Carly Phillips: Author, Brandeisian, Mommy!

When people discover that my mother is not only a Brandeis graduate but also a New York Times bestselling author, Carly Phillips, I know to wait patiently for the typical response: “THAT’S SO COOL! HOW DID SHE BECOME A WRITER?” Once they find out that she writes romance novels, they sometimes follow up those two questions with “How do you feel about your mom writing thosebooks?” Trust me, I have been asked that question more times than I can remember. And let me be clear: My mother does not write porn! But come on, who doesn’t love a good romance novel every now and then? Am I right? My usual reply is “Honestly, I am not really sure…” I know it sounds crazy, how could I not know? But for as long as I can remember, my mother has always written romance novels in her office at my house, so I can’t exactly pinpoint a specific time when it all started.
 
My mom’s office is by far my favorite room in the house. Her desk is always inundated with papers, usually unread manuscripts waiting for their turn, fan mail waiting to be answered and assorted Carly Phillips knickknacks (bookmarks, pens and my favorite stuffed animals she uses as giveaways for her website). Her attention grabbing bookshelf is filled with acclaimed romance writers such as Nora Roberts and Susan Elizabeth Phillips. Over the years I have attended numerous Romance Writers of America conferences and countless book signings. Watching my mother do what she loves, ultimately led to my decision to major in English and to potentially pursue a career in publishing.
 
After learning about this opportunity to write an article for Her Campus about my mom’s career, I recently interviewed her over skype:
 

Her Campus: How did you know you wanted to be a writer?
Carly Phillips:I didn’t know until I started reading the romance genre and discovered that I could always have a happy ending when I read those books. I might not know how the author would get me there, but I was alwasy happy with the end of a story. This moment was huge for me. That led me to start looking at older books some authors I was reading had written—like LaVyrle Spencer—and when I saw they’d started writing shorter “category” stories for Harlequin, I decided I wanted to try. But when I look back and when I talk to other writers, I realize we have something in common. I always told stories in my head. I thought it was something everyone did. Turns out it’s a “writer” thing.
 
HC: How did you launch your career?
CP:Launch makes it sound like there was one day that changed everything. Of course there was the first sale—and that took seven years of writing, submitting manuscripts, being rejected, rewriting, starting over, etc. I had over 10 completed manuscripts rejected by many publishing houses over those seven years before I sold my first book to Harlequin Temptation. Then there were turning points. The first time I sold to a “single title” publishing house—Warner Books—The Bachelor; The Playboy; The Heartbreaker. That was huge, even though I made very little money. I still hired a publicist to help with The Bachelor. That ultimately led to the Kelly Ripa pick. Kelly Ripa chose The Bacheloras the first romance on a live nationally televised book club on Live! With Regis and Kelly. And the rest is history!
 

HC: When you were at Brandeis, were you involved in any campus publications? Did you minor in journalism? Or was your writing career something that you pursued after Brandeis?
CP:At Brandeis, I majored in Politics, and I knew I wanted to go to law school. [Ed. note: She attended Boston University School of Law.] The writing didn’t happen until I’d left my law job and was staying at home. I wasn’t involved in any campus publications either. My focus was different then.
 
HC: Do you have any career/romance advice that you can offer collegiettes^TM?
Get to know the career you want to go into. Immerse yourself in it so you know what to expect, and then go for it. Believe in yourself first because sometimes you may be the only one who does! But it will pay off in the end. And as for romance advice? Be smart [and] follow your heart, but use your head too!
 
Which books would you recommend reading?
I would definitely recommend my latest books, the Serendipity series. At this point in my career, I can say I had the most fun plotting and writing this series. For more information on any of the books I have written, definitely visit my website: www.carlyphillips.com.