What’s the story behind the story? What inspired you to write Things I Wanted To Say: (but never did)? The title came first. This doesn’t always happen to me, but every once in a while, I find a saying or whatever and think, “that would make a great book title,” but I have no idea what the book will be about. I’ve been sitting on this title for YEARS! Second, I saw a photo of a really handsome dude in a hideous sweater last fall. This guy looked sooooo arrogant and very rich. I knew I wanted to write a book for him. I found another image (that is now on the cover) of the model and knew I wanted to write a book about an incredibly wealthy guy who harbors very dark thoughts. Oh, and the name came from a news reporter for ABC. I kept seeing good ol’ Whit doing his nightly reports and thought, “I want to make that name sexy.” My own mini-challenge. Ha ha. If you woke up in the world of Things I Wanted To Say: (but never did), what is the first thing you would do? Go hang out with Whit and stare at his pretty face while he insulted me (ha, I’m weird. I think this all stems from me watching American Idol back in the day and how I’d claim I’d let Simon Cowell criticize me all he wants – there was something cruelly appealing in how he tore contestants down). Soak up his opulent world for a while. Go comfort Summer and tell her I’d be her friend. Though she probably wouldn’t trust me and act wary around me. Wouldn’t blame her. Poor girl can’t trust anyone. If you had to write a blurb for the last book you read, what would it say? Oh I went so old school recently and reread Hollywood Wives by Jackie Collins – what a book! Very 80s but very scandalous for its time. So I’d say, “This book has it all! Sex, greed, sex, money, murder, sex, celebrities, scandal…did I mention sex? Feels like a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the Hollywood fast life back in the day.” Where did you write Things I Wanted To Say: (but never did)? I wrote it at my desk in my office, which sounds very boring, right? But I don’t really go anywhere else to write. Pretend you qualified for the Olympics this year. What sport would you compete in? Synchronized swimming! I’ve always been fascinated in how glamorous and elegant they look in the water swimming in perfect sync. I of course would be an utter fail at it, but a person can dream.
Monica Murphy is the author of the new book Things I Wanted To Say: (but never did) Connect with Monica Murphy
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