Valentina Expressions

What’s not to like about champagne? It’s bubbly, it’s happy, it creates an emotion, it’s fun to turn golden grape into a nectar that will never lie, it’s fun to write about it. I think award winning Author Rebecca Rosenberg had a load of fun bringing to light her latest novel “Champagne Widows”. Please welcome her with a sparkly energy.

1. I was drawn to the title of one of your books “Champagne Widows” a historical fiction based on a woman with a great sense of smell, taking over the men’ world in the production of Champagne. What similitude did you find between your character and women of today who want to be in a man’s profession?

In the 1800’s women were not allowed to own businesses or even property. CHAMPAGNE WIDOWS is the story of Veuve Clicquot, who was tragically made a widow at 27. She did not want to give up the business she had started with her husband. She had no experience or education to make champagne, but read everything she could, and trained under other winemakers. She used her innate intelligence, talent, and perseverance to succeed.

I think women today can do anything they want, and they do it by being educated and using their instincts to succeed in much the same way that Veuve Clicquot does in CHAMPAGNE WIDOWS. For example: my daughter is in the top candidates to be selected for astronaut, a dream she has had since she was three. She’s worked very hard to have the credentials, 30 years of working for her dream. I believe she will make it, despite the obstacles she’s faced.

2. In your historical fictions “Gold Digger” you focused on a life of a woman. Do women inspire your writing because of the complexity of our emotions and the courage often we display in tough situation?

I like to write about women because their stories have often not been told, and they are worthwhile. When I was growing up, I wondered why history was all about men. My first novel, The Secret Life of Mrs. London was about the wife of Jack London, Charmian London. She wanted to be a writer, but instead, focused on Jack London’s writing, editing, and typing for him and managing his professional and personal needs—until she finds her own voice. I think women learn to do it all, many times at the detriment to their own work.

3. Would you have liked to be alive in the era of your book “Gold Digger” and married to a dashing bard?
   In GOLD DIGGER, Baby Doe was attracted to Horace Tabor because of his gutsy bravado and the way he turned everything to gold, but his bravado leads to scandal and financial demise. Baby Doe Tabor’s love of Horace Tabor resulted in a scandalous reputation and great loneliness and poverty. I love finding out about these women’s struggles and how they deal with it. With Champagne Widows, Veuve Clicquot, wanted to run a champagne house. But to do that, she could not be married again. She had to sacrifice love to own her winery. She must have felt so alone.
   
4. The goal of historical books is to capture time, customs, fashion, colors, way of thinking etc. of a specific era to allow the modern readers to get immersed in an era that will never come back. Did you strive to stay historically accurate, or did you dramatize events/people?

I always strive to be historically accurate in terms of details, customs, activities, and beliefs that were lived in that particular era. But, as a writer, you do not know what people said to each other and what they were thinking. You need to really think about what the evidence says about the character, and interpret that through their language, actions, and intentions.

5. Are your reasons for writing pure pleasure, a need to keep history alive, or to say with a book what you can’t say out loud and stir emotions?

I love to write about fascinating women who haven’t been given a voice. These women have gone through challenges that we all face: In CHAMPAGNE WIDOWS, Veuve Clicquot battled pandemics, mental illness, wars, and sexism. Sounds like challenges we have all faced the past couple of years, doesn’t it?

6. Did you discover something new about yourself while creating your books?
   I have discovered the joy of making subconscious connections within the storyline, or between characters, showing that love is not perfect. I have discovered an unquenchable desire to uncover little known facts of life in different eras and bring them alive for people.
   
7. What are your quirks and do they show in your books?
   I have discovered a hidden sense of humor. I have never been funny, but I always have a funny character. I really enjoy that sense of humor coming out that I did not know I possess!
   
8. Some authors can publish books every month. How long does it take you before you can say your book is finished?
   The research takes a long time and continues throughout writing the book. CHAMPAGNE WIDOWS took me five years. GOLD DIGGER took five years. THE SECRET OF MRS. LONDON took two. I do about thirty rewrites before the book is finished.
   
9. If you would read one of your books years later, would you still like it the way you wrote, or would you change something and republish it?
   I am sure I would change the book a little because I have changed as a writer. But I probably would leave the stories basically the same, because I had a point to make with the story.
   
10. Any new books on the horizon?
    I am half finished with the second CHAMPAGNE WIDOWS, about Madame Pommery, of Pommery champagne fame. She has a completely different story than Barbe-Nicole Clicquot. Madame Pommery’s husband died as he was ready to retire, leaving her a single parent with two children and no way to support her family.

I’m also writing a sequel to GOLD DIGGER, about Baby Doe Tabor’s daughter, SILVER DOLLAR, who tippled precariously between stardom, mental illness, poverty, and religious fervor.

Rebecca Rosenberg Bio:
Rebecca Rosenberg is a champagne geek, lavender farmer, and award-winning novelist. Rebecca first fell in love with methode champenoise in Sonoma Valley, California, where she lives. Over decades of delicious research, she has explored the wine cellars of France, Spain, Italy, and California in search of fine champagne. When Rebecca discovered the real-life stories of the Champagne Widows of France, she knew she’d dedicate years to telling the stories of these remarkable women who made champagne the worldwide phenomenon it is today. Rebecca is a champagne historian, tour guide, and champagne cocktail expert for Breathless Wines. Other award-winning novels include The Secret Life of Mrs. London and Gold Digger, the Remarkable Baby Doe Tabor.

EARLY PRAISE FOR CHAMPAGNE WIDOWS:

“This effervescent historical novel paints a richly detailed portrait of the enterprising Veuve Clicquot. The twinned plots of Clicquot and Napoleon Bonaparte’s rise and fall are filled with detail that give life to this far-off time. The prose is light, yet detailed, and peppered with moments of wry humor. Rosenberg’s characterization of Napoleon is well-crafted and give his character new life. Clicquot’s character is charming, and readers will love getting to know her. Rosenberg has a superb eye for blending humor with drama.” ~Publisher’s Weekly BookLife Prize.

 “For anyone who loves champagne, a must-read novel about Veuve Clicquot.” 
~ Judithe Little, best-selling author of The Chanel Sisters. “The sun-drenched vineyards of France, a real-life heroine who against all odds refuses to give up her dreams… and champagne. What’s not to love? And that’s just what Rebecca Rosenberg delivers in Champagne Widows. Barbe-Nicole Clicquot was a woman ahead of her time, a fascinating blend of ingenuity, heart, and sheer tenacity, with a nose for wine and a head for business. A 19th century widow who built an empire as war raged all around her. Note: This richly woven tale is best savored slowly, though with all delicious things, it won’t be easy.” 
~ Barbara Davis, best-selling author of The Last of the Moon Girls.

Rebecca Rosenberg, Novelist
www.rebecca-rosenberg.com
Join my mailing list at https://www.rebecca-rosenberg.com to stay tuned to my upcoming novels!
Amazon – Champagne Widows
Bookbub – Champagne Widows
Goodreads – Champagne Widows
Facebook
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter

This sounds very exciting, Rebecca, I can’t wait to read your new novel. I live in the Bay Area, it would be nice if I could meet you when I will come to visit Sonoma.
*******

Please allow me to occupy a small space with my books, available on Amazon and Barnes&Noble.

Valentina Cirasola is an interior-fashion designer, author of 6 published books, a storyteller, and a blogger of many years. She has conceived a few new books of various subjects to which she is working simultaneously. Her books are non-fictional practical ideas to apply in the home, fashion, cooking and travel. Get a copy of her books here: Amazon and Barnes&Noble