First I would like to welcome you to Love Romances and More and thank you for taking the time to answer these questions. 

Could you first of all tell us a little about yourself?

Sure…although I hate to talk about myself! I’ve been writing for six years, and after numerous short stories, attempted a novel a couple of years ago. This novel morphed into Cradle the Light after a zillion edits. I’ve always been creative in some sense, and received my art degree from San Diego State in the early 1990’s. Between writing and artwork, it keeps me busy. 

How did your writing career take off?

Well the truth is I started writing fan fiction way back when. Then I got bored with having to use the same setting and characters. So, I began to write short stories to occupy my time. All this was done without a thought of publishing. But somewhere along the way, writing became a passion. Being an artist, writing is another art form for me. 

Your first book, LONG STRANGE TRIP, takes place in the 60’s with the flower people of San Francisco.  What made you pick this setting?

I live in Arizona now, but I’m from Northern California and lived in the Bay Area for years. San Francisco was my playground and I loved all the craziness. I was a teenager in the late 60’s and lived precariously through my sister who attended U.C. Berkeley in 1967. The 60’s influenced the way I view life today, my political and social views, the way I feel about the environment, and women’s issues. There’s something fascinating about this time. It was a tumultuous decade with extreme highs and lows, but it brought about immense change in the Civil Rights Movement, and ushered in the Women’s Movement and the Gay Movement of the 70’s. 

I found this story delightful being a flower child myself.  Did you draw from any of your own experiences or the experiences of others for this story?

 Is this a trick question? *just kidding* I’ve had similar experiences, like skinny dipping at Big Sur. But that’s all I’ll admit to. J  My characters are fictitious, but I’m sure bits and pieces of my personality and my friend’s experiences get mixed in. Even during the early 70’s, when I was young, the sexual revolution was alive and kicking, and drugs experimental. We lived by different rules than today. 

I’m sure a few of your readers will remember these turbulent times.  What message did you want your readers to get from this story?

There’s room for experimental growth and looking at life in a new way. It’s okay to step ‘out of the box’. But, there’s also value in tradition. Rose Red represents a fresh outlook, while Kenneth represents tradition and the past. Rose Red learns that she can honour her past and still create a new life for herself, and Kenneth learns he can step out of his ‘box’ without compromising his values. 

Now your next published book is CRADLE THE LIGHT.  You’ve chosen an entirely different setting for this one, World War II.  What drew you to this time period?

Oh, that’s easy. I love the movie stars of the 30’s and 40’s. I grew up watching black and white movies and falling love with Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy, and Humphrey Bogart. I fell in love with the fashion and the women who oozed sex appeal without showing their skin. I love history and realized I didn’t know much about the war. Once I got into it, I realized how complex it all was, and complicated to be a woman in love, especially a woman who wanted to be an artist during the time when white male artists dominated the art world. A women’s role was to be a wife and mother, but what about the women who wanted more from life? 

Again, as in LONG STRANGE TRIP, you’ve created two very complicated characters.  Are these the type of characters you enjoy writing?

Yes! It’s much more interesting to write complex characters. I find that human nature is complicated, and it’s more true to life when people make mistakes and are conflicted and messy. My male characters tend to be quite flawed. My husband claims it’s my sweet revenge upon the male race, but that’s not true! Honest.  

You’ve added a gay character to your story.  Very tastefully done I might add.  Have you had any comments on this?

Yes, thank you for that ‘tasteful’ remark. Leslie Havens is in fact the voice of reason in my Warring Hearts series. He’s the one who help Richard and Claire realize how much they love each other. I hope my readers find my gay relationship’s tasteful, because I try to write about their relationships with warmth and compassion. I’ve always had gay friends and find their relationships are as complex, warm, and passionate as my heterosexual friends. Also, I’m writing about the art world, and sexual freedom and experimentation were the norm. This is why I added gay characters to my story. It’s being honest about the times. 

Your hero, Richard is very much the tortured soul.  Claire compliments him very well.  Did you find it difficult to write such a complex character?

No, I LOVE to write Richard’s character. He’s one of my favourite heroes and the reason is because he’s so complex and tortured. Maybe too tortured! I don’t know. I guess some readers might find him irritating! I love that he’s conflicted and has a tremendous sense of duty that keeps him fighting throughout the war. And even after being betrayed by a woman in his past, he allows himself to fall in love. 

How about sex scenes, are they difficult for you?

Yes and no. What is difficult is keeping them fresh and exciting. All my books have different levels of sensuality. What I find interesting is my contemporary romance has only one ‘hot’ sex scene in the entire book! You’d think that it would be full of sex, but the story doesn’t warrant it. Sex has to be an integral part of the storyline. One of the sex scenes in FRAGMENTS OF THE LIGHT was narrated to me by my husband from a dream he had! I’ll let you guess which one. J  

In FRAGMENTS OF LIGHT there is not only a lot of sexual tension, but a lot of emotion too.  I had to reach for a hanky at least once.  Do you have any kind of ritual while you write?  Listen to certain music?

I love to listen to music when I write. When I was writing Cradle the Light, and Fragments of Light, I listened to Jimmy Durante, Mel Torme, Frank Sinatra, Rod Stewart and his American Songbook series, and Carly Simon’s Torch Songs and Moonlight Serenade. For Long Strange Trip, I played Earth, Wind and Fire, Bob Dylan, Cream. And, there’s my iPod that has my favourite sappy love songs. Music definitely gets me into the mood.  

Are you a plotter?  Or do you go with the flow?

I’m more of a go-with-the-flow writer, but I do sketch out the story outline after I’ve written a few chapters. This is especially important if the story has a mystery subplot. I’m so afraid that I’ll mess up on the clues, and forget to add something that should have been in a previous chapter. I’ve done that before and had to fix it during the final edits. It’s scary!  

What was the one thing that most influenced you to write?

This is weird but true, it was when I had an art gallery. I didn’t have the time to create in my art studio, so I wrote. A laptop was convenient and easy to bring to the shop, and I could write during the down times. I fell in love with writing stories. I’ve always had a vivid imagination but I never thought about writing a novel. It’s interesting that a psychic once told me I’d be publishing books (this was 18 years ago) and I thought she was crazy! Little did I know?!

Please tell us a little about your typical writing day

It’s not too typical except every morning I get up and grind my coffee beans, make a STRONG cup of coffee, and turn on my computer. I do the crossword puzzle to get my mind stimulated. I might blog or update my website, and email. That’s about the extent of my ‘typical’ day. I don’t have any specific time I sit down to write. I find that when I’m editing or involved in a story, it’s everyday, even weekends. Also I like to go to my local coffeehouse and write, because I meet all sorts of interesting people.

What are you working on now?  Any teasers?

I have two manuscripts on my editor’s desk, and I haven’t heard back yet. I’m biting my nails…what nails I have left! One is a historical romance set in New York City during the 1910’s. It’s titled Eliza’s Hope ~ Here’s a blurb: Eliza Lily is a woman harboring a terrible secret she cannot remember. With her past exposed, her reputation in ruins, she escapes to New York with her guardian - William Bennett and his sister, Jewel. Hoping to forge a new life for herself, will her past come to haunt her future happiness?

The second book, Peter’s Witch, is a paranormal contemporary romance featuring the witches of Salem. A completely different genre for me! I’ve written this book with my friend and fellow author Margaret Wilson.

Besides Fragments of Light, I have a contemporary romance coming out later this year titled Gracie and the Bad Hat. It’s my first contemporary, and is set in San Francisco. Desiring to find the Mr. Right, Grace creates a list of qualities she wants in a man, and is determined to stick to dating men that fit her 'List of Gentlemanly Qualities'. Until she finds herself in bed with a photographer, Steven Levy, who lives in the seedy Tenderloin, has a crazy mother, and is what her mother would describe, a bad hat. 

These look like some nice treats for your readers.  Which authors do you enjoy reading yourself?  Which ones have influenced you?

This is difficult to answer because I read all genres and non-fiction. And I must confess, ah, lately I’ve gotten into DC graphic novels: Batman, Nightwing and Birds of Prey. Okay, I admit to feeling silly walking into comic book shops, but I’ve noticed there are many – ah – older people picking up comic books! The graphics are stunning and the writing is, at times, outstanding.

But to go back to your question, no one author has influenced my writing. I have to say that recently I’ve devoured Victoria Thompson mysteries. I went out and bought all seven books, and read them in one week! Her setting is during the 1890’s. Her books are fun to read, and at the time, I was revising Eliza’s Hope which is set in the 1910’s.

The Kite Runner was sublime, the writing simply beautiful. And one of my favourite books last year was the The Devil in the White City, a non-fiction account of the Chicago World’s Fair and a serial killer. Strange juxtaposition of story lines, but it worked brilliantly. The book read as a novel. 

What advice would you give to an aspiring author?

Don’t give up. Keep writing no matter what, and join your local writing group. They’re a terrific source of information. I’ve found authors are willing to share their experiences and resources, and are only to happy to help aspiring writers reach their goals.  

And, lastly, just for fun.  What’s your star sign?

Aries sun sign, Cancer moon and Virgo rising. 

Wishing you every success in your writing career. 

Thank you Valerie, it’s been fun answering your questions! If anyone has any questions or wants to say hello, they can reach me through my website at www.vickigaia.com ~ I love to hear from my readers!