What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write The End-Beginning of Everything?
The idea began as a collision of place and appetite. Growing up where Norse and Slavic histories meet, I felt drawn to their shared atmosphere of cold, uncompromising myth—not to retell the famous deeds of gods or heroes, but to stage ordinary lives against extraordinary pressure. I wanted a story that was epic in mood and intimate in scope: everyday characters forced to act when the world itself is breaking apart; figures who must reckon with fate.
While the stakes are cosmic, the emotional beats are small and specific. Norse myth supplies the raw, apocalyptic grandeur I needed—the sense that the universe is sharp-edged and indifferent. Slavic folklore, less familiar outside Central and Eastern Europe, offered an exotic palette of motifs and moods that felt fresh to many readers. Blending them allowed me to create a setting that’s recognizably mythic yet not beholden to any canonical retelling, giving me freedom to invent, invert, and surprise.
Turning characters into anthropomorphic animals created a productive distance from our reality and opened up wordplay, symbolism, and tonal contrasts that felt both playful and poignant. It lets the story be fable-like without losing the grit.
This book carried a personal challenge: to complete a long-cherished project in a non-native language and to do something that didn’t follow the easiest path. Some chapters lived in my head for years before I had the courage to write them. Re-editing it into a second edition with a new cover was part of proving that the story could grow, sharpen, and reach readers in its best form.
At its heart, the book is an experiment in contrasts—myth and smallness, known lore and overlooked folklore, human feeling rendered through animal figures. I wanted to create a world that feels inevitable and strange at once, with sharp, likable characters.
If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of The End-Beginning of Everything, what would they be?
Since the book reads like a movie, I wouldn’t mind a whole soundtrack for it! Something in the fashion of the classics—soundtracks with personalities, so to speak—like Vangelis’ Blade Runner or Danny Elfman’s Batman (and Batman Returns, of course!).
Take Maya, one of the two main protagonists. In one scene, she’s unleashing ungodly fury (to the tune of, say, Dies irae), then getting on the brink of a life-changing decision in the next—all the while relaxing in a hot sauna and then taking a deep plunge into freezing water.
Ragnar’s chapters are much more melancholic, though not without a fair share of wandering and action against others as well as his own mind and past. And that holds for Maya, too.
What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?
Fantasy for sure (the darker and more mature kind—say, Sapkowski’s The Witcher), but also sci-fi (and another Pole, Janusz A. Zajdel, is simply unmatched when it comes to all things future societies!), historical books, action & adventure, and self-development (though this can be one murky territory requiring due diligence to fish out legit stuff).
Speaking of which, for several years now, I’ve been challenging myself to read one book per month from a specific genre. One year, these were philosophical books, while 2025 is marked by those meant to help me become a better version of myself. Next year will be, on the contrary, all about Warhammer—both the fantasy one and 40K!
I also write tongue-in-cheek action & adventure books within The Daring Series, with loads of sensual encounters—a genre that was super fun to discover! Think of an erotic take on Indiana Jones or Lara Croft, and you’ll get a clear (though probably also steamy) picture!
What books are on your TBR pile right now?
I’m finishing the latest Witcher novel, Crossroads of Ravens. Next on my list is a historical book about the late medieval period, followed by something from my self-development pile. Jo Segura’s Temple of Swoon is also on my shelf—its quiet scream demanding attention.
What scene in your book was your favorite to write?
Choosing a single favorite would do injustice to the rest—I tried to make every chapter distinct. But if somebody pulled a gun to my head and forced me to truly pick one scene (or else!), it would be the final chapter, The Heart of the Old Faithful Dog. It still brings me to tears.
Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)
My writing routine has ebbed and flowed over the years. I wrote TEBoE fairly quickly, but that sprint left me with severe migraines toward the end—effective, but not sustainable. When I put The Queen of the Amazons on paper, I was far more relaxed—perhaps too relaxed. That approach was sustainable but not especially productive. I found a better balance while writing The Curse of Insatiable Lust, which proved essential because it’s far longer than the previous books and took almost a year to complete (the writing itself, not to mention several rounds of editing) rather than a few months. During that process, I aimed for writing sessions of at least 500 words, interwoven with deliberate breaks for mind and body. Forest bathing became a cornerstone habit; it clears the head or sharpens focus depending on what I need. I conceived much of the 500+ page TCoIL during one long forest trek. And I never write at my home office desk—it just feels wrong for novel work. Writing from the couch has a bonus: one of my beloved dogs will fuss at me when I’ve been at it too long.
Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?
I am a nihilist in the sense that I don’t believe reality contains inherent meaning. Humans are sense-making creatures who attach meaning to everything—sometimes to absurd extremes. If nothing has a built-in purpose, and yet anything can be given meaning, then, as the knight in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade says, “choose wisely.” I am also a realist in the Ayn Rand sense: this world is the only one we have. That belief translates into an obligation to pursue eudaimonia, aretē, and phronesis (pardon my ancient Greek, but with a degree in philosophy, I’ve got a soft spot for it). In short: to become the best version of yourself. Since this is a site about books, my practical advice is simple—if you want to write one, go for it. Commit fully, “all the way,” as the poet advised.
If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?
Whereas it’s just a dark fantasy novel, it’s about “knowing thyself.” Because when push comes to shove, you’ll be battling demons—on the outside and inside, whether or not you like it. Preserving what you love when everything around you turns to ash requires looking in the face of truths one would rather keep secret or altogether forgotten. To end on a more positive note—for readers of my adventurously erotic works, I hope they walk away with very different, warmer, and fuzzier memories!
