Isabel Cooper | Can Curses Really Work? Even in reverse?
April 6, 2012
I blame the Van Wickle Gates. See, my college has these giant iron gates that are only open for matriculation
and commencement, per wacky ceremonial tradition, and also per wacky
tradition, there's some kind of urban (is it really urban on a college campus?
Whatever) legend that, should you pass through them at any other time, lo, you
will be CURSED and condemned to STAY AT COLLEGE FOREVER, or not graduate, or
something. Said curse couldn't really apply to me, because the time I walked through them
the wrong way was after I'd been graduated, for which I blame my friends
Jamey and Mike: we were coming back from the ceremony, discussing who'd won
various bets regarding the valedictorian speeches ($5 each on "community,"
"diversity," a gratuitous mention of 9/11, and "Jesus Christ, my personal
savior", and I still think I could've swept the pool if we'd bothered to write
this stuff down) and...we went the wrong way. As you do. Since I already graduated, clearly, the curse instead decreed that I'd never get
away from academia in general, and...I really haven't. Definitely not in my
writing: my first book, NO
PROPER LADY, is one of the few things I've published that hasn't dealt with
some kind of school. (Some might say this has to do with the fact that I didn't
spend more than three months at a time outside an academic environment until I
was twenty-three, but whatever: curse.) And then, in LESSONS AFTER
DARK, we're back to school. (Again. Oh, man, why do The Four Tops happen to
good people? Or even me?) A magical school, granted, and one which has slightly
more in common with the Valdemar Collegium or Xavier's School for the Gifted
than it does with Hogwarts: while Englefield may educate some students for the
sake of education, or not having them blow everything up on a whim, its main
purpose is to produce people who can take on magical threats. That's part of why I like the idea. See, I like friends to lovers a whole lot; I
like colleagues-to-lovers even more, because it means the characters pretty much
have to interact (and get over themselves) even before any of the fuzzier
emotions come into play. You think she's a fraud just looking for her next
dollar? You think he's a self-righteous jerk who needs to lose the stick up
his—well, too bad. You're working together. So work together. Schools let you do a lot with that trope. You've got a pretty wide range of
people for your characters to bounce off, between the other faculty and the
students themselves. You've got emotional situations springing up like prairie
dogs on speed—I was raised at a boarding school, and good Lord, could I
tell you stories, except my parents would kill me—and, as long as both
your hero and heroine are faculty, you don't have the power discrepancies that
can be an issue in other institutions. Well, not in fiction, anyhow. Plus, if you want to explain how things work in your world, setting up actual
lessons is a pretty decent way to start. But really, I blame the curse.
A woman with an unspeakable past... Olivia Brightmore didn't know what to expect when she took a position to teach
at Englefiend School, an academy for "gifted" children. But it wasn't
having to rescue a young girl who levitated to the ceiling. Or battling a dark
mystery in the surrounding woods. And nothing could have prepared her for Dr.
Gareth St. John... A man with exceptional talent... He knew all about her history and scrutinized her every move because of it. But
there was more than suspicion lurking in those luscious green eyes. Even with
all the strange occurrences at the school, the most unsettling of all is the
attraction pulling Olivia and Gareth together with a force that cannot be
denied. ABOUT THE AUTHORCritically acclaimed author Isabel Cooper lives in
Boston with her boyfriend and a houseplant she's kept alive for over a year now.
She maintains her guise as a mild-mannered project manager working in legal
publishing; all the while, she's writing dark, edgy and magical romance novels.
Her debut novel, NO PROPER
LADY, was named a 2011 Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year in the
romance category, a 2011 Library Journal Best Romance of the Year and
received an RT Book Reviews Seal of Excellence for the month of September
2011. For more information, please visit http://www.isabelcooper.org.
Comments
38 comments posted.
Re: Isabel Cooper | Can Curses Really Work? Even in reverse?
Seems really interesting. I haven't really heard much about this type of book, so I'm looking forward to reading it. :) (Hyunjin Jeon 4:24am April 6, 2012)
I'll agree with you, obviously all the curses fault!!! (Barbara Hanson 5:10am April 6, 2012)
As I read your post the only thing I'm thinking is the curse could be worse. You're learning and growing so it can't be all bad. Enjoy it! Good luck and happy writing! (Tracie Travis 6:35am April 6, 2012)
I LOVE THE BOOK COVER WOULD LOVE TO WIN THIS BOOK THANKS SO MUCH (Denise Smith 7:49am April 6, 2012)
I love any book where the two main characters are drawn to each other, try to fight it, but are placed in situations just as you described where they can't avoid each other and eventually succumb! LOL Thanks for the chance to win a copy of this book. It sounds GREAT! (Angie Lilly 8:00am April 6, 2012)
Yes this sounds like a great book and I can't wait to read it!! Thanks so much for the chance. (Bonnie Capuano 8:36am April 6, 2012)
Would love to win this book. Thanks for the chance! (Becky Darmogray 9:43am April 6, 2012)
@Tracie: Hee! Yeah, that's my thought. Definitely worked out pretty well. Perhaps the lesson here is that everyone should zone out during graduation ceremonies? ;)
@Angie: Yes indeed. It's one of the tropes I really like in fantasy, so I tend to give it the romance twist and bring it into my novels.
Thank you all for commenting--it's great to hear from you! (Isabel Cooper 9:59am April 6, 2012)
Love your Process - I believe that curses take time to work themselves out. (Beth Elder 10:46am April 6, 2012)
I like your comments about schools as a setting, I was just thinking the other day about how to make friends and how much easier it was back in school, were you were forced to interact with a whole reange of people. (Lisa Elwood 11:35am April 6, 2012)
The variety of people at a school always makes for interesting characters. (Sue Farrell 12:54pm April 6, 2012)
Oh this has my attention... your characters and their book sound wonderful! (Colleen Conklin 1:34pm April 6, 2012)
This book looks really interesting and I love the cover! (Chelsea Knestrick 1:44pm April 6, 2012)
I am 83 and haven't had a curse that I couldn't cope with yet. Blessings, Marjorie (Marjorie Carmony 2:03pm April 6, 2012)
@Beth: Oh, for sure. And this one's pretty fun, at that: academia has a lot of features to explore! @Lisa: You too, huh? I'd been chatting with some friends about that myself. It's that sort of instant common ground, too: no matter how different you are, there's still the classes/faculty meetings/food to talk about as an intro. @Sue: It's definitely an advantage, yep! @Colleen: Thank you! I hope you enjoy it! @Chelsea: Thanks! The cover art definitely made me squeal a little when I got it. @Marjorie: Thank you! Me neither, so far, and that's good to hear! (Isabel Cooper 2:28pm April 6, 2012)
I like that it is more along the lines of Xavier's school than Hogwarts. I'm looking forward to reading it. (Pam Howell 3:29pm April 6, 2012)
Thanks for a fun post! I loved, loved, loved No Proper lady and I can't wait for this newest release!!!!
I'm a bit more skeptical, I don't believe in curses or ghosts etc. But I do believe in the power of the mind to convince oneself that he/she is cursed... power of persuasion :) (Erin Fender 3:43pm April 6, 2012)
@Pam: Thanks! I like Rowling as well, but Englefield seemed much more about preparing its students for a specific purpose. @Erin: Oh, I'm pretty skeptical myself--but it's fun to believe sometimes! :) Glad to hear that you enjoyed No Proper Lady, and thank you for your comment! (Isabel Cooper 4:15pm April 6, 2012)
Looking forward to reading LESSONS AFTER DARK and going back to school without the studying and tests (Shirley Younger 4:45pm April 6, 2012)
Enjoyed your great post and reading the few lines from your latest book, Isabel. Sounds really good, and the cover is very captivating too! I think you and your friends were having way too much fun on your graduation day with the bets! Good wishes for much success with this book also. (Linda Luinstra 4:52pm April 6, 2012)
This is certainly a different storyline - quite an interesting concept. (Diane Sallans 5:06pm April 6, 2012)
Loved NO PROPER LADY - can't wait to read LESSONS AFTER DARK! (Mary C 5:44pm April 6, 2012)
Schools are like a bit of a world apart. (Maureen Emmons 6:12pm April 6, 2012)
Ooh... I am looking forward to reading your new book. :) I love No Proper Lady... Really thought that the heroine was terrific. :) (May Pau 6:34pm April 6, 2012)
Love the logic in curses not applying to you since you already graduated college. Looks like a good read with magic and all. (Alyson Widen 8:17pm April 6, 2012)
Wow, this book sounds super amazing!! I'm going to be looking out for this one! (Chelsea Brooks 8:29pm April 6, 2012)
I have to say that your posting was quite interesting compared to the other authors that have been here. Your book sounds a bit edgy and quirky for a romance, and I don't mean it as an insult in any way. I'm looking forward to reading it, as I'm always looking forward to finding books that are slightly different from the norm, and this would fit the bill for a book for me to curl up with since it's still been quite cold here up North, and I'd enjoy reading it, along with a cup of hot cocoa!! I'm sure it would be spellbinding!! (Peggy Roberson 9:09pm April 6, 2012)
I simply loved No Proper Lady. Can't wait for this one!! (MaryAnne Banks 9:22pm April 6, 2012)
The idea of the X-Men - more particularly those with special gifts - has always been an interest of mine. Maybe it has to do with my Irish heritage, where we've always believed in the supernatural. (Molly Wilsbacher 9:26pm April 6, 2012)
When things just go wrong, I just used the phrase "Bad Day, Bad Day." knowing there's a gremlin or imp hanging around me. (Kai Wong 9:58pm April 6, 2012)
Book sounds very interesting, and the covers great. Thanks for giving me a chance to win your book. (Linda Hall 10:59pm April 6, 2012)
I am deeply curious about your book and am particularly charmed regarding the school for "gifted" children. (G. Bisbjerg 12:29pm April 7, 2012)
I love friends or even enemies to lovers. (Lisa Kendall 1:02am April 7, 2012)
Just fabulous thank you. I do like friends to lovers. (Mary Preston 1:43am April 7, 2012)
@Shirley: That *is* key, isn't it? I've thought about going back myself, from time to time, but dear God, finals week... @Linda: We totally were! But my college's graduation was something like six hours; keeping ourselves amused was the real final exam. @Diane: Thank you! It was fun to play around with. @Mary: So glad to hear you enjoyed No Proper Lady! I hope you like Lessons just as much! @Maureen: They really are! I was actually raised at boarding schools, too (faculty brat), so a world that doesn't run in semesters is still a little new to me. @May: Thank you! Thinking up different heroines to write about is one of my favorite parts of being a romance novelist. @Alyson: Hee! Thanks--I'm good at justification like that. ;) (Isabel Cooper 9:20am April 7, 2012)
@Chelsea: Thank you! I hope you enjoy it! @Peggy: Excellent! Quirky and edgy is actually something I really like; I have the most fun writing when I'm playing around with concepts a little. I hope you enjoy Lessons--and stay warm! @Mary Anne: Thank you very much! @Molly: Oh, me too! (My mom's grandparents were Irish, come to think of that...) @Kai: Good idea--I'll have to see how that works sometime! Though I have to say, this particular curse has worked out pretty well! @Linda: Thank you! (Isabel Cooper 9:33am April 7, 2012)
What a positive Spin!! I love the premise and am going to add this to my TBR pile when I find it. I prefer supporting street book stores. (Sandra Spilecki 10:09am April 7, 2012)
@G. Bisbjerg: Thank you! I hope you enjoy it! @Lisa and Mary: It's one of the most fun dynamics out there, I think--you get so many layers! @Sandra: Yay, thank you! (Isabel Cooper 10:36am April 7, 2012)
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