Thank you Carrie for inviting me to join this wonderful group of authors. I'm very excited to be here and look forward to chatting with writers and readers who love history like I do.
I've been writing since 2000. I had opened an art gallery and didn't have time to create in my studio. It was easy to pick up a laptop and write between serving my customers, and I fell in love with penning a good story! I've always been an avid reader, since the days my grandmother, Nonna Rose, took me to the library. My nightstand has four or five books piled high.
History has always held a fascination for me. As a child, I'd imaged a time machine where I'd go back to the world of knights and maidens, a place where I'd win the prince's heart! Maybe that's why I write romance *g*. Jane Austen holds a special place in my heart ~ the first romance writer superstar!
My first book takes place in London and San Francisco during World War II. I was amazed how much I didn't know about the war. Growing up, I watched every B/W movie ever made during this era, but of course, the reality was far removed from the movies. I spent two years researching the 40's ~ an amazing decade of sacrifice, heroism, love and betrayal.
The result is Warring Hearts: Cradle the Light ~ the first of a 3-book series set during WWII. Claire O'Neill is an American artist determined to live life on her terms. Richard Hart, ace saboteur, is weary of fighting the war against Hitler. When they meet, sparks fly, and love comes unexpectedly at the worst possible time.
The second book - Fragments of Light will be out in May 2007, and continues Richard and Claire's love story, but this time, the setting is New York City in 1943. Art was confiscated by the Nazis and sold to art dealers in neutral countries, who turned around and sold the stolen works to their clients across the globe. Being an artist, this caught my interest, and Fragments of Light was created from this idea.
Long Strange Trip is a completely different book! It's Kenneth Hailey's wild ride during the Summer of Love in San Francisco. I'm a native Californian and lived in San Francisco and the Bay Area for years before moving to Arizona. My older sister went to Berkeley in 1967 ~ and I remember being awed by all that was happening on campus and the Haight. The sixties generation influenced my generation. And, to fit-in to what was happening ~ sometimes traditions had to be questioned and/or set aside.
At any given time, story ideas are swirling in my head. This fall I went to Malta to study the Neolithic temples. There's a story lurking behind the wondrous megalithic stones, and I hope to sit down before the year is out and outline a story.
For those of you who would like to know about my books ~ please visit my website. I look forward to posting and getting to know all of you!
Vicki Gaia info: http://www.vickigaia.com/
Read excerpts: http://www.vickigaia.com/bookshelf.htm
Yahoo Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/groups/vickigaia
