Tina Birdsall
asked
Suanne Laqueur:
This question contains spoilers…
(view spoiler)[How could you let that happen to them?? (hide spoiler)]
Suanne Laqueur
This answer contains spoilers…
(view spoiler)[I had to clarify with Tina what she meant by "that" and "them," although I had an idea. She just finished Part III "David." It's rough. Poor Fish. How could Dais do it him? How could I do it to him?
It sucks putting your characters through hell. But therein lies the story.
The Man I Love was written from the outside in. I had written the bones of the romance of Daisy and Erik when I was in college. Then I put the manuscript away for a very long time, returning to it when I was in my thirties. The college narrative no longer interested me, it was a time long gone by and I had no connection to it anymore. But it occurred to me Dais and Erik were in their thirties, too. What were they up to? Were they together?
Almost immediately I knew they weren't. And not only not together, but completely out of touch. They had broken up badly. Why? What could have severed that unique connection? Well, what else...someone had cheated. Who? And more importantly, why? Neither Dais nor Erik is a thoughtless, cruel person. Or a particularly spontaneous person. Dais, especially, with her deep pragmatic streak. Her infidelity would be especially shocking but what could drive her to it?
While I was mulling that over, I wrote the bones of the reconciliation. So I had a beginning and end, and I began to work my way toward the middle. Something terrible had pushed Daisy off the edge of herself. And when I began to sketch out the idea of a shooting and its traumatic aftermath, it all began to fall into place.
How could I let it happen? It had to happen. It's the story. But nobody loves Erik like me. He's going to be all right. (hide spoiler)]
It sucks putting your characters through hell. But therein lies the story.
The Man I Love was written from the outside in. I had written the bones of the romance of Daisy and Erik when I was in college. Then I put the manuscript away for a very long time, returning to it when I was in my thirties. The college narrative no longer interested me, it was a time long gone by and I had no connection to it anymore. But it occurred to me Dais and Erik were in their thirties, too. What were they up to? Were they together?
Almost immediately I knew they weren't. And not only not together, but completely out of touch. They had broken up badly. Why? What could have severed that unique connection? Well, what else...someone had cheated. Who? And more importantly, why? Neither Dais nor Erik is a thoughtless, cruel person. Or a particularly spontaneous person. Dais, especially, with her deep pragmatic streak. Her infidelity would be especially shocking but what could drive her to it?
While I was mulling that over, I wrote the bones of the reconciliation. So I had a beginning and end, and I began to work my way toward the middle. Something terrible had pushed Daisy off the edge of herself. And when I began to sketch out the idea of a shooting and its traumatic aftermath, it all began to fall into place.
How could I let it happen? It had to happen. It's the story. But nobody loves Erik like me. He's going to be all right. (hide spoiler)]
More Answered Questions
Rachel
asked
Suanne Laqueur:
This question contains spoilers…
(view spoiler)[
Hi Suanne! Me again. After rereading TMIL and GMYAT for the...I lost count...a new question has been nagging me: When Erik called Daisy to see if she still had his necklace, how would the conversation had gone if John hadn't picked up the phone? Or if Daisy had been single? Would Erik try to pursue something or was the call really about the necklace?
(hide spoiler)]
NFLS
asked
Suanne Laqueur:
Hi Suanne, I just finished the third book of Man I Love and I feel sad the series end. I savored each page and reread some pages, aligning Erik's, Daisy's, Will's and David's stories. Love is not the right word to describe of how I feel about these books. Thank you for writing about these epic loves. I have question: did Daisy undergo second IVF? Thank you.
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