Only Moments by Nick Oliva

Tell us about your heroine --- the female lead in your book.

What's her name?Angela Vander

Why did you pick that name?She is named aptly because she acts as an angel in the climax of the book. Her last name was originally Vanderhausen of royal Dutch descent, but was shortened to "Americanize" the family name.

Give us a brief description of how she looks.
She was a Scorpio-Virgo-rising, of Dutch stock, and her ancestors were of royal origin. Two hundred and seventy-five years ago, they had become more than wealthy, being one of the first families to begin plying the business of slave trading in the original colonies. There was very little of the Vanderhausen’s fortune remaining by the time she was born.

I gave her a light complexion, which amplified the freckles on her face and body. She used to go through liquid sun shield like water, due to the human-induced ozone depletion, and the added moisturizing elements of the shield kept her skin smooth and wrinkle-free. She barely looked in her thirties, when she was actually in her mid-forties. Of course, her physical aging had a lot to do with her gene history more than anything else, but the shield certainly helped.


Is there anything unusual about her appearance?She has beautiful red hair and green eyes that captured you immediately when you were in her presence. It gave her the aura of a goddess.

What is her drive, her motivation?She is a virtuoso violinist driven to perfection by forces deep within her subconscious. Her brother died at an early age and another secret in her past causes her to seek love from the outside as she is very insecure and difficult to get along with anyone including Chris her lover, husband, best friend, and musical partner. She hides behind her talent in her own world of fantasy to shield herself from reality. Chris touches her soul as he is so down to earth and naturally tolerant of her moodiness and spurts of anger and she falls madly in love with him, as he her.

Does Chris really love her?Unconditionally without question. They love each other for different reasons and as Chris reveals later in the novel, they loved each other for what "they were not."
To quote Chris:
........Angela, don’t you think I’ve known who you are and who you are not? In all the years we’ve been together, don’t you realize that I’ve always counted on you being the person that you aren’t?” She cleared her nose and wiped off the tears.

“I don’t understand,” she replied. “The person that I’m not?”

“Think about it. We have struggled for years and not always been happy with each other. We’ve each had common goals and relied upon each other to achieve them. We pushed each other, we’ve insulted each other, and we’ve been through very difficult times. We never once faced the fact that alone we were incapable of doing it. We treasured each other because of the things we were not. We imagined. We took the chance, regardless of our fears. You are not the perfect wife, and I am not the perfect husband, musician, or person; but we loved each other for things that we could never quantify. We believed. We had blind faith in each other. I have let you down and you have let me down. The issue today is whether you want to be afraid with me or without me. If you love me, I don’t think you have to contemplate for long.”

Tell us about her family.
Her mother and father are both musicians. Her mother is a pianist and teacher, her father is a high school teacher and gave up being a trumpeter many years earlier to support the family. They are both proud of their daughter but Angela and her father have a natural competitiveness that drives them to argue constantly. Her father is envious of her ability to be able to take her art to levels he could have only dreamed for, but he loves her unconditionally. Her mother constantly intervenes and becomes a referee between them at times.

Where is she from?Venice Beach, California

Does her hometown affect her behavior, thoughts and attitude?It is the late sixties, the height of the hippie age and women's movement and she is independent and a dominant force. She embodies the emergence of females from that era and will not be told that she is to be a child-bearer and housewife, and takes her own path to capture success on her terms.

What does she want out of life?She seeks perfection in her music, and doesn't realize that it is not attainable. She spends her entire life pursuing it, only to fall short of her expections. She discounts her successes and doesn't realize how great she really is and that is due to the things that happened to her in her childhood that have driven her to greatness and ultimately brings her downfall. It is her denial of human imperfection that causes the conflicts within.

How would she describe you?A neurotic driving determined force that seeks perfection while knowing there is no such thing. LOL! Everyone thinks that I modeled Chris the male lead after me, and although Angela is a fictional character based in fantasy, I relate more to her than to Chris.

Is there anything else about your heroine that we need to know? Feel free to share.
First and foremost this a love story that shows unlimited devotion even after one mate dies. When we open up the first chapter, we already know Chris' wife is long gone and he has suffered greatly. The depression he allows himself to stay in for so long, changes as he begins to recount the past-though involuntary. The setting of the future, it's technology and the human nature that rarely changes though the ages is exposed during the exposition. The real fun begins when we go back to his youth.

One of the messages of this book was to show that regardless of the age, future, past, or present-the needs and wants of the human heart can never be replaced by technology. The other aspect was to show that regardless that these two people were together twenty-four hours a day and experiencing everything together, they grew apart because of the flaws that each had and those flaws prove to be what made them great as well. Great art comes from imperfection and like the ying and yang, there is always danger in beauty be it the cliffs of Big Sur and rocks below, the infatuation of human beauty, or the spiritual dogma entrenched by centuries of emotional manipulation.

"They believed without question, without doubt."

That is quite a lot to write into a romance novel, but it is what life is all about if one wants to take the time to understand it's meaning and one's place in it.

Chris is every woman's dream. A man so incredibly devoted that no other woman could ever take the place of his wife and soul mate Angela. A man so patient and understanding, gifted and tolerant of her mood swings and temper. He understood her every move and motivation and their music echoed the love that they both shared. They both gave each other confidence and the ability to dream their dream together. Angela's pure determination is what makes them the best they can be, and at the same time causes all of the heartache.

There are many other obvious and hidden messages within this "road of life" novel but it's main message is live life to it's fullest everyday! Don't expect life to treat you kindly and the "road" will be bumpy with potholes and dangerous curves, but it will take you places you have never been as long as you stay on it and that is the important part. Stay on it! Don't give up no matter what. Death is over-rated and the other side is an eternity. I know. I was there. Stay awhile and let time heal and be good to yourself and as the love of Chris' life tells him to remember that "Love is all there is. Never lose that gift."

Please provide your website link.www.onlymomentsbook.com

What is the link to buy your book?
Amazon or go to www.onlymomentsbook.com

It was wonderful to meet her. Thank you for bringing her to meet us.

Only Moments by Nick Oliva

Tell us a bit about your book.

The book is about two people who spend all of their time, 24 hours a day, with each other. They are lovers, musical partners, and best friends to each other. The book opens in the year 2020 and then works its way back to 1970. It is a whirlwind romance that shows hope through tragedy, happiness through love of the self. It is much to pack in a romance novel, however it is about life and the things that happen to these two people who come to rely on each other throughout their lives as they set out to become successful musicians.

The journey begins in the year 2020, with a romantic surreal dream and the waking of one sixty-six year-old widower Chris Vadia, a retired professional musician, and his sullen celibate perspective due to his wife dying fifteen years earlier. After establishing the human surroundings of the time period, we flashback to 1970 and we find how he meets the love of his life, while on a wild summer vacation driving through California. A beach in Big Sur is the dramatic background for the beginning of their impassioned romance.

Time then shifts through their college days, marriage, their struggling and successes, the World Trade Towers disaster, parental deaths, their Carnegie Hall debut, and then the crisis of having grown so far apart despite being with each other constantly. Our unforgiving fate, the duality of technology, the commonality of human emotion throughout history, ties into a tale of human devotion that eventually brings understanding and hope.


Tell us about the best friend - gender, age, appearance, how they came to be with the hero or heroine and anything else we need to know about them.They are both each other's best friend. They meet as Chris, the lead figure, is sixteen and goes on a wild cross-country ride to California.

When we open up the first chapter, we already know Chris' best friend and life-mate is long gone and he has suffered greatly. The depression he allows himself to stay in for so long changes as he begins to recount the past-though involuntarily. The setting of the future, it's technology and the nature of humans, that rarely changes though the ages, is explored during the exposition. The real fun begins when we go back to his youth. He and his crazy friends end up in Venice Beach and while on a walk Chris stumbles upon the beautiful music of a violin emanating from a house and stops, sits, and falls into a trance listening while sitting on the porch. The father of Angela (she becoming the eventual best friend and love of his life) comes home and startles him and both Angela and her mother come out on the porch to see what happened. They are appreciative that he has been listening to her playing for over an hour and invite him in. Once they find out that he is a pianist they chide him into playing with her and the enchantment that occurs is the basis for their immediate friendship and future love that turns into a bond that drives them barreling forward relying on each other almost in fantasy-like expectations as they mutually use each other in a conscious effort to make their musical dreams come true.

Chris' name was selected as Christopher Columbus was the discoverer of the New World. There are many references hidden, and some not so hidden, such as the letter he writes to the love of his life on Columbus Day about exploring the "new world," and many other references. That sense of discovery is really re-discovery as there is nothing new in the universe, just our awareness of it. Many of us have forgotten and/or forsaken the core essence of who we were in our youth and our values and dreams and it is that re-discovery that the book focuses on and that commonality of re-evaluation that occurs when one reaches the point of middle age and the passing of the torch. Life has two sides, the Ying and Yang, the duality of nature. The loss of one so close changes and completely alters the outlook of life and that sadness can only be cured with the understanding and love of the self. Once he accepts his mortality and experiences the things he does (I can't give away the plot) he becomes aware of the miracles that surround us everyday and lives each day knowing it is truly a gift.

Does the best friend have a specific purpose in the book?
Each of the two main characters in this book has a set of flaws that drive them to become great artists. Angela is deeply flawed because of things that happen (again I can't give it away) in her early childhood and the loss of her brother in the Vietnam War that was shielded from her by her parents. Those memories act as a dual impetus to drive her into wanting recognition and love from the audience's applause to fill the void she sub-consciously harbors. Chris so is love with her playing and insecure because of his lower class background and having much less talent than she. He compensates by voraciously studying and driving himself so hard to catch up with her and in the process loses the sense of whom Angela really is.
His best friend comes to his aid and puts him back on the path to redemption long after she has died. You have to read the book to figure that one out!

How does your hero or heroine feel about the best friend?
They love each other with total conviction until deep insecurities begin to chip away at the bond that ties then professionally and personally.

How would your hero or heroine handle their problems or difficulties with the best friend?Most of the time they hide them behind words and actions that belie major problems in denial. He looks past her ranting and neuroticisms to see only the best of her actions and doesn't act on what he knows is damaging behavior on her part. She keeps her secrets secret and allows the mental "cancer" to spread.

Are there problems between the best friend and your main characters?
Trust begins to break down as the hectic pace of their lives, the traveling on the road, the drugs to keep them awake and performing night after night wears them down as their youth passes to middle age. The medical problems from arthritis and repetitive strain issues really begin to wear on Angela as she begins to lose her precise abilities and becomes frustrated and questions everything about their lives together. This is the beginning of their "crisis" that has been allowed to develop over many years and culminates in her leaving the house. You have to read the book to find out what happens after that.

Do you see the best friend ever having their own story?No the story ends with this book.

Was the best friend inspired by anyone you know?
Both are a conglomeration of people through my life, my own personality, and complete fictional characters.

Is there a message to their experience?The message is live life to it's fullest everyday! Don't expect life to treat you kindly and the "road" will be bumpy with potholes and dangerous curves, but it will take you places you have never been as long as you stay on it and that is the important part. Stay on it! Don't give up no matter what. Death is over-rated and the other side is an eternity. I know. I was there. Stay awhile and let time heal and be good to yourself and as Chris' best friend, lover, and partner for life tells him -remember that "Love is all there is. Never lose that gift."

Please provide your website link.www.onlymomentsbook.com

Only Moments by Nick Oliva

Okay -- its time to tell us about that hunky hero in your book.

What's his name?Christopher Vadia

Why did you pick that name?
Chris' name was selected as Christopher Columbus was the discoverer of the New World. There are many references hidden, and some not so hidden, such as the letter he writes to the love of his life on Columbus Day about exploring the "new world," and many other references. That sense of discovery is really re-discovery as there is nothing new in the universe, just our awareness of it. Many of us have forgotten and/or forsaken the core essence of who we were in our youth and our values and dreams and it is that re-discovery that the book focuses on and that commonality of re-evaluation that occurs when one reaches the point of middle age and the passing of the torch. The lesson of the book is hope through tragedy, happiness through love of the self. Life has two sides, the ying and yang, the duality of nature. The loss of one so close changes and completely alters the outlook of life and that sadness can only be cured with the understanding and love of the self. Once he accepts his mortality and experiences the things he does (I can't give away the plot) he becomes aware of the miracles that surround us everyday and lives each day knowing it is truly a gift. His long dead wife comes to his aid and puts him back on the path to redemption of the last 15 years of his life.


Give us a brief description of how he looks. Brown hair, Deep brown eyes, 6 ft. tall, broad shoulders, 185 lbs, hairy chest, athletic build, handsome man

Is there anything unusual about his appearance? not really

Who does he love? Why? He is devoted to Angela his musical partner and soul mate. There is no other but her. He is entranced by her playing, infatuated by her looks, and is completely and unconditionally in love with her faults as well as her attributes. He is drawn to her as he is a flawed person and Angela completes his desire to bring him successfully into the musical world that he could have never accomplished by himself.

Does this person love him? She loves him dearly, but because she is so insecure and neurotic due to a secret childhood horror story, she cannot love herself enough to give of herself until long after her death.

Tell us about his family. Are they important to him? His family plays a small part of the romantic story.

Where is he from? Bridgeville, a fictional place based in Southern New Jersey

Does his hometown affect his behavior, thoughts and attitude? Not really

What does he want out of life? He is searching for true meaning and as he goes along in his life with Angela he discovers that it is the journey that counts. They succeed as a team believing in each other through the worst of times until the pressure that Angela imposes on herself becomes too much. He then gives up on himself and his life becomes a muddled smearing of day to day existence and not much else or hope of anything further bringing him happiness. He then begins his trek through the past and re-discovers who he once was. Life has two sides, the ying and yang, the duality of nature. The loss of one so close changes and completely alters the outlook of life and that sadness can only be cured with the understanding and love of the self. Once he accepts his mortality and experiences the things he does (I can't give away the plot) he becomes aware of the miracles that surround us everyday and lives each day knowing it is truly a gift. His long dead wife comes to his aid and puts him back on the path to redemption of the last 15 years of his life.

What's his biggest secret? (Only share if it isn't a spoiler in the story.)It is Angela that holds the secret and she reveals it at the most unlikely time. It is the cause of their downfall.

Did you write more than one story about him? No this is it.

How would he describe you? A neurotic driving determined force that seeks perfection while knowing there is no such thing.

Is there anything else about your hero that we need to know? Feel free to share.
First and foremost this a love story that shows unlimited devotion even after one mate dies. When we open up the first chapter, we already know Chris' wife is long gone and he has suffered greatly. The depression he allows himself to stay in for so long, changes as he begins to recount the past-though involuntary. The setting of the future, it's technology and the human nature that rarely changes though the ages is exposed during the exposition. The real fun begins when we go back to his youth.

One of the messages of this book was to show that regardless of the age, future, past, or present-the needs and wants of the human heart can never be replaced by technology. The other aspect was to show that regardless that these two people were together twenty-four hours a day and experiencing everything together, they grew apart because of the flaws that each had and those flaws prove to be what made them great as well. Great art comes from imperfection and like the ying and yang, there is always danger in beauty be it the cliffs of Big Sur and rocks below, the infatuation of human beauty, or the spiritual dogma entrenched by centuries of emotional manipulation.

"They believed without question, without doubt."

That is quite a lot to write into a romance novel, but it is what life is all about if one wants to take the time to understand it's meaning and one's place in it.
Chris is every woman's dream. A man so incredibly devoted that no other woman could ever take the place of his wife and soul mate Angela. A man so patient and understanding, gifted and tolerant of her mood swings and temper. He understood her every move and motivation and their music echoed the love that they both shared.


Please provide your website link.www.onlymomentsbook.com

What is the link to buy your book?www.onlymomentsbook.com or amazon.com

It was wonderful to meet him. Thank you for bringing him to meet us. By the way, do you have a picture of him that you'd like to share?I wish that I did, but he was a photographer and never took his own picture.