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Welcome to It's Raining Books. Why do you write in your genre? What draws you to it?
Romance has become my genre of choice. I’ve fallen in love with writing about love. Romantic love, yes, but also friendship, love of art and creativity, and love of life itself for all the beauty and tragedy. There’s something so transporting, affectionate, and hopeful when you’re writing a romance. The love on the pages lives inside of you too. It gives me all the feelings. I can’t get enough of it.
What research is required?
It’s different for every book. For The Location Shoot, I did a little research about Sweden. Although I’ve been there many times, I wanted to make sure to get things right. I researched to make sure I was describing a private beach well. I also researched some local foods, which is always fun.
Name one thing you learned from your hero/heroine.
Life is incredibly short, so we best not squander our opportunities for happiness or stand in our own way.
Do you have any odd or interesting writing quirks, habits or superstitions?
I color code my edits. In my mind, each book I write “feels” like a certain color. During my many rounds of revisions, I’ll only use that color post-it flags to mark my edits.
Are you a plotter or pantser?
Kind of both, but if I had to pick, I’d say pantser. I usually know the characters and overall plot, often down to the last line, before I start writing. But I never know all the scenes and moments that will take me from A to B. I just start writing scenes, out of order, and see where each one goes. I love happy surprises. It’s an amazing process of discovery.
Look to your right – what’s sitting there?
My antique writing desk. It’s covered with a stack of novel manuscripts.
Anything new coming up from you? What?
I loved writing Ella and Finn’s love story so much, that I didn’t want to leave it. My next novel, After the Red Carpet, picks up where The Location Shoot ends. It comes out in September 2024 (She Writes Press). I’m also working on a series of romance novels that explore different dimensions of love. It’s a special project and I can’t wait to share it.
Do you have a question for our readers?
I love a story about a celebrity falling in love with an average—not so average—person. What’s your favorite trope?
Controversial filmmaker Jean Mercier is shooting a film on location in Sweden. While spending the summer creating his latest work of cinematic art, he lives in a nearby inn with his lead actors: Albie Hughes, British veteran of stage and screen; Charlotte Reed, British indie film queen; Michael Hennesey, American TV heartthrob; Willow Barnes, fallen former teen star looking to make a comeback; and Finn Forrester, legendary Hollywood movie star. Mercier invites his friend Ella Sinclair—a beautiful, bohemian-spirited American philosopher known for her provocative writing—to stay with them for the summer. When Ella arrives, Finn is instantly enchanted by her, and soon they fall madly in love. Finn wants to plan a life together, but Ella harbors fears and convinces him to wait until the film wraps to decide their future. In a case of life imitating art, the film they are creating explores “the big questions” and prompts the stars to reflect on the crossroads they face in their own lives. How will their experiences on location affect them when they return home? The answers won’t come until months later, when the cast and crew reconvene on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival—but their revelation will make for one unforgettable night.
Read an Excerpt
Just then, Ella walked in wearing a black sundress and sandals, the chains hanging around her neck tinkling like wind chimes as she moved. Everyone turned to look. She cocked her head and furrowed her brow in confusion as she approached the table of men who were all smiling broadly.
“Well, good morning,” she said. “This is unexpected.” She and Finn exchanged a covert look as Jean scooched over to make room for her. She plopped down and asked, “So, how is everyone this fine morning?”
“I was just telling them about your book,” Jean replied. “Bloody thing kept me up all night.”
“That explains why you look a fright,” she observed.
“We must discuss your description of the erect cock.”
Michael had just taken a sip of espresso, which went flying out of his mouth. He grabbed a napkin to wipe it up. Finn’s faced turned bright red.
“Gee, give a girl a minute to wake up. I haven’t even had a cup of tea,” Ella casually replied.
Jean hollered at the waiter, “Tea!” and he pointed to Ella. He continued, “I’m serious, ma chérie. I’m utterly possessed thinking of it. Your description of hardness and thrusting on page 38 is haunting.”
She giggled and said, “I’m barely awake, Jean. Perhaps you could take it down a notch with the cock talk.”
Finn and Albie laughed.
“I don’t know how I’m going to concentrate on filming today. You’ve got my mind spinning. All I want to do is discuss blow jobs,” Jean said.
“And you wonder why Charlotte and Willow never come to breakfast,” Ella joked.
Finn cracked up.
“I’m serious,” Jean said. “It’s captivating.”
“Perhaps you shouldn’t have read the whole thing in one go. Swallowed more than you could handle, as it were. I warned you there’s adult subject matter,” she jested.
Finn, Albie, and Michael tried to muffle their laughter.
“Do you think that what you wrote about the half-hard, pity thrust is true? Do other women feel this way?” Jean asked.
“I don’t know. Let’s ask one of your three ex-wives,” she joked.
Everyone burst into laughter. Albie nearly fell off his chair. The waiter delivered Ella’s tea and asked, “Would anyone like breakfast?”
“We waited for you,” Finn said.
Ella smiled and said, “A soft-boiled egg and some fruit, please.”
“Same for me,” Michael said, winking at her.
“Oatmeal and berries, please,” Finn said.
Jean and Albie, having already eaten, shook their heads.
As soon as the waiter walked away, Jean handed her the manuscript and said, “I made some notes in the margins.”
“Thank you,” she replied. “You’re a good friend, lascivious though you may be.”
“The vignette about slut shaming was hysterical. I laughed out loud. Oh, but the funniest section was the part about group sex,” Jean said.
“Group sex?” Michael asked, his eyes like saucers.
“It’s very clever,” Jean said. “She wrote it as a scene in a satirical screenplay. At first, the director tries to give gentle, appropriate notes, but by the end he’s barking out vulgarities and ordering them to do outrageous things all while insisting they mind the camera. It’s wickedly funny.”
Ella giggled. “I thought you’d appreciate that.”
“So, Ella,” Michael said, his eyes fixed to her, “what made you interested in writing about sex?”
“She theorizes about pleasure. It’s not done in an effort to be scandalous or salacious. It’s intelligent,” Finn said. He glanced at Ella, who was smiling at him with her eyes. “She’s interested in things that people experience with a oneness or wholeness. Sex is just one topic. She also writes about art, food, and nature; she explores fundamental questions about how we as human beings experience pleasure, and by extension, how we may arrive at the true feelings of joy, peace, and belonging that so often elude us. Or so I imagine.”
Ella smiled softly and said, “Yes, that’s right. At least, it’s what I’m attempting to do.”
“Well, I can’t wait to read it,” Michael said. “It sounds, uh, enlightening.”
The waiter delivered their breakfast and the conversation moved on while they ate.
About the Author:
Hollyland: https://www.amazon.com/Hollyland-Novel-Patricia-Leavy/dp/1647422965
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ReplyDeleteThe blurb sounds interesting for this one.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a good book and I really like the cover.
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