When Your Main Character Suddenly Invades Another Country

What happens when you’re in the middle of your manuscript and the main character brutally invades another country?

I was writing the fictional Putin’s Poison when the nonfictional Vladimir Putin sent his troops into the Ukraine. He was certainly never going to be depicted in my story as a hero—he was already a murderer—but now he was about to become a certified war criminal responsible for mass murders and the unprovoked deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocent people.

First, I became distracted. By his actions, the almost daily reports of his impending downfall, terminal illness, insanity, you name it.

Then I was warned to change the title, that although Putin was not about to ever pick up my novel, it might be read by one of his oligarchs staying at one of the upscale resorts in Europe where my books were provided at the pool or in the rooms. So, I changed the title to Death in the Kremlin. It was less likely to get me eliminated.

Next I became consumed with a depressing and constant stream of new information on this character and what he was doing. There could simply be no way I would attempt to show a softer or even more human side to this man. As a result, I felt I had to change the arc of his character in my book, removing all possibility of redemption.

That’s why the book’s release has been delayed so many times.

But I’m delighted to say that after a complete rewrite and extensive editing, Death in the Kremlin will be released at the end of October, 2024.

I won’t say here what happens to Putin.