Interview with Roberta Capizzi, romance novelist
Roberta is the author of The Melody in Our Hearts, a romance novel I recently read and very much enjoyed. An avid reader since her childhood years and being an only child, Roberta always enjoyed the company of her fictional friends from the children’s books she loved reading, while she dreamed of writing her own stories one day. It was when she discovered novels by authors Rosamunde Pilcher and Maeve Binchy in her teenage years that she realized it was time she put down in words the stories she had kept well hidden in her mind until then. What started as a hobby, soon turned into a real passion and a way of life, until she could no longer keep the stories to herself, and decided to get over her fears and share them with the world.
Roberta lives in Italy, but her dream is to move out of her country and live either in a thatched cottage in the Irish countryside or in a country house with a swing on the back porch, somewhere in the United States, where she would love to spend her days writing novels as a full-time job, and maybe one day even get as far as writing a screenplay for a movie.
Welcome to the blog. Can you tell us a little about yourself?
I like to think of myself as a dreamer, a bookworm and an art lover. I have a soft spot for Ireland, romantic movies (and books, of course) and I love keeping myself busy with anything. The word RELAX is not in my dictionary. Even in my free time, when I’m not working I simply have to do something, be it reading, writing, creating something, anything. I can’t spend a minute simply relaxing on the couch or taking a nap. My mind is always working overtime.
What made you want to become a writer?
I’ve always loved reading; and writing essays had always been my favourite moment at school. So when I was old enough to realise that I could actually start writing my own stories, and creating a world of my own (especially when reality didn’t turn out to be quite like I wanted it to) I decided to challenge myself and start writing. And when I realised I loved it, and it was who I am, I never stopped.
Who are your favourite writers?
The first writer who made me seriously fall in love with books and with writing was Rosamunde Pilcher. After I read all of her books, I discovered Maeve Binchy and Nicholas Sparks, and they quickly became my favourite authors too.
Why do you choose romance as the genre within which you write?
I guess it’s because I’ve been badly influenced by my favourite writers – and because I’m a hopeless romantic, dreaming of happy ever after.
What’s the most rewarding element of writing for you?
When I write I feel like I’m really myself. I have a day job I don’t particularly like and I’ve got to put on a happy face mask for eight long hours, hiding myself behind it. When I write, I can finally pull down the mask and be the person I am; I can write down my feelings, my dreams, my hopes and it makes me feel good.
What’s the most challenging element of writing for you?
Writing the word “The end”. Once I become involved in the story and I start feeling for the characters, I find it hard to simply come to an end. I know a novel can’t go on forever, but sometimes I feel I could write the sequel of the sequel of the sequel, because I just can’t let go of my “babies”.
At what point did you think, ‘I’ve done it – I’ve become a writer’?
When I first held the proof copy of my book, and it had my name on it. It was the most exciting moment in my whole life.
Can you share a little about your writing process?
When I start a story, I don’t always have a “from start-to-end” plot. I jot down ideas, as they pop into my mind, and I write down scenes as I go, trying to put them all together while editing, like in a jigsaw puzzle. I’ve recently taken part in a webinar on plotting, and it was very useful, because it gave me a professional approach to the whole writing process. I tried following it, and it was easier than I’d thought, but then I went back to my own “jigsaw puzzle” technique. I guess I’ll have to start following the rules, though. Maybe with my next novel I will.
What’s your most recent book about?
My most recent (and debut) book is about friendship and love. It’s the story of Valerie and Ryan, who’ve been best friends since their adolescence in Ireland, and who share a common passion for jazz music and Frank Sinatra (which is what brought them together). When Ryan moves to Boston to pursue a career as a professional jazz pianist, Valerie leaves her hometown too, so that she can be near him. As they grow up and pursue different careers – Ryan becomes a jazz star, while Valerie struggles to become a surgeon – their friendship grows stronger, in spite of people telling them friendship between a man and a woman cannot exist. Something changes along the way, though. Things don’t turn out the way they had planned, Valerie loses a patient and gives up on the surgical career for good, while Ryan finds it hard to cope with popularity. Until the night Ryan is brought into the ER fighting for his life and Valerie is the only one who can save him, although she is too scared to walk into an operating room again. But when faced with the possibility of losing her best friend, she knows she has to make a decision that might change her life forever.
What inspired you to write this book?
Sinatra’s and Michael Bublé’s music, and the thought of what my life would’ve been like if I’d had a male best friend, someone as close as a brother (I’ve always wanted to have an older brother, but I’m an only child).
How did you decide upon the title?
I’ve changed the title a few times, before I came up with the final one. I tend to choose a title when I’m still writing the first draft, and for this novel I had chosen “The Sound of Love”, because I wanted people to know it was about love and about music, too. When I was just about to publish it, I found out there was another book with the same title, so I tried to come up with a similar one. I picked at least another three titles which were all taken, until I found out there was a Sinatra song called “The Melody of Love” and I thought it was perfect. But then there already was another book with the same title, so I changed it until it became “The Melody in Our Hearts.”
What message would you most like readers to take away from the book?
Well, that true friendship exists (as well as true love), and a real friend can help us through thick and thin, no matter what happens all around. Love can come and go, dreams don’t always turn out the way we had hoped they would, but a true friend is always there, no matter what.
If a movie was made of your book, which actors would you cast in the leading roles?
Funny you should ask: I always imagine that, when I write a book, although I know I’ll probably never be famous enough to have a movie made of my book. For this novel, there’s an actor who’d be perfect for Ryan, but he might be a bit old now: Kyle Chandler, the actor from the TV show Early Edition. Ryan Reynolds would also make a perfectly gorgeous Ryan.
As for Valerie, I think I’d like Reese Whiterspoon to play her part.
When you’re not writing, what do you most like to do?
Well, I love reading. And I have a few other creative hobbies: I like painting on ceramic, I like knitting, and I like going to the cinema. I’m not a very “outdoor-lover” kind of person, but I do love travelling, when I have the chance.
What, for you, is the very epitome of a romantic moment?
A stroll on the beach at sunset – is this too soppy?
What’s next in your writing career?
I’m working on my second novel, which I’m hoping to publish by the end of the year, and I have at least another three ideas for novels, so I really hope to find more time to write those. Maybe one day I’ll be able to be a full-time writer, fingers crossed.
