{Character Interview} Nadya Buzina of 'Nadya's War'

We’re thrilled to be talking to Nadya “Little Boar” Buzina from C.S. Taylor’s Nadya’s War.  It is a pleasure to have her with us today at Pimp That Character!

Thank you for your interview, Nadya.  How old are you and what do you do for a living?

I’ll turn twenty-one in a few months in October. As for what I do, right now I’m trying to settle into ^th fighter regiment. I just got transferred here from training at Engles. I’m thrilled to be flying to help fight off the Germans, and even more so that I get to fly the Yak-1. The other two regiments only fly bombers, and one of them only has tiny little biplanes that shouldn’t leave a barn, let alone an airfield near the front. Still, even if I was assigned to one of those with the 588^th, I wouldn’t complain. I was selected as a pilot ahead of literally thousands of other girls that wanted to fly.

my new unit, the 586

What is in your refrigerator right now?

Very funny. I live in a literal hole in the ground. Our dugout does have the nicety of a wood roof, but there’s not exactly a place for a refrigerator against the earth walls. Besides, with the floor constantly flooding, I’m sure the refrigerator would short out the first day.

What is your greatest fear?

Failing to live up to my long lineage of proud Cossack warriors. Their ferocity in battle and unwavering devotion to The Living God has always been an inspiration to me. Now that it’s my turn to go to war, I can only pray I live up to our proud name.

If you could change one physical thing about yourself, what would that be?

I could stand to gain a few pounds. That would be nice. That would mean I’m eating a lot better than I am now, or have before. Food isn’t exactly in abundance out here with the war raging on. Rations are limited, and what we get tastes bland at best.

Who is your best friend?

Klara Rudneva without a doubt. She’s my mechanic at the airfield and takes care of me and my plane like no other. We get a little quiet time to spend together here and there in between sorties, which I really like, and she always sees me off each mission with a hug and encouragement to shoot down every fascist I see.

Do you have children?

One day, maybe. Father and Mother would love to be grandparents if I met the right special someone. That said, with the war raging, I’m not interested in motherhood right now. I only want to fly and become an ace.

What is your favorite weather?

Light winds, clear skies. The former makes it easier to land and the latter means it’s easier to spot planes in the sky. Every time we go up on patrol, I’m always fearful that an enemy fighter will slip in behind us and start shooting before we spot him. Not that I know, personally, but I’ve been told that most aerial kills are made against planes that never saw the shooter coming. That’s pretty scary, because I can’t imagine getting complacent, but apparently, pilots do all the time.

Do you like to cook?  If so, what is your favorite thing to cook?

I’m a terrible cook. You don’t want me in the kitchen whatsoever. You’d probably get food poisoning if I prepared a potato for you. I’m that bad. Then again, the food in the mess hall isn’t much better, so maybe you’d want to roll your dice with me and see what I can make.

If you knew you were going to die tomorrow, what would you do today?

I try not to think about that, to be honest. Every day I wake up, in the back of my head I know it could be my last day. With that in mind, I only do what I can. I try and fly my best, stay devoted to the one true faith, and keep all of my family and friends in my prayers. Ask me this question again in ten years when the war is long gone and I’m throwing myself into dogfights.

About the Author

C.S. Taylor is a former Marine and avid fencer (saber for the most part, foil and epee are tolerable). He enjoys all things WWII, especially perfecting his dogfighting skills inside virtual cockpits, and will gladly accept any P-38 Lightnings anyone might wish to bestow upon him. He’s also been known to run a kayak through whitewater now and again, as well give people a run for their money in trap and skeet.

His latest book is the historical fiction, Nadya’s War.

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About the Book:

Title: NADYA’S WAR
Author: C.S. Taylor
Publisher: Tiny Fox Press
Pages: 300
Genre: Historical Fiction

BOOK BLURB: 

Nadezdah "Little Boar" Buzina, a young pilot with the Red Army's 586th all-female fighter regiment, dreams of becoming an ace. Those dreams shatter when a dogfight leaves her severely burned and the sole survivor from her flight.

For the latter half of 1942, she struggles against crack Luftwaffe pilots, a vengeful political commissar, and a new addiction to morphine, all the while questioning her worth and purpose in a world beyond her control. It's not until the Soviet counter-offensive at Stalingrad that she finds her unlikely answers, and they only come after she's saved the life of her mortal enemy and fallen in love with the one who nearly kills her.

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