The Orchid Affair: A Pink Carnation Novel

LaurenWilligThere’snothingquaintaboutthe“bodiceripping”romancesthatLaurenWilligpensinherpopularPinkCarnationbooks.Sheinfusesherhistoricallovestory/espionagemysterieswithsomuchmodernwitandcharactercomplexitythattheytranscendworn-outclichésaboutheavingbosoms.BiographyAlthoughshemaynothaverealizeditatthetime,LaurenWillighadherlifeprettyclearlymappedoutwhenshewasamerenine-year-old.That'swhenshecompletedherfirst"novel"--300handwrittenpagesofaNancyDrew-inspiredmysterytitledTheNighttheClockStruckDeathfeaturingnotone,buttwoteenagesleuths.(Twindetectives,ifyouplease!)ShesentitofftoSimon&Schuster--whopromptlysentitback."Iwasutterlycrushedforatleastaweek,"theyoungauthoradmits.Crushed,perhaps,butapparentlythepullofbecomingawriterwasconsiderablystrongerthanthestingofrejection.Severalyearslater,whileshewasingradschool,Willigbeganworkonanothernovel--althoughshewasn'tsurewhichnovelitwouldbe."Therewerethreecontenders:one,thePinkCarnation;another,amysterynovelsetatYale;andthethird,ahistoricalnovelsetaroundagroupofLudditesin1812.TheYaliemysterynovelnearlywonout...buttheimageofamaskedspyonaropetippedthebalancetheotherway,andThePinkCarnationwasborn."Awittymeldingofespionagethriller,swashbuckler,andthekindofclassic"bodice-ripping"romancenovelsshefirstdiscoveredatthetenderageofsix,TheSecretHistoryofthePinkCarnationwaspublishedin2005.Thepremiseisirresistible:AmoderngradstudentresearchingherdissertationinLondonstumblesontheidentityofamysteriousEnglishspyfromtheNapoleonicWars.Withitscleverbook-within-a-bookformat,Willig'snovelwasaninstantsensation.Almostimmediately,shepennedthesequel,TheMasqueoftheBlackTulip.Willigwasoffandrunningwithahotandsexy–nottomentionbestselling--series.AlthoughthePinkCarnationbooksbuildononeanother,eachstoryfocusesonadifferentpairofloversandcanbereadasastand-alone.Willigtriestoweaveinanyinformationfrompreviousinstallmentsthatmightbekeytounderstandingthecharactersorplot.AllherbookshavebecomeRomanticTimesTopPicks.In2006LaurenwasnominatedforaQuillAward.GoodToKnowEvenbeforeshecommittedherstoriestopaper,Willigwasamusingherselfwithherveryownfictionintheprivacyofherhead."Irememberlyinginbed,staringupattheundersideofmycanopy,composingcomplicatednarrativescompletewithdialogue,generallybasedonwhatevermovieIhadjustseen,"shetoldTheReadersPlace.com."StarWarsspawnedweeks'worthofbedtimedramasinwhichIstarredasPrincessLea'sbestfriend.Whowould,ofcourse,windupwithLukeSkywalkerasco-ruleroftheUniverse--youknowwhattheysay,ifyou'regoingtodream,dreambig."AccordingtoWillig'sofficialbiography,sheisaNativeNewYorker.However,sheadmitsthatthisisn'tentirelytruebeingthatshewasactuallyborninPhiladelphia--afactthather"real"NativeNewYorkersiblingsaren'tquicktoletLaurenforget.SomefunandfascinatingouttakesfromourinterviewwithWillig:"Likemymodernheroine,Eloise,IspentayearinEnglanddoingresearchformydissertation(mineisaboutRoyalistconspiraciesduringtheEnglishCivilWarsinthe1640s),andlivinginalittlebasementflatinBayswater.UnlikeEloise,onmyveryfirstweekinLondon,Iateabadkebab,andgotsosickthatIwoundupbrieflybackintheStates,onthesamemedicinetheygivepeoplewhohaveanthraxpoisoning.Notexactlyanauspiciousbeginning....""Istilldon'thaveadriver'slicense.HavinggrownupinManhattan,therewasneveranyneedofit--otherthanasameansofgettingintobars,andlearningtodriveseemedabitextremejusttogetadrink.Ofcourse,thatwasbeforeImovedtoCambridgeforgradschoolandrealizedthatinotherpartsoftheworld,youcan'tjustwalkintothemiddleofthestreet,stickyourarmupintotheair,and,lo!,immediatetransportationappears.SinceIreallydon'twanttohavetolearnhowtodrive,I'vedecidedtheonlyremedyisjusttoliveinManhattanfortherestofmylife.""Manyyearsago,atmyYalecollegeinterview,theinterviewertookonelookatmyresume,andannounced,‘Youcan'tbeawriter.'Gettingalittlepanicky--sincenoonetakeskindlytohavingtheirlife'sdreamflungintheirface--Iblurtedout,‘Whynot?'‘Writers,'hesaidfirmly,‘areintroverts.You,'heindicatedthelonglistofclubsonmyresume,DramaClub,ChoralClub,Forensics,interschoolplaysandpublicspeakingcompetitions,‘arenot.'""Itistrue;I'veneverbeenabletoresistastage.Thereareembarassingvideos(whichmayhavetobeconfiscatedandburntatsomepoint)fromvariousfamilyweddings,whereI,asaweechild,cooptedthemicrophonetoserenadetheweddingguestswithoff-keyrenderingsof"Memory"(fromCats).It'sawonderIlivedpasttheageoftenwithoutbeingmurderedbyabridewieldingasharpenedcakeknife.Pointmetoapodium,andIcantalkindefinitely(andusuallydo,asanyonewhowaswithmeintheYalePoliticalUnioncanverify).IsimperedthroughGilbert&SullivanSocietyproductions,taughtdramatosmalltotsthroughYaleDramaHands-OnTheatreWorkshop,andwaschairmanofadebatingsocietyincollege.Andthosewereonlytheofficialperformances.Recently,Iappearedinatogaandbarefeet(well,reallyachiton,butwhybepicky?)infrontofahundred-oddpeopleatthelawschooltoargueamockAtheniantrial.And,yes,thosepictureswillalsobeconfiscatedandburnt--assoonasIfindoutwheremycamera-happyfriendshidthem.""I'vealwayshadtroublewiththe‘writerasintrovert'trope.Iarguedthen,andstillbelievenow,thattheperformativeartsandcreativewritinghaveagreatdealincommon.Afterall,music,drama,publicspeaking,writing...allinvolvewords!Myinterviewerwasn'ttooimpressedbythatargument,butthereisabitmoretoitthanthat.Singingandpublicspeakingcreateanenhancedawarenessfortherhythmoflanguage.Asfordrama,howbettertogetinsideone'scharacters'headsthantowalkintheirfootsteps?Frequently,whilewriting,I'lltumbleoutofmychair(literally--mychairisn'tallthatsturdy)andactoutbitsofasceneforamoreconcretegraspofacharacter'smovements.Mostofall,acting,singing,andwritingallinvolvethedesiretogetoutthereandshareastory,adesirethatcan'tbebalkedbythethreatofrottontomatoes,orevenbadreviews."Hometown:NewYork,NewYorkandCambridge,MassachusettsDateofBirth:三月28,1977PlaceofBirth:Philadelphia,PennsylvaniaEducation:B.A.,YaleUniversity,1999;M.A.,HarvardUniversity,2001Website:https://www.laurenwillig.com