MJ KRAUSE-CHIVERS
HISTORICAL Fiction Author
Writing historical Fiction
about Ukraine
1915-1922
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
MJ Krause-Chivers, an award-winning fiction author, writes historical fiction set in Ukraine, Germany, and Canada.
She is a former social worker, PTSD survivor, and a grandchild of Mennonite refugees who fled southern Ukraine during the Russian Civil War (1917-1922). Her writing reflects her interest in mental health, intergenerational trauma, and Christian faith.
Following the Crimean invasion in 2014, she visited her ancestral grounds in southern Ukraine. There, she was inspired to write a fictional series based on the history behind her grandparents' escape from the Soviet Ukraine in 1923.
The author also writes Christian non-fiction as Miranda J. Chivers.
Samples of the author's writing can be found at her story origin site at https://www.mirandajchivers.com/Freebies
MJ Krause-Chivers is the fiction stream for Christian author Miranda J. Chivers. All her books can be found on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/stores/Miranda-J.-Chivers/author/B0791MGZP7
Sign Up for her newsletter: https://blog.mjchiversbooks.site
KATARINA'S DARK SECRET (To be released in 2025).
1953: Munich, Germany. An unexpected visitor brings a shocking discovery to Peter's door. Determined to learn the truth about Katarina's secret son, Peter explores the diary for more clues. As he untangles the twisted threads, he discovers uncomfortable secrets about his family. Faced with difficult choices, Peter must decide whether or not to face his past.
1918: Ukraine. When the German Army occupies Ukraine, a certain officer captures Katarina's attention. As their clandestine relationship begins, Katarina becomes a pawn for the rebels. A new terror tests her faith and threatens her future path. How will she handle the biggest challenge of her life?
This story captures the difficult choices made by the German ethnics during the German occupation in Ukraine.
Themes: Historical Romance. German, Russian, and Ukrainian history. Discrimination, rape, conservatism, trauma, grief.
1951: Germany: After WW2, Peter finds his adopted mother's Russian diaries in the Munich rubble. Realizing their historical value, he approaches an editor for advice. Desperate to find the truth about Katarina's death, he begins translating the books. As he uncovers the story of a young girl's coming of age, he learns about the tragedies affecting the Mennonite community in Ukraine.
1917, Ukraine: WW1. As the Russian Civil War sparks, Katarina fantasizes about leaving the Land of the Mennonites and traveling the world. But as terror strikes the colonies, the winds of emigration beckon. When her family refuses to leave, she must face the choice of going without them or enduring the political changes to come. What is a seventeen-year-old girl supposed to do?
Themes: conservatism, Mennonites, Pre-Soviet Ukraine, Germany, Russian Civil War, WW1, WW2, grief, loss, trauma, emigration, politics, history, Christianity
An introduction to the historical, political, and cultural background of the Mennonite people living in southern Ukraine at the beginning of the Russian Civil War.
1952: Germany: Peter receives a special gift from his deceased father's friend. Already overwhelmed by his wife's pregnancy, the gift triggers unhappy memories. Peter seeks solace in Katarina's diaries but soon has more questions about his parents' pasts.
1918, Ukraine: After the Bolsheviks set fire to their villages in winter, Katarina and her pregnant sister, Anna, flee across the barren steppes. While nefarious characters and difficult circumstances disrupt their travel, Anna's pregnancy hangs in the balance.
Themes: WW1, WW2, Russian Civil War, Ukraine, Germany, Russia, trauma, grief, pregnancy, miscarriage, death, war, history, politics, rape, Christianity.
This book can be read as a stand-alone, but it is best to read book one to fully understand the culture and the history.
2023 Readers' Favorites Gold Medal winner.
Fourteen global authors joined together to create an anthology to support the children of war in Ukraine.
All sale proceeds of Children of War supports Voices of Children Ukraine — a charity to help the children of war in Ukraine heal from the trauma of war and displacement.
MJ Krause-Chivers is the sole Canadian writer included in this anthology, and her story Through Vira's Eyes is the featured first story.
Through Vira's Eyes: a five-year-old girl copes with her war trauma by trusting her guardian angels while she and her young friend flee a bunker in Ukraine for the safety of the displacement camp across the river.