True Love (and Other Lies) discussion thread

[SusanH]

Here is our thread for True Love (and Other Lies) by Whitney Gaskell. Ms Gaskell, our very own Scout, will be participating in our discussion and has graciously agreed to answer our questions as we read. Share your thoughts on her novel and ask your questions about her writing here.

[LauraAshley]

I finished the book in a few hours and thought it was a great romantic story. Good job!

My question is what is your writing process like? Do you come up with a vague idea and work with it or do you have the whole story already in your head and you just need to get it down? How long did it take you to write both your books?

[ajpr2]

I loved the book Whitney

How much research do you do before writing your books? Did you goto London and NYC to research out the areas? How much information is fact versus fiction?

Also, the person Claire was at the end of the book is different from the Claire we meet at the beginning. Can you explain the process you took to make her grow as a person? (does that make any sense?)

[Chelsey]

I really liked this book. Claire reminded me of me, especially in how she related to falling in love. I didn't believe in it, really, and was very cynical about relationships and figured that I'd never meet anyone. And then I met my DH, and fell hard, and ended up making a big life change in order to be with him. All within 3 months of meeting him. It was something I could see Claire ridiculing at the beginning of the book, but relating to by the end.

I loved the scene when she's on the plane back to New York and the hideous sweatshirt is blinking. I laughed very hard. I've seen those sweatshirts, and like Claire, wouldn't be caught dead in one. The scene was sad yet I couldn't help laughing.

The only thing I had trouble relating to was Claire's relationship with Maddy. Maybe I had a hard time because I don't have a lot of long-term friends. But I thought Maddy was so cruel - hitting Claire where Maddy knew she was most vulnerable and really trying to hurt. I find that unforgivable, when you knowingly exploit a weakness like that during an argument. I'm not sure I would have been able to get over that and have things be OK at the end, and I certainly wouldn't have denied my happiness for her.

[Scout]

Hi everyone!

[Scout]

Originally Posted by LauraAshley

My question is what is your writing process like? Do you come up with a vague idea and work with it or do you have the whole story already in your head and you just need to get it down? How long did it take you to write both your books?

Before I start writing, I usually spend a month or two hammering out a rough outline of the story. I won't have every last detail worked out, but I'll have a beginning and an ending, and somewhat of an idea of how I'm going to get from one to the other. I always have my characters very well fleshed out before I start writing.
.
If I worked diligently every day for four hours, I could probably have a book completely finished in about eight months. Now that I'm a work-at-home mom, it's been a challenge to find the time to work as much as I want to, so my third book, She, Myself and I, has taken somewhat longer to write.

[Scout]

Originally Posted by ajpr2

I loved the book Whitney

How much research do you do before writing your books? Did you goto London and NYC to research out the areas? How much information is fact versus fiction?

Also, the person Claire was at the end of the book is different from the Claire we meet at the beginning. Can you explain the process you took to make her grow as a person? (does that make any sense?)

Thanks Alexis!

George and I went to London two years ago, and while I was there, I had the inspiration for True Love (and Other Lies). I'd planned to go to NYC that spring, but then I got pregnant with Sam, and I wasn't allowed to travel after the 22nd week. So I had to do most of the NYC scenes from memory (and with the help of George, who used to live there).

The heart of TLAOL is Claire's personal journey, as she learns to overcome her cynicism and low-self esteem issues. This was important to me; I didn't want Claire to simply be rescued by Jack, for the story to be about a woman meeting a man, and that alone fixing all of the problems in her life. So Claire had personal issues she had to work through before she could open herself up to love.

[Scout]

Originally Posted by Chelsey

The only thing I had trouble relating to was Claire's relationship with Maddy. Maybe I had a hard time because I don't have a lot of long-term friends. But I thought Maddy was so cruel - hitting Claire where Maddy knew she was most vulnerable and really trying to hurt. I find that unforgivable, when you knowingly exploit a weakness like that during an argument. I'm not sure I would have been able to get over that and have things be OK at the end, and I certainly wouldn't have denied my happiness for her.

This was the one aspect of the story I struggled with. I had to write these scenes very carefully - Maddy had to be likeable enough that we'd understand why Claire loved her, and yet she had to have her own failings - her vanity, her selfishness. It's easy to write an always-nice character - someone who is kind, and generous, and loved by small children and animals. It's somewhat more difficult to write a flawed (and therefore more realistic) character who can both be loveable and unlikable at different points in the same story.

Also, Maddy and Claire's friendship had evolved to a point where they were more like sisters than friends. They both struggled with huge family conflicts - the divorce of Claire's parents, the death of Maddy's father - and through those hard times, they came to rely on one another. Claire had a distant relationship with her sister, Maddy didn't have any siblings, and so they found in each other someone to fill those gaps. And sisters have a tendency to take each other for granted . . . I think that in real life, we're almost always the cruelest to those closest to us. When we're in a bad mood or going through a difficult time, we tend to smile at strangers in the grocery store, and take out our anger on our loved ones.

[Maribeth]

I REALLY enjoyed this book (Whitney, I liked it even more than Pushing 30!). I identified with Claire in so many ways. My self-esteem was about the same as her's when I met my husband. I knew that I had some inner work to do and I'm glad I did it so that I didn't spend the rest of my life feeling that Greg had rescued me and helped me turn into a butterfly. I needed to know that I had done that all on my own. It was HARD and I was grieving at the same time for my babies and divorce, but Greg saw the "potential" of the butterfly when he met me (in the midst of all that sadness too!). Just like Jack seeing inside of Claire - seeing things she didn't even see . . . yet.

I also had a job interview go like Claire's. When I left the interview, I cried - a few days later, I laughed and laughed about it because it was so bizarre. I didn't hear anything so I was sure I didn't get the job. About a month later, I got a call back for a second interview with the woman who would be my boss. We laughed through the whole thing and I ended up with the job . . . and that's where I met my husband (the guy I've been married to for 18 years now!).

I'm always intrigued by sisterly relationships/friendships. I don't have any sisters or other close women relatives other than my mom. I moved around so much in my childhood that I never had a chance to develop a lifelong friendship like Claire's and Maddie's. I did have a friend who hung with me during the darkest days of my life when my son died and I agree with Whitney in how you take out your frustrations on those closest to you while being nice to everyone else. Our relationship didn't survive us getting married to our men which is strange somehow - obviously we weren't on the same plane as Claire and Maddy. I know some women who would give up everything for their lifelong friends and I'm fascinated by such relationships. In fact, I feel like I'm really missing out on something. Perhaps that's why I like to read about them!

Great job Whitney. Definitely looking forward to your next book. How you manage with a little guy at home is beyond me! Congratulations!

Mari

[miss meg]

Hi Scout!

I adored the book. I could see so much of the relationship of Claire and Maddy in my 20+ year frienship with my best friend. You hit the nail on the head with a long-term friendship like that! We even had the pretty/plain, skinny/rounded dichonomy going on. We even (accidentially) stole a boyfriend or two from each other during our friendship . And just like C & M, my friend and I have always managed to forgive one another and remain friends. It was refreshing to see such a real-life relationship played out in text.