Welcome Author Ivan Obolensky

On Top of the World News, by World Reporter Ray Cech

From New York to California to Uruguay, to On Top of the World, author Ivan Obolensky and his wife, Mary Jo, traveled this circuitous route to settle in our world finally. "It is a warm and friendly place, and we're very happy to call it home," they told us.

They had settled in Uruguay in a small town just a few hundred meters from overlooking the Atlantic. When they made that decision, Ivan tells us the influencers for Uruguay were that there would be no earthquakes or snow, and the neighborhood would be multicultural - it was all that and more.

Mary Jo ran her translation company, and Ivan settled down, continuing as a fictional mystery writer.
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Without realizing it at the time, Ivan was a natural at crafting a good "thriller". His trilogy series, starting with "Eye of the Moon" in 2018, was recognized with the Indie Reader Discovery First Book Award, and Readers' Favorite International Gold medal for fiction.
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Many more recognitions would follow with accolades for his ability to write mystery thrillers that would keep readers on the edge of their seats, asking, "What's next?" Each book in the trilogy takes place over a long weekend. The "Eye of the Moon series" is a captivating blend of American Gothic mystery and high society family drama set in the 1970s.
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When we asked Mr. Obolensky how he conjures up the deep mysteries and suspense for his novels, he said, "First of all, we need to understand that nothing in life is what it initially seems. Secondly, my grandmother Alice Astor (yes, those Astors), led a life filled with intrigue, glamour, and mystery. She was also, in the end, mysteriously murdered. And my grandfather would spin stories of Russian nobility - their secrets, their ghosts, and, very often, their unusual demise. So, I guess, all in all, I have a pretty strong and natural foundation for writing mystery thrillers."
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We welcome mystery writer Ivan Obolensky and his entrepreneur wife, Mary Jo Smith, to On Top of the World, and look forward to turning off the television, lowering the lights, and reading a good mystery.

Author’s Q&A

In his words

“The tale begins when I was a teenager. My father and I would meet from time to time for lunch, usually at the St. Regis Hotel in New York. One afternoon, he talked about his mother, Alice Astor, and how she had been reading a particular Egyptian Book of the Dead the night she had died. Her death had been so unusual and mysterious that he even had her New York townhouse exorcised. My grandfather had also mentioned in his autobiography, One Man in His Time, that Alice had become deeply involved with mystics and dark forces. After she divorced her fourth husband, she found herself utterly alone. What happened after, my grandfather didn’t say, but he hinted that her death was unexpected, unnecessary, and well before her time.

The story stuck with me, but what ultimately aroused my curiosity was an article in a 1997 issue of W Magazine, entitled, ‘Black Mischief’, with the subheading: ‘While researching Secret Muses, her acclaimed biography of Sir Fredrick Ashton, Julie Kavanagh unearthed the bizarre story of his patron Alice Astor. An influential heiress whose friends included Gore Vidal and Truman Capote, her last years were marked by a fascination with the occult. Did it also play a part in her death?’ The article concluded that she was likely murdered. I thought that was improbable, but the possibility was intriguing. My fiction series Eye of the Moon was the result.”

Explore the world behind the Eye of the Moon series with more of Ivan’s stories, thoughts on the occult, and family histories on his blog.

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In his words

“The tale begins when I was a teenager. My father and I would meet from time to time for lunch, usually at the St. Regis Hotel in New York. One afternoon, he talked about his mother, Alice Astor, and how she had been reading a particular Egyptian Book of the Dead the night she had died. Her death had been so unusual and mysterious that he even had her New York townhouse exorcised. My grandfather had also mentioned in his autobiography, One Man in His Time, that Alice had become deeply involved with mystics and dark forces. After she divorced her fourth husband, she found herself utterly alone. What happened after, my grandfather didn’t say, but he hinted that her death was unexpected, unnecessary, and well before her time.

The story stuck with me, but what ultimately aroused my curiosity was an article in a 1997 issue of W Magazine, entitled, ‘Black Mischief’, with the subheading: ‘While researching Secret Muses, her acclaimed biography of Sir Fredrick Ashton, Julie Kavanagh unearthed the bizarre story of his patron Alice Astor. An influential heiress whose friends included Gore Vidal and Truman Capote, her last years were marked by a fascination with the occult. Did it also play a part in her death?’ The article concluded that she was likely murdered. I thought that was improbable, but the possibility was intriguing. My fiction series Eye of the Moon was the result.”