Behind the Scenes of The Petrov Proposal

Maddy was another character who demanded I write her book. She was at the center of the plot in Marriage Made on Paper, thanks to a scandal with her boss, and though she was never on screen (she was on the phone once) she was a major presence in the book. I started wondering what had happened to Maddy, and more importantly, what WOULD happen to her.

The initial draft of The Petrov Proposal started in roughly the same point in time as Marriage Made on Paper, with Maddy in exile in Switzerland. My editor felt Maddy seemed far too victimized in that version (which I wrote about a hundred pages of) and ultimately I agreed.

I ended up setting the book five years after the end of Marriage Made on Paper. That gave Maddy a chance to be older, wiser and self-sufficient.

Halo by Beyonce and What Do You say by Celine Dion were the theme songs for this book.

I cried every time I wrote a scene where I talked about Aleksei’s late wife. Every. Time. The other patrons in the coffee shop must have thought I was crazy.

There is a reference to a Will Ferrell SNL sketch at the end of the book. I am entirely too pleased with myself over this.