Push Not the River was based on the actual diary of Countess Anna Maria Berezowska, translated by her descendant, John A. Stelnicki. The countess began keeping a diary when her life, like the Polish nation itself, fell into a downward spiral. With strength and spirit, both she and her country faced, endured, and survived unimaginable trying times.
Push Not the River took her story to the end of the diary. When asked to write a sequel, I considered the surviving characters and imagined how their lives might have played out during the fascinating Napoleonic period. Knowing my characters so well after living with them for years made the task of writing Against a Crimson Sky less daunting than I had thought it would be at the outset. After studying the history of Poland in that era, I wanted to first outline the story in full and then fill in the details. But my characters would not cooperate. They had minds of their own, and they insisted on taking me through their story. I consider myself blessed that they did.