Ask the Author: Chelsey Philpot
Answered Questions (13)
Chelsey Philpot
First, thank you for loving EIP so much.
Second, thank you for loving EIP enough to think about it and write me.
Now to answer your questions. True story: I don’t know whether Charlie and Sebastian end up together. I left the ending open for readers to make their own conclusions because I could not decide myself which way to go.
How’s that for frustrating?
I rewrote the ending of EIP a billion times, and I kept going back and forth between "happily ever after" and "sad but realistic." The ending that felt true and like it fit the best was the one my editor and I ultimately chose: an ending that doesn’t offer resolution, but does offer hope.
Cheers & Best Wishes,
Chelsey
Second, thank you for loving EIP enough to think about it and write me.
Now to answer your questions. True story: I don’t know whether Charlie and Sebastian end up together. I left the ending open for readers to make their own conclusions because I could not decide myself which way to go.
How’s that for frustrating?
I rewrote the ending of EIP a billion times, and I kept going back and forth between "happily ever after" and "sad but realistic." The ending that felt true and like it fit the best was the one my editor and I ultimately chose: an ending that doesn’t offer resolution, but does offer hope.
Cheers & Best Wishes,
Chelsey
Chelsey Philpot
Hi Alyssa,
I think you’re the first person to ask me about a prequel to EIP.
The short answer to your question is no. I am not planning on writing about Gus.
That said, your query has gotten me thinking about how great a character Gus could be if she were put at the center of her own book. Like all the Buchanans, she is flawed, captivating, and larger-than-life.
For now, I think I’ll leave Gus’s story in the hands of readers and fanfic writers. If you write something yourself, please share it with me.
Cheers!
I think you’re the first person to ask me about a prequel to EIP.
The short answer to your question is no. I am not planning on writing about Gus.
That said, your query has gotten me thinking about how great a character Gus could be if she were put at the center of her own book. Like all the Buchanans, she is flawed, captivating, and larger-than-life.
For now, I think I’ll leave Gus’s story in the hands of readers and fanfic writers. If you write something yourself, please share it with me.
Cheers!
Chelsey Philpot
Hi Kierstin,
I’ve been thinking about your question for a few days now. I’m still not sure if I’ve arrived at an answer, but here’s my best attempt.
Even in Paradise is an incredibly sad book, but I hope that you also found it funny, joyful, and mysterious. Why does Charlie not try harder with Julia? Why does she give up on Sebastian? Why, indeed, does she walk away from the whole Buchanan family? Maybe she does all those things because she doesn’t want to hurt them. Maybe her presence reminds Julia too much about the secrets Charlie knows. And maybe it’s because she doesn’t want to lose herself. Even in the paradise Charlie becomes a part of, there is so much darkness.
At a reading in a bookstore last winter, a girl, around 17-years-old, asked a lovely question (which I will have to paraphrase): “How can I write about loss and grief and love when I haven’t experienced them?” I told her that she could write about all those things—and then some—because she had experienced them. She could write about loss by remembering the time she left a beloved toy behind. She could write about grief because maybe once she’d had a friend move away, been through a terrible breakup, struggled through a pet dying. Those experiences, I rambled on, could help her imagine other losses and other griefs, and even other loves, because she could empathize. I think, given your question, that you, too, have a strong imagination and an empathetic heart
You thank me for pouring emotions into my words, but I should thank you for finding them there. Those emotions are informed by the understanding that there are people we lose for forever and that even real, life-changing love cannot work if the timing is not right. I don’t know if I have experienced grief like the Buchanan’s, but I do know I have walked to its edges and peered in. The emotions you found in my words came from deep sorrows, joys, curiosity, empathy, and imagination. I’m sorry they made you sad, but I’m touched that they moved you.
Please know that I truly believe that when I send my writing out into the world I am no longer in control of its interpretation. Your answers to the above questions are just as valid as mine—if not more so.
Thank you for writing.
Cheers & Best Wishes,
Chelsey
I’ve been thinking about your question for a few days now. I’m still not sure if I’ve arrived at an answer, but here’s my best attempt.
Even in Paradise is an incredibly sad book, but I hope that you also found it funny, joyful, and mysterious. Why does Charlie not try harder with Julia? Why does she give up on Sebastian? Why, indeed, does she walk away from the whole Buchanan family? Maybe she does all those things because she doesn’t want to hurt them. Maybe her presence reminds Julia too much about the secrets Charlie knows. And maybe it’s because she doesn’t want to lose herself. Even in the paradise Charlie becomes a part of, there is so much darkness.
At a reading in a bookstore last winter, a girl, around 17-years-old, asked a lovely question (which I will have to paraphrase): “How can I write about loss and grief and love when I haven’t experienced them?” I told her that she could write about all those things—and then some—because she had experienced them. She could write about loss by remembering the time she left a beloved toy behind. She could write about grief because maybe once she’d had a friend move away, been through a terrible breakup, struggled through a pet dying. Those experiences, I rambled on, could help her imagine other losses and other griefs, and even other loves, because she could empathize. I think, given your question, that you, too, have a strong imagination and an empathetic heart
You thank me for pouring emotions into my words, but I should thank you for finding them there. Those emotions are informed by the understanding that there are people we lose for forever and that even real, life-changing love cannot work if the timing is not right. I don’t know if I have experienced grief like the Buchanan’s, but I do know I have walked to its edges and peered in. The emotions you found in my words came from deep sorrows, joys, curiosity, empathy, and imagination. I’m sorry they made you sad, but I’m touched that they moved you.
Please know that I truly believe that when I send my writing out into the world I am no longer in control of its interpretation. Your answers to the above questions are just as valid as mine—if not more so.
Thank you for writing.
Cheers & Best Wishes,
Chelsey
Chelsey Philpot
Hi Addy,
Thank you for your enthusiasm. I smile like a kid with an ice cream cone every time I'm reminded that people other than my family read my books.
Now, regarding your question...the honest truth is that I have no idea when the cover reveal will be. But I can tell you that the cover for Book Two makes me blowing-bubbles-on-a-warm-day happy and that the book will be published (if all goes according to plan) in fall 2016.
Cheers & Best Wishes
Thank you for your enthusiasm. I smile like a kid with an ice cream cone every time I'm reminded that people other than my family read my books.
Now, regarding your question...the honest truth is that I have no idea when the cover reveal will be. But I can tell you that the cover for Book Two makes me blowing-bubbles-on-a-warm-day happy and that the book will be published (if all goes according to plan) in fall 2016.
Cheers & Best Wishes
Chelsey Philpot
Hello,
I'm so glad you're enjoying EIP!
I'm not planning on writing a sequel, but I'd love to see if ones comes from fanfic.
I am, however, writing a second book that will come out in 2016. It's a standalone YA novel. I hope you like it just as much as EIP.
Cheers,
Chelsey
I'm so glad you're enjoying EIP!
I'm not planning on writing a sequel, but I'd love to see if ones comes from fanfic.
I am, however, writing a second book that will come out in 2016. It's a standalone YA novel. I hope you like it just as much as EIP.
Cheers,
Chelsey
Chelsey Philpot
Hi Vy,
Your response/question made my day!
And it's totally awesome that you fell in love with Sebastian. I fell in love with all the Buchanans while writing Even in Paradise. (That said, Sebastian definitely has a special corner of my heart.)
I'm at work on my second YA novel. It's another standalone title, so not related to EIP. I'm branching out and trying something new, but I think/hope/really want readers to find that the story blends humor, romance, and philosophy in a way that echoes EIP.
Thank you so, so much for writing!
Cheers,
Chelsey
Your response/question made my day!
And it's totally awesome that you fell in love with Sebastian. I fell in love with all the Buchanans while writing Even in Paradise. (That said, Sebastian definitely has a special corner of my heart.)
I'm at work on my second YA novel. It's another standalone title, so not related to EIP. I'm branching out and trying something new, but I think/hope/really want readers to find that the story blends humor, romance, and philosophy in a way that echoes EIP.
Thank you so, so much for writing!
Cheers,
Chelsey
Chelsey Philpot
"Even in Paradise" began with a simple concept: it is possible to fall in love with an entire magnificent and larger-than-life family.
I have known—and still know—such families. They are charming and tragic and both welcoming and guarded.
"EIP" is also a deliberate tribute to and directly inspired by two books that changed how I think about writing and storytelling: Evelyn Waugh’s "Brideshead Revisited," which I read for the first time in a drafty flat while studying abroad in Scotland, and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s "The Great Gatsby," a novel I’ve loved since my sophomore year of high school.
I have known—and still know—such families. They are charming and tragic and both welcoming and guarded.
"EIP" is also a deliberate tribute to and directly inspired by two books that changed how I think about writing and storytelling: Evelyn Waugh’s "Brideshead Revisited," which I read for the first time in a drafty flat while studying abroad in Scotland, and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s "The Great Gatsby," a novel I’ve loved since my sophomore year of high school.
Chelsey Philpot
I used to think writer's block was a myth...and then I started on my second book. Now, I know that writer's block is real, and it's the worst!
What I do to beat it really depends on the severity of the situation. If I'm just struggling to find the right word, I'll go get another cup of coffee. If I don't know how to end a chapter, I'll go outside, visit an art museum, read poetry, run around—anything to provoke creativity.
But say the writer's block is a little more desperate. Say I'm stumbling over major plot points or a character is just not working out.
If I'm feeling completely stuck, I will go to extremes to clear my head. I have taken impulsive trips, gone skydiving, gotten lost, and/or thrown myself into scenarios that required me to use machinery with sharp edges.
I do NOT recommend my mad methodology to anyone. But there is a kernel of truth in my crazy actions that I do endorse. I believe that to be a creative person—whether you are writing, painting, making video games, etc.—you need to live a creative and brave life. That means trying new things, exploring, adventuring, constantly pushing boundaries and asking "why?"
As Jack London famously said, “You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.”
What I do to beat it really depends on the severity of the situation. If I'm just struggling to find the right word, I'll go get another cup of coffee. If I don't know how to end a chapter, I'll go outside, visit an art museum, read poetry, run around—anything to provoke creativity.
But say the writer's block is a little more desperate. Say I'm stumbling over major plot points or a character is just not working out.
If I'm feeling completely stuck, I will go to extremes to clear my head. I have taken impulsive trips, gone skydiving, gotten lost, and/or thrown myself into scenarios that required me to use machinery with sharp edges.
I do NOT recommend my mad methodology to anyone. But there is a kernel of truth in my crazy actions that I do endorse. I believe that to be a creative person—whether you are writing, painting, making video games, etc.—you need to live a creative and brave life. That means trying new things, exploring, adventuring, constantly pushing boundaries and asking "why?"
As Jack London famously said, “You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.”
Chelsey Philpot
The novel I'm working on now is unrelated to Even in Paradise, and I'm not planning on writing a sequel to EIP. However, that doesn't mean that there won't be one.
I recently wrote an article about fan fiction for the magazine School Library Journal. My research for the piece left me amazed at fans' dedication to the books, movies, TV shows, etc. that they love. If someone ever wanted to take two of my characters and write about what happens to them after my story ends, I would consider it a tremendous compliment!
Here's the article: http://ow.ly/Abykl
I recently wrote an article about fan fiction for the magazine School Library Journal. My research for the piece left me amazed at fans' dedication to the books, movies, TV shows, etc. that they love. If someone ever wanted to take two of my characters and write about what happens to them after my story ends, I would consider it a tremendous compliment!
Here's the article: http://ow.ly/Abykl
Chelsey Philpot
I find it a challenge to balance work and life in general! As for how I "manage" finding time for family and friends as well as my writing, I really don't have an organized system other than I get up obscenely early most days. Crawling out of bed before the sun is up is actually not that painful if you love what you're waking up to do.
Chelsey Philpot
I am currently immersed in writing my second YA novel.
I'm not ready to talk about my W.I.P., but I will say that the road it's taking me on is strange, surprising, curvy, bumpy, and not GPS-friendly.
I'm not ready to talk about my W.I.P., but I will say that the road it's taking me on is strange, surprising, curvy, bumpy, and not GPS-friendly.
Chelsey Philpot
I wouldn't classify any of the research I did for "Even in Paradise" as "weird" per se. Some of it, however, is surprising.
Over the course of writing "EIP," I learned the social proprieties that must be considered when addressing another person in French. I had to dig out my sophomore Latin notes and rediscover Ovid. I tackled origami and Googled how to weld found-art sculptures. I gathered bottle caps with facts and looked at real estate listings to see what size house can one buy on Nantucket these days. I asked my brother to explain the differences between various Austin Healey models. These are only some of the bizarre tidbits I gathered.
I traveled in the name of research. I went to Nantucket, the Mexican restaurant where I worked as a waitress throughout college, to my old school, and so many other places.
I suppose that the most surprising "thing" I researched for "EIP" was myself. Before I started writing, I went through my journals, reread the books I read in high school, and studied old notes to refresh my memories of physics tests, AP exams, and all the stresses and joys of boarding school life.
If you're still curious about the research and inspirations behind "EIP," you might want to check out a Pinterest page (http://goo.gl/a2LB8P) I put together. Once the novel was complete, I, too, was curious to figure out what went into it.
Over the course of writing "EIP," I learned the social proprieties that must be considered when addressing another person in French. I had to dig out my sophomore Latin notes and rediscover Ovid. I tackled origami and Googled how to weld found-art sculptures. I gathered bottle caps with facts and looked at real estate listings to see what size house can one buy on Nantucket these days. I asked my brother to explain the differences between various Austin Healey models. These are only some of the bizarre tidbits I gathered.
I traveled in the name of research. I went to Nantucket, the Mexican restaurant where I worked as a waitress throughout college, to my old school, and so many other places.
I suppose that the most surprising "thing" I researched for "EIP" was myself. Before I started writing, I went through my journals, reread the books I read in high school, and studied old notes to refresh my memories of physics tests, AP exams, and all the stresses and joys of boarding school life.
If you're still curious about the research and inspirations behind "EIP," you might want to check out a Pinterest page (http://goo.gl/a2LB8P) I put together. Once the novel was complete, I, too, was curious to figure out what went into it.
Chelsey Philpot
The best thing about being a writer? Everything.
Sure, there are days when constructing coherent sentences feels as difficult as writing a dissertation, and there are nights when deadlines loom above my head like those evil monkeys from Wizard of Oz, but those days and nights are still valuable. Writing might be one of the few professions where you learn as much from failure as you do from success.
It's still crazy to me that I AM a journalist and writer. That I get to research, and daydream, and talk to people who I may never have talked to otherwise. I love meeting fellow bibliophiles, reading, outlining, revising...okay, maybe not revising.
If I had to choose, I guess I would say that what I love most about writing, the "best" thing about my career, is that I get start most mornings with a cup of coffee, my imagination, and a question: "What if?"
Sure, there are days when constructing coherent sentences feels as difficult as writing a dissertation, and there are nights when deadlines loom above my head like those evil monkeys from Wizard of Oz, but those days and nights are still valuable. Writing might be one of the few professions where you learn as much from failure as you do from success.
It's still crazy to me that I AM a journalist and writer. That I get to research, and daydream, and talk to people who I may never have talked to otherwise. I love meeting fellow bibliophiles, reading, outlining, revising...okay, maybe not revising.
If I had to choose, I guess I would say that what I love most about writing, the "best" thing about my career, is that I get start most mornings with a cup of coffee, my imagination, and a question: "What if?"
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