I really enjoyed inviting him into this story and letting him tell his side of things, and he was one of the most forthcoming characters I've ever worked with. And adorable. If only he weren't so fictional and I wasn't old enough to be his…well, youthful aunt.
Laurie Boris – 28 December 2015
The Back Flap
Christina Davenport, waitressing to pay the bills, has abandoned her childhood dream of becoming a magician—until she meets the mesmerizing Reynaldo the Magnificent. He hires her as his assistant for his magic and juggling show; she hopes she can play the role without cutting his giant ego in half. Devon Park, a surgical resident, is escaping his own problems when he visits the street performers in downtown Boston. But the young doctor worries that the bruises beneath Christina's makeup go deeper than the training accident she professes. Convinced the doctor's interest is more than clinical, the mercurial magician attempts to tighten his grip on Christina. Now she needs to decide—is the opportunity Reynaldo offers worth the price of admission?
About the book
What is the book about?
A Sudden Gust of Gravity is a contemporary romantic/suspense novel set in Boston. It features a young woman looking to redeem the traumas of her past by returning to her once-abandoned pursuit of a career in magic, a field still mostly dominated by men.
When did you start writing the book?
In 2013, I planned a series of linked, standalone novels about a magician and his assistant. Each book would focus on different characters in different phases of their lives. I'd gotten a good running start on an outline, a story "bible," and a few key scenes when another story jumped my mental queue. Charlie Trager, a character from one of my previous novels, would not let me alone until I wrote his story, which turned into two titles, so I put A Sudden Gust of Gravity aside to work with him.
How long did it take you to write it?
When I returned to A Sudden Gust of Gravity, it took about three months to write the first draft. All told, it took a little over a year to shape it for publication. That included several revisions, writing group critiques, two rounds of beta reading, and a thorough, professional copyedit. Even editors need to hire editors.
Where did you get the idea from?
It began with one scene that popped into my head: a power struggle between a magician and a down-on-her-luck waitress auditioning to be his assistant. He wanted her to get into a box illusion, and she didn't want to admit she was claustrophobic. Then I started asking questions, and it snowballed from there.
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
Every time Christina (the assistant) got hurt, part of me died a little. I was in an emotionally abusive relationship for a short time when I was young, and one scene affected me so deeply that it stopped my forward momentum every time I came to it. If I'm afraid to write something, it usually means that whatever I'm avoiding has a lot of energy and power, and I need to go there. Finally I just had a glass of wine, knuckled down, and blasted the words out. I ended up rewriting the scene a few times, even on the last editing pass.
What came easily?
The storyline for Devon Park, the surgical resident, was already percolating in my head, because he was an ancillary character in one of my "practice novels" from long ago. I really enjoyed inviting him into this story and letting him tell his side of things, and he was one of the most forthcoming characters I've ever worked with. And adorable. If only he weren't so fictional and I wasn't old enough to be his…well, youthful aunt.
Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?
A little of both. Devon is entirely fictitious. Although I was, very briefly, a magician's assistant, that's about all I gave Christina from my "real world" experience. I borrowed from real life for Devon's uncle. How could I not, when my husband's Korean doctor huffed into the exam room and lectured us that marriage is like a boat and you can only have one captain. And Ralph is an amalgam of a few magicians I've known. (I can't reveal which ones because they might make me disappear.)
Do you have a target reader for this book?
Someone who enjoys reading novels that have slightly off-kilter romantic themes and a little depth to the characters and their plight.
How was writing this book different from what you'd experienced writing previous books?
When I started writing novels, I was a determined pantser. Even the idea of an outline made me itch. In the last few years, I've been experimenting with working from a loose, "story beats" style of outlining that Lynne Cantwell told me about. That's how I started writing A Sudden Gust of Gravity. But then something wasn't feeling right, and I let the characters riff. They had more to tell me about the story, so I ended up erasing much of the outline from my whiteboard and pantsing it all the way home. At least for the first draft.
What new things did you learn about writing, publishing, and/or yourself while writing and preparing this book for publication?
I learned to have more faith in my instincts. As I was revising, I decided to cut a few characters. Originally Christina had a brother, and I'd included a couple of Devon's friends who were his nephew's godparents. They were fine characters, but they muddied up the plot. Earlier in my writing career, I might have left them in because I liked them so much. Now I could more easily see that they didn't belong.
Also, I learned how to more effectively draw on beta reader input. When much of my beta comments started falling into the same categories, my revision path was clear. But I had a hunch that one particular scene was a little weak. Nobody had brought it up. So I asked a few beta readers. One said, "Now that you mention it, I did think that could use some shoring up, but I thought it was just me." I'm glad I asked for clarification, because it helped me craft a better story.
Thank you for letting me visit. I'd love to hear from you!
End of Interview:
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Get your copy of A Sudden Gust of Gravity from Amazon US or Amazon UK.
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