How on Earth do you create something as strange as the books about Matt and Pietr? Well, I'll try to explain. The Himiko of the title is actually a real - albeit very mysterious - object in space. I even read a headline calling it a "mysterious space blob." Yeah, sexy name, isn't it? To be a bit more scientific, it's a Lyman-Alpha blob - but this is basically all the scientists know about it. What fascinated me about this discovery is that nobody really know what the Himiko is. It might be the predecessor of today's galaxies, but it's the only one of its kind, so it's hard to tell.

Intriguing? Yes! Well, at least it was to an author with an over-imaginative brain (and all authors have one of those). I read a small note about the Himiko in the newspaper, and my brain started running wild pretty much immediately. By the way, you absolutely shouldn't blame the scientists for any of my ideas about the Himiko blob really being the aliens coming to find us; that concept is completely unfounded in science. As all good fiction is.

The other part of my inspiration is Plato's idea that we were all originally one person and then later divided into two entities - the origin of the most important concept in romance: Finding your other half. I'm very interested in the matrixes of culture, for example stories that exist in many cultures, and Plato's theory has become one of those matrixes, at least in Western culture.

Mix and dilute with an annoying alien as well as a human with an anger management problem (which, by the way, turns out to be something quite different from an anger management problem), and you have the Himiko books.

And yes, looking back on what I've just explained, I admit that authors' brains might be a little strange. But hey, that's probably a requirement of the trade.

Wow, my baby is doing well! Himiko: Warrior shot straight into top 50 in its category on Amazon - on its very first day there. I'm a very proud writer right now:)
I'm especially happy because the Himiko books were my very first project and the story that got me back to writing. I published A Russian Bear first, but I began writing Himiko one day on the train on my way home from work. I still remember very clearly the feeling of butterflies in my stomach before I wrote that first sentence, because this was writing. I knew that I wanted the story to be good, and it was a little scary, actually. Of course,  Matt and Pietr had been living in my head for so long that I had to get rid of them somehow (I guess I shouldn't tell that to anybody in the medical profession).
Well, long story short: I hope you enjoy reading Himiko: Warrior as much as I enjoyed writing it. 

And I'm so happy. To be very, very honest, I felt a little bad when I divided the story into two parts. There's nothing I hate more than reading a story and then be unable to finish it right away (no, I see nothing wrong with instant gratification).
But I assure you, it was for the best - especially for the second part which became Himiko: Warrior. I got to write about the past of the Himika, which hopefully solves some of the mysteries of the first part. And then I got to discover the secondary characters, and that was perhaps the best part of it. Sam and Jerry have a very big place in my heart at the moment - I hope you'll share my fascination with them!
You can read more here - or you can go straight to Torquere Press to buy your own copy of the conclusion of the tale of the Himika. Yep, Plato was right; there really is a better half for all of us.

Well, okay, then: everywhere you normally buy your books. In the future, Torquere will release new books on all websites at the same time. That means you'll be able to buy Himiko: Warrior at Amazon, All Romance, and Fictionwise from Wednesday - and of course you can buy it directly from Torquere, as well.

Oh, and I have a new excerpt for you! As promised:). Go here to read the official excerpt from Himiko: Warrior.
Here's a little about the book:

When the aliens arrived on Earth, it turned out that Plato was right: You really can find your other half - your soulmate. And Matt found his. Now he's got an unbreakable mental bond to his mate and some intriguing telekinetic abilities to explore. Full of excitement, Matt returns to his old life. But he's completely unprepared for the anger and rejection he encounters because of his bond with Pietr. Shunned and assaulted, Matt realizes the hard way that you can never go back. Especially not when you're bonded with the enemy.

Giving up isn't an option, though. Even though Matt's pretty sure that Pietr's the most annoying alien in history, he's also sure that his mate is more important to him than anything else. But Matt's mental strength is increasing, and Pietr can no longer hide the one secret he's been desperate to keep. Matt's world falls apart, and he's not sure if he's ever going to be able to put it back together.

But he might not have a choice. The hostility between humans and Himika is increasing, and Matt is forced to face some unwelcome truths about his own nature in order to ensure not only his own survival, but that of his fellow human beings as well.

Himiko: Warrior is the sequel to Himiko: Bonding.

That's right. You, my dear readers, have made Of Russian Myth and Lore one of Torquere's best sellers in September.
Apart from the fact that the news has made me dance a (highly undignified, but there you go) little dance out of sheer pride and happiness, this is awesome news because this story is a charity sip. That means that the It Gets Better project is getting all of the proceeds from the sale - and Torquere matches the amount.
So if you want to read more about Tom and Mischa AND support a really good cause, go here to get your copy of the story - or you can go here and pick up some of the other stories; there's more than thirty to choose from.

So, no more anniversary month or scavenger hunts or obscenely busy Real Life.
Wait.
I still have an obscenely busy Real Life.
So busy, in fact, that I looked at my schedule in late August and realized that I would probably only have a few writing days in October and then none before the middle of November. It would suck if it wasn't for the fact that the rest of my life's actually pretty interesting at the moment. Harrowing, but interesting. Still, I miss writing, and I miss Tom and Mischa (my current project).
Well, in the meantime, I have a completely unofficial excerpt from Himiko: Warrior for you. This book is far darker than the first one, and I got to explore some of the minor characters which turned out to be really interesting.
The excerpt will be replaced with the official one later this month, so this is a treat for you! And yes, those guys are hot, too:).
Go here to read about Matt and Pietr from Himiko: Warrior.