Gastien: The Cost of the Dream

by

Caddy ROWLAND

493 pages

 1st Edition was released 8/3/2011
2nd Edition 10/2/2013
at Createspace
Kindle Edition

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Additional books in the Gastien Series:
    

WHAT IS IT ABOUT

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Caddy Rowland grew up with a stack of books that almost reached the ceiling before she was five. Books, along with her vivid imagination, have always been some of her closest friends.
She lives with her husband, who was her high school sweetheart. They are owned by two parrots. Besides being a writer, she is an artist. One can often find her “makin’ love to the color” (painting) with loud music blaring.
Her goal as an author is to make readers laugh, cry, think, and become intimately connected with her main characters. She writes dramatic novels showcasing the sublime joy and bitter tragedy of being human. [from the author’s Amazon page]

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Author Email: caddyauthor at yahoo dot com
Twitter: @caddyorpims

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 INTERVIEW WITH CADDY ROWLAND

Today, as part of the Virtual Book Tour of Caddy ROWLAND with her historical novel, I’m delighted to interview Caddy!

1. Caddy, your book is set in Paris in the 19th century.
Why this period?
Why does Gastien choose to leave his farm for Paris?

I chose this period because of what was happening in the art world during this time in Paris. The world of painting was undergoing tremendous growing pains. The camera had become more a part of wealthy people’s lives, which meant they no longer needed to employ artists to record the history of their families in paintings. All of a sudden, artists were free to paint whatever they wanted, but they were no longer guaranteed any income. Some of the most forward thinking realized that as this “camera thing” become more common, the artist would become completely obsolete unless art changed.

Impressionism was born. Never had people seen such a change in the way artists painted. Artists from all over the world came to be part of the new wave of painters. The Impressionists were not accepted by the powers that be, nor were they accepted by the public for quite some time. It didn’t matter. They kept going, and eventually produced some of the greatest artists in history. All forms of modern painting since then sprang forth from these painters who were derisively called “Impressionists” by a well known art critic. Most of the artists people today can name come from this period. It was probably the most important era in history in regard to the art of painting.

Gastien had painting in his blood. From the time he was little he could look at any object and see it by shades and tones of color. He instinctively knew how it should be shown to others. Unfortunately, he was born to a peasant farmer, who was both cruel and unmoving when it came to his firstborn son considering any career choice except taking over the farm. Over the years, he is beaten and ridiculed repeatedly for drawing in the dirt, wanting to paint, not doing chores the way his father wants them done. Gastien eventually stands up to him. His father orders him to leave immediately, never to return unless he wants his life to end.

He leaves on foot for Paris, his few meager belongings wrapped in a tarp he carries on his back. Gastien vows to let nothing stand in his way to becoming a great artist. That and a great lover. He is seventeen, and like most teen-age boys, he is very anxious to experience what it’s like to be with a woman. He also had to listen to his father use his mother while she cried out, so he promises himself he will become skilled enough that women actually want him, instead of merely tolerating him. He doesn’t know it yet, but this will become a way to feel loved, as he has been abused so much he can’t really allow himself to open his heart

2. You named your hero Gastien. I remember one boy named Gastien in my school when I was in 6th grade I think. It’s not a very common name nowadays in France. Was it common in the era your book is set in? Why did you choose to name him Gastien?

I imagine this will sound odd, but here’s the way it went down: I am a very seat of the pants writer. I sit at the keyboard, have only a foggy idea of the story I’m thinking of, and I start typing. I do “see” the main character in my head, or rather I feel them. Once I start typing, they tell me the story. They also tell me how they look and what their name is. When Gastien told me his name, I was surprised, as I had never heard the name before. I looked it up and found that it actually was a male French first name. So, of course, I kept it. After all, that’s the name he said he wanted! I don’t know if the name has ever been common. I do know a few “Gastien” people come up when googled, but not a lot of them. I was glad that he told me that was his name, as it is different. People should be able to remember it and my books

3. Gastien is a painter. Why did you choose to portray the world of artists vs. the world of farmers? Did you grow up on a farm? Are you a visual artist yourself?

No, I didn’t grow up on a farm. Oddly enough, my father did. Yes, I am a painter. Like Gastien, the color is in my blood. I love to write, but I live to paint. Like Gastien, when I paint I call it makin’ love to the color. That’s why I choose the world of artists. That bohemian art era is my favorite time in history, for obvious reasons. I have no interest in writing about farmers, it just happened that Gastien grew up on a farm.

4. As a writer, what connection do you see between the art of colors and the art of words?

Wow, that’s a great question. I’ll try to be brief.  First of all, I think all art becomes mirrors that are held up to society. Art shows us what we were, what we’ve become, and where we are headed. Both words and color can do that.

Also, both books and paintings can change people. My main goal is to make people think. That said, an awful lot of people don’t want to think very hard. Therefore, I at least want to make them react. As stated in the second book of the series, the only bad art is art that is ignored. If it causes a reaction, it is successful. That’s what art should do at its most basic. From there, I hope my art (both writing and painting) causes those that are willing, to think and maybe see things from different perspectives. Even if they don’t agree with those perspectives, I hope a certain percentage of people walk away understanding that very little in life is black and white, and even those who choose differently than you have their reasons for doing so.

I guess that’s why my books are always drama. Gastien is also historical fiction, family saga, and literary fiction, but angst, darkness, struggle, are a very large part of my writing. I like to say I write novels showcasing the sublime joy and bitter tragedy of being human. My paintings reflect the same.

5. What is your favorite Parisian neighborhood?

I am sorry to say I have never been to Paris. It is a dream of mine to go there. I would very much like to explore the arrondissements that Gastien first frequented when he was on the streets, and also Montmartre. From what I understand, Montmartre is now very commercial and nothing at all like it used to be. Perhaps I am better off not seeing it, I don’t know. I understand Au Lapin Agile still exists and they perform old French chansons in the evenings. If so, I would love to experience that. Of course, I would also like to just see the beautiful buildings all over Paris and the famous places all tourists want to see. But, most of all, I would want to walk the backstreets of Montmartre, hoping to find a hint of the creative force that once resided there and changed the art world.

 Thank you for having me on your blog. It’s been a pleasure!

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