First published 1981
Vivien Bliss writes romance novels for a living. She arrives to spend a weekend with Edgar Chisholm, a married school teacher who should know better. What starts as a secret romantic getaway quickly spirals into chaos. Vivien needs to finish her latest novel, but everything goes wrong. An advice columnist meddles in affairs that aren't hers. A nosy reporter sniffs around for a story. A doctor runs around in women's underwear. An orphan appears with a cake at the worst possible moment. Meanwhile, Helga the Russian physicist plots against them all. Identities get mixed up. People wear disguises. Long lost relatives emerge from nowhere. Characters chase each other through doors and hide behind furniture. Vivien struggles to complete her book while dodging this parade of lunatics. She works around them, behind them, despite them, and sometimes with their unexpected help. The weekend becomes a masterclass in how romance can turn into complete mayhem.
Genres: romance, comedy, contemporary-romance
Vibes: fast-paced, intimate, whimsical
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fish-out-of-water
Setting: Hawaii
Paperback · Playwrights Canada