ABOUT THE BOOK
Czech soldier Filip Sedlák never wanted to fight for the Austro-Hungarian Empire. So at the first
opportunity, he defected to the Russians. Now he and others like him have formed the Czechoslovak Legion. Their goal: leave the chaos of Russia, sail to France, and help the Allies defeat the Central Powers, thereby toppling a hated empire and winning an independent Czechoslovakia.
With the fall of the tsar, Nadia Linskaya’s life is in ruins. Her family is dead, her lands are confiscated, and her aristocratic world is gone forever. But Nadia is determined to elude the Bolshevik agent who destroyed her family and find a way to survive in this changed world.
When Nadia takes refuge with the Czechoslovak Legion, the last thing she expects is an ally. But when Filip proposes a sham marriage to ensure her safe passage across Siberia, she takes it. Neither Filip nor Nadia expect real love, not when the legion has to take over the longest railroad in the world—and then hold it against Bolshevik counterattacks, partisan sabotage, allied intrigue, and a set of brutal Siberian winters. At risk is the future of Czechoslovakia, the fate of Russia—and their hearts.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A. L. Sowards is the author of multiple historical fiction novels, with settings spanning the globe from the fourteenth to twentieth centuries. Her stories have earned a Whitney Award, several Whitney Finalists positions, and a Readers’ Favorite Gold Medal. She enjoys hiking and swimming, usually manages to keep up with the laundry, and loves it when someone else cooks dinner. She lives in Alaska with her husband, three children, and an ever-growing library.
For more information, please visit her website, ALSowards.com.
AUTHOR INTERVIEW
Life is What It's Called - Why did you decide to write about this time period?A.L. Sowards - The story of the Czechoslovak Legion is one I’ve wanted to tell for years. I first heard about a
group of Czech and Slovak POWs who took over the Trans-Siberian Railroad while researching
another WWI book. My first thought was how on earth did a ragtag group of war prisoners
manage to take over the longest railway in the world? My second thought was that I wanted to
write their story.
Life is What It's Called - In your research, what information did you find to be most surprising?A.L. Sowards - I’m amazed by how often the legion was able to defeat numerically superior forces. They were
the underdogs almost every single time, and yet they were able to protect themselves and clear a
passage out of Russia.
Life is What It's Called - What books did you rely on for your research?
A.L. Sowards - For those wanting good one-volume accounts of the legion, I’d recommend The Lost Legion: A
Czechoslovakian Epic by Gustav Becvar, The Army Without a Country by Edwin P. Hoyt, or
Dreams of Great Small Nation by Kevin McNamara.
If you want the full list of books I used for research, here it is (not counting internet searches):
Trailing the Bolsheviki by Carl Ackerman; The Czechs and the Lands of the Bohemian Crown by Hugh Agnew; Gulag: A History by Anne Applebaum; The March of the Seventy Thousand by
Henry Baerlein; The Lost Legion: A Czechoslovakian Epic by Gustav Becvar; The Czechoslovak
Legion in Russia, 1914-1920 by John F.N. Bradley; The Czech Legion 1914-20 by David
Bullock; The Struggle for a Democracy in Siberia : 1917 – 1920 by Paul Dotsenko; A People’s
Tragedy: The Russian Revolution 1891-1924 by Orlando Figes; The Family Romanov by
Candace Fleming; The Fate of Admiral Kolchak by Peter Fleming; America’s Siberian
Adventures 1918-1920 by William Graves; Britmis by Phelps Hodges; Captured by Ferdinand
Hustzi Horvath; The Army Without a Country by Edwin P. Hoyt; White Road: A Russian
Odyssey, 1919-1923 by Olga Ilyin; The First World War: The War to End all Wars by Geoffrey
Jukes and Hew Strachan; The Austro-Hungarian Forces in WWI 1914–1916 by Peter Jung and
Darko Pavlovic; Ukraine: Enchantment of the World by Deborah Kent; The Russian Civil War:
White Armies by Mikhail Khvostov and Andrei Karachtchouk; The Cheka: Lenin’s Political
Police: The All-Russian Extraordinary Commission for Combating Counter-Revolution by
George Leggett; The White Generals by Richard Luckett; The Russian Revolution: A New
History by Sean McMeekin; Dreams of Great Small Nation by Kevin McNamara; The Czech
and Slovak Legion in Siberia, 1917-1922 by Joan McGuire Mohr; From Moscow to Vladivostok
by Alexander C. Niven; Beasts, Men and Gods by Ferdinand Ossendowski; Stalin and His
Hangmen by Donald Rayfield; Russia: Enchantment of the World by Stillman D. Rogers;
Vladiovostok under Red and White Rule by Canfield F. Smith; Former People by Douglas
Smith; Russia’s Sisters of Mercy in the Great War by Laurie Stoff; The Russian Revolution: The
Fall of the Tsars and the Rise of Communism edited by Russell Trenton; The United States,
Revolutionary Russia, and the Rise of Czechoslovakia by Betty Miller Unterberger; Once a
Grand Duchess: Xenia, Sister of Nicholas II by John Van der Kiste; Russia Nel Yomtov;
Cossack Girl by Marina Yurlova; Ukraine by Pavel ZemlianskyLife Is What It's Called - How is this book similar to the other historical fictions that you have written and how was it
different?A.L. Sowards - A Waltz with Traitors is similar to my other books in that it includes lots of history, a fast-paced
plot, and a wholesome romantic subplot. As with Before the Fortress Falls, I set out hoping to
tell a story about a historical event. The time period overlaps a little with the time period for The
Spider and the Sparrow. This one is a little different in that it covers so much ground, almost
6,000 miles from Piryatin, Ukraine to Vladivostok, Russia. It’s also my first book to have a
married couple as the romantic leads, though neither of them plan on the marriage being
permanent, at least not at first.Life Is What It's Called -Why do you think it's important to portray different periods in history from different angles?A.L. Sowards - WWI in Western Europe is often viewed as a tragic war that wasted lives and didn’t really
accomplish much, but in Eastern Europe, it’s how a lot of countries gained their independence. I
think it’s important to show that, and I absolutely think the legion’s story should be better
known—what they did was incredible.
People and events are complicated, and by learning more about lesser-known angles of history,
we can gain better understanding of not only historical events, but also of what it means to be
human.
Life Is What It's Called - What writing projects are you working on next?A.L. Sowards - I’m finishing up a prequel novella for a new medieval series, and then I’m hoping to start another
Heirs of Falcon Point spin-off novel about Ingrid Lang.
Life Is What It's Called - How does this book help us understand what's going on with that region now?
A.L. Sowards - I think A Waltz with Traitors will give readers a sense of just how difficult it is to govern a
country like Russia. No government is perfect, but it’s easy to pick out the flaws in the Tsar’s
rule, Soviet rule, and several governments in between. I’ve read nonfiction titles about the Soviet
Union during WWII, and there’s this sense that living in Russia means dealing with a series of
catastrophes. WWI and the Bolshevik Revolution were certainly part of that.
I think many countries have a hard time letting go of lands that were once included in their
territory, and that is being played out currently in the war between Russia and Ukraine. I don’t
go into a lot of detail about the situation in 1918 Ukraine in the book, because the focus of the
story is on the legion. But for anyone who wants to know more about how awful life was for
Ukrainians under the Bolsheviks, I recommend Red Famine by Anne Applebaum.
The legion’s struggle for freedom and independence ended in a new country, but a century later,
there are still groups of people working, fighting, and dying for liberty and sovereignty.
8. What should readers know about you as an author and your books?
I love history and love to immerse readers in a mix of war and romance. Most of my books
(including A Waltz with Traitors) will feature characters who find strength through faith. Though
written for adults, my books can also be read by most teenagers (and I have content information
on my website for anyone who would like more details about this or any of my other books).
Also, for anyone who prefers audio or ebook formats, maps for A Waltz with Traitors are on my
website for easy reference.
Life Is What It's Called - How does this book stand apart from other books on the market?
A.L. Sowards - I’ve not found another English-language novel about the Czechoslovak Legion. There are a few
nonfiction books about them, but most of those were written for a more academic audience, so
this novel is a really good choice for those wanting to know about their story.
My books are historical fiction rather than historical romance, so there will be more emphasis on
the history than some readers might be used to. My characters often experience hard times and
dark events. My books are more gritty and raw than most historical romance novels, but cleaner
and more hopeful than a lot of other war books.
Life Is What It's Called - What did you find difficult about writing this book?
A.L. Sowards - The characters move along 6,000 miles of rail line, so one of the challenges was having so many
different settings. Every time the train pulled into a new depot, I had a new setting to figure out. I
also ran into slightly (sometimes vastly) different versions of the same events, so I had to weigh
sources and plot needs to decide which account to follow. Some of the events the legion was
involved in were very well documented, but in many cases, a lot of the details weren’t recorded
and are now lost to history.
Life Is What It's Called - What was your favorite scene to write in this book?
A.L. Sowards - I finished writing and doing most of my revisions on this novel back in 2019, so it’s hard for me
to remember which scene I most enjoyed writing. (I’ve written six books since then.) But I
always enjoy writing scenes where the love interests finally make things work, and I like the end
of books because I get a little attached to my characters and I like to see them get their happy
endings.
Life Is What It's Called - What do you hope readers will learn from this book?
A.L. Sowards - I hope they’ll learn more about history. The Czechoslovak Legion ought to be better
remembered, and I want this book to help with that. I also hope readers will take away some
inspiration by watching characters deal with hard things and not only survive, but also find joy
even when it feels like the whole world has gone crazy.
REVIEW
I enjoyed the characters and the history described in
A Waltz with Traitors. Sowards paints a vivid picture of the time period, danger, and hardships that accompanied the Czechoslovak Legion and Russian people. She explores an often-missed part of history and shows the realities of war through her characters. Sowards mainly focuses on the two main characters of the story, Filip and Nadia, but she also shares stories and experiences of several minor characters. I felt like I was getting the whole experience as a reader. Overall, I felt like the author does a really good job at sharing the horrors and triumphs of war while also inspiring hope in the future. You could tell the author took the time to do extensive research and really took the time to understand her characters' emotions and mindset. The characters felt dynamic, likeable and engaging. The story moved quickly. This is a must read for historical fiction readers. I would also highly recommend readers checking out Sowards' other fiction reads. She explores new parts of history that most historical fiction authors won't bother with, making her stories fresh and exciting. To learn more about
A Waltz with Traitors, click
here.
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Please note this post is done in conjunction with the author. I received a free ebook to review, however, I shared my honest opinion.
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