Claire comes to Paris, convinced her love will lead Richard through this, and resolute about starting their life together after the war. But as Richard's episodes grow worse, he pushes Claire further away. When a dashing stranger shows an interest in Claire, she fears the gulf between her and Richard may be too great to overcome. German Ratlines, puzzle boxes, love triangles, and intrigue lead up to the final conclusion of Warring Hearts.
Reviews for Warring Hearts: Light in a Hollow Place
"Warring Hearts three is an emotionally driven story that is loaded with descriptive details of a war-torn France, just barely coming to life again after the war. Exceptional plots and incredible characters weave an exciting tale of one couple who is trying to save their love while still fighting the after effects of the war."
"But be warned; after reading this book, you will want to read the first two even more. Spicy hot love scenes completes this story making this one spectacular read." - Wateena, Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance
Visit Vicki Gaia's web site
Read an excerpt from Warring Hearts: Light in a Hollow Place
About Vicki Gaia
Vicki Gaia is an artist at heart, whether she's using paints, paper, glue -- or
words. Her novels are about romance but with the rules stretched, her characters strong willed and flawed. She leans towards the bohemian, but in all her stories, love transforms. She enjoys writing 'modern historical fiction' - neither historical nor contemporary, but that gray area after the turn of the 20th century. After visiting Malta, and the Neolithic 'goddess sites', she's writing an urban fantasy based on the Great Goddess - Gaea-ge.
Back list
Warring Hearts: Cradle the Light - Awe-Struck
Warring Hearts: Fragments of Light - Awe-struck
Gracie and the Bad Hat - Awe-Struck
Eliza's Hope - Enspiren Press
Long Strange Trip - Samhain Publishing
Can read about Vicki's backlist at: http://www.vickigaia.com/press.htm
An Interview with Vicki Gaia
By Holly Hewson for The Romance StudioHH: Vicki, thanks for talking to us at TRS. Please tell us about your featured book, Warring Hearts: Light in a Hollow Place. VG: Thank you for having me! You guys are terrific!
Light in a Hollow Place is the final book in my WWII Trilogy - Warring Hearts. It was the last and hardest to write! My poor critique partner was tearing out her hair along with me! I changed the subplot so many times :) I had to keep the tension hot between Claire and Richard, and figure out how they were going to survive the END of the war. In some ways, the story redefines their relationship. The setting is Paris after the Liberation but before the end of the war. The tide of war has turned and the Allies are winning. It's a matter of time and luck. It's about love, Nazi ratlines, and survival.
HH: This is book three of your Warring Hearts series. First tell us where you got the idea for this series set during World War II. VG: I grew up watching movies from the 30's and 40's. This period of history has always intrigued me. Once I began my research, I realized how much I didn't know about the war, the complexities especially. I'm also an artist, and know how hard it was for women artists to get the recognition they'd deserved. Claire O'Neill represents that young artist, a woman trying to come to terms with her desire to be the best in her field and the desire for love and family. It's a struggle. Richard Hart challenges her belief that she can't have both.
HH: What can you tell us about the first two stories? VG: The first book - Cradle the Light - introduces Claire and Richard, and unveils why Claire struggles to avoid losing her heart to Richard. It's about the enigma that surrounds Richard. It's about trust and a mother's past mistake haunting the present. It takes place in London during the Blitz and moves to San Francisco when the U.S. declares war on Germany and Japan.
The second book - Fragments of Light - takes place in New York City, during the middle war years. Richard and Leslie (Richard's gay handler) find themselves shipped to New York on a mission dealing with Nazi confiscated artwork. Richard and Claire's relationship is further tested, and realizes who she should trust.
HH: How does Light in a Hollow Place continue the series? VG: Hopefully by tying up all the loose ends :) while having a stand alone satisfying read. I've had critics review the story and they were able to follow the storyline even though they didn't read the first two books. LHP resolves the final issues between Richard and Claire, and puts a closure on Leslie's relationships.
HH: What sort of research did you do to bring these emotionally engaging stories to life so realistically? VG: Tons of reading - I scoured used bookstores for history books and biographies of people who'd experienced the war. I read true accounts of war stories posted to the Internet. I was lucky to be able to travel to London, New York and Paris. I took plenty of pictures - neighborhoods, parks, restaurants. I picked up maps dated from the 1940's and found a classic map of San Francisco printed for the 1939 World's Fair. It listed restaurants on the back of the map, some that I've been to. I'm a native Californian, and lived in the Bay Area and San Francisco for years before I moved to Arizona. I love using San Francisco as a setting for my stories.
HH: What projects do you have in the works now? VG: I'm writing two stories completely different from my usual fare. They are not historical romances, although my urban fantasy, In the Shadow of the Goddess, has plenty of sexual tension and as much research behind it as my historicals. It's fun to step outside the box, stretch my writing abilities and explore new worlds. My second story is a murder mystery set in a fictional East Coast village - where the main character is a gay psychic artist :) - my working title is Dreams Most Foul.
HH: Your web site has a great research section with several documents there for readers. What can you tell us about these? VG: I'm so bad when it comes to updating my website, but I do try to keep my research section interesting. I've archived the articles - articles pertaining to each book I've written. I LOVE research and history, so I like to share what I've discovered in my search for a good story. I hope my research page sparks a reader's interest in the time period in which my stories take place. Check it out to read about goddesses and angels: http://www.vickigaia.com/research.htm.
HH: What are you favorite ways to interact with readers? VG: It's fun to receive emails from my readers - and to meet them in person during book signings. Sometimes I'll join in on a live chat and that's always fun and crazy. I have a MySpace, Bebo and a Yahoo Group, but my Yahoo Group isn't interactive. It's for readers who want to receive my newsletter and announcements. So readers, drop me a line: vicki@vickigaia.com or go to my website and join any one of my groups: http://www.vickigaia.com/funstuff.htm.
HH: What direction do you see the romance genre moving in today and how will you fit in it? VG: It's an exciting genre because it's so diverse. The digital revolution helped birth the subgenres, and I believe it will continue in this diverse direction. Readers demand well-written stories, strong characters and fascinating plots. The romance subgenres are endless with possibilities and feed into this demand. This is what keeps me writing stories with strong romantic elements. I can't help but being drawn to love.
HH: What would you like to accomplish before the year is out? VG: I'd be ecstatic to finish my two WIP's ~ that's all I can hope for. If all goes well, I'll be traveling to Egypt in November and I'd like to come up with a story idea featuring the temple of Isis - a spin off from In the Shadow of the Goddess.
HH: Thank you!
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