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What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write 1953 - The Shadow of Tunguska?

The story behind this book comes from my fascination with alternate versions of our own timeline – the endless “what if…?” scenarios. What if one decision, one discovery, or one unexplained event had gone differently? 1953 – The Shadow of Tunguska grew out of that curiosity: taking real history and a real mystery, and then nudging them just enough to open a completely different path for our world. The deeper inspiration to start writing seriously, though, came from my younger son. When he was 13, he began writing and publishing his own science fiction stories. And they weren’t “kids’ stories” – they were surprisingly mature, the kind of work I could comfortably compare to early Lem, Clarke, or Asimov in their twenties and thirties. Watching him be so fearless and dedicated to storytelling made me realize I had no excuse. If he could sit down and build worlds from scratch, then it was time for me to finally do the same.

If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of 1953 - The Shadow of Tunguska, what would they be?

If I had to pick theme songs for the main characters, I’d choose three classics.

“The Sound of Silence” by Simon & Garfunkel fits the character who carries the heaviest secrets – someone surrounded by noise and yet profoundly alone with what they know.

“For What It’s Worth” by Buffalo Springfield captures the growing sense of tension and paranoia as the political and military stakes rise, and nobody is sure who is really pulling the strings.

And “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin reflects the more spiritual, almost mythical side of the story – the idea that what happened at Tunguska might be part of a much larger journey that reaches far beyond 1953.

What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

I gravitate toward alternate history, technothrillers, and hard science fiction. I love stories that ask “what if this one detail of history or technology had gone differently?” and then follow the logic all the way through. It is very much the same with my writing – the Wings of Time series sits exactly at that intersection, where real history and real science are pushed just far enough to open a new timeline.

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

My TBR pile is dangerously tall at the moment. I’m working my way through Isaac Asimov’s Foundation and Empire series, and Dan Jones’s The Templars. I also have Liu Cixin’s The Three-Body Problem trilogy lined up, and a whole stack of Michio Kaku’s books, including The Future of Humanity, Physics of the Impossible, Hyperspace, Parallel Worlds, The God Equation, and Quantum Supremacy. And because I love a good Cold War-era thriller, Tom Clancy’s The Sum of All Fears is sitting there too, waiting for its turn.

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?

My favorite scenes to write are always the ones that involve some kind of clash – in the air, at sea, or under the surface. In this book, the one that stands out most for me is the battle between a US submarine and a Soviet frigate. It’s a duel where almost nothing is visible, and everything depends on sound, intuition, and nerve. I loved writing the cat-and-mouse tension: the crew listening to the ocean, trying to decide whether the faint noise in their headphones means survival or disaster, while the Soviet ship hunts something it can’t see. It’s not just about torpedoes and depth charges; it’s about fear, responsibility, and the split-second decisions that can change history.

Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)

I don’t really have any lucky mugs or cats supervising my keyboard. What I do have is a slightly destructive relationship with inspiration. When it hits, it doesn’t matter if it’s 2 a.m. – I get up and write until I drop. So my only real “quirk” is that I let the story set the schedule. If a scene starts unspooling in my head, I follow it, no matter what the clock says. Sleep can wait; the ideas usually don’t.

Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?

I’d say I live by two simple ideas. First: “Don’t follow the rules – make them.” I like stories, careers, and lives that don’t fit neatly into someone else’s template. Second: a line I really believe in – “You are never too old to set a new goal or to dream a new dream.” For me, writing is proof of that. It’s never “too late” to start a book, a series, or a completely new chapter in life.

If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?

If I could choose one thing for readers to remember, it would be the feeling of adrenaline they had while following the story. I hope they feel as if they were right there in the cockpit, on the deck, or in the control room – making impossible decisions under pressure, with history hanging in the balance. If that tension and excitement stay with them after they turn the last page, then I’ve done my job.

Szymon Kościanowski is the author of the new book 1953 - The Shadow of Tunguska

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What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write Frontier Vengeance (Frontier Series Book 4)?

Writing the Frontier Series has always felt less like creating stories and more like coming home to a place that lives somewhere between memory and imagination. Danny, Ben, Molly, and the others have become more than characters on a page—they’re companions on the long road, voices that speak up when the fire’s low and the night feels endless. Every time I sit down to write, it’s like pulling off the highway into Darwin again, dust on the windshield, the scent of pine and coffee in the air, and that vast Montana sky stretching out forever. The stories that began with Frontier Justice, Frontier Outlaws, Frontier Marshal, and now Frontier Vengeance have taken me—and hopefully readers—deeper into the rugged heart of the West, where loyalty, loss, and redemption are always waiting just beyond the next ridge. Each book has been a chance to explore the edges of what it means to stand your ground when the world pushes back, to find courage in the quiet places, and to remind ourselves that even the toughest hearts carry their own kind of grace.

If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of Frontier Vengeance (Frontier Series Book 4), what would they be?

“The Man Comes Around” – Johnny Cash. Across the Frontier Series, Danny isn’t some mythic gunslinger; he’s a man who carries the weight of the land, the people, and the dead. But when trouble comes—and it always does in Darwin, on the Dead Horse Reservation, or in the far reaches of Montana’s backroads—he’s the one who walks straight into the storm. Cash’s song is about judgment, reckoning, and the moment when all debts come due. That’s the heart of the Frontier Series: In Frontier Vengeance, the lyrics feel almost prophetic. Danny faces killers who believe they’re untouchable, secrets worth millions, and crimes that rot communities from the inside out. And every time, when the dust settles, there’s Danny—hurt, stubborn, bloodied, and still standing. The Man Comes Around isn’t just a song for the series. It’s the sound of justice walking the high plains, slow and relentless. It’s the sound of Danny Coogan doing what needs to be done.

What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

My favorite genre has always been the Western—nothing beats those big skies, moral crossroads, and characters who carry the weight of the land on their shoulders. Right behind it comes science fiction, especially the kind that blends big ideas with gritty, human stories. I cut my teeth on authors like Craig Johnson, C.J. Box, and Tony Hillerman—whose Leaphorn and Chee novels inspired the Dark Winds television series—and their work shaped my love for mystery rooted in place, culture, and character.

At the same time, I’m a huge admirer of Frank Herbert. While most people know him for Dune, my personal favorite has always been The Dosadi Experiment. Herbert’s ability to weave political intrigue, psychological tension, and alien environments into a gripping narrative left a mark on me. In many ways, that blend of frontier grit and speculative imagination continues to influence how I write and the kinds of stories I’m drawn to.

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

My to-read pile is stacked pretty high these days. I’ve got a new western mystery waiting for me—gritty, character-driven, the kind that feels like dust and danger on every page. I’m also working my way through a series of Southwestern crime novels, full of culture, landscape, and slow-burning suspense. And when I want something with real weight, I dive back into a sweeping historical trilogy set during the Civil War era—big books, big themes, and writing that reminds me why I fell in love with storytelling in the first place.

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?

There’s a moment in Frontier Vengeance when Danny Coogan steps into a stretch of high-country Montana that’s all heat shimmer, dust, and buzzing insects. The sun is dropping low, staining the ridgelines gold. The air is thick enough to taste, carrying the sharp smell of pine sap and the faint echo of something moving where it shouldn’t be. Danny finds a sign—subtle, easy to miss, something out of place against the scrub and river rock. It isn’t a clue so much as a warning. Not written in words, but left by someone who wants him to understand he’s getting too close. The kind of thing that makes the hair lift on the back of his neck.

The river murmurs beside him, deceptively calm, as the shadows deepen under the cottonwoods. You can feel Danny’s mind working—slow, steady, methodical—connecting what the land is telling him with what he already suspects. And in that stillness, as sweat runs down his spine, he realizes he’s just crossed the invisible line between tracking someone… and being hunted himself. It’s tense, sun-baked, and filled with that classic Frontier Series sense of creeping danger—justice simmering just below the surface, ready to boil over.

Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)

My quirky habit as a writer is that whenever I’m stuck—whether it’s a stubborn scene or a plotline that won’t cooperate—I get up and do something completely unrelated. I might clean the house, wrangle the dogs, mow the lawn, or head out for a run. Once I step away from the keyboard and let my mind drift, the answer usually pops into place on its own. Then it’s a mad dash back to the desk before the idea gets away.

Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?

Mount up and get moving—ain’t nobody else gonna ride your trail for you.

If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?

That duty, honor, and sacrifice win out in the end, even if the cost is high sometimes.

Michael Cardwell is the author of the new book Frontier Vengeance (Frontier Series Book 4)

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