Although I first thought of writing this book some twenty years ago, it took about fourteen years before I began to do something about it, and another three years before I actually began to write the book. There was SO much research: I knew very little about Latvia's position regarding either of the two world wars, and my understanding of the two Russian revolutions was  incomplete. I also needed to gather together the facts about Nina's life... Given all the preparation, it was not until 2010 that I was anywhere near ready to start writing.