True confessions time: my novel-in-progress is paranormal fan fiction, inspired by the ABC soap operas General Hospital, Port Charles and One Life to Live. Since I began it last spring, I’ve been keeping the subject a deep dark secret, because I was convinced it was so brilliant someone would steal it. Well now, somebody has – and the culprit is ABC.
Unbeknownst to me, the creators of General Hospital were thinking along similar lines. Michael Easton, who plays Lieutenant John McBain on GH, played the vampire Caleb Morley on Port Charles, a GH spinoff that was cancelled a decade ago. Kelly Monaco, the Dancing with the Stars finalist who plays Sam Morgan on GH, was Livvie, Caleb’s love and eventually his wife on Port Charles, which happens to be the name of the fictional New York town on General Hospital. What if Caleb Morley were somehow to return and take over the character of John McBain? And what if John and Sam, who already have great chemistry together, were to have a strong feeling of deja-vu? How would things play out?
General Hospital hasn’t taken things quite that far yet, but they’ve been talking about vampires for
the past couple of weeks, ever since Lucy Coe, a Port Charles alumna played by Lynn Herring, came back to town, took one look at John McBain and swore he was Caleb Morley. She tried driving a wooden stake through his heart but only managed to wound him in the shoulder, and he’s making a good recovery. Meanwhile, everyone thinks Lucy’s gone crazy, and they’re playing the story for laughs.
How will the new vampire plot line evolve? If head writer Ron Carlivati knows, he’s not telling, but the online fan sites are abuzz with gossip, and the Caleb/John- Livvie/Sam connection was even featured in TV Guide. Probably the fate of these characters depends to a great extent on fan feedback, which as of this writing seems to be running against the vampire theme.
I was devastated when I first learned of this new plot line. How dare ABC steal my paranormal thunder? Was my novel dead in the water? Should I give up and scrap it entirely? I succumbed to gloom and doom for a day or so, then realized this turn of events could actually work to my advantage. The show’s ratings would probably go up, and the thousands of people who wouldn’t have cared about a long-defunct soap opera could well become my future readers.
No matter how the paranormal story line plays out on General Hospital, mine will be totally different – and, I hope, funnier and more outrageous. I’m still not giving away any details, but I’d damn well better finish the thing and get it up on Kindle before the end of February Sweeps.
Stay tuned for future episodes in my race against time. I welcome your comments, and I hope you’ll subscribe if you haven’t already. A special shout-out to the PC and GH fans I’ve been connecting with lately – your enthusiasm helps keep me going!
Alison Armstrong says
Very entertaining entry on my favorite fictional character, Caleb Morley. I look forward to reading your book. Best wishes! Alison Armstrong
www.julielomoe.wordpress.com says
Thanks for checking in, Alison. I value your comments on the Port Charles site. Caleb’s my favorite too!
Patricia Stoltey says
Well, maybe it’s just that great minds think alike? But I like funny and outrageous, so I’ll hold out for your version. 😀
Marilyn E. Rothstein aka: M. E. kemp says
I haven’t seen the soaps since Dark Shadows and Yes, I saw the Johnny Depp remake, which at least kept a sense of humor about it. We’re about due for a funny vampire novel and I’m looking forward to yours, Julie.
www.julielomoe.wordpress.com says
Thanks, Patricia and Marilyn. Thanks for the encouragement. And now, back to work!
Christine LaFord says
To be honest I don’t think GH is gonna give true honor to the epic coupling of Calivia. It seems at times as if they poke fun at us fans and this new scenario they’ve presented offends me. As a former oltl watcher I know that Ron is very predictable in the outcome of his storylines…I could be very wrong in this but I am not very optimistic in him preserving the timeless love of Caleb and Olivia even while meshing it with McBam. I would love to hear what your take on the characters moving forward is…..can not wait to check out your novel Julie.
www.julielomoe.wordpress.com says
I agree they’re playing this plot line for laughs, but I’m enjoying it. And it’s keeping me guessing – very clever. For my own sake, I hope the vampire theme will turn out to be a delusion of Lucy’s. In my own novel, Caleb and Livvie will figure very prominently.