An avid student of history, Carole Eglash-Kosoff is a native of Wisconsin. After graduating from UCLA, she spent her career in the apparel industry and teaching fashion retail, marketing, and sales at the college level. Her first book is The Human Spirit. She has also established the “… a better way!” Scholarship program, which provides money and mentoring for worthy high school students for both their first and second year of college. Carole Eglash-Kosoff lives and writes in Valley Village, California.
Her latest book is When Stars Align.
Q. Thank you for this interview, Carole. Can we begin by having you tell us why you chose to write historical romance?
I find it more interesting to tell stories of oft-neglected periods of history through the feelings of my characters. When Stars Align tells the story of the love of Thaddeus, a mulatto boy born from the rape of an eleven-year-old slave girl and the white teen scion of Moss Grove, a Louisiana cotton plantation. He falls in love with Amy, a white girl who comes to live at Moss Grove when Baton Rouge is threatened by approaching Union soldiers. But the book really tells the story of enormous progress made by ex-slaves after the war when, under the protection of Union soldiers, they make major progress in business, education and government. There is true equality until the Election of 1876 results in the withdrawal of all Union troops and the re-emergence of segregation.
Q. Did you outline before you wrote your book or did you just go with the flow?
I actually worked back and forth to cover the stream of history and the war.
Q. Who was your favorite character in When Stars Align and why?
Thaddeus, although I have a major affection for Melanie.
Q. Who was your least favorite character?
Henry ... a quite evil person
Q. Can you tell us about the setting and why you chose it?
Much of the Civil War stories are set in the Carolinas, Georgia, etc. Very little is set in Louisiana and its location, on the Mississippi River, and the uniqueness of New Orleans, made it interesting.
Q. What was the hardest part to write?
The ending.
Q. What was the inspiration behind the story? Where were you when you came up with the idea?
My fascination with the Election of 1876 and how it changed our country for a century.
Q. Do you plan on writing more historical romance novels?
Yes, I am finishing the sequel, Winds of Change, which brings my characters forward through WWI.
Q. Thank you for this interview, Carole. Can you tell us where we can find out more about you and your wonderful new book?
Check out my website at whenstarsalign.com.
