Featured Interview With VC Williams
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I am a native, second-generation Arizonan and history enthusiast. I left Arizona after finishing high school but returned several years ago to be closer to my folks. I’m a dog lover but I now include cats after a feral cat arrived at my door and wouldn’t go away. Since I love to travel I have no pets now, but look forward to the day when a pet will be part of my life. I live high in the mountains and enjoy four mild seasons. I lived in the Phoenix area for many years and count myself among the stout-hearted souls who have endured the blazing heat of the Arizona desert and survived. As I said, we love to travel and have been blessed to have seen many places around the world. We also have a small Class C RV that affords us entre to the endless scenic wonders of the USA.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I was about five when my older sister taught me to read. Reading was my first passion and I’ve been reading constantly since then. I love all kinds of books. I remember while in the Fifth grade I read every biography in our little school library. I managed to be home from school, sick for a week, which conveniently allowed me to finish Gone With The Wind. After reading The Diary of Anne Frank when I was about 12 or 13, I decided I had to start keeping my own diary. I kept a diary off and on for many years, even into adulthood. I wrote an article published in the local newspaper when I was still in the Sixth grade. I have always loved writing and maybe even prefer writing to talking. I’ve written company newsletters, policies and procedures, employment manuals, grants, and quarterly and annual reports. Turning to fiction took some adjusting, but now the words just flow out of my head and I hope it reads as well as it feels.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Lately, I’ve been reading a lot of Historical Fiction, such as Marie Benedict, Tracey Chevalier, Shana Abe, and Tracey Enerson Wood. I love Jane Austin and am so sorry for her early death. There are not nearly enough books by Austen. I even read books where Jane was the heroine in mysteries! I also love biography and have consumed the heavy work of David McCullough and William Manchester among others. I have to say that I got hooked on cozy mysteries, which can be deliciously addictive, but also read Patterson, Grisham, and Connelly. The works of Louisa May Allcott and Jane Austin are my inspiration. I love the words, I love the family dynamics and I love the happy endings.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
Walking In Deep Sand is my first novel. This story was inspired by true events, events that are a cup of my husband’s childhood memories and two cups of my imagination after interviewing former US Foreign Service Officers and their wives and children. It is about Cynthia Jones, a headstrong, passionate woman born ahead of her time. She longs for a life full of meaning, independence, and adventure. She thinks she can find that in post-WWII France and sails away to attend college at the University in Grenoble. When her carefully laid career plans fall apart, she impulsively marries a fellow student, Geoff Stuart, a handsome Navy Vet who adores her. But instead of adventure, she finds herself the mother of two unwanted sons and keeping house for Geoff who goes off to work each day to experience life among consequential people. Her resentment builds until her unhappiness almost ruins her marriage.
When the family is finally posted to 1959 Cambodia with the US Foreign Service, Cynthia is ecstatic. She thoughtlessly shoves her sons into the care of the household help and races to make up for lost time. She signs up for flying lessons from a raffish Frenchman, Marius Gardinier, and chooses to ignore the warnings of his criminal past. She is passionate about flying and soon becomes a skilled, sought-after pilot, flying into jungle locations, including the recently rediscovered Angkor Wat. She flys Geoff and his co-workers into dangerous hunting spots, landing at dirt strips hacked from the jungle. She believes her life is complete when the Ambassador asks her to fly supplies and personnel to a remote jungle hospital founded by humanitarian Dr. Thomas Dooley. She basks in the resulting prestige and praise.
In the meantime, she is becoming more entangled with Marius and she begins to lie to Geoff about her many trips away from home. But she continues to act the part of the faithful FSO wife and attentive mother, even as the other FSO wives whisper about her continual absences.
She plans exotic safaris with Geoff, family driving vacations through Vietnam, and camping trips to pristine, secluded beaches. But she is happiest when she is alone in her plane, flying free.
After an unhappy home leave trip, when Geoff’s suspicions result in unwarranted rage with his oldest son, Cynthia begins to feel the tension and anxiety her actions have caused.
Cynthia makes a decision that she thinks will fix everything, but it backfires and her relationship with Marius takes a terrifying turn. For the first time in her life, she feels helpless and afraid. She realizes that her self-absorbed deceit has put those she thought unimportant at risk. Enveloped in a dark cloud of her own making, she must learn how to turn it all around. She has always taken the easy, convenient path without a thought for others. Can she learn to pursue a different path? Will Geoff ever trust her again or will he send her away? Can her children forgive her? If it takes the rest of her life, Cynthia is determined to try.
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