Interview with Vicki Gaia:
Hi Vicki. Thank you for doing this interview. I would like to welcome you to the Romance at Heart Interview and Author Grilling session. *bg* We are interested to find out as much about you as we possibly can, so lets get started...
- Please tell us about your latest books.
Long Strange Trip takes place in 1967 during the Summer of Love in San Francisco. It was a trip down memory lane for me – because my sister went to Berkeley during this time – and I lived near Haight-Ashbury during the Eighties. The story is about an uptight professor who meets a flower child, and she tilts his world off his axis. It’s a story about love, compromise and trust, with a dash of humor.
Cradle the Light came out about the same time as LST. This book has a serious and darker tone. The setting takes place in London during the Blitz, and then shifts to San Francisco at the start of America’s involvement in the war. The sequel Fragments of Light will be out this May.
Currently, I’ve contracted a book set in 1913 in New York. It will be published by Enspiren Press. I chose this time period because of the underlying social change that was brewing underneath the rigid society. The title is Eliza’s Hope. I like to write about the radicals, the people questioning authority during their era. We tend to stereotype an era. I like to write outside the box of that stereotype.
- How do we find out about you and your books?
You can visit my website at www.vickigaia.com – where my books are posted and where you can link to the website to purchase them. Long Strange Trip can be purchased at Samhain Publishing’s bookstore My Bookstore and More at www.mybookstoreandmore.com or Amazon. com. Warring Hearts – Cradle the Light is available from Awe-Struck E-books – www.awe-struck.net or Amazon.com.
- Why did you decide to write romance novels?
I love to write about relationships. Everything in life boils down to interactions between people, and I’m sentimental and love happy endings. I have fun putting my characters in awkward situations, especially my male characters. My husband accuses that this is my little revenge against the male gender, but honestly, it’s not true!
- How much of your personality and life experiences are in your writing?
Some of my likes and dislikes sneak into my characters. Claire O’Neill from Warring Hearts is a dessert freak like me, and loves lemon meringue pie – my favorite, of course. But really, I think I tend to write characters which are very different from my personality. My characters harbor secrets and inner scars that they need to overcome. This isn’t like me at all. My life is blessed with a terrific husband, family, and friends, and there’s little of the ‘high’ drama
- Generally, how long does it take you to write a book?
Good question! I’d say at least six months to a year because of the research. I like to read books that were published in the era of my writing, check the Internet sites for historical facts and period headlines. When I start a new book, I make numerous visits to my local library. Most of my stories are historical romances so it’s difficult to write one in only a few months. And, I tend to chose different eras so I have to start at the beginning. I did write a contemporary story that is coming out in December 2007 – Gracie and the Bad Hat - and this took less time. Still, I had to research locations, restaurants, and San Francisco neighborhoods.
- What is your writing routine?
I’m all over the place when it comes to a writing schedule. Some weeks I write everyday for long periods of time, other times I’m sporadic and only get an hour or two a day, if that. But, my stories are never far from my thoughts. I’m constantly plotting and dialoguing in my head. Unfortunately, I can’t remember most of it not unless I write it down.
- What do you do to relax and recharge your batteries?
I take long hot bathes, read a good book and watch movies. I love to travel and this recharges my spirit and fills me with ideas for my next book. I traveled to Malta this fall and hope to write a story about the Neolithic goddess culture. I also enjoy taking my laptop to my favorite coffeehouse to write. Sometimes writing is a lonely existence and I need to get out and experience that there is a world out there!
- What book for you has been the easiest to write? The hardest? The most fun?
Long Strange Trip was the most fun because of the era and the lightness of the story. I loved researching the Sixties. It was a decade that influenced my life - the music, the protest movements, and the ideology of the generation – a very unique time in America’s history. The hardest book to write was my WWII trilogy – on many levels. First there is the research -the language, fashion and culture that is so different from our own. Claire O’Neill is an artist – so I had to research the art movements of that period. On another level, when you write a trilogy, you need to be careful not to repeat too much of the story in the second and third books so not to bore the reader. You also need to keep some questions unanswered for the next book and the characters growing so the reader wants to read more. The easiest book was Gracie and the Bad Hat because it is a contemporary story and I lived in San Francisco and the Bay Area for many years.
Thank you very much for taking the time with us and answering our questions. I really appreciate this interruption to your busy schedule. Good Luck, and we will be looking forward to the next delightful creation from your talented imagination!
Yours in good reading,
Rose!
Author Links:
Vicki's Website Vicki's Blog Vicki's Yahoo Group
RAH Links:
Interview Review 1 Review 2
Purchase Links:
Buy Vicki's Books At Amazon
Buy Vicki's Books at Samhain Publishing
Buy Vicki's Books at Awe-Struck Books
