Victoria Raucci Gonzales Interview Published on: 04, Jun 2024

I've been an avid reader since Elementary school and as an adolescent I said I wanted to be a writer when I grew up. Writing brings me my greatest sense of joy, but it didn’t become my career path, per se, although I used my writing skills during my career journey in various ways, i.e., correspondence, promotional materials, scripts, etc.

I was inspired to begin writing this series one day back in 1991 when I was praying for hope for the world. In an instant I was given the storyline which was less than a page when I later typed it out on my first computer. That bit of writing is in the third book now as I had to write the back story which leads up to that magic moment and beyond.

Although the Italian family in the book is not about my family, as the story unfolded, whenever I sat at my computer to work on it over the years, I wrote what was familiar. It just flowed that way. The theme of love as the highest value in life was implanted in me and I was gifted the task of sharing it. I’ve always been analytical and many of my thoughts are intertwined within several of the characters in BEYOND NEW BOUNDARIES.

As a child I began my deep appreciation for the natural environment and loved to explore. I am so grateful for a class introduced in my last semester of high school called ENVIRONMENTAL CAREER OPPORTUNITY co-sponsored by the California Department of Parks and Recreation. The class was multifaceted and it opened a whole new perspective for my future. “A” students were guaranteed a seasonal job in a location of their choice and Tahoe always held a special place in my heart. I was blessed to spend four summers working in the state parks in the Sierra Area during my college years from Donner, Sugar Pine Point, Tahoe City, Kings Beach, D.L. Bliss to Emerald Bay. The work included park maintenance and visitor services. The park was my office. Living and working in the parks was a great experience, the people, the places, all contributed to the woman I am and are reflected in my writing.

After college graduation with a Bachelor of Art in Environmental Studies and Planning, I spent the summer working within the CDPR in Sonoma County as a trail building crew leader for the last season of the Federal program, The Youth Conservation Corps. Another great experience, this time working with teenagers and teaching them an appreciation of nature and concepts of conservation. What a joy! Unfortunately, President Reagan discontinued the YCC. What a mistake.

During my youth my large Italian family spent one week each summer together in Lake Tahoe and I knew then I would live here when I grew up. No question about it. I made it happen as it was meant to be. One thing lead to another and my path unfolded with persistence and perseverance. What a life!

Serving as the executive director of the Tahoe Rim Trail Fund was an ideal job for me and I for it at the time. There was so much to accomplish and I had the skill set the project required to get it started. I am proud of my extensive contributions toward building a solid foundation for the organization and the National Scenic Trail planned, built and maintained by volunteers in cooperation with the USFS, California and Nevada state parks. I interacted with hundreds of great people, but some of the people I worked with over the years were challenging in various ways, but I’ll leave it at that.

When I married Rudy he had his own business, but he needed my help to make it grow and be successful, so we joined forces. Life offers opportunities and you have to take risks sometimes. The best thing we did was buy property and I spearheaded the project to build our own shop after years of renting. From the ground up construction is no small feat, especially in the Tahoe Basin, but I did it!

lol. Oh, the challenges of parenthood are written. Writing was my therapy. Some of it was incorporated into the books.

I hope readers enjoy the journey as much as I do. I hope they can connect to the characters and recognize the similarities in their own life experiences. May my words help them appreciate the special bonds they have in their own lives and the higher values of being human on their own spiritual journey.

OMG! I’ve been working on this series for decades. I consider it to be the reason I was born and will be my legacy long after I’m gone. I’ve allowed my books to unfold as they would while I live my life. There have been periods of time when I wrote into the wee hours of the night for weeks on end and other times when I went months without working on it all, but it is always on my mind. I’m not a good example.

Time. Distractions. Space. Responsibilities. Slowly, inch by inch as best I could. Interestingly, I wrote what is now the third book first and then I wrote the back story which is the first two books. My manuscript was too big so I split it into three books. That was challenging because I wrote the characters’ stories linearly and then edited it into chronological order. And there are many characters.

I have read so many wonderful books in my life which contributed to my perspective of life on Earth, love as a guiding light, gratitude for everything and balance within. The readers may recognize some of them in my writing.

Not well. I let everything else come before my writing. That’s why it’s taking so long.

Keep at it. Live your dream. Be true to yourself.

No. I don’t want to ruin their experience of surprise as they turn the page.

I’m new to AllAuthor and I have much to learn when it comes to utilizing the internet for marketing. Right now I don’t have the time or patience to figure it out. Thank you for the opportunity to participate in this interview. I hope it helps drive sales while I prepare to publish the second book, THE STARK REALITY.