Greetings fans and friends! This has been a very busy few weeks for me! As my book becomes available through many on-line booksellers, I’ve been running back and forth trying get my accounts in order. As of now, there is no information about my book on any of these sites, only the purchase function has been enabled. When my accounts have been verified, Amazon will update my pages with the info I have fed them.
As some of you will recall, a few weeks before the release of my book I had started an episodic blog entitled, “Nature or Nurture; Who’s Your Daddy Now?” Well, once the book was released I have had no time to continue on that theme, but I do fully intend to do so after things have settled down a bit, so stay tuned!
A new phenomenon has begun around the release of Chanson. People are talking about it. On several sites I frequent, I am now being asked specific questions with regard to Chanson de l’Ange. For today’s blog, I thought I would cover some of the those questions and offer curious readers and Phantom of the Opera fans an overview of my ‘take’ on the Phantom story. The fact is, there are a LOT of POTO based published novels available, so coupled with these options and the retail expense of Print On Demand published books, a discerning reader wants to be reasonably certain before making such a purchase that they will enjoy the book. If after reading the following, any of you still have questions, please feel free to ask them through the comments window and I will be happy to answer… (to read entire article click or to leave comments, the MORE button.
The most common questions about Chanson are: how is it different from other well known POTO based novels? Is it more based on the ALW adaptation than Leroux’s original? Was Susan Kay’s book influential in Chanson’s plot and the character of Erik? Is my Phantom patterned after Gerard Butler’s portrayal from the 2004 film, or is he some combination of other Phantom portrayals/versions? People want to know, why, when there are hundreds of POTO based books out there, they should purchase mine? Good questions all!
Chanson de l’Ange is at its core an intimate interpretation of the Phantom story. My book concentrates very heavily on relationships between the main characters and in how they interact and impact each others lives. I have a feeling that some fans will criticize me for not broadening the story and plot line, put I wanted to explore these characters without distractions from subplots and minor characters. Not to say there isn’t action and excitement…there is! The story takes place in the opera house so there are 4 big operas presented throughout the book, with much intrigue and fun. There is music, magic and mayhem, but I never let the action dwarf the heart of the story, which to me is its strength, but may be seen by others as a weakness.
These are the characters who play a major role in Chanson:
1) Erik, the Phantom
2) Christine Daae
3) Madame Louise Giry
4) the Vicomte Raoul de Chagny
5) Margaret (Meg) Giry
6) the Comte Philippe de Chagny
These are the supporting characters:
1) Carlotta Giunecelli
2) Monsieur Debbienne (original manager of the opera house)
3) Firmin and Armand (new managers/owners)
4) Joseph Buquet
These are some of the minor characters:
1) Gustave Daae (Christine’s father)
2) Madame Marie (costume mistress)
3) Nadine (Erik’s mother)
4) Maestro Reyer
5) Piangi
6) Dr. Marcus Pennington
I suppose my story connects more strongly with the 2004 film adaptation of ALW’s stage play than other versions because its construct begins in Christine’s childhood. My Phantom is heavily informed by Gerard Butler’s portrayal, especially in the early chapters. However, as the story moves forward in time, my Phantom mirrors the interpretations of Michael Crawford’s stage Phantom and Gaston Leroux’s original. In other words, my Erik is a combination of all the Phantoms I have loved. I would say he is a combination of Gerard’s emotionally damaged, childlike, romantic and erotic Erik; Michael Crawford’s majestic and suave Erik; Susan Kay’s magical, genius musician Erik; and Gaston Leroux’s clever, dangerous and insane Erik.
In the early stages of writing Chanson, I was definitely influenced by Susan Kay, (given that hers was the only other POTO novel I had read besides GL.) During the revision process I edited and rewrote segments of my book that leaned too heavily on Kay, because although I loved her book, I wanted mine to be original. While Kay covers Erik’s story like a biography, mine is more concentrated and dense in its exploration of the Phantom’s obsession with Christine, and in how her arrival at the opera house changes the course of both their lives. I delve into their relationship with all its father/daughter/anti-hero/angel/lover complexities, and although Chanson does span 50 years, it is compact. (In Book Two, Chanson completely separates from the plot lines of GL, SK and ALW’s POTO)
I believe also that I have made Raoul a fully realized and significant character in Chanson, a man who is critical to the story development. He is the true hero of my book with all the heroic characteristics he lacks in the play and in the movie, who grows tremendously as a man and as a character throughout. I’ve always felt that if Raoul is a weak character, the entire plot is weakened. I feel he needs to be a strong male figure in Christine’s life; a worthy rival and enemy to the Phantom. I gave him some of the same characteristics and background as the Leroux Raoul, and yet I hope I made him original and different from other interpretations. I believe that just as Christine idolized her father and he was in in fact a hero to her, she then transfers some of that hero worship onto Raoul, who even physically reminds her of her father. Her relationship with Raoul is just as important to Chanson de l’Ange as is her connection to Erik.
I do bring elements of suspense and humor to the story, especially with regard to Erik’s dealings with the managers and his enemies. While Chanson is at its heart a romantic interpretation, it is also at times gritty and graphic with a level of violence that is shocking, but honest to the times and setting. I have attempted to present the adult sexual themes honestly as well, by not ‘candy coating’ certain sexual issues, and by writing the characters human and fallible.
If you are looking for a dynamic, intimate, psychologically complex, erotic, intense and at times unabashedly romantic interpretation of the Phantom of the Opera, then Chanson de l’Ange is the book for you!
