Stachniak, Eva: - nEva Stachniak was born in Wroclaw, Poland. She moved to Canada in 1981 and has worked for Radio Canada International and Sheridan College, where she taught English and humanities. Her first novel of Catherine the Great, The Winter Palace was a #1 international bestseller and was followed by another Catherine the Great novel Empress of the Night, also a bestseller. She lives in Toronto.n