Featured Interview With Candace Vianna
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
My parents cautioned me to stay away from art related careers. Instead I should pursue a serious occupation that would lead to a “real job and a stable career,” which I did by becoming a metrologist (Yes, that’s how it’s spelled. Metrology is the art and science of measurement which has nothing to do with weather other than ensuring the measuring devices are accurate.) When thirty years later, a pesky thing called ethics got in the way of my career (I have them,) I decided to try my hand at writing.
Born in Seattle, Washington, growing up as the daughter of an engineer, it is small wonder that I ended up pursuing a career in the sciences. During my childhood we traveled across the United States as my father moved from one project to the next, finally finishing up in Charlotte, North Carolina.
After working at a series of bars and restaurants earning $1.65/hr + tips, I came to the realization that a girl with only a high school diploma and no skills, no matter how intelligent or hard working, would always be waiting tables. So I enlisted United States Army where met my metrologist husband of thirty years and traveled the world before settling together in southern California to raise our three beautiful children.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve been a book nerd all my life. But I’m dysgraphic (a learning disability that effects written expression,) so I never considered writing until about 18 months ago after loosing my job.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
There are too many to list all of them, but below are a few who’ve had the biggest impact:
Stephen King is great when it comes to setting up a scene and creating mood. He’s great a master at crafting metaphors using every day objects. “The Man in the Black Suit” is a prime example.
Ray Bradbury, when it comes to descriptive writing… “And then a long wave of warmth crossed the small town. A flooding sea of hot air; it seemed as if someone had left a bakery door open. The heat pulsed among the cottages and bushes and children. The icicles dropped, shattering, to melt. The doors flew open. The windows flew up. The children worked off their wool clothes. The housewives shed their bear disguises. The snow dissolved and showed last summer’s ancient green lawns.
Rocket summer. The words passed among the people in the open, airing houses. Rocket summer. The warm desert air changing the frost patterns on the windows, erasing the art work. The skis and sleds suddenly useless. The snow, falling from the cold sky upon the town, turned to a hot rain before it touched the ground.
Rocket summer. People leaned from their dripping porches and watched the reddening sky.” The Martian Chronicles
Kalil Gibran’s “The Prophet” is a great example of using juxtaposition to enhance a point… “Some of you say, “Joy is greater than sorrow,” and others say, “Nay, sorrow is the greater.”
But I say unto you, they are inseparable.
Together they come, and when one sits alone with you at your board, remember that the other is asleep upon your bed”
Tell us a little about your latest book?
It’s a full length, stand alone, funny, laugh out loud, contemporary romance about a science geek and a sweet guy with big feet. It contains some not so sweet language a few sexy love scenes (the hot, sweaty kind that will make you want to take up smoking.) If you’re bothered by graphic sex and profanity, this may not be your cup of tea–just saying. But if you want a light romance that will (hopefully) make you laugh, this could be your new guilty pleasure.
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