THE BRIGHT, YOUNG, & LUXE BLOG

Anna On Writing Physical Descriptions

Hey out there,

I know this is sort of wrong, but I have been thinking over the past week how—along with all the other reasons to be happy about and inspired by our new president—I feel so much better having such a very good looking family in the White House. Now, I know that a less statuesque foursome than the Obamas could lead us with just as much intelligence and poise, but isn’t there something thrilling and proud-making about the fact that the faces representing us to the rest of the world are really, really attractive ones?

I think about this issue as it relates to books and movies a lot as well. Because isn’t a heroine always the most interesting-looking girl in a room? As a writer, I am very guilty of this crime: I am over-fascinated by the beautiful faces of my female characters. But writing a physical description of your character is maybe a little bit like reporting on your baby to your mother, for of course this fictional creation you’ve been burning to give life to is worthy of superlatives. A personality worth immortalizing in prose would have a striking physical presence, even if it isn’t conventional beauty. I am reminded of the way Henry James dealt with the question of Isabel Archer’s prettiness in The Portrait of a Lady:

Nineteen person’s out of twenty (including [Isabel] herself) pronounced [Isabel’s sister] Edith the prettier of the two; but the twentieth, besides reversing the judgment, had the entertainment of thinking all the others aesthetic vulgarians.

I suppose that is the way authors often feel about their female leads. The passage goes on, by the way, to say that Isabel

saw the young men who came in large numbers to see her sister; but as a general thing they were afraid of her; they had a belief that some special preparation was required for talking with her. Her reputation of reading a great deal hung about her like the cloudy envelope of a goddess in an epic.

Love that.

What do you think, ladies? Are heroines, on the whole, too beautiful? Do beautiful people live more interesting lives, or do the inner lights of personality shine through, so that we turn our heads more at the ineffable qualities of a person than at their objectively measurable attractiveness? Would love to hear your thoughts!

Oh, AND, Envy is out there in the world! Please tell me what you think about that too!

Yours,
Anna

POSTED ON January 29, 2009 IN Notes from Anna, The Luxe | LEAVE A COMMENT
TAGS: , , , , , ,

Anna On Cover Models vs. the Characters in Our Minds

Hey Ladies,

I’m so glad to hear that some of you out there are excited about the arrival of Envy, which is only two weeks away now. It’s so interesting to be getting feedback—now that the series is somewhat more advanced—on how the cover models compare to the characters you’ve been picturing in your heads. The girl who graces the dust jacket of the third book is beyond beautiful, but the Diana I imagine when I am writing is a little shorter and plumper, certainly darker haired—although the curls falling out of their arrangement is absolutely correct. And the expression she wears is dead on; it’s knowing, mischievous, a little careless, and capable of a level of passion that might border on dangerous.

I think another reason readers really have opinions about this cover is that Diana is the character they most relate to. She’s the bookish one of the main cast, and also the searcher; she’s the one character who is of this luxurious world but is incapable of fitting in to it. I am often asked which of these girls I am most like, and though there is no easy answer, there is certainly a lot of Diana in me—the seeking, the slightly dreamy tendencies, the ability to fall in love easily. But then, I am a little like Elizabeth, too (I was born guilty, just like her), and Penelope (awfully snarky at times), and Henry (there is some terribly foppish buffoonery in my past), and especially Lina (I stumbled a lot on the stubborn notion that my ordinary life could be made beautiful, too). I once dated a guy who stared at me for a long moment and then said, “You look like a different woman from every angle.” He was talking about the peculiar architecture of my face, but he was right in more ways than one. And we’re all a little like that, aren’t we?

I’d love to hear more of your thoughts on the cover of Envy, and which of the Luxe girls you relate to most, and whether or not you, like me, have a little benign multiple personality disorder.

Yours,
Anna

POSTED ON January 14, 2009 IN Notes from Anna, The Luxe | LEAVE A COMMENT
TAGS: , , , , ,

Anna On the Arrival of Envy

Hello all,

Thank you all so much for your wonderful comments, it is so great to hear from all of you again! So, it sounds like the consensus is that none of us would get anything done if we didn’t have big, scary deadlines? Yeah, that sounds about right to this girl. I just returned to gray New York after some nice weeks traveling in California (where I’m from, and where there are palm trees and blue skies) and in my big pile of back mail I found a motivator of another stripe: My first finished copy of Envy, the third Luxe book. There is always a lag between completing a book—and all the manic, creative energy that goes into that—and seeing it as a bright, shiny object. You forget, a little bit, that you ever had it in you and the whole process grows remote—and then one day, thrillingly, a hardbound version appears on your doorstep with a life of its own!

Anyway, the model posing as Diana on the cover is gorgeous, of course (though slightly less brunette than the Diana in my mind), and it has given me a nice reminder of how much I want to see what that girl is thinking about these days. I hope you all enjoy her adventures, which in this installment include a sojourn in another land of palm trees and blue skies: Florida! And we could all use a little more of that, couldn’t we?

Yours,
Anna

POSTED ON January 7, 2009 IN Notes from Anna, The Luxe | LEAVE A COMMENT
TAGS: , , ,

Anna On Completing Envy

Hello all,

I have to apologize for my disappearing act! Since I last posted here, I finished the third Luxe book and the weather totally changed. I believe I may have even been wearing sleeveless dresses then—and now it’s down coats and uggs whenever I go outside. The good news, though, is that Envy is a done deal and on her way to being printed and bound and decorated with a gorgeous girl in an elaborate gown. Now I have to rouse myself from my post-book relaxation (er, laziness) to work on the fourth installment, which is daunting but also very exciting. I bet some of you are just finishing up with your fall semesters at school, and can relate to this quasi-vegetal state that I find myself in, which comes after intense work. Of course, winter vacation always passes so quickly, and then it’s right back to the grind. Any tips for me on how to find my productive hat and get back to writing in a hurry here? Your ideas would be much appreciated!

Yours,
Anna

POSTED ON December 19, 2008 IN Notes from Anna, The Luxe | LEAVE A COMMENT
TAGS: , , ,

Anna On Meeting Readers

Hello again,

A couple weeks ago I did a reading at Books of Wonder on West 18th Street, and despite my shyness and tendency to mumble when speaking in public—or speaking to anyone, for that matter—it was a really great experience. There was a diverse group of other writers, which was interesting, and I got to meet a few readers, which I loved. Writing a book is such a long, intense, and individual experience—sort of like reading a book, actually—so to meet people who have really dived in with my characters is really wonderful and moving.

One young woman asked me a question I thought was a really good one: She asked what the most difficult part of writing historical fiction was. I told her that the greatest difficulty is that I can’t take anything for granted while writing—not the kind of flooring a character walks across or the silhouette of her dress or the height of the skyline framed in her window. But thinking about all those things makes me that much more attentive and my writing that much more purposeful, so it’s a challenge I’m happy to have.

While reading from Rumors in front of all these people I felt nervous, but once the format opened up and became a kind of conversation I began to really enjoy it. Having that back and forth is so much better, and I only wished that I had had time to do more of it. So thank you to those of you who came, and for those of you who weren’t able to, I’d love to answer any questions you might have—about The Luxe, or writing in general, or whatever!

Ask away…

Yours,
Anna

POSTED ON July 22, 2008 IN Notes from Anna | LEAVE A COMMENT
TAGS: , , ,

Anna On Elizabeth and Penelope

Dear all,

I am so enjoying reading all your thoughtful comments. Thanks for sharing them with me—I hope you keep it up!

I’m working on the third Luxe book now—it’s titled Envy and will be out early next year. That means that I am experiencing one of the great perks of working on a series. I get to ponder where my characters are going and how they will change, and not just in a thousand word epilogue sum up. This is the full-color, flesh and blood version of their future, and I have the privilege of creating it.

I’m also wrestling with each character’s past, and one of the issues I’ve been ruminating over lately is what Elizabeth and Penelope‘s friendship used to be like. Once upon a time—before the boyfriend-stealing and blackmailing—they liked each other. And so I’ve had to ask myself: Did one of them change? Or deep down, do they still have lots of things in common?

My question for you is, how do you deal with friends changing? Are there people you’ve outgrown or someone who you don’t hang out with so much anymore but still relate to more than anybody else? Is that unnerving, or can it be a comforting thing?

As always, I’m looking forward to hearing what’s on your minds!

Yours,
Anna

POSTED ON July 15, 2008 IN Notes from Anna, The Luxe | LEAVE A COMMENT
TAGS: , , ,

Anna On Gossiping About Bad Girls

Hello, again!

Thank all of you readers for continuing to leave such great comments! I’m really enjoying hearing from all of you.

This week I’m thinking about how even though Diana Holland and Penelope Hayes live in a society that prizes primness and discretion, they also hold a tremendous amount of interest for their peers and women of all classes because of the ways they deviate from the ideal of a perfect debutante. It is a cliché that rules are made to be broken, but a true one–you can bet that where there is a taboo against something, that thing is happening at least some of the time. Otherwise, why would people worry about it so much? And of course a huge part of the thrill of bad behavior is that it is forbidden.

Our world is far more permissive now, but that doesn’t mean that we aren’t still fascinated and repulsed by the less angelic doings of beautiful young women. Just ask Us Weekly and Star how many copies Lindsay Lohan and Nicole Richie have sold for them.

My question for you is, why is bad girl gossip so good? Do you feel envy for their fascinating troubles? Or pity? And do you think girls who misbehave–both in the media and in your own lives—get a worse rap than boys?

As always, I’m looking forward to your comments.

Yours,
Anna

POSTED ON July 8, 2008 IN Notes from Anna, The Luxe | LEAVE A COMMENT
TAGS: , , , , , ,

Anna On Elizabeth’s Duplicitous Life

Hi, everyone,

Thanks to all of you for leaving such amazing comments. I love hearing from you, and I hope you’ll keep writing and reading!

As some of you already know, in The Luxe, Elizabeth Holland finds herself caught between two worlds. During tea-drinking and ball-attending hours, she is the perfect society lady, immaculately dressed and impeccable in her manners, but in secret, stolen moments, she is a girl who is simply and intensely in love with Will, the family coachman. She’s extremely convincing in the former role, but her heart lies in the latter.

I think many of us divide ourselves in this way. Some may don a different personality at work than at home, or act one way with family and another way with friends. Others may pose as someone different on the internet than the person they truly are away from the computer. Many people also float between two totally different groups of friends, yet find a way to fit in with both.

Do you ever feel like you travel from one world to another in a single day or week? What is difficult or interesting about that? How do you negotiate it? I’d love to know!

Yours,
Anna

POSTED ON June 30, 2008 IN Notes from Anna, The Luxe | LEAVE A COMMENT
TAGS: , ,

Anna On Expressing a Mood Through Fashion

Hello, again.

Thanks to those of you who’ve left comments for me! It’s great to hear from people who are reading my second Luxe book, Rumors. You’re right, my third Luxe book is entitled Envy. I’m working on it right now, and it should be in stores by January.

Now that we’ve covered getting glamorous for parties, you’ve got me thinking about how clothes can be an extension of our personalities and moods. My characters in the Luxe books use clothes to express themselves, the same way I, and lots of other modern girls, do. Penelope favors red when she’s ready to spar, while Elizabeth chooses pale shades, petal pinks and ivories, to signal her more temperate reputation.

Now that it’s summer and the sun is out, I find that all I want to wear is loose, airy white things and minimal, easy sandals.

What’s your fashion temperament today? Are you ready to play, or waiting to do battle? Comments please!

Yours,
Anna

POSTED ON June 12, 2008 IN Notes from Anna, The Luxe | LEAVE A COMMENT
TAGS: , , ,

Anna on Getting Ready for a Glamorous Night

Dear Reader,

The characters in the Luxe series spend a lot of time at elaborate balls that require truly ostentatious and time-consuming wardrobes. Penelope probably spends all day getting ready for a big night.

There aren’t many events in my own life that justify really dressing up, but I still love doing it. Sometimes I think that getting ready to go out is more fun than any party could be.

When I was in college, my roommates and I would spend hours trying clothes on and discarding rejected outfits on the floor. Sometimes we felt disappointed by wherever we ended up going, but we all remember the pre-game gussying-up sessions as the best part.

When was the last time you had a chance to get truly glamorous?

I’d love to know!

Yours,
Anna

POSTED ON June 2, 2008 IN Notes from Anna, The Luxe | LEAVE A COMMENT
TAGS: , , ,
Need more luxe and bright young things?