My Fling with a Celebrity

It was fast. It was fun. It was over in three months.

…

Okay, that’s halfway true. The only celebrity I’ve actually seen up close is Kirk Cameron at an autograph signing.

After spending several months on my last manuscript, now out for representation, I needed a change and returned to the contemporary novel I wrote two years ago. Carson Kent, a famous actor, leads my current work in progress, Call When You Land.

The idea for this story came to me late on a Friday night. I was mindlessly watching music videos on YouTube when this one came up. I didn’t know Duran Duran was even around anymore, let alone making new music. It was beautifully shot, and strangely intriguing, and I was hooked. At minute 4:13, a little plot bunny climbed into my lap and wouldn’t leave. By the next morning, my main character had a name. And you know what they say: when you give something a name, you get attached.

I had been between projects for some time and felt the head rush of a new idea. The next day, I was crafting Carson’s world in the back of my mind during a Fourth of July party. The day after that, half the first chapter was written. I knew I had to put Carson in a serious predicament, so I gave him the opportunity to evaluate the trappings of fame – while being stuck inside his own movies where he’s the only one who knows they’re a work of fiction.

The story flew off my fingers. I’m a certified pantser, a writer who doesn’t outline prior to penning the manuscript, but my story structure allowed me to go chapter by chapter and was easily organized. Each day, Carson experiences a new film, so I created eight mini stories with unique characters for him to interact with. Since he knows them in real life, as well as what they were called in the film, I got to name the supporting cast twice. Naming characters is one of my favorite things to do.

Research for this story was a thrill. I read about World War II paratroopers and learned where the phrase “a bridge too far” originated. I sifted through videos of Texas state fair equine competitions to force poor Carson to compete in a boxing competition. I researched the rights of child actors, swag bags for Academy Award winners and nominees, and “shopped” for million dollar mansions in Beverly Hills.

I wrote the last paragraph of Call When You Land in October, three months after I started it. It was the fastest I’d ever put a story on paper. I enjoyed every single minute of writing it. And then it was over.

Writers get attached to their characters, and it’s bittersweet to complete their saga. I get to know my characters deeply, and if you want a super elaborate, IMDB style backstory, I’m happy to share. I’ve been working on Trusting a Traitor since 2013, with several rewrites and a fully developed sequel. I feel like I’ve been in a long term relationship with the characters Everett and Mara. But my relationship with Carson was a fast and exciting fling. I shelved the story with the intent to go back to it, and now that I’m starting fresh, I’m giddy all over again.