I had the pleasure of interviewing Katia Raina and Sofiya Pasternack, two authors who each have a 2019 debut novel that takes place in Russia and deals with anti-Semitism. Although Katia wrote a realistic young adult novel and Sofiya wrote a middle grade fantasy, these two debut authors each chose this very specific setting because of their own personal or family history.
![New Voices: Katia Raina & Sofiya Pasternack on the Challenges of Using Personal or Family History in Your Novel](https://cynthialeitichsmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Sofiya-2-1.jpg)