Robin Bridges is the author of the Katerina Trilogy. Below is a complete transcript of her interview with Cracking the Cover.
Have you always wanted to be a writer?
Yes! (And an actress, and an archeologist, and a midwife, and a marine biologist, and a radio astronomer…)
Why do you write for young people?
It’s a genre I love to read. It’s a volatile age, churning with emotions, when you are discovering who you are and who you want to be. I remember obsessing about that transition period in my late teens. I was in such a hurry to be a grown-up! I kept waiting for a moment when the clouds would part and the angels would sing and I would suddenly transform into an adult. But it didn’t happen when I graduated from high school. And it didn’t happen when my parents dropped me off at college. It was a subtle, gradual change, and I love reading (and writing!) books that explore the journey.
Where did the idea for the Katerina trilogy come from?
Russian culture is teeming with superstition. It wasn’t hard for me to imagine a Saint Petersburg filled with vampires and other monsters. When I reread my favorite Russian fairy tales about Koschei the Deathless and Baba Yaga, I also read about firebirds and bogatyrs. Digging into other Eastern European mythology, I discovered veshtizas and strigas. I could see all of these creatures involved in a power struggle behind the scenes of the Imperial Court.
Did you always plan it as a trilogy?
Yes!
Why write about Imperial Russia? What about it is so intriguing?
My great-grandparents on my mother’s side owned a bakery in Zhitomir, Ukraine. They came to America in 1912, before the Russian revolution. I’ve always been interested in Russian history, from the stories about the bakery and about the family samovar, and I fell in love with the late Imperial period- the years of Faberge and Tchaikovsky and Tolstoy- as well as the old Russian fairy tales. I wondered what life in the late 19th century would have been like if tsars had possessed magical powers like the tsars of the old legends.
How much research was involved?
Lots! I’ve been keeping track of all the Russian history books I’ve collected on a LibraryThing account: http://www.librarything.com/catalog/thebarefootcontessa
Are you surprised by the success of your books so far?
I had no idea what to expect so it’s all been a pleasant surprise!
Why do you think your books appeal to teens?
Katerina is a strong female character, chafing under the limitations put upon her by society, but quietly fighting to choose her own path.
Do you have a book that resonated with you as child?
The Secret Garden. I read and reread my copy of this book over and over.
What are you working on now?
A new historical fantasy set in regency England.