A Conversation with Karen Quinn:
1. The romantic locations of Holly Would Dream are wonderful, especially the madcap scooter rides through Rome. What sort of research process did you undergo for this novel?
My husband, Mark, and I took several cruises over the last few years and I took copious notes! We sailed to many of the same ports as the Tiffany Star. Ephesus was one of my favorite cities and I set an important scene there. We also went to Santorini, a gorgeous Greek Island that you can only get to via donkey or tram. That is where Holly and Denis were stranded when they missed the ship. On one of our cruises, there really was a woman who walked around pumping five pound pink free weights all the time. That’s where I got that idea to have Sydney do that. On another cruise, there was a passenger who wore stilettos when she went to Pompeii (another silly thing I had Sydney do). On the day we visited Ephesus, a passenger brought the rugs she had purchased to the bar that night to show them off. She told people what she had spent on them. Details like that found their way into the story. Finally, Mark and I went to Rome last summer so that I could check out all the places I’d written about in the story. We stayed at the Hassler, where Holly and Denis stayed (and where Audrey Hepburn stayed when making Roman Holiday), ate at the restaurants and visited the same sites as the characters. Researching this book was as much fun as writing it.
2. What made you choose Audrey Hepburn as Holly’s touchstone in the story?
I have always adored her movies, especially her early romantic comedies. They never fail to make me happy. I admire her because she was such a talented actress, devoted mother, and great humanitarian. Plus, she had her own unique style that has stood the test of time. You can go on youtube.com today and get advice on how to do your makeup like Audrey Hepburn. People still style their hair as she did. Every year, new books come out about her. There are scores of sites on myspace.com and facebook.com devoted to her. From the bios I’ve read, is seems like she was a lovely, authentic person. I felt it would be fun to create a character, like Holly, who was completely enamored with Audrey Hepburn.
3. Now that you are a full-time novelist, what are some of the differences between writing part-time and making writing a full-time career? What would you say is the best part about writing novels? What is the most stressful aspect of this career?
When you write full-time, you have no excuses for not producing. So, that keeps me working hard. The thing I love most about writing novels is creating a world and filling it with characters I really get to know and love over the course of a project. I’m always sad to say goodbye to my characters at the end of the story. They feel very real to me. The most stressful part of a full-time writing career is that you live and die by your own work. For many years, I was a VP at American Express. If I missed a few weeks of work, I still got paid and the company never missed a beat. But if I took a month off writing, nothing would happen. Also, at Amex (as is the case with many jobs), every project I worked on had twenty people’s handprints on it. As a writer, it’s my editor and me. So I feel total ownership of my writing. On the flip side, there is no one to blame if the critics don’t like my work (except my editor, of course).
4. Each of the chapter titles are song titles, such as Isn’t it Romantic or Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off. What made you choose this device?
I’m a sucker for these old songs and I thought they would make good chapter titles. It was such fun to choose the titles that seemed connected to each chapter. I made a playlist for my ipod of all the songs that I used as chapter titles. It’s a great list – you can easily make your own.
5. The Ivy Chronicles has been optioned for a film and there’s film interest in Wife in the Fast Lane. If Holly Would Dream were to be a movie, whom would you like to see in the role of Holly?
It would have to be someone thin because she would have to fit into the Hepburn costumes. One person I can see in the role is Heather Graham because she is beautiful and so talented at comedy. I could also imagine Jessica Alba, Anne Hathaway, or Rene Zellweger. I would love to see Holly Would Dream turned into a movie in the same style as the 1950’s films that inspired it.
6. You open the novel with a very inspirational line from Audrey Hepburn. What made you choose this particular quote?
It is a line that reflects the journey of a woman who seemed to have had it all, but in fact, lived a very difficult life at times. Still, she always saw herself as getting the prize in the end. It is such a positive statement about Hepburn’s outlook on life. Also, Holly Would Dream is somewhat of a fairy tale and I thought that line would tell the reader a bit of what was coming.
7. Strong family ties are evident in all your books, and Holly Would Dream is no exception, Holly and her father share a very close relationship. Does their relationship mirror any of your own?
I was very close to my own father who died about ten years ago. I wish he had lived long enough to see me publish my first book. My mother and I talk daily on the phone since we don’t live in the same city. We take a trip together – just the two of us – every year. So yes, I come from a close family.
8. How much did you know about fashion and its history before starting this book?
Very little. All I knew was how much I adored going to fashion exhibits at the Met or the FIT Museum. I thought that writing about a fashion museum would give me a great excuse to learn what life is like working in one. Dr. Valerie Steele, who is the director of the Fashion Institute of Technology’s Museum in NYC, talked to me about how they come up with ideas for exhibits, what it takes to put a show together, the security measures in place to ensure the safety of their costumes, how delicate gowns are restored, what might be a giveaway that a gown had been altered, and much more. It was fascinating stuff. I tried to build much of what I learned from her into the story. When I told Dr. Steele what I had in mind for the costumes at Holly’s Museum, she was horrified. Still, she was a great sport in helping me devise fictional ways that Holly might have slipped those dresses out of the Museum.
9. Even though you deal with some serious subjects, including work, love, and family, there is always a strong sense of humor and fun in your novels. How important is it to you to incorporate humor?
I love reading novels or watching shows that make me laugh out loud. So, I purposefully aim for that when writing my books. The world is a pretty tough place, isn’t it? We can all use a good laugh. I hear it’s as good for your health as working out.
10. Denis and Holly share some steamy scenes while they are in Rome. Are loves scenes difficult to write?
They used to be very hard for me to write. When I had to write my first sex scenes, I bought several books on how to write sex scenes and followed their advice. I remember writing my first steamy scenes and emailing them to my mother who would tell me they were not hot enough. Over the last few years, I’ve studied at Mama Gena’s School of Womanly Arts. There is a lively sexual component to the class. That has really helped me write about sex in a more playful way.
11. Holly lives every girl’s dream when she dons the ball gown Audrey Hepburn wore for the Embassy Ball in My Fair Lady. If you could wear one of her iconic ensembles, which one would you choose?
Of course, the black dress in Breakfast at Tiffany’s comes to mind. That would still be in style today. I also love the red gown with the matching scarf that she wore in Funny Face. The dress that Princess Ann wore in the last scene of Roman Holiday is one of my all time favorites. It reminds me of my mother’s wedding gown from 1953. That was the same year Roman Holiday was filmed.
12. What are you working on next?
My books tend to start out as one thing and turn into something else entirely. So if I told you the plot of my newest novel, it will probably have nothing to do with the book that is actually published.