About the Author
Juris Plēsums
With an academic background in Animal Science and Agronomy, Juris Plēsums earned an MS in Agriculture and Applied Economics. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, he was invited to establish aid programs for the EU. For his role as teaching consultant and extension work he was awarded a Dr. h.c. and the status of An Officer of the Order of the Three Stars. In 2011, the title of Wisconsin Distinguished Agriculturist was bestowed upon him by the UWRF.
Juris doesn’t just write stories, he resurrects histories, untangles mysteries and asks questions that linger long after the last page. A Latvian-born writer with deep ties to the Baltic region, Juris carries the memory of his homeland’s turbulent past and transforms it into vivid storytelling that bridges centuries. Juris Plēsums writes from a place where history, culture and humanity intersect. Born into the Latvian diaspora, he carries with him a deep sense of heritage, identity and resilience, threads that run through all his work.
About the Book
Check Mate
It begins with a chessboard. Two elderly men, locked in a slow game, gamble with the highest possible stake: the soul of a young woman named Katrīna.
From there, the story unravels across centuries. A spoiled but graceful heiress, Katrīna von Donner, who marries into wealth but is hurled into tragedy after a shipwreck. Survivors who reinvent themselves, founding legacies in Latvia against the backdrop of shifting wars and identities. A modern opera singer, Kate Kirk, who chases her dream across the world’s greatest stages while uncovering her tangled ancestry. Love stories that defy time, pulling souls back together, even after loss, even after death.
Check Mate is historical fiction with the pulse of a mystery and the ache of a romance. It’s about identity, destiny, and the ways love and art become our true inheritance.
About the Book
Morning Dew
Morning Dew is more than a novel, it’s a saga that spans decades and generations, weaving together personal stories with global upheaval.
At the center is Rīta Rasa, a Latvian-American widow who, after losing her husband, sets out on a journey of healing and rediscovery. Her path leads from the wide-open spaces of the American West to the warmth of Latvian traditions, where she finds new love, new challenges and new meaning.
The story doesn’t shy away from heartbreak. Families lose homes to violence. Loved ones pass too soon. Identity itself becomes a battleground most strikingly in Juris Liepa’s transformation into Jurisa Astra Liepa, a journey of resilience and self-acceptance.
But through it all runs a current of hope. Morning dew after all, is the earth’s quiet promise of renewal. This is a story about holding on when everything around you tries to take it away.
Blogs
News & Articles
Post 03
Latvia is more than a setting in Check Mate, it’s a character. From the stormy seas of Kolka to the cultural heart of Riga, the
Post 02
The Legal Battles Farmers Still Face. Rīta’s academic lectures in the book touch on agricultural law, but here’s the surprising part, it’s not just fiction.
Post 01
Kate’s life isn’t just about surviving heartbreak, it’s about transforming grief into music. From La Scala to the Met, her voice carries her ancestors’ stories.