditional dress, food, religious matters, and family relationships had changed much since the 16th century. It was important that Umey wear the correct clothing and act within the social dictates of her time. As a hunter and trapper, she is adept with the bow and arrow, tools and training that I tried to describe as accurately as possible. She is an animist and calls upon her deity for guidance. She is a loner, but comes to lead the resistance against the Cossacks.
As I've mentioned, Umey carries that chip on her shoulder. Generally snubbed by other indigenous folk, she is only tolerated by the Cossacks, some of whom view her simply as a sexual object. She carries deep doubts that she will ever be chosen as a mate. Likewise, her naivete′ in the ways of the greater world leads to an infatuation with the Cossack soldier Alexey (who hardly seems to notice her). That relationship is quickly crushed when she experiences the violence visited upon the tribal peoples by Yermak and his band. Her latent anger explodes and she becomes the enemy of all of the invaders, Alexey and Yermak included. It is only later that she realizes that her anger toward Alexey is misplaced, and an emotional and physical bond with him slowly grows. Developing these changing emotions was the most challenging aspect of Umey's character. She is lonely and vulnerable, but also firm in her convictions and courageous to a fault.
On the lighter side, I did not have Umey's pregnancy in my first draft. I added it in my second draft to show that she had matured as a woman and a leader of the resistance. In rereading this second version, I discovered that I had her being pregnant for eleven months—a true faux pas. Umey would never have forgiven me.
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