Interview and Excerpt: Willow Pond by Carol Tibaldi
Thank you Carol for stopping by with a Q&A and an excerpt from her novel Willow Pond! Please check out her tour page on CLP Blog Tours for more details!
**Interview**
When did you know writing was for you?
I was around eight years old when I wrote my first short story and loved doing it so much I knew it was something I wanted to do forever. I loved reading so much the two kind of went hand in hand. At that age it was just fun for me.
How would you describe your books?
I love to write historical fiction because I like to learn about other times. I want to transport myself and the reader to another time and place.
What is the hardest part of the writing process for you?
Coming up with an idea that actually works and after that it would probably be sitting down and doing the actual writing. I’m a great procrastinator.
What was your research process like for Willow Pond?
Willow Pond required a lot of research both online and in the library. I read books and newspapers from the era. I researched bootleggers and speakeasies because I wanted everything to be authentic. I read about the clothes they wore and the expressions they used because I wanted them to look at sound the way they would have back then too.
What are your favorite genres to read?
I have eclectic taste. If I find a story I like I’ll read it and not pay much attention to the genre.
What do you want readers to take away from your story?
Mostly I hope they enjoy reading it and are entertained.
How important do you think social media is for authors these days?
I think writers must be involved in social media today. Twitter and Facebook are especially important to connect with other writers, though I think that spending too much time on either one of them isn’t a good thing either because then we aren’t writing. Now we have Pinterest, but I haven’t used it yet, even though I have people following me!
What would be your advice to aspiring writers?
Keep working to improve your writing. Join a writer’s group and take the advice of more experience. Read as much as you can in your own genre, but in other genres also. Most of all, never give up.
**Excerpt - Willow Pond**
Virginia stretched like a sleek black cat in the four poster mahogany bed, trying not to purr as she gazed at Rudy Strauss' retreating figure. She'd bought the huge bed from a redheaded woman who owned an antique shop in Greenwich Village. The woman liked to tell tall tales, like the one she'd told Virginia about the Prince of Wales having once owned the bed. Virginia hadn't minded. She liked stories.Rudy was patient where other men rushed, and that had made for a most enjoyable afternoon. Tired, spent and more thoroughly satisfied than she'd ever admit, she reluctantly slid off him and rested her hand on his chiseled abdomen.“Never let anyone tell you that you aren’t good for anything, Rudy.”A slow, stupid grin of male pride stretched across his dark features.“Not for that, anyway,” she said, smiling in spite of herself.He looked at her blankly. She shrugged, then pointed to a bottle of champagne chilling in a wooden bucket on the bedside table. “Go ahead and open it. I’d say we’ve earned a bit of refreshment.”“The whole day’s been great,” Rudy said, heading toward the bucket. Virginia watched his big fingers pick at the foil on the top of the bottle. Skillful fingers despite their size, she thought. The foil peeled off neatly and he dropped it on the table before addressing the cork. “Your life’s the bees knees, baby. You’ve got the greatest speak in the city.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, looking at her from the corner of his eye. “Any regrets?”She flicked an eyebrow in question. “Like what? Meeting you?”“Kids, marriage, you know.”“What are you, a comedian?”
**Interview**
When did you know writing was for you?
I was around eight years old when I wrote my first short story and loved doing it so much I knew it was something I wanted to do forever. I loved reading so much the two kind of went hand in hand. At that age it was just fun for me.
How would you describe your books?I love to write historical fiction because I like to learn about other times. I want to transport myself and the reader to another time and place.
What is the hardest part of the writing process for you?
Coming up with an idea that actually works and after that it would probably be sitting down and doing the actual writing. I’m a great procrastinator.
What was your research process like for Willow Pond?
Willow Pond required a lot of research both online and in the library. I read books and newspapers from the era. I researched bootleggers and speakeasies because I wanted everything to be authentic. I read about the clothes they wore and the expressions they used because I wanted them to look at sound the way they would have back then too.
What are your favorite genres to read?
I have eclectic taste. If I find a story I like I’ll read it and not pay much attention to the genre.
What do you want readers to take away from your story?
Mostly I hope they enjoy reading it and are entertained.
How important do you think social media is for authors these days?
I think writers must be involved in social media today. Twitter and Facebook are especially important to connect with other writers, though I think that spending too much time on either one of them isn’t a good thing either because then we aren’t writing. Now we have Pinterest, but I haven’t used it yet, even though I have people following me!
What would be your advice to aspiring writers?
Keep working to improve your writing. Join a writer’s group and take the advice of more experience. Read as much as you can in your own genre, but in other genres also. Most of all, never give up.
**Excerpt - Willow Pond**
Virginia stretched like a sleek black cat in the four poster mahogany bed, trying not to purr as she gazed at Rudy Strauss' retreating figure. She'd bought the huge bed from a redheaded woman who owned an antique shop in Greenwich Village. The woman liked to tell tall tales, like the one she'd told Virginia about the Prince of Wales having once owned the bed. Virginia hadn't minded. She liked stories.Rudy was patient where other men rushed, and that had made for a most enjoyable afternoon. Tired, spent and more thoroughly satisfied than she'd ever admit, she reluctantly slid off him and rested her hand on his chiseled abdomen.“Never let anyone tell you that you aren’t good for anything, Rudy.”A slow, stupid grin of male pride stretched across his dark features.“Not for that, anyway,” she said, smiling in spite of herself.He looked at her blankly. She shrugged, then pointed to a bottle of champagne chilling in a wooden bucket on the bedside table. “Go ahead and open it. I’d say we’ve earned a bit of refreshment.”“The whole day’s been great,” Rudy said, heading toward the bucket. Virginia watched his big fingers pick at the foil on the top of the bottle. Skillful fingers despite their size, she thought. The foil peeled off neatly and he dropped it on the table before addressing the cork. “Your life’s the bees knees, baby. You’ve got the greatest speak in the city.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, looking at her from the corner of his eye. “Any regrets?”She flicked an eyebrow in question. “Like what? Meeting you?”“Kids, marriage, you know.”“What are you, a comedian?”
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