When exactly does real life...
When exactly does real life cross into fiction and vice versa? It seems the more we read, the more we see stories as inseparable from reality. It's true that one mimics the other, probably because at their heart, both reality and fiction share the same experiences, evoke the same emotions and tap into the deepest core of our beliefs. When we bring politics into fiction, the result is the same.
The lines become fuzzy between reality and fiction. As more and more candidates announce their decision to throw their hat into the political ring for the 2004 presidential race, people's lives will be dissected under the microscope of media and popular opinion. In my hardcover debut, The Heartbreaker (9–03), I involve my hero and heroine in this political world. The same world we will all be living during the fall. In The Heartbreaker, decisions made for political gain long before my heroine's birth come back to jeopardize a political candidate's run for president. Real life imitating fiction or fiction imitating real life? Trust me, my story is purely fictional.
For those who have come to know and trust my stories for their light-hearted and family–oriented feel, don't worry. At heart, the problems that plague my characters Sloane and eldest Chandler brother Chase are born out of love and family. The story is exactly what you've come to expect from both me and the Chandler men! In fact, I revisit the meddling parent in dual ways. While the meddling of my heroine's maternal grandfather represents the darker side of Raina Chandler's matchmaking and meddling in her son's lives, it is only Raina who allows her children to truly follow their hearts and find their own happily ever after. For me, that is what fiction is really all about.
When Chase meets Sloane in a D.C. bar, he believes he's escaped the ties of small town life and is embarking on a new phase of his career. Neither plans anything beyond a one–night stand, but one–night stands can have unanticipated consequences. For Chase he discovers that the redhead of the night before is the political cover story of the year. His choice to protect the senator's daughter until the story can be released at the time best for her and her family is heroic, but also jeopardizes the career he's put on hold for years. Sloane never asked to be illegitimate. It was just a fact of her birth. But the subsequent cover up by her grandfather and a lifetime of belief that Senator Carlisle was her true father is just as hard to grapple with as finding the identity of her birth father. All play out in a way that may change political destinies forever.
As the candidates take their places in the political ring this fall, I'm sure we'll no doubt see family pasts and private scandals trotted out in front of the public. At the heart of any political scandal is the matter of choice. It is no different with my characters. That's where the line between reality and fiction blurs. That's also why romantic fiction has such intensity and vividness. It mimics our reality to the degree that we can feel the characters' emotions and understand their plight. As they wind their way through the book we experience anticipation. When it turns out well for them we find relief and satisfaction. Perhaps there isn't such a line dividing fiction from real life, but you won't know until you discover it for yourself. Find out by reading The Heartbreaker and talking it over with friends over coffee as the political races heat up.
Copyright © Carly Phillips
Small towns have always held...
Small towns have always held a special appeal for Americans. They form the very heart and soul of the country in everyday life and in fiction. Why? Probably because many of us live that small town life and even those who don't recognize that at its core, small towns represent simplicity and escape from the pressures and hectic pace of big cities and everyday living. This appeal was underscored by the popularity of American illustrator Norman Rockwell (1894-1978), especially with his 322 covers for Saturday Evening Post. His paintings of everyday, usually small-town people almost always tell stories, often humorous ones. His use of careful observation and technical skill portray homey incidents, well–defined character, and a wealth of supporting detail. As an author, that is what I aspire to accomplish with the written word.
Most of my books deal with families but with the Chandler brothers and Yorkshire Falls, I undertook small towns at their best — the ideal of home and hearth, of being able to go back to where you started and begin again, even if you were born and bred in the city. Small towns represent a space where everyman can escape the pressures and grind of everyday life. They are a place where life proceeds at a slower pace and where the things we take for granted mean more – such as the glow of a fading sunset or the whispered conversation with a loved one on the proverbial porch. At its heart, small towns are a place where honesty shines through. Since practically everyone is supposed to know everyone else's business in a small town, little remains under covers and what does, runs deep.
Yorkshire Falls began as just another small, upper New York town in my imagination, but it developed into far more. For the Chandler brothers trilogy it became a theme that threads the brothers together beyond just family ties. For youngest brother and globetrotting journalist, Roman, in The Bachelor, Yorkshire Falls represents the small-mindedness and boring existence he wants to escape in his early years, only to discover later that having roots makes him stronger. That, which he ran from at a young age, represents hearth and home later on.
Middle brother and town cop, Rick, in The Playboy, sees the town as a place he loves and protects, but can't truly be a part of until an outsider shows him how to overcome his past.
Chase, the eldest and editor/owner of the town newspaper, in The Heartbreaker (August 2003), has dedicated his life to the newspaper his father owned, making him the heartbeat of the town, but discovers that he can't continue to live for everyone else. Yet no matter what, the brothers live and love in their small hometown.
Then of course there are the unusual characters we come to know and love as part of the fabric of Yorkshire Falls. They are the unique pattern woven into the tapestry of a small town that make home, unlike any place on earth. There are Pearl and Eldin, an elderly couple who've lived together for so long, that no one can remember them apart, and yet they've never married. There is also Samson, the town eccentric, whose heart of gold makes him richer in friends than anyone else — as much to his surprise as everyone else's. You'll also find Raina Chandler, the meddling mother whose busy–body antics are the root of the Chandler brother's adventures and whose style is the epitome of every small town mother who has made a career out of arranging the lives of the people around her.
In different ways these characters all represent the dynamics that push away and yet draw us back time and again to small towns. Readers will continue to gravitate to small town settings because of the wealth of feeling and dimension that they offer. For good or bad, the American psyche is wrapped around the idea of small towns. I hope you'll come and visit my small town of Yorkshire Falls in the Chandler brother's books and discover the appeal for yourself.
Copyright © Carly Phillips
Like the arrow keys on...
Like the arrow keys on a computer which move my manuscript up or down, forward or back, taking a new step in my writing career was filled with possibilities. I started writing category because I love Romance and the shorter genre. I still do and so, my category career continues. But as is human nature, I wanted to try something different. Enter Warner Books and the opportunity to write single title romance and take my career in a new and challenging direction. How did I handle the experience and what have I learned as a result? Because I am a writer, I think those computer arrow keys provide a perfect analogy.
A Step Forward: More characters and more space to develop them! More plot, if I choose. In The Bachelor, I opted for a panty thief to spice things up. More, more more! I was in writer’s heaven.
A Step Backward: Entering a new genre was like starting over again with that first sale. New editors, new expectations, and all new rules culminating in that dreaded word, revisions! But with the right editor, the experience was challenging and I came through learning much about my writing, myself and the things I can accomplish. By the time I worked on my second single title, The Playboy, I’d learned many lessons and was able to apply them with confidence. Less revisions and much praise! That step backward was a worthwhile trip!
A Step Sideways: Move those computer keys left or right, the direction doesn’t matter. While I was writing, sometimes I felt like I was treading water without making headway - especially since I went from writing a 230 page manuscript to a 400 page manuscript. With the help of a supportive critique partner and family, the books did get written and from treading water, I’d reached the finish line!
I’m now *this* close to seeing my book in print and on the bookstore shelves. I’ve learned about promoting single titles and how different and more time consuming that job is than promoting category. I’ve learned to think more about budgeting my money for promoting (note, I didn’t say I DID budget ). And I’ve learned to treat my publisher as a partner in having the book do well. But the most important thing I’ve discovered on the road to publishing a single title is that every step taken is ultimately, a step forward.
Copyright © Carly Phillips
