The longer you live, the more you understand that life can be brutal. But that is not a reason to become part of the brutality – quite the opposite. We can become better as a result of it.
Kirill Khrestinin – 30 October 2026
The Back Flap
Some roads only open at the bottom.
Laura Jones left her grandfather’s ranch for Los Angeles, chasing a bigger life. The city fed her to its wolves — the man who sold her, the man in uniform who came through her door — and what was left of her ended up at the edge of the desert, where the only living thing is one ugly, stubborn tree that has no business being alive.
Around her ruin, other lives are breaking. Harry Dolan is a cop who can smell evil in every stranger but not in the partner beside him — and he is losing his daughter, his marriage, and his soul in slow motion. John Eagle wears the uniform of protection over the appetite of a predator. And Degory Jones, Laura’s grandfather — an old soldier carrying a fifty-year-old sin and a Purple Heart he calls his punishment — is about to commit one more killing. The kind a man doesn’t survive, even when he lives.
Via Dolorosa is a novel about what suffering does to people who have nothing to carry it with — the ones it breaks, the ones it turns into monsters, and the one woman who finds, at the end of the road of sorrows, something she had stopped believing in.
Unsparing, violent, and shot through with a strange, stubborn light, Via Dolorosa is a literary crime novel for readers drawn to the moral reckoning of Crime and Punishment and the generational wounds of East of Eden—a story about the darkness people make of this world, and the dawn that outlasts it.
About the book
What is the book about?
Via Dolorosa is a novel about what suffering does to people who have no way to carry it – the ones it breaks, the ones it turns into monsters, and the one woman who finds, at the end of the road of sorrows, something she had stopped believing in.
When did you start writing the book?
I started working on this book eight years ago, while making my own journey along the Via Dolorosa. It began as a screenplay, but eventually I decided to turn it into a novel. I had a great deal to say, and through almost every character in the book, I explored my own struggle with faith.
How long did it take you to write it?
Eight years, because of my own personal transformation.
Where did you get the idea from?
It came from my own struggle with God and from the injustices of the world – those we encounter more often than we want to admit.
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
The ending. For many years it was different, but something inside me kept telling me it was wrong. It took me years to understand how to correct it, because I first needed to correct something in myself.
What came easily?
Nothing about this book was easy. Each chapter bled and took something important from me.
Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?
They are fictional, yet at the same time they are frighteningly real. I gave them a past and the agency to navigate their present, trying to understand alongside them whether they have a future.
We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?
Yes, I read all the time. Some of my favorite writers are Fyodor Dostoevsky, John Steinbeck, Ayn Rand, Viktor Frankl, and Nikolai Gogol. I build my library every day, and with that library beside me, I continue writing my own books.
Do you have a target reader?
Probably people over forty who are rediscovering themselves through their own quiet, personal struggles with life. The longer you live, the more you understand that life can be brutal. But that is not a reason to become part of the brutality – quite the opposite. We can become better as a result of it.
About Writing
Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?
I write every single day – in my blog or in a new book. There is always something to write about and some part of yourself to express. Writing is a kind of therapy for me; through it, I come to understand both myself and the world.
Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?
No. I like the adventure, especially when I am writing a first draft. I follow my characters with minimal interference. I want them to help me understand why they say and do certain things; afterward, we try to make sense of their words and actions.
Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?
My editing begins with the second draft. During the first draft, I write with the freedom of never looking back or rereading what I have written. I simply move forward with my characters, keeping pace with them.
Did you hire a professional editor?
I edit my own work.
Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?
I prefer to write in silence, but sometimes I listen to classical music, such as Beethoven or Tchaikovsky. Most of my writing, however, happens in silence.
About Publishing
Did you submit your work to Agents?
I used to, but not anymore.
What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?
Over the years, I wrote several books that I now have the opportunity to self-publish. I tried conventional routes, but without success. In the end, I decided life is too short to wait for an agent’s response or for a publisher to review my submission. I am building my own publishing house.
Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?
I created it myself using AI tools.
Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?
Every day, I record my podcast, write on my blog, create clips, and do everything I can to increase traffic to my website and my books on Amazon.
Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?
Do not give up if it is truly important to you.
About You
Where did you grow up?
Russia.
Where do you live now?
The United States.
What would you like readers to know about you?
You can learn a great deal about me by reading my books – perhaps even too much.
What are you working on now?
A nonfiction book about addiction and how I was able to overcome it.
End of Interview:
For more from Kirill Khrestinin visit his website.
Get your copy of Via Dolorosa from Amazon US or Amazon UK.
