I'm thrilled the fabulous Libby Mercer is our guest blogger today. I read Fashioning a Romance and absolutely loved it! Can't wait for her upcoming release in December.
Libby, take it away...
Daddy
Dearest
The
heroines of both my novels, Fashioning a
Romance and Unmasking Maya, have
serious daddy issues. Caitlyn Taylor of Fashioning
gets along fine with her father. Their relationship isn’t the problem. The problem
is that Caitlyn’s dad is a certified manwhore. His womanizing ways have left
his daughter jaded and far from optimistic about the possibility of a healthy,
long-lasting relationship in her future.
In
comparison, Maya Kirkwood’s father makes Mr. Taylor look like a more charming
version of Ward Cleaver. I don’t want to give anything away here, so let’s just
say that as a result of his greed and unhealthy drive, Maya’s stable childhood
existence imploded, and there were horrifying ramifications. She and her father
have been estranged since she was twelve.
One may
assume I’ve got some major daddy issues of my own that I’m working out by
villainizing these fictional father figures in my stories. An interesting
theory, but it’s not the case. I get along great with my dad. We currently
reside in the same city (which hasn’t always been the case – I’ve moved around
a lot in the past) and we get together about once a week to have a meal or
shoot the breeze. We usually have a lot of laughs.
This is
not to say that we’ve got a perfect relationship or anything. My dad doesn’t
read fiction at all. As a lifelong bookworm, I’ve never been able to understand
how he finds no joy in a make-believe world. And because he’s a strict
non-fiction reader (mostly politics and economics with a radically leftist
slant) my dad doesn’t really get what
I do. I cannot count the number of times when I’ve mentioned something exciting
having to do with one of my current books or a new plot I’ve got cooking up and
he’s responded by shaking his head sadly and saying, “If only you’d take my
advice and write a political exposé, uncovering the truth about 9/11…” Sigh.
But I
really can’t complain. All things considered, everything’s peachy between my father
and me. The reason I gave Caitlyn and Maya such difficult dads was simply to
rev up the conflict in their stories. And to explain why they have the issues,
the attitudes and the fears that determine their actions.
Fathers
– whether fictional or real – need no longer fear. After these two books, I
won’t be villainizing my characters’ dads any longer. Well… for now, anyway. For
my third book, I’ve created a cold, unfeeling mother for one of my characters.
So look out, Mom, you’re next! I’m kidding, of course. For the record, I have a
great relationship with my mom too.
UNMASKING
MAYA:
Defamed, Disgraced and Displaced...
Fresh
from a career-killing scandal, New York fashion girl, Maya Kirkwood, arrives in
San Francisco to reinvent herself as a fine artist. She's offered the
opportunity to create an installation at the Silicon Valley headquarters of a
hot new tech company. Fabulous, right?
Not
so much.
She
can't stand Derek Whitley - wunderkind software genius and CEO of the company.
Hot as he may be on the outside, inside the man is a cold, unemotional, robotic
type. Way too left-brained for her right-brained self.
As
Maya and Derek get to know each other, however, their facades begin to crack.
She catches her first glimpse of the man behind the superhuman tech prodigy,
and he starts to see her as the woman she used to be. But is this a good thing?
Once that last secret is revealed, will it bring them closer together or will
it tear them apart?
Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Libby-Mercer/e/B0084US5S2/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1 (This links to my Amazon author page.
Unfortunately, I won’t have a page for Unmasking Maya until it goes live on
Amazon. If you’d prefer, I’ll post the link to my first book also) http://www.amazon.com/Fashioning-a-Romance-ebook/dp/B0084FGX36/ref=dp_return_1?ie=UTF8&n=133140011&s=digital-text
Hi Carmen and Libby,
ReplyDeleteOh, my goodness, what an interesting post. I had serious father issues, I lost my dad when I was just fourteen and I used to idolize him for years. Then for a couple of years I got bad flashbacks of nasty things that happened when he was in the throes of terminal illness and was a little harsh with me. He was brave you know and tried to do without his pain medication. Having a curious and brash daughter like me around was a bit of a trial, I guess.
But you know,looking back now, I remember how he loved me. I also remember how he loved my mother. I looked for someone like him when it came to choosing a partner. In fact my mother has often remarked to me: you married your father. How strange is that?
Thanks for sharing Libby. Caitlyn was a memorable heroine and I'm about to get into Unmasking Maya. Life experiences shape us, don't they?
Hey Maria,
ReplyDeleteYes, life experiences certainly shape us.
It's nice you can look back and understand everything that went on.
My dad died when I was six, and my mom was busy taking care of six children and working. My siblings always say my dad was really strict and I didn't experience that, since my mom (thankfully!) was more open minded.
Sometimes I wonder what I would have turned out to be had he been alive during the rest of my childhood and teen years. But, in all honesty, thanks to my caring mom I never felt something was lacking. :)
Wow Libby, your post really got me thinking :P Awesome!
Yes, Carmen, it's great that you have an attitude like that. Even though you lost your father at a young age you're thankful that you had a great mom. It's lovely to be thankful for what you have rather than regretting what you've lost. Your mom sounds like an amazing women; raising six kids alone is no joke!
DeleteYes, it really is an awesome post!
Ladies, I'm so sorry to hear that you've both lost your fathers. Even though my dad is 70 now, the idea of losing him is totally incomprehensible. Maria, I'm so glad you had such a fantastic role model and that you found yourself another great guy, and Carmen, I'm so glad your mom carried you all through it with grace. Six children! She must be quite a lady. You'll have to surprise her with the keys to a fancy mansion once you reach Danielle Steel status. :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks,ladies! Danielle Steel status. Wouldn't that be nice :D LOL
DeleteI have wonderful memories of my Dad, a wonderful father and grandfather who we lost ten years ago...and you never lose the grief.
ReplyDeleteLibby, I can't wait to read this book! I am so excited for you. Roll on 15th December!
Annie
Aw, Annie, I'm sorry to hear that your dad is no longer with us. But I'm very happy to hear that you've got so many wonderful memories. I'm excited for you too! Can't wait to read Summer of the Moon Flower!
DeleteWow, what a thought-provoking post, Libby! Nice to hear that your own father is nothing like the dsyfunctional daddies in your books! :) I was raised by a single mom and didn't have a relationship with my father, so I always find myself writing really strong, colorful, dynamic mothers for the heroines in my books, while the dads are either non-existent or wonderful, understanding, supporting dads like my Dream Dad (Pa Ingalls on Little House on the Prairie! :)
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to reading more about Maya and her family situation once your book is out!
I had to smile at the reference to Pa Ingalls. :-) How interesting to hear how your own experience reflects in your books. And now that you mention it, I totally can see Pa Ingalls in Jordan's dad. Dani's husband too, I think. And I cannot wait to read about Pilar's mom!
Delete