I am delighted to welcome back to the blog the author, Victoria Saccenti
Hi Victoria, thank you for spending time with us today. Tell us a little about yourself and how you got started as an author?
First and foremost, I want to thank you for inviting me to chat with you and your wonderful readers about my works. Truly, this is an honor.
My writing journey began many decades ago. I grew up in a home of avid readers. My parents had an extensive library, from Greek mythology, to the classics to modern works. I used to stare at the gorgeous leather bound books wondering when I’d be allowed to peruse the edge-gilded pages. Mom must have been watching, because the moment I learned to read, she placed in my anxious hands my own copy of The Mystery of the Black Jungle. The first volume of the Tigers of Malaysia Series, written by Emilio Salgari, Italy’s beloved writer of adventure fiction. There I was at the age of six, exploring the jungles of the Sundarbans in British India, my exhilarated imagination working at top speed. Subsequently, I wrote fantasies and fairytales to use during playtime with my sister and cousins.
Growing up I kept a diary and a book under my arm at all times. When I was stationed in London with an international carrier, I returned to writing short stories, my favorite pastime. Some I sent to my mother included in weekly letters, others I’ve kept, and the rest I have lost during multiple moves.
Then years later, I was driving home from work at 2:00 in the morning, when the main character of my first book materialized—in my head, of course—demanding I write his story. I’m convinced most writers have a touch of schizophrenia. The next day, and completely out of the blue, a dear friend came up with a similar question. Since you love reading so much, why don’t you write a book? Kismet? Coincidence? Destiny? Maybe all three, and the rest is history, as they say.
For readers who aren’t familiar with your writing, what can they expect from the Destiny series?
They can expect a bit history, adventure, and romance. The series covers a period of nine years, from June 1967 through May 1976, with a backward jump to 1936.
Destiny’s Plan begins in 1967 at the height of the Vietnam War, the Hippie counterculture, free love and drug revolution, and the struggle for Civil Rights. A tumultuous period in the history of the United States, when established mores and traditions were shattered and new ones created. With books two and three, other conflicts surfaced, including mental and spiritual wounds, the consequences of an unpopular war, and abrupt societal changes.
Tell us a little about the characters who inhabit the Destiny series and do you have a favourite character?
Even though the series is advertised as romance, it’s truly a family saga. The series narrates the life of the Muro sisters—born in the United States from Spanish parents—their family, and close friends. The sisters’ stories are at the forefront. Secondary characters are also developed, including their mother, Isabel, who grew up in Spain during the Spanish Civil War.
I don’t have a ‘favourite’ character, I love them all and for different reasons. They’re like my siblings or my dearest friends. We have lived together for years. Each has brought something unique to the narrative. But if I had to choose, I would go for Xavier Manel Repulles, aka, Xavi. He surprised me the most. I thought I had him all figured out. He basically said, “You don’t know me at all.” He forced me to go back to the drawing board.
Your books are very atmospheric – how do you ‘set the scene’ in your novels and how much research did you have do in order to bring the place and people to life.
Research. Wow. I spent months doing research. I first hit the jackpot when I discovered several TV news reports from that era. They were absolutely riveting. Before I wrote the Vietnam scenes I read five books and watched a film, a dramatization of an actual battle, which helped with visualization.
I studied habits. People used to read. Books were entertainment. The school curriculum was by far more extensive. I also researched what existed and didn’t. Something as simple as a coffee maker or the wrong color in home appliances could ruin the authenticity of the storyline. In 1967, Neil Armstrong had not yet set foot on the Moon. Most of the technical advances we enjoy today have come out of the Space Age.
All of the above helped me ‘set the scene’, feel the mood, understand the motivation, see the characters and their surroundings. I’m deeply grateful for the years I spent in Drama and Acting class, a minor interest. I had no idea that at some point in the future, exercises in the Stanislavsky’s method, where the actor inhabits a part would help with writing.
When you started writing – did you always intend it to be a trilogy? And if so, did you know at the start where the story eventually finish?
I started out thinking of one book. I was halfway through Destiny’s Plan when the next story popped before my eyes. I discussed the possibility with my dear friend, as I was a little hesitant. The story-line is not perfect and tidy. The human condition can be a surprising roller-coaster. She encouraged me and I went for it.
Your stories are very much ‘from the heart’. Does this take its toll on you emotionally, and if so, how do you overcome it?
Yes, it does take a toll. I cried three times with the first book. I wrote a scene in Destiny’s Plan that left me depressed for a full week. In the end, I chickened out and deleted it. I thought it would be too much for the readers. I’ve kept it. Perhaps one day I will write it back in.
My remedy for the emotional upheaval is to pick up a book from a favorite author. I’m an immersive reader and going into someone else’s world pulls me out of mine.
Now that the trilogy is complete, can we look forward to more stories from you?
Yes. And I’m pretty excited about this one. My current ‘work-in-progress’ is the story of a minor character from Destiny’s Plan. I liked him so much I ‘couldn’t’ leave him hanging. The book is completely stand-alone. However, the character appeared in 1968, which means I have to follow through with the timeline.
The story is set in North Carolina’s Wake County, four years after the first high school was integrated and weeks after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. I am involved in serious research, again. I guess my personal Calliope, she is the closest, gravitates to that sort of story. (wink)
A million thanks for this opportunity. I hope your readers will be attracted to the themes I’ve explored. Traveling to the past on the pages of the Destiny series could be fun.
Destiny’s Plan
One empty bus seat. Two aching hearts. A future written by Fate…
When Raquelita Muro’s overbearing mother rips her and her little
sister away from their beloved Papa, one tiny, rebellious corner of Raquelita’s
heart is grateful that the bus is crowded, and the only seat left is out of
Mama’s sight. Next to a handsome young man.
Michael Buchanan’s beautiful traveling companion is more than
something pretty to look at before he ships out for Viet Nam. Deep in her sad,
whisky-colored eyes he glimpses a new dream to replace the ones he’s leaving
behind. It breaks his heart to leave Raquelita in her tyrannical mother’s
hands, but she gifts him with a token of love and a tender promise to exchange
letters in secret.
But their first, shy “hello” has reached the ears of Fate. Fate is
in the mood to see how far it can push two lonely hearts—to the brink of
temptation, desperation, and despair—before they break. Perhaps beyond any hope
of healing…
Destiny’s Choice
No one evades Fate. Especially when the escape route is cracked and
full of holes.
As a naïve young woman, Marité Muro nearly drowned in a maelstrom of
confusing emotions stirred by two very different men. One whose tortured soul
tugged at her heart, another whose scorching touch made her innocent body
want…more.
Four years in a Spanish prep school gave her time to gain perspective,
and now she’s come home to Florida knowing what she wants. The one man she’s
never been able to forget, and she’s ready to prove their age difference is no
obstacle.
Viet Nam left scars on Brian MacKay, some visible, some
invisible—and infinitely more dangerous. His war buddy’s sister-in-law has
ripened into a tempting, irresistible woman, but she is forbidden fruit. Yet
she challenges his resolve until, in a moment of weakness, his demons slip
free.
Marité isn’t sure why the man who held her closer than skin is
suddenly holding her at arm’s length, but she isn’t afraid to fight for him.
Even when someone returns from the past who could destroy everything. Her home.
Her family. And Brian’s love.
Destiny’s Way
Destiny can show the way home...if it can navigate the shadows of
Fate.
Brian McKay’s love for Marité Muro burns with the heat of an eternal
flame. But when he catches her cousin, Michael, forcing an unwanted kiss upon
her, Brian’s jealousy comes dangerously close to flaring out of control.
In a moment of despair, he packs his bags and boards a plane for
Round Rock, convinced Marité will be better off with anyone else. Someone
younger. Someone who isn’t dragging around a crippling load of baggage—and
PTSD-fueled demons.
Anger tears at Marité’s heart as she flees to her Abuela’s home.
Anger at Brian for abandoning her so easily. At Michael for trying to reignite
their past infatuation. Mostly, anger at herself for realizing too late that
it’s past time to grow up, take responsibility for her own part in the debacle,
and fight for the only man she’ll ever love.
But Fate has a few more tricks to play before Brian and Marité find
the strength to reconcile. Some that haunt Brian’s war-torn mind. Another
threatening from Michael’s dangerous ambitions. And one tiny, fragile miracle
growing under Marité’s heart, with the power to heal their past and seal their
future. If it lives long enough to draw its first breath…
Huge thanks to Victoria for being our special guest today. We have really enjoyed your company. Please come back and see us again soon 😃
More about Victoria
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