I’m happy to welcome author Valeriya Goffe. Today, Valeriya shares her new release, The Dream Lives.
Blurb
As war rages in Ukraine, Viktor Yurchenko flees to the United States together with his three young kids and an elderly mother.
All he is looking for is a refuge for his family; falling in love is the last thing he expects on the other side of the Atlantic. What’s more, he would have never guessed that his journey could help his relatives connect the dots in a decades-old family mystery.
Teresa Jameson, a top executive in an international company, has lived for sixteen years in a seemingly happy marriage. Or maybe she just closed her eyes too often and refused to face the reality?
As ample cracks start to show, she needs to dig deep into her soul. Will she look away just one more time, or give the new relationship a chance to flourish?
Excerpt
“I’ll have to go back to Irpin’ one of these days.” Viktor looked at the streets they were passing by, but his thoughts were far, far away from here. “I need to look for Igor and Tamara. Maybe I’ll be able to find out what happened there.”
“But this is so dangerous!” Teresa caught herself taking her eyes off the road for a brief second. “You might get killed or injured there.”
“Would you be sad if I got killed?” Viktor checked, a light smile starting to shine on his lips. “The first day we met, you were right about to kill me yourself.”
Teresa snorted. “Hey, don’t even remind me about that horrible day! Of course, I’d be sad if something happened to you. Now. Well, even when we just met, I didn’t want to kill you. It was just a bad day, that’s all. I wasn’t myself. And you happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“Well, nice to know that this is not your usual way of greeting strangers, especially refugees.” Viktor continued joking. “I must confess, I’d expected a slightly more hospitable host. But then again, I told the kids to be happy that we had a roof over our heads after just arriving in the States. Even if this were a wicked witch’s house.”
“Stop it! You’re lucky I’m driving and cannot throw something heavy at you.”
Teresa laughed. “I’m generally a very nice and friendly person, in case you have not noticed. Talk to anyone, they’ll tell you.”
“A nice and friendly person? This statement needs to be carefully verified,” Viktor shot back. “I am an economist, as you know. I need hard data to make a decision. Lots of data.”
Buy Links
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Author Bio and Links
Valeriya Goffe was born and raised in Kyiv, Ukraine and spent most of her adult life in the USA. She resides in Washington DC together with her husband, Bill, and a nine-year-old daughter, Elizabeth. You can often find their family golfing, playing tennis or hiking at the Rock Creek Park. They are also frequent visitors at the Jekyll Island, one of the Georgia’s incredible Golden Isles.
Valeriya’s daytime job involves writing analytical reports and managing complex financial sector projects at a large international organization. Previously, she worked in financial services consulting, auditing and in academia. Valeriya holds a PhD degree in finance from the Kyiv National University of Economics in Ukraine and an MBA degree from Kogod School of Business, American University in Washington DC. She is also a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Charterholder and a member of the Accounting Advisory Board at the Kogod School of Business. Valeriya enjoys learning foreign languages. She is trilingual in English, Russian, Ukrainian and also speaks French and Spanish.
While she finds her business career quite rewarding, Valeriya’s life would not be complete without creative writing. She writes a travel and family blog, and she published her debut fiction novel, Secrets We Keep, in 2024.
Valeriya’s writing is very closely intertwined with travel, from which she gets many of her plots and characters. Over the years, she has visited many countries in America, Africa, Middle East, Europe, and Asia. No matter where she goes, she manages to find some interesting stories which need to be shared with the readers. These stories eventually end up on her travel blog or in one of her books. Africa in particular has left a large imprint on Valeriya’s life and given her a lot of inspiration. She has also been quite lucky to explore the countries of Central Asia which are rich in historical heritage, natural beauty and also interesting personalities. Some of these adventures will be reflected in her future books.
Giveaway
Valeriya Goffe will be awarding a $20 Amazon/Barnes & Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Find out more here.
Follow Valeriya on the rest of her Goddess Fish tour here.
Having thoroughly enjoyed Ms. Goffe’s debut novel, Secrets We Keep, I eagerly anticipated this sequel—and it did not disappoint. From beginning to end, I was captivated by the compelling journeys of Viktor Yurchenko and Teresa Jameson.
Viktor, a devoted single father, undertakes the immense challenge of relocating his mother and children from war-torn Ukraine to the United States. Meanwhile, Teresa grapples with life-altering news that shakes the foundation of her seemingly solid marriage. Thrown together under the most unexpected circumstances, Viktor and Teresa must navigate not only their individual trials but also the growing attraction between them.
The richly drawn secondary characters, both in Ukraine and the United States, add further depth as they face their own uncertain futures and daring new dreams.
I highly recommend this timely and thought-provoking novel. It is truly unputdownable!
On the way to publishing my latest book, I have a personal story to tell. Back in early May 2023, I published a book, the third in a series. One week later, my life imploded. While traversing the airport underground garage, I fell off a curb. My sister was waiting for me and I said “Take me to the hospital.”
What was your inspiration for this book?
In my forthcoming novel, Elevator Ride, Rowan Valkyrie has put in his twenty years of service with the Marines and retired to start his own security firm. Rowan has been the stable “adult” of the family since he was eleven, but that kind of responsibility means there isn’t a lot of time to focus on his own needs. At forty-four he’s never been married and isn’t sure how to deal with a life where his brothers are successful, his mother is stable, his business is booming, and basically everything is… fine. Which of course means it’s time for the author (insert me cracking my knuckles) to introduce a love interest. Vivian Kaye – spit fire paralegal – is also searching for how to craft the next phase of her life. Vivian feels stymied at work, but also doesn’t know how to take her volunteering with a veteran focused non-profit to the next level. Together, Rowan and Vivian have to figure out where they’re going as individuals and as a couple, and of course, where to hide from the bullets when the villains show up. 
Joanne Guidoccio 