Today
it’s my pleasure to welcome Francesca Capaldi to the blog for tea and a chat
about her recently published saga, Heartbreak
in the Valleys
Hello
Natalie, and thank you for inviting me.
The
biscuits are on that plate, Francesca, so help yourself and let’s begin.
What
a mixed heritage you have. Your parents came from vastly different backgrounds.
With Heartbreak in the Valleys you’ve
obviously been pulled towards your mother’s homeland. I’m aware you grew up on
the south coast of England so tell us, what is it about Wales that tugs at your
heartstrings?
Wales
is such a breathtakingly beautiful place. I've been visiting it since I was six
years old, when we had cousins living in Merthyr Tydfil. They used to drive us
through the sweeping valleys and around the verdant mountains, to visit the
beauty spots. Although my mother was only eleven when she left, her heart
always belonged to Wales, and she passed that affection for it onto me.
Your
father was Italian. Have you had much opportunity in your own lifetime to
return to his roots? Do you know what his childhood was like?
Although
I've been to Italy a few times, I've never visited Picinisco in Lazio, where he
came from. It was a place of mountains. There has been a family trip planned
there for years, but we haven't quite got there yet. I know he was brought up
between two farms, as both sides of his family owned them. One, or maybe both,
had sheep. At least one of them had a vineyard and made their own wine. On one
occasion, my dad was playing in the building where they were making wine and
ended up drunk from the fumes. He talked of donkeys (which he was very fond of)
and strawberries as large as apples. It sounded like a happy, carefree childhood,
though his father was killed in World War 1 when he was only ten months old, so
his mother was a widow.
Your
readers will be delighted to know that there is a Book 2 in the series. Will
Wales remain the focus of your writing after that, do you think, or will you
change the setting and/or the time period, and will it be another saga?
I'm
hoping to write another in the series, but that hasn't been decided yet. I have
part of a World War 1 saga written that is set on the Sussex coast, which could
be another series. There are several contemporary novels that I've written, one
of which is set in West Wales, so at the moment I could go several ways.
As
well as your sagas, you’ve also written several pocket novels and a great
number of short stories. With such a varied output, do you have a favourite? Do
you like the quick fix or do you prefer to be in it for the long haul?
Ooh,
that's an interesting question. I'm not sure I have a favourite, though I do
like to alternate novel writing with shorter pieces. Short stories require a
different skill and it's good to keep my hand in, though I don’t write as many of
them now as I'd like to.
Impossible
to write a saga without doing a considerable amount of research. Is this
something you enjoy or a chore that has to be done?
Not a
chore at all – I love it! I particularly love primary record sources, like the
census and newspapers from the time period. If anything, I love it too much as
I could look through them all day and not get a word written!
And
now, a little bit about Francesca Capaldi please. When you’re not writing, and
when we’re not all stuck in lockdown, what best do you like to do?
I love
being out visiting places, especially with friends and family. I enjoy a coffee
out at the garden centre, or a visit to a National Trust property. I like going
to the theatre. What I'm particularly missing at the moment are days out with
the family, visiting places like museums or country parks, or simply having a
meal. And I love having the grandchildren to stay, as we always have lots of
fun.
Thank
you for your questions, Natalie.
It’s been a pleasure, Francesca. Thank you for joining me.
About Heartbreak
in the Valley
The world was crumbling, but her love stayed strong
November 1915. For young housemaid, Anwen Rhys, life is hard in the Welsh mining village of Dorcalon, deep in the Rhymney Valley. She cares for her ill mother and beloved younger sister Sara, all while shielding them from her father's drunken, violent temper. Anwen comforts herself with her love for childhood sweetheart, Idris Hughes, away fighting in the Great War.
Yet when Idris returns, he is a changed man; no longer the innocent boy she loved, he is harder, more distant, quickly breaking off their engagement. And when tragedy once again strikes her family, Anwen's heart is completely broken.
But when an explosion at the pit brings unimaginable heartache to Dorcalon, Anwen and Idris put their feelings aside to unite their mining community.
In the midst of despair, can Anwen find hope again? And will she ever find the happiness she deserves?
Book
Links
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2XUSTyB
Kobo: https://bit.ly/2XZ0RGI
Apple: https://apple.co/2KsIfqJ
About the Author
Several years ago, Francesca Capaldi pursued a childhood dream and joined a creative writing class. Lots of published short stories, a serial, and three pocket novels later, she's now explored her mother's ancestral history for a novel set in a Welsh colliery village. A history graduate and former teacher, she hails from the Sussex coast but now lives in Kent with her family and a cat called Lando Calrissian
Social
Media
Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/FrancescaCapaldiAuthor/
Twitter: @FCapaldiBurgess
Instagram: Francesca.Capaldi.Burgess
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