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Friday Talks: Roman

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Sean, reads: Once again, welcome to the inn.  We are glad to have you with us.  Today our guest is Roman the Black Volhv.

Roman: She wrote you a script?

Sean: No, I just copied what she said before during the interview.  Coffee?

Roman: Don’t mind if I do.

Sean: So, I’ve got to ask, what’s up with black coffee?

Roman, shrugging: Got deployed to Death Valley one time, when the Wraith Rider thing was going on. Waves of weird shit coming out of it one after another for months. First, we ran out of powdered creamer, then we ran out of sugar. At some point we ran out of bullets.  Never ran out of coffee though.  This was in my pre-heir to family business days.  Before my brother died.

Sean: How long were you in?

Roman: Four years.  Wasn’t planning on getting out, either.

Sean: The black volhv thing wasn’t a choice, was it?

Roman: No. It’s the family business. I’m like one of those Hallmark movie women who went off to college to live in the city and make the big money and then had to come back to their cutesy town to run the family bakery because grandma who raised them is dying.

Sean: So, you’re the big city girl?

Roman, big smile: Yes, I am.

Sean: In that case, have you found your hometown romance?

Roman: Not yet.  There is always hope. The priest of the dark god thing throws a few wrenches into romance. It’s hard to maintain a relationship when you get up in the middle of the night to close a window and your girl finds you standing in the middle of the kitchen floor butt naked, with a contorted face and a puddle of urine by your feet. Kills the vibe a bit.

Sean: Why worship Chernobog at all?

Roman: It’s complicated.

Sean: We’ve got time.

Roman: Do you want the old version or the neopagan one?

Sean: Which one is more relevant?

Roman: The neopagan one. It’s more structured, which makes it less scary, so that’s what modern Slavic pagans choose to believe. Faith has power.  It shapes the mythos, twists it, alters it, so now the neopagan version is the one the gods are adhering to. Again, this is long.

Sean: Go for it.

Roman: In 1919 Lieutenant Fedor Arturovich Izenbek of White Army found some wooden planks with ancient writings on them near Kharkiv in Ukraine. Somehow despite the White Army being routed and fleeing, he kept this bunch of wooden planks with him and dragged them all around, because it’s not like wooden boards would be heavy or anything or he would have better priorities considering his situation.  This is where the bullshit starts, you see.

Anyhow, Izenbek finally ends up in Brussels with his sacred planks.  He doesn’t take them to a museum, he won’t let any Old Slavonic experts examine them, no, he gives these planks to a dude named Yuri Mirolyubov, who had no relevant education or qualifications to deal with these planks, given that he was a physician by training. Mirolyubov supposedly studied the planks and translated them, and it took him 15 years.  By that point – this is mid 1950s – he is in the US, so he sends his ‘translation’ to a small Russian publication in San Francisco called Fire Bird.  He called this magnum opus the Book of Veles, who is an actual Slavic deity, and he is still salty about the whole thing. And that’s where the first idea of the Tri-world pops up. More on that later.

Although Mirolubov was a physician, he had big literary dreams and considered himself to be a writer and a poet. And he had some weird ideas.  He thought the proto-Slavs were the oldest civilization on Earth that originated between Sumer and Iran, somewhere around Northern India, from which they then spread as a vanguard of Assyrian army, populating Europe. You see where this is going?

Sean: He made the whole thing up?

Roman: Bingo! Give the man a cigar. This text he was supposedly translating allegedly describes events from 7th century BC to 9th century AD. Very smart people have looked at it since and said it’s epic bullshit. The Old Slavonic in it is a grammatically incorrect mess of different dialects and straight up invented linguistic gibberish. It has massive errors, both in language and in the history it’s trying to describe. Not to mention that wood doesn’t last that long, and since the planks were conveniently lost, nobody could’ve carbon-dated them when we had that tech.

But it doesn’t matter, because a bunch of people have re-translated it since, and every time someone touched it, they added more stuff to it.  It took the well-travelled road of all religious texts that endure beyond their first edition. The modern Slavic neopagans believe it to be sacred, despite all evidence to the contrary.  And in our world, faith matters more because it infuses magic into the objects we worship. There are people who will go to their death defending the Book of Veles as a holy text and the one truth.

Sean: That’s the nature of religion. If it followed logic and evidence, it wouldn’t require faith.

Roman: Exactly. The book of Veles says that we exist in a Tri-world, comprised of three different realms, each with their own rules and laws: Yav, Nav, and Prav. Yav is the world of humans. Prav is the world of the gods humans find beneficial.  Nav is the world of the gods humans find dangerous.

Prav is ruled by Belobog and Nav is ruled by his twin brother, Chernobog.  Mostly the pantheon is split between the two, although some gods are neutral and just do their own thing. People like this because it’s neat and orderly and easy to wrap your head around it.  Bad guys in one corner, good guys in another corner, roles are clearly defined.  What’s not to like?

Sean: But it’s not the truth, is it?

Roman: It is. Now. It’s the truth because we now believe it to be.  If you’re asking about the historic roots of our faith, it was a lot messier and a lot less safe.  Chernobog will talk about it sometimes, but that state of being is only a memory for him. A memory we have forgotten for centuries. Most of the old Slavic myths, the practices, the legends, are gone, lost to the fog of time. Every culture longs for its roots and its history, but human lifespans are short. Unless we write things down in a very permanent way, they do not endure.

Sean: So, is Chernobog evil?

Roman: That is a million-dollar question, isn’t it? Is night evil?

Sean: Night just is.

Roman: Indeed.  Without darkness, it’s difficult to sleep.  Without winter, the soil wouldn’t get a break. Without death, there couldn’t be a rebirth. Things die, decay, and nourish new life. We all must pass on to make room for our children. Chernobog is the inevitable. He is brutal and merciless, but also necessary. However, like most active gods, he isn’t just a personification of cosmic entropy, he also has a personality because we tend to infuse our gods with humanity. That personality can be difficult at times. That’s where I come in. I’m his priest, his herald, and an agent of his will. But I do bargain with him every chance I get.

Sean: Is that a duty station you can retire from?  Or is this a lifetime appointment?

Roman: Depends.  My dad retired. Well, Chernobog retired him.  Somewhat forcefully for various reasons. If I survive long enough, who knows? He’s been pushing me to get married and make babies. He’s used to the bloodline now, you see.  He doesn’t like change, so he wants insurance in case I kick the bucket.  So now I get it from three sides: dad, mom, and my god are all on my ass to procreate.

Sean: So you’ve got to find someone?

Roman: I better, before he loses his patience and pulls some undead mermaid out of the swamp for me to marry. On that note, thanks for having me. I’ve got to go do a thing.

Sean: You’re welcome any time, man.

Roman: Next time I want pastries.  I heard there were awesome strawberry pastries here.

Sean: I brought cookies.

Roman: Where?

Sean: In this jar.

Roman: Oh.  I thought this was a decorative vase. I’ll be taking those.

Sean: Knock yourself out.

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Comments

  3. ???? Roman gets the girl, Roman gets the girl ????

    Now even Cherny is on our side, we cannot fail ????

  9. Happy FRINNday everyone!

    It’s Remembrance Day today here in Canada, which is a somber occasion for obvious reasons. It’s nice to have something with some humour to read to balance it.

    Thanks to House Andrews!
    p.s. I’m wondering what kind of cookies Roman got!

    • It’s Veterans Day in the US. Thanks, Gordon, for your service, and to any other current or former military members amongst the BDH. Special thanks to Ilona, Kids 1 & 2, and all the other military families for their sacrifice, and who should have their own federal holiday, too.

    • Ummm….Double Dark Chocolate?

      And yes, it’s Veterans Day in USA today. Don’t forget to thank someone for their service 🙂
      Big shout out to my 2 youngest kids, son just retired & daughter still in finishing up her 20, both Army.

      • My oldest brother retired from the Army as a Colonel (he’s a family doc in northern Indiana). I remembered when he went in long, long ago as a med tech.

        I wondered if he had stayed in if he would make to one star general. However, there’s too much politics involved with that.

        I’ll be giving him a big hug the next time I see him. He gets shy when someone thanks him for his service. I saw it when he was visiting me in Fort Worth. 🙂

        • As a former Army officer, married to a career Army officer, both of us are always unsure what to say when we’re thanked for our service. I’ve tried different things and still haven’t found the right feel. Best I’ve come up with is, ‘it was my honor’….as opposed to ‘just doing my duty’ or ‘you’re welcome’ or….On the other hand, the gift of appreciation is a true gift (as opposed to my brother who was drafted into the Vietnam war and all that entailed back in the States).
          So, thank you for Gordon, Sean, Roman (I didn’t know he’d been military!), and all who serve anywhere in the world in the service of their nations.
          Happy Veterans Day and Remembrance Day.
          PS – Love FrINNday and every HA gift!

          • My husband tends to respond whenever they say “Thank you for your service.” with “And Thank You for your support!”

          • Roman’s service comes up in Gunmetal Magic, when he claim he “doesn’t know how” to put on BDUs…and then Andrea spots Army Ranger ink on his arm…

      • I wonder if Roman comes back with a story about the cookies. Who wanted them, who tried to steal them, possibly Chernobog making demands around them.

        Maybe as a result Chernobog comes to the Inn and requests a meeting with Orro. They then have a delightful conversation and our favorite special, permanent guest makes an appearance…

    • I am wondering about the cookies too, now. Interesting reveals (for me, at least) about Roman’s older brother and Humans giving Chernobog some personality. Awwww, we ALL love us some Roman!

      I keep hoping he connects with the Oracle Witch, or someone equally badass and fun.

  12. 🙂 I do love Roman, his sense of humor is marvelous, ran out of creamer, ran out of sugar, ran out of bullets, never ran out of coffee. 🙂 I hope his story turns up soon!

    • an ex-submarine coworker once told me to never wash my coffee cup, because once the coffee ran out, he said I could still add hot water into the unwashed cup and get a bit of coffee flavor????

  14. Love the theme here “…cookies… I’ll be taking those.”

    Get interviewed and you get pastries from Orro.
    I’d take that deal!

  15. Fun that apparently all the different worlds communicate (through the authors?) otherwise how would Roman know about Arabella’s pastries?

    Thank you. Roman was my first choice. He doesn’t disappoint.

  16. That was great! I love Roman! He is one of my favorite characters in Kate’s series. Thanks so much!

  19. I was drinking my afternoon cuppa when I read about the dead mermaid. I now have a beautiful spray pattern over my laptop monitor. Too funny!

    thank you!

  22. Roman! Your girl is waiting for you (see picture above)!

    Thank you for the conversation.

    Now…a book about Roman would be very nice. 🙂

  23. Hmm, too bad Roman didn’t run into Arabella at the Inn… THAT would have been an interesting conversation.

    • OMG I so very want this version of an Fr-Inn-tervirw day now!

      ‘Wait What are you doing here this is my day! No this is my day! No your day is the 13th of March, this is the 13th of February!…..
      Orro! Were gonna need more snacks!’

      Lollllll

    • I was just thinking that it would be so great if Arabella could be with Roman! I think they would be a great fit!

  24. I can see Sean just letting the cookies sit there all day without telling the guests…

    …. brother?????

  25. Roman is a Hallmark movie! (We knew it. We totally knew this.) I love the visual of Sean and Roman hanging out, chatting with coffee.

    These are awesome. Thanks HA!

  26. Delicious Friday treat!! I didn’t remember he had a brother that died, so he inherited his post… It’s just me or it wasn’t mentioned before. And his father retired! So is he THE black volv now? Hope he finds the girl soon, before he is forced to marry an undead mermaid! Poor Roman!

    • Well, we haven’t really gotten into Roman’s past or life much before, he was just a side character in KD. We barely guessed he was in the military, based on a tattoo on his (dreamy leading man) bicep.

      But the Eeyore Gang clearly loves him despite that, so fingers crossed for more to come ????

      • There was also the bit in Gunmetal Magic where he was tucking his pants into his boots, before they went into the swamp…..after making a fuss about having to wear the military clothes.

      • Of course the Eeyore gang loves Roman. He can rock a pair of Eeyore pj pants. Anyone that confident will be well loved by the Horde.

        Psst…I’m a proud member of the Eeyore gang, which is a branch of the BDH. 😀

      • isn’t Roman’s brother the guy that Saiman seduced to get the seed of the once a century tree with the cat that Kate asks if it wants milk?

  27. loved it! but listening (aka reading) to roman, what pops in to my head, but the question of does he officiate More weddings now sence he preformed Katie”s.

    hugs and well wishes to the Andrews house

  30. Brilliant to have Sean doing the interview! Thank you for another incredible peek into your characters’ lives

  33. Neo-pagan is more pertinent. Love it! Of course the original version would be messier. I’m pretty sure Roman prefers having to deal with the neo-pagan one – less risk (if not much less) for him.

  34. Happy Friinday!

    Gordon thank you for your service.

    My house is in full celebration mode. Yesterday was the USMC birthday, hubby and his mom are former Marines. Today is Veterans Day (both are Veterans) and our youngests’ 9th birthday.

    We have cake and donuts and Friinday to make it great day!

  37. This was fun and interesting. Yea, Sean! Took the whole cookie jar!!! Gotta love the priorities. Roman inherited his position from a brother !?! Whoa.

    Thanks!!

  38. I love Roman! his interaction with his parents is just too much like ‘I was in labor for 36 hours with you, you think I would at least get a phone call’ *lol”

    on a more serious note, how much of the idea of the black god/ white god is based on real mythology/ belief in the stories?

    It isn’t just in the KD universe that god’s change as belief changes, that is true in our world, in the sense that how we view the deity changes how we see their influence ( or not) in the world, which is how in a sense we experience their actions ( keeping this as generic as possible).After all scripture is written and put together by how the writers saw/ experienced their deity ( it is why for example in Jewish scripture there are 2 different versions of Genesis, or why NT texts reflect what they do).

    Romans love interest? how about Erra?

    • Aaaw…but I’m hoping that Damian Angevin and Erra (see the short “report” at the end of Blood Heir) get together.

      How about Sienna?

  40. I have like Toman since the Elmore pajamas. ok, now let us do that without autocorrect.

    I have liked Roman since the Eeyore pajamas. I’m rooting for a good HEA for him. (Not so subtle hint)

  41. Fitting for Veteran’s Day and thank you, Gordon.

    Chernobog (God) I loved this – thank you both for giving us some Roman and Sean.

    • I didn’t even think of this – that’s hilarious ????
      and thus it was probably exactly HA’s thinking in choosing cookies from Orro for Roman ????

  46. I had to laugh at the crazy man from the White army dragging those planks around with him. A friend of mine was of Ukrainian descent. Her uncle had been a Cossack in, I think, the White army. He crossed Europe and made it to Canada. With his horse! Now a horse is a hellofa lot easier to move than planks, but still. No way was a Cossack going to be separated from his horse. A stubborn, stubborn people. More power to ’em. It’s going to take someone special for Roman.

  48. If you must be a priest to the God of All Evil, it’s good that you can be practical. Roman is very straightforward, and I like that about him.

  49. Loved it! Including the photo at the beginning ???? so now of course I want cookies ????

    A big Thank you to all current and former military for their service

    Have a great weekend everyone

  50. Really liked the addition to Roman’s backstory. Coming from a military family, between the tat (he is not a stolen valor kind of guy) and the boots I was sure he was a vet. I always wondered how, given the family business. Finding out that he was the second son answered that.

    Of course now, how did the older brother die? Is a vengeance trilogy arc in Roman’s future? Along with wooing his true love. That’s at least three books.

  51. Wow. I hope Roman gets his HEA. He deserves one. If Hugh gets one, Roman gets one too, and also Luther. Thank you for this FriInn talks. Makes my week.

    Whoever came up with this idea is a genius. Thanks to House Andrews for doing this.

  53. Oh, you know these talks are so dangerous. Now we need the story of Roman finding a partner with whom to procreate — and of course the adorable black vholv babies and their mischief!

  57. Thanks.

    I love when you add to the texture of KD world like this. You two built a great world to start and just keep making it better!

  58. Evil god or not, Roman is an amazing character 🙂

    Every time I read his character, I get a huge smile on my face. My favorite scene is when Kate asks him to perform her marriage rites, and he immediately wants to rub it in his brother’s face.

    Thank you for bringing these characters to life.

  59. And Thank you Gordon, and family for your service!

    My parents met and married in the military, so I know some of your experiences. We have the freedoms we take for granted, because people volunteer for us to stay home.

    Fact of life often ignored ????

  60. Thank you! I like the idea of Roman as a big city girl, lol. And Mod R, you look just lovely in the picture of you and Roman on the beach. ????

  64. Great stuff, I like Roman but I’m not quite as and for him as some people, but I do love a bit of belief shapes reality, Platonic philosophy chit chat.

    On another note, did we get an answer to the guess the world blog and I missed it, or are we still in suspense?

      • Ooh promises, promises. . .

        Just clicked as well – hometown romances, don’t they normally have an old flame or bad boy/girl suddenly realising the returnee is actually “the one”?
        Hmm, who could fit this bill – off to ponder.

  69. Roman, my beloved! I truly hope all this background insistence he has in his life to find someone is just author subconscious speak for ‘we should write a Roman novel’. I just envision this tiny little nip of a woman yelling at Chernobog that it can wait three hours so Roman can finally get one night of decent sleep. Sigh. One day….

  70. “In that case, have you found your hometown romance?

    Roman: Not yet. There is always hope.”

    These lines make my heart sing!

    Hoping so hard for Roman’s HEA. Not sure if I’m hoping before or after Julie’s & Derek’s HEA. I would take either one!

    glad to know the dark god’s on our side. I’d buy a t-shirt of that.

  71. Gods are shaped by the beliefs of the worshippers, and if they stop believing the god in question will weaken and possibly cease to be. Sir Terry Pratchett wrote’Small Gods’ based on this premise. It’s comforting to see that Roman agrees too.

  75. Roman is my favorite!! This was a great pick me up after an incredibly shitty day so thank you!!!

  76. Go Mod R. l believe that’s you and Roman.

    I’m loving the interviews. keep them coming please.

    oh, and a reminder, as a BDH member in good standing–the new Innkeeper is out on Tapas today. Just a reminder.

  77. Poor Roman. Mod R’s waiting for him and he’s too busy to know she exists (I mean, there’s also Mod R’s husband, but meh, minor detail haha).

  78. Okay, now I’ve looked up Fedor Arturovich Izenbek and the Book of Veles. I love it that your stories include actual facts when they are available. I trust you to get it right . . .which means a lot to me. SO many authors make stuff up instead of researching! I remember reading a novel and the author stated as fact something I KNEW was fake-it was a bummer and destroyed my enjoyment.

    Anyway, I just want to say thank you for the education as well as the entertainment I get from House Andrews!

    • I know, I was watching a doco about lost cities of the bible last week.

      It had mentioned gilgamesh, the lumasso, sumerians, assyria, Babylon, nimrod, uruk.

      Its like a Kate conversation.

      So much fun when stuff you read has a basis in real life history/myth.

  80. MOD R VOLUNTEERS AS TRIBUTE!!!

    I kinda really hope that HA does make a nod towards Mod R when/if they get around to Roman’s HEA.

  81. Tons if fun!
    With en pathos to keep it interesting
    Plus , I always liked Roman, he’s a nice guy with a tricky job he didn’t want.
    He wears cartoon PJs….or Some like that…

  84. Sorry, I have to ask: what is the meaning of “he is still salty about the whole thing”?

    Takes it with a grain of salt? Swears a lot?

    Too many possibilities to guess…

    • “Being salty” is slang for being upset, bitter about something in a spiteful/irritated way that lingers. It has its roots in AAVE, I believe, but it is fairly widespread today ????

          • Like AAVE or Texting abbreviations that are not familiar to all of us.
            It doesn’t take that much longer to spell it out. It doesn’t even take that long to say it. It’s not like we’re in the military or the government. I have asked other people’s opinions and have not found anyone who has ever heard of AAVE and this is a crowd that reads all the time. One said maybe it is used outside the US. “Salty” isn’t common among people of color here either. None of us have heard it used.

            • ermm, politely beg to differ. Salty is common in ‘some’ circles. AAVE is also known is ‘some’ circles.

              Slang/patois/dialect changes more than some people’s toothbrushes, and spreads unevenly throughout communities, whether the community is geographical, virtual, socioeconomic, linguistic, generational, identity-based, etc., morphs even quicker in meaning, and withers/vanishes without fanfare.

              • Thank you for making my point. I appreciate it. For instance,
                we commonly hear people say, “Based Off Of” just to sound newer instead of “Based On”. Then it becomes more detritus in our lexicon. But aside from the visual being hilarious, Things are built “On” a base, Not built “Off Of” a base. So it is just a ridiculous phrase; Ridiculous in the sense of something to be ridiculed.

                • CHRIS, we actively discourage people from criticizing each other’s grammar and turn of phrase in the comments. We have several neuro-divergent readers and some people who comment are non-native English speakers. We do not tolerate anyone being ridiculed.

                  This thread is now closed before we stray into deep woods. 🙂 Thank you.

  86. Loving these interviews!
    Sean is very good at “prompting but not leading”, which is essential in getting a good interview.
    Roman is one of my favorite guys, and this post makes me curious for more of his life story. Also, there is a girl out there for him, he just hasn’t met her yet! (Yes, I’m in the “auntie”/”Dolly Levi” matchmaker cheering section!)

  90. Oh Roman! So much pressure from so many sides! It’s neat to hear the structure of his experience. Curious to learn more of his past! Love for Roman all of the time!

  95. Hmmmmmmmmmm…… Well, wasn’t *that* interesting. All sorts of plot relevant sounds info in that little chat.

  96. I love Roman. Thank you. Hopefully he gets a bride that isn’t an undead mermaid.

    Although a speed dating event with women hand picked by Chernobog would be hilarious

  99. Now I need to read the story of Roman in First Dates or Bachellor o something similar. The host his parents o Chernobog .

    Roman is a one of my favorites characters, He always brings a note of humor to the story.

  101. Why is Roman standing naked in the kitchen in a puddle of urine in the middle of the night? 1. Because his god needed to have a talk and frightened him? 2. Because he had a Chernobog nightmare and it stuck with him? 3. Because he has done bad Black Volhv things (could have been much worse things, he made them as not-bad as he could) and the memories give him insomnia and he is sleep deprived?

  102. I had never heard of the Book of Veles, so I googled it, and it exists. One scary thing about it is that, according to wikipedia, for political reasons, for a while, and maybe even today, Ukrainian high schools taught that it was accurate, even though Ukrainian scholars agreed with everyone else that it is a hoax.

  103. I’m with Roman. I want strawberry pastries. wrong season tho. fortunately I have some local berries frozen…

  106. The story of Belogog and Chernobog is just amazing! That’s why I love House Andrews so much and their ability to make so much sense about everything they tackle.

  107. I just of something. Sandra needs someone who can accept that fact that she is a royal harpy. I wonder if Roman can fit that bill? She would be better than a chernobog urvived mermaid. Lol

  109. Are you/publishers planning to print a new or special edition of the Kate series with new covers at some point? ????
    I would love to physically own all the books, but I’m bugged by the fact that different models were used for Kate on the cover ????

  112. I would laugh my ass off if Roman ended up with like a priestess of Kali or something. Kali is just as scary as Chernobog and possession is a big deal for her worshipers, plus the whole duality of life/death thing is a pretty core Hindu concept. I’m just imagining two scary gods watching happily as their two scary priests get it on and continue a bloodline. And arguing about who gets what kid.

  113. Dear Mod R:

    Ok, I should know this so please forgive me (I promise I really am a dedicated member of the BDH and a big fan of Roman as well!) but….I’ve seen references to ‘the Eeyore Gang’ and I don’t know what that is? Based on context I figured out it (probably) means Roman’s fans…..but where did the name come from?

    I know I will feel silly when I find out! ???? By the way, I love these interview sessions…nice end to the week!

    • No worries!

      Roman wears Eeyore pyjama trousers ????. It’s in Gunmetal Magic and people find it endearing (well, I definitely do hehe!)

      “Roman dismounted next to us, his staff in his hand. He wore a tank top and black pajama pants with an Eeyore pattern.
      […]
      My mind struggled to formulate a coherent thought, any thought. I opened my mouth. “Your pajamas have Eeyore on them.” “I like Eeyore. He’s sensible. A sober outlook on life never hurt anyone.”

      Andrews, Ilona. Gunmetal Magic, NYLA 2012. Kindle edition, page 247

      • Thanks Mod R, now I do remember this! ???? Would have thanked you sooner but I didn’t see this until just now: we were traveling back from an out of state weekend visiting daughter’s bf….maybe future SIL? Fingers crossed….but please, NOBODY tell her I said that! Moms gotta meddle and match-make, no?!! ????

  115. you know I’ve always been pretty ambivalent on a roman book till now.. interested, but casually. now? I need to know more!!

  116. It’s interesting to see differences in imagination. Mod R apparently pictures Jason Momoa in her head. My best imagination match for Roman is Joakim Brodén– the lead vocalist for Swedish power metal band Sabaton.

    Definitely want a book for Roman, but I completely understand if one for him would be hard. We mostly got to see the fun side of Roman in the Kate books. We didn’t have to see much of the eff’ed up s*** he’s likely had to do in service of Chernobog. And there would likely have to be more of that in a book that’s written just for him.

  117. I am absolutely in love with Roman. A believer who understands the nature of his own theology and isn’t upset by it. We need more Christians like that – I’m lonely…

  119. Roman had an older brother? But…when we find out all the volvhs, white and black, are related, and also to the witches, and Evgenia and Grigorii start sniping at each other, one of the witches says,”Roman! Do something! You’re the oldest!” Hmmm.

    As a Wiccan, I had to crack up about the origin of the Slavic neopagan theology. We’re in the same boat with Gerald Gardiner. A lot of that was going around at that time!

    • The oldest alive ????. His brother’s ghost might have been unavailable to intervene at the time hehe.

  120. Ah, I see where I got confused. Roman says he had a brother, not an older brother…

    My point about Wicca and its history, however, remaons.

  121. Yes please, we love Roman. To be fair you could even write about Rowena and I would love it (what is going on with her Matthew aka Ghastek?). I miss all your worlds. I am looking forward to your next project, and the one after that and the one after that et. al

    Occasionally, I go through a really emotional phase of book withdrawal and then you write something like this and I get my mini hit. Thanks for making the wait bearable ♥️.

  122. Hi Mod R

    I have doubt I’m reading KD 1 for nth time n Curran suspects crest as upiri then y is he pissed with Kate when Mscan clears him n why do shapeshifters blame Kate doesn’t feel fair mi missing something?

    • There was an editing error which removed a scene. House Andrews have asked to be allowed to rewrite it, but unfortunately the publishing house isn’t allowing it.
      I hope this helps.

  125. LOL
    The idea of Roman and a rusalka is just so…
    …okay, something the AuthorLords could make funny as hell.

  126. Love it. I’m now picturing Roman as one of those harassed Regency romance heroes that must marry to secure the succession, surrounded by the Horde of matchmakers.

    • ???? You’re not the only one.

      On a previous post we were trying to figure out if the Old Rite Slavic people had kilts, so we can imagine him as a highlander romance hehe.

      What’s a bit of Regency thrown in the mix!

  127. I think I am in love with Mod R.
    I keep going back to her Art. Each time I see it I crack up and it takes minutes for my grin to go from demonic to recognizably human.
    First time comment. I must be in love.

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