To the pitter patter of raindrops on our tin roof, Lalah Hathaway’s sultry “Bad by Myself” ringtone jolted me out of my thoughts. Reflexively snatching my phone off the nightstand, I hoped it was Derrick. The small screen illuminated my expectant smile, reading, “i no wat u did 2 yr daddy, beulah.”
Acknowledgments
The women who encouraged me to write and beyond . . .
Dottie, Kit, Esther, Sylvia, Laura, Barbara, Patty, Paulina, Rosa, Robs, Nancy, Kasi, Wyllisa, Aunt Ruthie, Vicki and all the laughs in Antigua—everyone in my foster family who taught me to never underestimate the importance of correspondence—my first writing lesson.
Inspiration
All my children, art, blueberries, Gustav Mahler, the South, ballet, orphans, India, butterflies, Malaga, flowers, vintage hats, Sarah Vaughan, photography, Elizabeth Catlett, old movies, Maria Callas, Paulo Coelho, sequoias, Augusta Savage, the fans—my husband and collaborator, Radcliffe Bailey, who tirelessly read, listened, and was my sole audience as I acted out the scenes in a lampshade and curtains, BIG KISS.
Special Thanks
To my literary agent, Irene Webb, who with boundless enthusiasm, humor, and warmth believed in the bubbles from the beginning. And Malaika Adero, vice president, senior editor—the most brilliant, supportive editor in the world.
Dear Malaika,
Your steady leadership and vision to see Secrets of a Soap Opera Diva published is by far one of the greatest gifts ever bestowed upon me.
Infinite thanks,
Victoria
To the incomparable Judith Curr, executive vice president and publisher of Atria Books, Todd Hunter, Alysha Bullock, Jae Song, Christine Saunders, Christine Lloreda, Kathleen Schmidt, Rachel Bostic, and all of the Atria/Simon & Schuster family, especially all the hands that print, bind, box, and unload my books everywhere, thank you from the bottom of my heart. May this only be the beginning.
Special, Special Thanks
To the remarkable Heather Lashaway, Manuela Hesslup, Linda Livingston, Derek Blanks, Christopher Hayes, Stephanie Wash, “Q,” Nelson Branco, Amy Brownstein & Associates, and Jamey Giddons for your extraordinary generosity.
Daytime Divas
Ruby Dee, Margueritte Ray, Veronica Redd, Tonya Lee Williams, Debbie Morgan, Tamara Tunie, Vivica A. Fox, Tichina Arnold, Tonya Pinkins, Davetta Sherwood, Renee Jones, Rosalind Cash, Mary Alice Smith, Stephanie Williams, Renee Elise Goldsberry, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Nia Long, and Ellen Holly.
Memorial Regret
Norma Donaldson, Frank Pacelli, Greg York, and Michelle Thomas.
A CONVERSATION WITH VICTORIA ROWELL
You were born in Portland, Maine and you were raised in foster care for eighteen years. Did your memoir of that experience—The Women Who Raised Me—influence this book? Describe how your childhood experiences have helped shape you into the star you are today.
Absolutely. The women who raised me were all independent, successful, and intrepid. They were out-of-box thinkers, whether a farmer in Maine or a ballet teacher in New York. Without question, I was shaped by the discipline of farming, which requires acute scheduling and order—from the planting to the harvest. It’s labor intensive while at the same time the physicality earns you a hard-won result that is gratifying. That said, discipline is at the heart of all my success and my first discipline is being a farmer.
How much of this story is “fiction” and how much is “true”? Would you classify this story as fiction based on personal experiences, or personal experiences peppered with fiction?
I believe the best writing is informed by actual experiences. Though Secrets of a Soap Opera Diva is entirely fiction, I’ve starred on three different soap operas over a span of twenty years and would conclude my personal experiences layer and inspire all of my writing.
Why did you decide to write this story? Describe the journey from conception to publication.
I had the extraordinary privilege to work under the daytime drama scribe William J. Bell. Bill Bell was the kind of person who inspired me to do more than act. Where I’d been writing since a child, I was further motivated to put pen to paper for a soap opera novel in the late 90s because I believed there was a part of daytime drama that remained shrouded in secrecy to its fans, and an opportunity to engage people who’d never watched soap operas at all.
I began toying with a film script but decided I needed to write the book first. Where I’d accumulated considerable amounts of material for Secrets of a Soap Opera Diva over the years, it was writing my memoir that gave me the momentum to finish my novel. Interestingly enough, as demanding as it was being on a New York Times bestselling book tour, I was fueled by how Secrets took on a life of its own. I knew I was onto something when the book began waking me up in the morning and I worked on it sometimes thirteen hours a day, completing it while on the road. It took two years to shape and get it published.
Were any of the characters based on people you have known in your life? On yourself? Do you relate most to Calysta? Why or why not?
I will simply say that, much in the way that I fashion my characters on myself when I act I, too, use that technique in my novel. For instance, the legendary character Drucilla Winters on The Young and the Restless is a compilation of multiple people I grew up with. So my characters may not necessarily be informed by one person, but rather a composite of individuals.
Naturally, I relate to Calysta Jeffries on many levels, first and foremost her survivor spirit, indefatigable energy, and zeal for fashion.
How did you make the move from acting to writing? Are the two similar? Do you give more of yourself when you act or write, or are the two equal?
I don’t look at it as a move as I never stopped writing. I was a writer before an actor and used that skill in editing countless scripts. In fact, I believe my writing skills enhanced my performances.
In my world they’re synonymous. They’re equal because I pour just as much energy into the words while sitting in a chair, as I would acting them physically. Both acting and writing come from the soul, and I have a physiological reaction whether I’m dancing, acting, or writing. It’s a spiritual encounter.
Your novel depicts a part of stardom that we don’t often see in popular culture; that is, those who are victimized by racism in their careers, such as Calysta. Was it important to you to present an alternative point of view?
I actually don’t see Calysta as a victim. As is the case with many individuals who are courageous enough to attempt to change something that’s antiquated, it’s never popular and always met with pushback. It’s easier to minimize Calysta’s contributions than to recognize them because to recognize them would force change. Sadly, change costs money and forces an upending of one’s comfort zone. Therefore, Calysta is emblematic of countless people around the world. Whether you’re prejudiced against as a woman, handicapped, gay, black, or for creed, she represents the pursuit of closing the disparity therein. I hope my readers will come away from reading my tome, Secrets of a Soap Opera Diva with more than daytime drama.
Why did you decide to structure the story as part first person narrative, part gossip blog, and part screenplay? What effect do you think the structure has on the story overall?
I felt it was imperative for me to write in first person. Being one of the top fifty actresses in daytime television, my fans would have expected no less, as it’s a staple in soap operas. I personally love reading books in first person. I’m immediately drawn into the story and instantly absorbed in what the narrator is sharing with me.
Given the virtual nature of the world today with twitter, facebook, blogs, etc. and their global reach of hundreds of millions daily, it goes without saying how instrumental anything viral is to the success of whatever you’re advertising, be it clothes, music, TV/film, and namely books. It’s where media is at today. As I’m a huge fan of twitter and facebook and am giving my novel its own twitter and website, www.secretsofasoapoperadiva.com, having a blog incorporated in the novel mad
e all the sense in the world.
Over the past twenty years, in answering oodles of fan mail, one of the most sought after items from me is a signed script. With that in mind, knowing the fans love the idea of owning a script, feeling a script, and reading the intricacies of stage direction that’s encapsulated in a script, I incorporated that element into my novel. I think the fans will really enjoy seeing the script pages . . . with my actual changes.
All that said, the rules of the literary game have changed for the most part. Meaning, as writers we have to, without compromising our story, consider all of the modern tools available to us to further connect with the world that wakes up to the Internet and goes to sleep to it.
What would you name as the major theme(s) of the novel? What do you hope readers will take away from the story?
Behind-the-scenes soap biz politics. Family. And love conquers all.
I hope my readers will come away from reading my tome, Secrets of a Soap Opera Diva with more than daytime drama.
Do you hope to break any stereotypes with this novel?
In a perfect world, yes. But I won’t hold my breath. I’ll just say, it won’t be color television in my eyes until there’s more diversification in front of the lens as well as behind it. In every area, directing, writing, producing, and all creative endeavors. There’s an ocean of rich talent out there and I know how hard I’ve worked to attain success and be counted. What’s tantamount in order to bring about change or make a difference; you have to stay in the race. That’s why I’m a long-distance runner.
Who are you reading now? Who is your favorite author? What is next for you as a writer? As an actress?
I’m reading Victoire: My Mother’s Mother by Maryse Condé, a book chock-full of imperishable magic and beauty.
It’s hard to limit it to one for I have many, but I will say Barbara Kingsolver’s in my top ten.
Next I have the sequel to Secrets of a Soap Opera Diva and a screenplay. Also, the Secrets of a Soap Opera Diva One Woman Show at the Southwest Arts Center in Atlanta, Georgia, June 4–6.
Table of Contents
Cover Page
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Author’s Note
CHAPTER 1 The Sudsy Awards
CHAPTER 2 “Never Trust Anyone Who’s Had a Happy Childhood,” the Saying Goes
CHAPTER 3 Cotton Capital of the World
CHAPTER 4 Bigtooth Maple
CHAPTER 5 Shedding a Shady Past Quicker Than a Crepe Myrtle Could Shed Its Bark
CHAPTER 6 Forty Acres and Recurring?
CHAPTER 7 “D” for Difficult
CHAPTER 8 Access Denied
CHAPTER 9 “Nothing . . . Absolutely Nothing”
CHAPTER 10 Wardrobe Malfunction
CHAPTER 11 Nipplegate
CHAPTER 12 Who’s Writing This Crap?
CHAPTER 13 What’s Love Got to Do with It?
CHAPTER 14 The Pinkeye Blues
CHAPTER 15 A Pachyderm in the Room
CHAPTER 16 It’s All About the Upper Lip
CHAPTER 17 Everything’s Under Control
CHAPTER 18 Nice Day for a Soap Opera Wedding
CHAPTER 19 That’s Right, Mother . . . I Found Your Diary
CHAPTER 20 The Martini
CHAPTER 21 Sudser Showdown
CHAPTER 22 Girl, When You Coming Back to the Stories?
CHAPTER 23 Under the Influence
CHAPTER 24 Big Bear
CHAPTER 25 Tranquility Tudor
CHAPTER 26 Dressing Room Rehearsal
CHAPTER 27 It Works If You Work It
CHAPTER 28 Just Cut Your Pain Right on Out
CHAPTER 29 Sibling Rivalry
CHAPTER 30 Getting Even
CHAPTER 31 Two Ships Passing
CHAPTER 32 Secrets of a Soap Opera Diva
CHAPTER 33 “To Get Somethin’ You Never Had, You Gotta Do Somethin’ You Never Did”
CHAPTER 34 Listen, Son, We’re Here to See My Girl
CHAPTER 35 Pam ’N’ Paris
CHAPTER 36 The Visitation
CHAPTER 37 Gotta Colt .45?
CHAPTER 38 What’s Done in the Dark Will Come to Light
CHAPTER 39 Knit One, Purl Two
CHAPTER 40 Speedos, Thongs, and Boas, Oh My!
CHAPTER 41 The Rich and the Ruthless
CHAPTER 42 You Shall Have Joy, or You Shall Have Power . . . You Shall Not Have Both
CHAPTER 43 Show Business Is for Freaks and Strange Folks
CHAPTER 44 Malibu Field Trip
CHAPTER 45 The Daring . . .
CHAPTER 46 . . . And the Damned
CHAPTER 47 Kicked to the Curb
CHAPTER 48 The Vote
CHAPTER 49 The Abby Singer
CHAPTER 50 Done Run a Hundred Miles and Ended Up at My Own Front Door
Acknowledgments
A CONVERSATION WITH VICTORIA ROWELL
Secrets of a Soap Opera Diva Page 31