Phoenix Falling: The Story Behind the Story

by Mary Jo

Today’s blog is another in my occasional series of showing how stories come together.  This time I’m dissecting the second in my contemporary romance series: the book what was once called The Spiral Path and I recently renamed Phoenix Falling in the relaunched Starting Over Series.

 

Setting the Scene:

My historical series are all built around men who became friends as schoolboys, so I decided to build my contemporary series around a group of female friends.  They met as girls at a real school, Baltimore’s Friends School, which is a Quaker institution, though students come from all backgrounds. 

Why Baltimore?  Because writing contemporary would represent so many challenges in other areas that I thought it would be nice not to spend much time researching the setting.  Hence, using my home town, Baltimore, which has texture and character and might seem exotic to people who've never been here. <G> 

The first and third books in the trilogy are set in Baltimore, but except for a few scenes, Phoenix Falling is set in California, New Mexico, and England. 

The Genesis:

One inspiration for the story was reading in the Baltimore Sun about Cass Elliot (real name: Ellen Naomi Cohen), one of the singers in the famous 60’s rock group, the Mamas and the Papas. 

Cass died at age 32, leaving a daughter by an unknown father.  The girl was sent back East to be raised by Cass’s family.  That gave me the idea for a heroine whose mother was a famous rock singer who died too young, leaving a child who was sent to Baltimore to live with her cold, disapproving grandparents. 

The Characters

Hence, Raine Marlowe, real name Rainbow. Rainey survived emotionally because of the friendships she formed at school and she stays in touch with Kate and Val and the others.  But she has talent and desire, so off she goes to Hollywood to become an actress.

The Story:

I'm not sure why I decided on a Hollywood/movie making set-up, but I liked the idea of writing about creative process, and what kind of people do the hard work of creating the magic.  The book begins with Rainey approaching her estranged husband, Kenzie Scott, to ask if he’ll star in the movie she wants to make from a Victorian novel that she loves.  The Centurion is about an officer in one of Queen Victoria’s “little wars,” and the terrible price that is paid for empire.  Though I invented the novel, the little wars were real enough, and so is the cost of empire. 

After separating from Kenzie, Rainey had thrown herself into writing a script and putting together a budget as a distraction from her pain.  But in order to get the financing, she needs a “bankable” star—and Kenzie is a superstar, as well as a contender for my most tortured hero ever.  Think Pierce Brosnan in his 30s—gorgeous, enigmatic, and very British.

The story is about a lot of things, and one of the central questions is how can two people build a lasting relationship in the middle of the craziness of celebrity.  Rainey is a successful Oscar nominated actress, while Kenzie is a tabloid darling whose every date becomes fodder for speculation. 

Rainey and Kenzie fall in love and impulsively marry after they finish making a new version of The Scarlet Pimpernel together.  The love and caring are real, but the pressures and separations crack their marriage. 

But because Rainey needs Kenzie and he can't say no to her, he agrees to do the movie without even reading the script.  Which turns out to be a terrible mistake, since the central conflict of The Centurion cuts dangerously close to the horrors of his childhood. Playing John Randall, the brave, tormented British officer, brings Kenzie closer and closer to the breaking point. 

The situation is worsened when the actress cast as the love interest quits before shooting begins, and Rainey must take on the role herself.  It turns out that the heroine, Sarah Masterson, has a loving loyalty which freaks Rainey out because of her personal commitment issues. 

If that isn't bad enough, just as shooting wraps up, a British paparazzo with an apparent grudge against Kenzie explodes a scandalous accusation that pushes Kenzie over the edge.

Rainey moves in to protect her husband, not knowing if the story is true or not, and not really caring.  She’s never stopped loving Kenzie, and she’ll do anything to save his sanity.  They retreat to the remote New Mexican ranch that he’d bought on impulse. There the layers of pain and secrets are revealed, and the healing begins. 

The Research:

I love this story, and the research was immense.  I read all kinds of memoirs like screenwriter William Goldman’s witty, informative Adventures in the Screen Trade and Emma Thompson’s The Sense and Sensibility Screenplay and Diaries, in which she recounts all the work that went into her Oscar winning screenplay for Jane Austen’s famous novel, and what it was like to play the lead in the movie after she’d written the script. 

Also, a friend of mine is the sister-in-law of a director who was shooting a movie in Baltimore, and she was able to get me onto the set for a day.  (Shooting a movie is a really, really boring process, I learned. <G>)

I interviewed my friend Laura Resnick who had studied at one of London’s famous schools of drama to get a sense of what Kenzie’s time at the famous Royal Academy of Dramatic Art would have been like.

I talked to a young woman who had been a Hollywood personal assistant, a class of people who are like magical elves, doing anything and everything necessary to make a star’s life run smoothly.

I had once read about a B&B carved into a cliff in New Mexico, and thought, “Wouldn’t that be a great place for Rainey and Kenzie to go for a few hours of peace and quiet!” 

I'd also read about a monastery far off the beaten path in northern New Mexico.  The Benedictine Monastery of Christ in the Desert was literally the very first site I visited back in the ‘90s when I got an internet capable computer.  I used the monastery for Tom Corsi, a secondary character in Stirring the Embers. He's living in the monastery as a novice and trying to decide whether or not to take final vows.  A warm and tolerant man, he’s there when Rainey needs to talk.

One of the most important elements was the labyrinth, which became the central metaphor for the book, and which provided the original title for the book, The Spiral Path. I’ve blogged about labyrinths in the past, and the symbolism is perfect for the complicated relationship between Rainey and Kenzie.  Plus, there is a real labyrinth that Kenzie makes as he comes to terms with his painful past.

The research was fascinating, but the heart of the story is two complicated people trying to rebuild the loving marriage that they both desperately need.  Is there a happy ending?  Of course!  My stories are always about healing and reconciliation, and never more than in Phoenix Falling.

What’s behind the new title?  I think of Kenzie as like a phoenix who'd built a soaring and successful life from the ashes of a catastrophic childhood.  When his life is shattered again, will he have the strength to rebuild? 

With Rainey’s love and understanding, yes. Here’s an excerpt of Rainey’s first meeting with Kenzie.

I’ll be giving a copy of the original print edition of The Spiral Path to one person who leaves a comment between now and midnight Tuesday.  Or if you’re impatient, you can download the e-book of Phoenix Falling from any of the major online bookstores.  If you do read the story, I hope you love Kenzie and Rainey as much as I do.

Mary Jo

Comments

[Jessika]

Hi Mary Jo, Thanks for the insight! I'm a big fan of your historicals, and I didn't know you wrote contemporaries so now I will be on a mission :) Sounds like a great book can't wait to go out & get the series!

[Lesley]

Lots of interesting elements here - including Scarlet Pimpernel, Sense & Sensibility, the movie business, and Victorian wars. After avoiding contemporaries for years, I have been reading more of late - this certainly sounds worth a try.

[Dee]

I will be on the lookout for this one. Dee

[Janilee]

I enjoyed this story for the character building and healing. Also for the glimpses of the other friends I'd read in the previous stories.

BTW the link is not functioning properly.

[pearl]

This is completely fascinating and wonderful. Thanks for relating this information which I enjoyed greatly.

[Liz]

The attraction for me is the Baltimore setting. Thanks for the background info and giveaway.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Jessika--

I'm glad you enjoyed the post. So many things go into a story! What I listed here is only the tip of the iceberg. I only wrote the three contemporary novels (I just don't write fast enough to write for two publishers), but I do think the characters and stories are very much in line with what I do for my historicals. The e-editions of the trilogy are available now, and if you prefer print, there should be used copies available under the original titles.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Lesley--if you're cautiously wading into contemporary waters, you might want to try Phoenix Falling, which is one of my favorite of my own stories. The e-edition should be available world wide, including Australia. If not--I want to know so I can fix it!

[Mary Jo Putney]

Janilee--

Thanks for letting me know about the non-working link. I think I have it fixed. I'll paste it here as well:
http://maryjoputney.com/spiralpathexc.htm

[Mary Jo Putney]

Pearl--it was really fun to research how movies are made! The hard work, not the glamour. If you try the book, I think you'll enjoy that part of it. I did. *G*

[Mary Jo Putney]

Liz--it was interesting for me to use my own stomping ground, but such things can be treacherous. On the third book, An Imperfect Process, a friend told me that there was no such road as the one where I placed my heroine's new office even though I'd driven on it myself. *G* People can be wrong about what they think they know in their own neighborhoods!

[Anne]

What a captivating post. How creative and unique. The area of New Mexico is beautiful and would be worth exploring.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Anne--

I love New Mexico and visit whenever I can. Not for nothing is it called the Land of Enchantment--there's something magical about the energy. And with it's desert and mountains, it was a good, economical location for Rainey to shoot the desert part of her movie. *G*

[Polly McCrillis]

Sounds like a wonderful story, Mary Jo. I love the research process when writing historicals but I've never done nearly the amount you did for Phoenix Falling. Pretty amazing how a newspaper article can set the imagination wheels in motion. I look forward to reading this series!

[Mary Jo Putney]

Polly--

The first book in the trilogy, Stirring the Embers (originally The Burning Point) was also inspired by a newspaper story in the Baltimore Sun. That time it was an in-depth article about CDI, Controlled Demolition, Inc, the world famous explosive demolition company. I have a flypaper memery, and something these ideas lurk in the back of my mind for years before I find a way to use them ina story.

[Janga]

I love this book! I've read it at least a half dozen times and reread sections even more often. It's one of my all-time favorite contemporaries, right up there with Kathleen Gilles Seidel's Till the Stars Fall and Ruth Wind's In the Midnight Rain. I just realized all three books have music connections. Interesting.

I'm fascinated by the Cass Elliot inspiration. I don't remember reading that before. Knowing it makes me want to reread The Spiral Path again. I saw the Mamas and the Papas in concert in Atlanta many years ago. A fan gave Cass a poster that read "Cass is omnipotent!" She laughed. When I think of her all these years later, that's the image I hold: Cass and Michelle Phillips holding hands and singing as Cass waved that sign.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Janga--

I don't know that I've ever publicly mentioned the Cass Elliot connection, but it was certainly in my head, and since you've read the book several times, you might see the shadow of Cass informing Rainey's story. Such a tragedy that she died so young.

[LILinda]

When Hurricane Sandy hit Long Island I was trapped down in Houston, unable to get home. My work obligation was over, and I decided to explore the city. I took the light rail to the Museum District, and started walking. Almost immediately I came to a church and the whole front yard was a labyrinth. Because of this book I made sure I slowly, prayerfully, walked the path, thinking of everyone at home.I was amazed how settling and relaxing walking a labyrinth can be. Thank-you. Without this book I would have walked by.

[Mary Jo Putney]

How lovely that the book inspired you to walk that labyrinth, and that that helped relax you when you had to be worried about what was going on at home. There really is power in walking the pattern. I always feel more relaxed and focused after I walk a labyrinth. (Though so far, I haven't been away from home during a hurricane!)

[Cynthia Owens]

Great post, Mary Jo! I love learning about the "behind-the-scenes" of a book, and what inspired the ideas for it!

[Mary Jo Putney]

Cynthia--

Since you're a writer yourself, I'm not surprised you enjoy looking at the underpinnings of a story. I know that I always do, which is why I do these blogs now and them. I hope I don't bore the non-writers too much!

[Dee]

Wow, interesting story! I am flagging this for my TBR/wish list. I love your historicals and this sounds so neat I am sure I will enjoy it!

[Mary Jo Putney]

Dee--

If you like my historicals, there's a good chance you'll like Phoenix Falling since my writerly interests (obsesions? *G*) are similar in terms of plot and characters. But historicals and contemporaries hit somewhat different buttons, so who knows????

[Anne Gracie]

Coming very late to this discussion, but I just had to say, I LOVED this story. And it gave me a passion for labyrinths as well.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Anne--

I remember the Great Labyrinth Hunt in San Diego. *G* There is something magical about them. And thanks for the kind words on the book--these characters and their stories are very close to my heart.