I tend to outline pretty heavily. I can’t imagine how else you’d go about writing such a complicated plot. For the first two years I spent on the book, working only during my vacations from Frasier, I concentrated solely on figuring out the plot. (My notes ultimately weighed in at 26,000 words on 84 single-spaced pages.) When I’d reached the point where I had a detailed map of the first half and a somewhat sketchier one of the second, I began chapter one. I wrote seven or eight chapters, then started feeling nervous because I hadn’t figured out the ending, so I stopped and concentrated on that. It was a very happy day when it occurred to me that Claire could allege that “Oscar” (whose identity I’d not even thought about) was, in fact, the DA’s son and that he’d been having an affair with Stephen. Thus was Billy born and I went back over the outline, finding ways to thread him through so that he’d be there at the end, securely nestled in Claire’s top hat at the precise moment that she needed to produce a rabbit.
Are there more adventures ahead for Philip and Gilbert?
I certainly hope so. I already have some preliminary notions of what Gilbert might be up to in a fourth book and, given my druthers, would devote almost all my time to writing novels and the occasional play or musical. We live, alas, in a nation where there’s no shorter route to insolvency than a career dedicated primarily to penning Light Comic Fiction Heavily Populated by Homosexuals. And while I’m flattered that many in my small but loyal following have voiced their desire that I write more novels, I fear that, till the day comes when one of them nobly steps forward, checkbook in hand, and says, “You do another book, Joe, I’ll handle the mortgage,” I’ll be forced to toil primarily in the more lucrative field of television.
OK, indulge us: does Stephen Donato have a real-life counterpart?
From what one hears, yes, plenty, and, in creating Stephen, I thought about all of them. I was keen to avoid him seeming like a thinly veiled portrait of any particular actor, mainly because I feared that in many people’s minds the book would cease to be a comedy about Hollywood and become a comedy about [famous name here]. Stephen and his behavior are equal parts composite, conjecture, and invention. I took care to introduce aspects into his life (like his equally famous diva mother) that did not dovetail with any of the real-life stars whose sexuality has inspired much fevered speculation. That said, there are several among that notorious bunch whose exploits, if even half the stories I’ve heard are true, lend credibility to what I’d initially feared might seem an unrealistically reckless streak in Stephen.
Questions and topics for discussion
1. Who is your favorite character in My Lucky Star? Do you find yourself drawn to the more conventional characters or the more outlandish ones? Are there any characters in whom you see qualities of your own, however exaggerated?
2. What roles do Philip, Claire, and Gilbert play in their friendship? What does each one add to the trio? Does the way they interact remind you of any of your own friendships?
3. My Lucky Star is great fun to read, but it’s also a biting social satire. What vices/people/habits is the author commenting on? Which situations or characters did you find the most successful in this respect?
4. When Philip volunteers to write Lily’s memoirs, he infiltrates her scheme through the use of his own. When else does this sort of backstabbing happen in the book? What do these situations say about each of the characters involved? Is one motive better or more moral than the other?
5. As the novel’s heroes make their way through the maze that is Hollywood, Gilbert manages to get them into one sticky situation after another. Why are Claire and Philip always unable to put their foot down, no matter how hard they may try? Do you have a friend like this, who always creates trouble and yet whom you can’t resist having around?
6. From a faded film star to a backstabbing ex-wife, My Lucky Star ’s Hollywood is filled with characters out for blood. But how else is one to act in such a dog-eat-dog city? Are there any characters you sympathize with, despite their seemingly evil intentions? Discuss the motives behind each of the key players.
7. Have you been to Hollywood? Do you think Keenan’s depiction of the city is accurate?
8. Do you like Keenan’s swift and witty voice? What do you think comic novels offer us as readers, besides enjoyment? Do you find comedy to be even more telling than drama, or less?
Joe Keenan, My Lucky Star
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