Interview with Carole Ann Moleti

Hi Coffee Time Readers! Today I’m chatting with paranormal romance author, Carole Ann Moleti about her new novel, The Widow’s Walk. So grab your mugs and enjoy.

Welcome to Coffee Time Romance, Carole! Let’s start with you telling folks a little about yourself.

I’m a nurse midwife in New York City. My favorite thing to write is paranormal romance and urban fantasy because it allows me to escape from the harsh realities of life. I also write academic and creative nonfiction. I live with my husband, kids, a big dog and a cat that thinks he’s a dog.

A cat who thinks he’s a dog? That’s cute, and would probably make a fun paranormal romance. But back to business, lol. Tell me about The Widow’s Walk?

The novel is part of the Unfinished Business Series, which are “light” paranormal romances, ghost stories set in the historic sea captains’ town of Brewster Massachusetts. The prequel, entitled Breakwater Beach will be released in spring 2016. I’m currently writing book three, which has a working title of Storm Watch.

What was your inspiration behind The Widow’s Walk?

One Fourth of July weekend when I was opening up a summer cottage, pulling off dustcovers and vacuuming up dead flies. I got his idea for the story of a woman that finds a trunk of old clothes in an attic. I spent the entire weekend (much to my family’s dismay) and the story had become a ghost story on Cape Cod. It combines my love of Victoriana, boats, the beach, and the Cape into a nice neat package.

I’ve heard about inspiration coming from everywhere, but sweeping dead flies is a first, lol! Do you have a favorite scene from your book? Which one and why?

The scene I love to read over and over is the one in The Widow’s Walk where Mike and Mae are on the verge of finding Liz, who has run away. All three of them are going in and out of their ghostly personas and struggling to maintain control. The story comes together so well at that moment.

You mentioned earlier that your work as a midwife explains your fascination with all things paranormal, urban fantasy, and space opera. How so?

There has always been a link between midwives and the supernatural, particularly witches. Most midwives, including myself, do not practice witchcraft, but because we offer women the opportunity to have the type of birth experience they desire, I have had many patients with alternative spiritual practices seek out my services. I am privileged to know many writers who are witches, and they have helped me tremendously to make my stories respectful and truthful as well as accurate.

This is why I love doing these interviews, I always learns something cool about various authors. You also mentioned a prequel coming out soon, tell us about that?

 I wrote the prequel that July 4th, but it was a short story. My critique partners loved it but said they wanted more about Elisabeth and Edward. In order to novelize the story, I had to do a lot of research about Britain and British maritime history in the late 1870s. My friend in the UK helped but in order to make my stories the best they can be, I always visit the setting, I spent two weeks in England in 2014, including Surrey and London where Breakwater Beach begins, soaking in the sights, visiting the Victoria and Albert museum, and visiting estates. Breakwater Beach is really Edward and Elisabeth’s stories, while The Widow’s Walk focuses on Mike and Liz. They are very complex because they weave two timelines and many characters have past lives.

I love that you visit the places you write about. I’m sure it adds a lot of realism to your novels. Do you have any other projects you’re working on that you’d like me to know about?

I’m currently writing the third book in the Unfinished Business Series, Storm Watch, which will focus on the stories of the secondary characters and the impact that has on Liz and Mike’s struggle to control their ghosts. I also have an urban fantasy series that I’m very excited about called Boulevard of Bad Spells and Broken Dreams. Some excerpts, which feature cameos of the main characters, and villains, have been published in the Ten Tales Series anthologies edited by Rayne Hall.

For someone who hasn’t read your work before, why should they give The Widow’s Walk a try?

I strive to write stories with characters that you would like to meet and get to know—believable and well developed. My female characters are strong and yet feminine, and my male characters are composites of the wonderful men in my life who were so loving and respectful of women and their families: my father, grandfathers, and uncles. Settings play a very big part in all my stories, and Brewster in Cape Cod is such a beautiful and historic town it lends itself well to a series such as this.

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

Never give up. Keep taking writing craft classes so you master not only the basics, but also advanced content such as scene and sequel, hooks, and deep editing. Once I got the hang of that, my work started to be published.

Great advice! Last fun question, if money were no object what hobby would you pick up?

I would buy up historic properties that are endangered, restore them, have them landmarked, and help families move in or see to it that a museum or historic trust takes over.  I hate to see beautiful old houses that need work knocked down and their grounds divided up so they can build ugly McMansions or blocks of condominiums with no green spaces. Talk about riling up the ghosts! I can just imagine what the ghosts of their former owners are going to do to the unlucky people that move into the eyesores that replaced them.

Hmm, do I smell the hint of another book idea? Thanks so much for the interview today, Carole. I really enjoyed learning more about the Widow’s Walk. For those of you who want to know more about Carole and her writing, be sure to check out her various locations on social media.