Today I welcome Tania Romanov to World Books, a blog that features interviews with authors who’ve written a story set outside of the United States.

Tania Romanov has published One Hundred Years of Exile: A Romanov’s Search for her Father’s Russia by Travelers’ Tales which is a historic memoir set in Russia for readers interested in memoirs.

Congratulations on your recent Oct 2020 book launch!! I bought a copy and devoured it in a few readings. I’ve read over 150 books since Christmas and this one kept me engaged and turning the page. If you look like historical memoirs, One Hundred Years of Exile will not disappoint. I could not put it down!

If you don’t believe me, here are some other reviews:

“This book stirred such powerful emotions that I had to occasionally just put it down and let them sweep through me.”

—Marina Romanov, grandniece of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia

“A gripping family account, historically rigourous and ultimately moving … that couples cinematic drama with both tragedy and triumph.”

—Kirkus Reviews

What is One Hundred Years of Exile about?

One Hundred Years of Exile is the true story of one woman’s journey through 100 years of history to find peace with her father. Tania Romanov Amochaev and her father were both exiled from their homelands as infants; both knew life in refugee camps. Their shared fate does not lead to mutual understanding.

The family’s immigration to San Francisco heralded a promising new future—but while Tania just wanted to be an American, her father could not trust that this was his final asylum. His fears and his resistance to assimilation leave Tania with deep resentment toward him and her Russian heritage. Decades later, his unexpected death exposes Tania’s open wounds and a host of unanswered questions about her father and his story.

A serendipitous meeting with a last surviving member of the Russian royal family, followed by a baffling error that miraculously connects her with unknown relatives, catapults Tania on a quest for answers in her father’s homeland.

Tania’s story proves inseparable from Russia’s, featuring Cossacks who fled revolution, a family who survived Stalin, and royal exiles, culminating in a meeting between princess and peasant. One Hundred Years of Exile is a moving story of how revisiting the past can bring not only forgiveness and redemption, but something far more powerful.

The author and her family visiting the last home (in Crimea) her grand parents stayed before leaving Russia forever.

What inspired you to write One Hundred Years of Exile?

One Hundred Years of Exile is my story of reconnecting with my father and making peace with him. I never understood his fears when I was young, but writing this book led me to reconnect with him. It was an act of atonement that has led to enormous peace for me.

How are you connected to the setting of your story?

My family was exiled from Russia in 1920, and I grew up in San Francisco. But it may as well have been in the heart of old Russia. I went to Russian school, prayed in Russian churches, was a Russian Girl Scout, and had Russians as my best friends. Meanwhile, the Soviet Union overtook Russia, and Stalin killed all memories of that old life. My traveling back to Russia, I was able to reconnect those two worlds. It was a gift I will savor for the rest of my life.

What was the biggest challenge you had writing One Hundred Years of Exile? How did you overcome it?

The biggest challenge in writing the story lay in heading back to Russia to understand the country my grandparents left. I had to go to Crimea, which the US State Department told me was extremely dangerous and should be avoided at all costs. But I couldn’t wait for our countries to resolve these challenges. November 13, 2020 was exactly 100 years after my grandparents fled Russia. In the end, I sat at the abandoned old pier where their flight on a battleship initiated. It was worth everything it took to make the trip.

The author and her family in Russia

What kind of story can we expect next from you? Is it set outside of the United States? If so, where? And what is it about?

I travel around the world and write tales of the people I connect with. Covid is not leading to much travel, but you can read my stories in my book, Never a Stranger, by Tania Romanov. As Covid roared in, I was supposed to be trekking across northern Kenya supported by camels. It broke my heart to see that trip canceled, but I hope to take it next year, and share the tale.

Can you remember the first book set outside of the United States that made an impact on you? And why?

Black Lamb and Gray Falcon by Rebecca West, written in 1941, was a book I read as a young woman and will never forget. It was not just that she was walking through Yugoslavia, the homeland my mother had been forced to abandon, but that she reached out to local people and learned about their lives. I have been following her traces around the world since then.

My book about my mother’s family and their forced exiles from that same land was enriched by my travel there. The book is Mother Tongue: A Saga of Three Generations of Balkan Women.

What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

Don’t wait for the right moment, write a little bit every day. Eventually, magic will appear before your eyes. Trust me.

Tania Romanov Amochaev is the author of Mother Tongue: A Saga of Three Generations of Balkan Women and Never a Stranger, a collection of travel essays. Born in the former Yugoslavia, she fled and spent her childhood in a refugee camp in Trieste, Italy, before immigrating to the United States. A graduate of San Francisco public schools, she went on to serve as CEO of three technology companies.

You can learn more about Tania and her books by checking our her website.

Thank you, Tania Romanov for joining us at World Books!

We look forward to reading more of your stories.

Best Dog Books is a blog that features children’s books with key dog characters. Sometimes an adult dog book sneaks in but for the most part Best Dog Books aims to help kids, their parents, teachers, and librarians find appropriate books about a dog.

This title, Presidential Pets, seems like a fitting one for today, November 3, 2020: Election Day. Please make time to cast your vote. Your voice is important and it matters.

In the meantime, let’s hear what the publisher has to say about Presidential Pets:

Many of our presidents have had extraordinary pets including an alligator, tiger cubs, elephants, bald eagles, a hippo, a bear, a zebra, and a coyote. This easy reader, with photos and illustrations, will have stories about many of these animals – including the Obama’s dog, a rescued Portuguese Water Dog.

For other great books about dogs, check out 101 Best Dog Books for Kids.

For published authors and unpublished authors, check out our writing contests.

I’d like to welcome Kate Klimo back to Best Dog Books, a blog that features author interviews with those who write dog stories for kids. Her Dog Diaries series are illustrated by Tim Jessell who was interviewed recently on Dog Reads. Kate’s series is one of my personal favorites.

What is the title of your book? Pub date and publisher?

Dog Diaries #1: Ginger, January 2013, Random House Books for Young Readers

Who is your key dog character? Tell us about him/her.

Ginger is a golden retriever who faces many trials, but still manages to maintain her sense of optimism.

In 70 words or less, provide a succinct plot description of your story.

This is a memoir told by a golden retriever, dealing with her rocky beginnings in a puppy mill, her two failed attempts to find a happy home, and her days of running with a pack of a wild dogs before being rescued and finding a furever home with an eight-year-old boy.

What inspired you to write this story?

Inspiring this story were all the dogs I have ever loved, a canine cavalcade starting with my first dog, a rough collie named Pal who babysat me in my crib, going right up to my sons’ dog, George, who, in the course of defending his family, bit the insurance adjuster. Dog Diaries, the series this book launches, will feature the stories of mostly famous dogs; dogs who made their mark on history. But I wanted to dedicate the first book in the series to an Everydog, your basic run-of-the-mill pooch who wasn’t famous.

What was the biggest challenge you had writing your story? How did you overcome it?

The biggest challenge was telling the story from the dog’s point of view, which is to say, climbing into the head of a dog. I like to think that I was able to do this without giving Ginger too many humanoid thoughts or attributes. The fact is that people and dogs have been living together since the cave days and, in many ways, pets and their human companions live in each other’s heads.

What other YA/MG books have you written? Do any of them feature a key dog character? If so, which ones? What are these stories about?

I have written an early grade series called the Dragon Keepers, about two ten-year-olds who wind up being the caretakers of a dragon named Emmy. In the first book, Emmy hides from a bad guy by “masking” as a sheepdog.

I have written a YA series called the Centauriad, which has lots of horses in it, and lots of other mythical creatures, but, so far, no dogs. Hmmmm…maybe I should reconsider. (Yes, please do!!)

What kind of story can we expect next from you? Is it about a dog?

If so, what is it about? I’ve just finished writing the third and the fourth Dog Diaries, about Barry the legendary St. Bernard of the high Alps, and Togo, the Siberian husky who was the real hero of the Alaskan Serum Run. Both books were a blast to research and write.

What else would you like us to know about you or your story?

I’ve never met a Golden retriever I didn’t like.

Can you remember the first book that made an impact on you? And why?

I loved the The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe so passionately that my best friend and I spent much of our grade school years desperately trying to find a portal into Narnia.

Thank you for joining us today at Best Dog Books, Kate Klimo! Be sure to check back to read more about Kate’s other Dog Diaries books as they come out. To read about Buddy, click here.

For other great books about dogs, check out 101 Best Dog Books for Kids.

For published authors and unpublished authors, check out our writing contests.

We welcome Terry Lynn Johnson back to Best Dog Books with a second book she has written about dogsledding.

What is the title of your book? Pub date and publisher?

Ice Dogs, fall 2013, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Who is your key dog character? Tell us about him/her.

Bean is a gangly Alaskan Husky, and the main leader of the dog team. He has a special connection with Victoria, the young musher.

In 70 words or less, provide a succinct plot description of your story.

Victoria, a 15-year old dogsled racer and sled dog owner loses her way on a routine outing with her dogs. With food gone and temperatures dropping, her survival and that of her dogs and the mysterious boy she meets in the woods, is up to her.

What inspired you to write this story?

I owned a team of 18 Alaskan Huskies, and had many adventures with them. I also work in the field as a Conservation Officer. I find the outdoors, and dogs, to be a never ending source of inspiration.

What was the biggest challenge you had writing your story? How did you overcome it?

Originally, the story was set in northern Ontario – a place I’m extremely familiar with. My agent suggested an Alaskan setting, which of course changed the story quite a bit. It was a challenge to accurately describe the flora and fauna. Many trees that grow in northern Ontario are not found in Alaska. But I have run dogs near Nenana so was familiar with that area. I also have a fabulous critique partner who lives in Alaska.

What other YA/MG books have you written? Do any of them feature a key dog character? If so, which ones? What are these stories about?

Ice Dogs is my second published dogsledding novel. The first was a middle grade novel called Dogsled Dreams.

Thank you for joining us at Best Dog Books, Terry!

For more information about Terry Lynn Johnson, please click here. 

For other great books about dogs, check out 101 Best Dog Books for Kids.

For published authors and unpublished authors, check out our writing contests.

Today, Best Dog Books for Kids welcomes Terry Lynn Johnson, author of Dogsled Dreams.

What is the title of your book? Pub date and publisher?

Terry Lynn Johnson: Dogsled Dreams, December 2010, 4RV Publishing

Who is your key dog character? Tell us about him/her.

Terry Lynn Johnson: We follow Doppler, a black and white Alaskan husky, as he develops from a rambunctious puppy to an intelligent yearling sled dog with leader qualities.

Tell us about your book. What’s the story about? 

Terry Lynn Johnson: Twelve-year-old Rebecca dreams of becoming a famous sled dog racer.

She’s an inventive but self-doubting musher who tackles blinding blizzards, wild animal attacks, puppy training, and flying poo missiles. All of her challenges though, seem easier than living up to the dogs’ trust in her abilities.

Here’s what the critics are saying:

“Any teacher using Gary Paulsen’s Woodsong would want Terry Johnson’s ‘Dogsled Dreams’ as a part of their classroom library ” — Iditarod Education Director, Diane Johnson

“Dogsled Dreams is a captivating and exciting debut novel and introduction to dogsledding.” — Superior Outdoors Magazine

“It wasn’t hard for me to get sucked right into Rebecca’s world. It’s a mix of adventure, learning to trust yourself and being courageous. … I highly recommend picking up!” — Mundie Moms

“A warm, coming-of-age story about hopes and dreams, but most of all, finding the true meaning of family and friends, whether they have two legs or four!” — Darcy Johns, Youth Services Librarian, Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia

“As a father to a young girl, I was thrilled to see Rebecca have such high hopes and dreams for herself and to see her father support and nurture her interests and efforts to achieve those dreams. This is a beautiful story both dads and their daughters can enjoy reading and discussing together!” — Chris Singer, Book Dads.com

What inspired you to write this story?

Terry Lynn Johnson: I wanted to show the special relationship between mushers and their dogs.

What was the biggest challenge you had writing your story? How did you overcome it?

Terry Lynn Johnson: Perhaps because I’m so close to the subject, I had to keep reminding myself (also my editor reminded me quite a bit) that not everyone knows the terms of the sport. I would get little notes back saying, “what’s a snub?” and I would read it and realize I had failed to describe it well enough. It was a challenge to keep the story flowing, but also slow it enough for readers to learn.

What other YA/MG books have you written? Do any of them feature a key dog character? If so, which ones? What are these stories about?

Terry Lynn Johnson: ICE DOGS is a YA survival story about a junior musher who loses her way with her dogteam in a blizzard after she rescues a mysterious boy. With their food gone and temperatures dropping, they have to learn to trust each other, and the dogs, if they are going to survive.

What kind of story can we expect next from you? Is it about a dog? If so, what is it about?

Terry Lynn Johnson: My latest story is a canoeing survival story which features a sled dog named Taiga.

What else would you like us to know about you or your story?

Terry Lynn Johnson: That all of the dogs in the story are real sled dogs. There are photos of some of them on my website if readers cared to meet the real life Doppler, Apollo, Soho, Ulu, Elsie, Denali, even Tarzan the smiling sled dog.

Can you remember the first book that made an impact on you? And why?

Terry Lynn Johnson: I loved horse books – Black Beauty, The Black Stallion. I was always so much into animals, and loved the characters of the animals, and their relationship with their owners. I read a few dog books, but I must admit I absolutely couldn’t take it when they died. I’m not going to say never, but I doubt I will write a book like that.

For a lesson plan to use in the classroom, please click here.

For more information about dog sledding and Terry Lynn Johnson, please click here.

Thanks for joining us Terry Lynn Johnson at Best Dog Books! We look forward to your next book, ICE ISLAND in February 2014. I hope to meet you one day on a dog sled in Alaska. It has always been my dream to experience the thrill of dog sledding.

For other great books about dogs, check out 101 Best Dog Books for Kids.

For published authors and unpublished authors, check out our writing contest featuring dog stories.