Olesya Salnikova Gilmore was born in Moscow, Russia, raised in the U.S., and graduated from Pepperdine University with a B.A. in English/political science, and from Northwestern University School of Law. She practiced litigation at a large law firm for several years before pursuing her dream of becoming an author. She is happiest writing historical fiction and fantasy inspired by Eastern European folklore. She lives in a wooded lakeside suburb of Chicago with her husband and daughter. The Witch and the Tsar, her debut novel, is out now from ACE/Penguin Random House. Her essays and reviews have appeared in LitHub, Tor.com, Historical Novels Review, Bookish, the Washington Independent Review of Books, and others.

[Photo by Nicola Levine.]