Downtown San Diego can be very romantic and two local authors are proving it with a romance novel set in the area.<\/p>\n
Susan Chan and Carol Polakoff are the authors of \u201cThe Reluctant Brides of Lily Court Lane,\u201d a new book about the loves and lives of four women who live in Downtown on a fictional street called Lily Court Lane.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome of them are young and enjoy going out at night in the Gaslamp, some are older and married or divorced,\u201d Chan said. \u201cSan Diego is like a fifth character.\u201d<\/p>\n
The plot concerns a year in the lives of these women, with a key point being a painting belonging to a holocaust survivor.<\/p>\n Chan and Polakoff both came to San Diego from back east about a decade ago; New York for Chan, Detroit for Polakoff.<\/p>\n How they met and came to write a book has a certain romantic appeal in itself.<\/p>\n \u201cWe both live at the Renaissance in the Marina District and we belonged to a book club there,\u201d Polakoff said. \u201cOne day, we both said the book we were discussing was so bad, we could write a better one.\u201d<\/p>\n So they did. Or at least they attempted to.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Reluctant Brides Of Lily Court Lane\u201d is actually Chan and Polakoff\u2019s second book, but the first one that has been published. It marks the culmination of a three-year effort.<\/p>\n \u201cThe first book took longer because we were learning,\u201d Chan admitted. \u201cAfter we wrote the second book, it took some time to get it on Amazon.\u201d<\/p>\n The unpublished first book provides much of the back story for \u201cThe Reluctant Brides of Lily Court Lane,\u201d as well as a third book, of which the duo have already written about two-thirds of.<\/p>\n The \u201cLily Court\u201d title was actually a suggestion from a mutual friend, Barbara Fatheree, who died of cancer while the book was being completed.<\/p>\n Chan and Polakoff work on the book together.<\/p>\n \u201cWe write one chapter each time we meet,\u201d Chan said. \u201cWe discuss the story line and the dialogue and I type it up. Then I proofread it and add things we discussed that didn\u2019t make it in initially.\u201d<\/p>\n Polakoff said she sees their differences as people as complementary.<\/p>\n \u201cSusan is such a positive person, where I will go to the darker side,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m creative and she\u2019s the organizer and the typist.\u201d<\/p>\n Polakoff is also more willing than Chan to admit that parts of the characters may be autobiographical.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a young woman whose husband leaves her for another man,\u201d she said. \u201cI related to that character very much and there were parts of me in other characters as well.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt was the easiest part,\u201d she laughed. \u201cI had no problem with them.\u201d<\/p>\n Since the characters in the book live Downtown, naturally, local landmarks like Petco Park, the University Club and the Convention Center are important settings, as are Seaport Village and Balboa Park.<\/p>\n Now Chan and Polakoff are trying to get the word out about the book, which they said in some ways, is harder than writing it.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been difficult trying to figure out how to get the best feedback,\u201d Polakoff said.<\/p>\n Still, Chan said she already feels like a success \u201cjust having someone who\u2019s read it and said they enjoyed it.\u201d<\/p>\n The authors hope to stoke greater interest in the book locally when it is featured in the Local Author\u2019s Exhibit at the San Diego Central Library in February.<\/p>\n In the meantime, Polakoff admits she does see the \u201cLily Court\u201d series as having potential for a TV series and dreams about casting.<\/p>\n Tolakoff was asked, \u201cIf San Diego is a character, who would she like to cast in the role\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJennifer Lopez,\u201d she said, laughing. \u201cThis city has a Latin flair.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe Reluctant Brides of Lily Court Lane\u201d is currently available on Amazon in both a print (paperback) and a Kindle edition. The two women have created a Facebook page for the book, called \u201cLily Court Lane.\u201d To buy the book or read reviews, visit amazon.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Lily](\"https:\/\/sandiegodowntownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Lily-Court-Lane-at-JCCwebwithbook.jpg\")
<\/a><\/a>On the other hand, Chan said the romance scenes were particularly enjoyable to write.<\/p>\n