Christal Cooper
*2,788 Words
“The Story Of My Art Continues…”
“ I was born to create.
The artist had found her medium with this book. And the love story of my art
continues…”
Kristine Goodfellow has two philosophies in life:
always evolve as a writer, and always be a creative reader, which requires to think
of the possibilities, read in between the lines, wonder what happens next after
the book’s end, and to question.
After reading Gaston Leroux’s Phantom
of the Opera Goodfellow did all of those things, especially the
questioning: Did Erik love Christine for
her person or for her voice? Was Christine
under the influence of Eric’s hypnoses or did she act as an independent
person?
“I couldn’t stop wondering why Eric became
obsessed with Christine Daae. I wondered if I were missing something, so I
reread the book. Nothing could satiate
my insane curiosity. The pairing did not make sense to me.”
She then read another novel that further
explored Phantom/Erik in a different light: the prequel to Leroux’s novel Phantom by Susan Kay.
“I fell
head-over-heels in love with Kay’s portrayal of the character, but, in the last
quarter of the book, Kay retells the story of when Erik meets Christine. According to Kay, Erik had some sort of Oedipal Complex, and Christine reminded
him of his mother. No way. I couldn’t buy that excuse.”
She sought answers in the Andrew Lloyd Webb
musical Phantom of the Opera which she’s seen four times: twice on
Broadway, once in Las Vegas, and the West End production in London, England.
She also saw the 2009 movie Phantom of the Opera with
Gerard Butler as the Phantom and Emmy Rossum as Christine Daae.
Even still, her questions were not answered and
she began to wonder what would Erik’s life be like if he could experience two
things: look past his own deformity to
embrace his true artistic self; and fall in love with a strong woman.
“I
wondered what would happen if Erik had a love interest who could keep up with
him intellectually; one who could challenge him personally, and possibly lead
him to redemption. What would happen if they were around the same age, had the
same amount of life experience? What if they shared a love for art and
literature? So…I created Olivia. And I decided to write a short story.”
At the time she was living in a rural village in
Pennsylvania, where her desk faced a giant window overlooking a corn and
alfalfa farm of rolling hills, and a white, two-story barn with a double-door
loft, giving her a view that changed from moment to moment depending on the
light, the weather, the time of day, and the season.
The moment she sat down at her office over
looking the giant window, she wrote non-stop, taking breaks to eat cookies, drink
diet coke; and to care for her family. She
wrote into the wee morning hours, and, in the process, lost loads of sleep and
twenty pounds, but never her passionate energy.
“The only way I can describe writing this book
to anyone is to ask them to remember how they’d felt when they first fell in
love. Sleeping and eating were annoying interruptions that kept you away from
your beloved. You dreamt about them and woke up smiling. Once Erik started talking in my head, I
couldn’t get him to stop. I wanted him to teeter on the rim of redemption. In
the end, I think we were both very satisfied.”
Her short story turned into an 80,000 word novel
called Phantom: Edge of The Flame that presents Erik/Phantom not as a deranged
hypnotist in search of the singer sensation for his Opera house, but a physically,
emotionally, and spiritually scarred man who finds the chance for happiness
when he first sees Olivia Weston, while on his nightly ride in the muddy
streets of Paris.
In the below excerpt, Goodfellow presents a new
light on Erik – he feels concern, compassion for someone else, and offers
Olivia aid, placing himself in a vulnerable position only to experience relief
when he learns Olivia views his cape and mask as an eccentricity.
ERIK:
In the moments between
daylight and dusk, a woman stood with the splendid sunset over her
shoulder. The evening sun’s rays
deepened her blue traveling suit to indigo where the light caressed sections of
the fabric and made her white collar look like a moonbeam on water. The extraordinary vibrancy of the scene
rivaled any painting in the Louvre. She
turned toward our approaching vessel; the soft hues of the setting sun fell
upon her auburn tresses.
Her sophisticated
hairstyle framed an appealing oval-shaped face that expressed
apprehension. A delicate beauty with
rosy cheeks and big eyes looked toward my coach. Her striking presence against a surreal
backdrop of a crimson sky almost made me disregard the instinct to conceal
myself. Realizing the precarious
situation of possible discovery, I drew away from the window before we
approached any closer.
I sat back in my seat,
letting go of my weapon and once again clutching the silver handle of my
walking stick. In direct opposition to
my intrinsic desire to remain hidden, I leaned forward. I had to observe the beauty of that woman one
more time. I’d never be able to forget
such a strange, ethereal sight.
Upon hearing my coach
pass she stepped back and landed ankle-deep in mud. Her driver dropped his tools and steadied her
by grabbing her elbow, leaving his filthy handprint upon her velvet
sleeve. A ravenous hunger shot from his
vermin like eyes. Maybe I imagined it or
maybe it was my finely tuned intuition.
Perhaps one murderous lunatic can identify another, but if I left her
there she would not see another sunset.
My heart pounded with
forceful beats. Part of me wanted to
continue and leave her at the mercy of fate.
“Driver, stop!
Ask if the lady needs a ride,” escaped my lips.
Excerpt from Phantom:
Edge Of The Flame
Pages 2 and 3
Copyright granted by
Kristine Goodfellow
The courageous and strong New York widow Olivia is
on a mission – traveling to France to visit her cousins Philippe and Raoul de
Chagney; and to consider a risky operation that could possibly cure her of meningoencephalitis,
a form of gradual blindness.
What makes Phantom: Edge of The Flame authentic
are two things: Eric views Olivia as a
complete, independent person, falling in love with her and not her voice; and Olivia
views Eric as an equal, falling in love with him without being under the power
of his hypnosis, influence, or suggestion, and without having an operatic
voice.
“I felt
that Erik did use hypnotizing methods on Olivia and that it did relax her, but
her mind and spirit were so strong that she was not actually hypnotized.”
ERIK:
A few minutes later, she
stirred and opened her eyes. Despite my plan to remain silent and just take
with me the assurance of her health, her name escaped my lips. “Oh, Olivia.”
She
turned her head toward the
dresser.“Erik?”
I’d
have to use the power of suggestion.
There was very little time. I
needn’t be discovered hiding in a lady’s bedroom in the dead of night. I moved to the side of her bed where my voice
would hold the strongest sway. “Madam Weston, I’m sorry to disturb you. I shall leave at once.”
“No,
don’t go,” she said. “What are you
doing here?”
My
mouth dried up; my hands began to tingle as though they were asleep. “Madam, you are dreaming. I am not here. You will not remember talking to me.”
“You’re
not here,’ she said groggily. But the
woman’s mind broke free. She grabbed my
hand. I pulled away even though I
desired nothing more than to hold her hand – to sit upon the chair next to her
bed and cater to her every whim. I would
give her anything the world had to offer.
A creak of a door and footsteps down the
hall set my senses on high alert. There
was no time to suggest to Madam Weston, for the second time, that she would not
remember my presence. I slid out the
window into the night.
Excerpt
from Phantom: Edge of The Flame
Pages
60 – 61
Copyright
granted by Kristine Goodfellow
“Thus the
love they share is very real and emotional and compelling – they are more
equals than man leading woman. I felt this
was further exemplified by writing the book in Erik and Olivia’s viewpoint.
I had Olivia tell portions of the story from
her point of view because she is often the voice of reason; whereas, Erik is
more often the voice of passion. I tried to devise sort of a Yin and Yang view
of falling in love. In addition, through her narration, Olivia is able to shed
light on Erik’s idiosyncrasies. More
importantly, her narrative shows how she truly fell in love with him without
his use of the power of suggestion.”
OLIVIA:
I stared at the
contraption. He invented this for me? What
kind of intellect does he possess? How
did he invent such a useful tool in such a short amount of time?
“Olivia, I can turn any
text you wish into this Braille method.
Go ahead, pick a book from my library.
Any book at all.”
“You would do that for
me?”
“It would be my
pleasure.”
“You would sit and punch
holes into paper until you’ve transcribed an entire novel for me?
“Madam, I would transcribe the
entire library for you.”
Tears filled my
eyes. My hand rested on the raised
punches of Uncle Tom’s Cabin. I ran my fingers over the page. I won’t
have to stop reading.
“How did you know
reading is the one thing I will miss the most?”
“Are you pleased?”
“I am most pleased. Thank you.”
I wiped my eyes.
The prospect of reading
with my fingers filled my mind. I had
the solution – the means to escape into fiction at my fingertips. My world seemed much less bleak than a few
minutes prior. Erik had given me the
gift of hope.
“Thank you.” I leaned toward him. “May I hug you?”
He didn’t move. He stared at me through the mask. Fear flashed in his eyes.
I drew back. “I apologize.
Forgive me for my forwardness. I
hadn’t meant to make you uncom—“
He threw his arms around
me with enthusiasm and childlike eagerness.
With little effort he lifted me into his embrace.
Excerpt from Phantom:
Edge of the Flame
Pages 146-149
Copyright granted by
Kristine Goodfellow
In Goodfellow’s Phantom: Edge of The Flame – Erik and Olivia
consummate their love for one another in what is Olivia’s first time since her
husband’s death, and the first for Erik, who views the experience as spiritual.
ERIK:
I’d
awakened before Olivia. I had slept in a
bed and rested my head on a pillow without horrifying nightmares. God had given me a chance to redeem
myself. God had given me Olivia.
I never thought I’d seek
out forgiveness from a God I swore abandoned me upon my birth. I’d done such evil and despicable
things. I’d pushed Him far away. I had wrapped myself in hatred, in darkness
and evil, in order to forget I’d been, at one time, a child of God. Listening to Olivia breathing as she lay in
my arms, made me long for absolution.
Excerpt
from Phantom: Edge of The Flame
Page
254
Copyright
granted by Kristine Goodfellow
“Erik’s
narration shows the phenomenal feeling of a burgeoning romance—especially when
a person feels that kind of love for the first time. Olivia’s character
balances Erik’s naivety with experience. She offsets his childlike wonder with
genuine romantic confidence.”
Phantom:
Edge of the Flame is not all about romance, love, and friendship,
but, like Leroux’s Phantom, there is the bloodthirsty Phantom who likes to
hunt, especially when it comes to revenge.
ERIK:
I
snapped the reins. The horse picked up
speed as I drove toward my destination, Gaston’s Point. The carriage was an amazing piece of
workmanship. What a shame to waste such
an example of incredible engineering.
“If
you let us go, my family will pay a reward.”
Eugene slurred his words not from spirits, but swelling.
“I
have no use for a reward, but thank you for offering.”
“Freddy
is really hurt. We need to get him
help. Sir, if you have any mercy at all,
you’ll let us go.” Eugene’s voice shook.
“The
only mercy Freddy will receive tonight is the same he’d likely show to
another.”
I cracked the reins
again. The gelding galloped up the hill
as we approached the right place. I
turned around and released the end of the rope that bound the trio together. Their maimed legs would not allow for any
escape. When the rope went slack, Freddy
lifted his head and glared at me. “Damn
you to hell.”
“Too late.” I’d roughly pulled the rope from around them
and tossed it out of the vehicle. We
neared the top of the steep incline.
Exhilaration made me tremble.
With adrenaline coursing through my veins, I jumped onto the horse. No
sense in taking the life of such a beautiful animal. Cool wind whipped back my cape and slapped
against my face. The breeze revived me
after a night of extensive physical exertion.
I felt alive!
Excerpt from Phantom: Edge of The Flame
Pages 95-96
Copyright granted by
Kristine Goodfellow.
“The scene where he goes after the men who beat him was fun to write. Erik enjoys
the hunt; he lures the prey to his desired location and then proceeds to play
with his quarry. He gets immense satisfaction in the final kill. It’s very much
like a seduction.”
Goodfellow leaves much to the interpretation of
her readers in the end, which does provide a happily-ever-after scenario for
Erik and Olivia, but how long does that scenario last? Or perhaps the question to ask: is it possible that Goodfellow’s and Leroux’s
Erik could live happily ever after well into old age, until death?
There are two things that Goodfellow wants to
make clear: her Phantom and Leroux’s
Phantom are not contradictory; and she never intended for her book to replace
or disregard Leroux’s.
“Instead of changing the original book, or its
concept, I’d rather say I added another possible explanation of the events in
the classic tale. I used Leroux’s
chain-of-events, but I gave all new explanations for the malicious deeds
attributed to the Phantom.”
This is not the first time that
Goodfellow has opened possibilities to classic novels, but still maintain the
integrity of the novel – she did the same with Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein
in her book Frankenstein: The Missing Chapter.
Goodfellow is now the author of four published
novels. Two things each of the novels
has in common are the element of love and the power of dialogue, which she has
mastered.
“I always
read my dialogue out loud and try to make the characters sound as though
they’re in a movie. I’ve had many years
of practice writing dialogue. It rarely comes out right on the first try. I
write, write and write some more. I also
edit until I want to smack my head against my desk—then I know I’m almost done.”
But being done with Phantom: The Edge of the Flame
was not the end of the story – for she’s always said her art continues. Phantom: Edge of the Flame was
published by Bird-In-Hand Books in 2011; with another edition released in
September 2014.
Goodfellow brought along her novel with her when
she and her husband attended the West End production of Andrew Lloyd Weber’s Phantom
of the Opera in London, England.
“After the London show, we ended up meeting Geronimo Rauch, who plays the Phantom. We also met the
actors playing Raoul, Christine, Meg and one of the ballerinas. They were
incredibly gracious. They took my book backstage and had the entire cast sign
it for me.
We were
invited to come back the next evening for
a backstage tour. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to accept because we had to
return to the States the next morning. I
am still disappointed about that, but I have a feeling I will get my chance
someday.
When we
returned home, I sent the cast signed copies of my book. I’ve received a few
emails and Facebook messages from some of the performers.
I would
love to hear Geronimo Rauch’s thoughts on my novel. I wonder if my story would
give him a new angle on the character. As of today, I haven’t heard from
him. Maybe one day he’ll write a review.
. .”
Photograph
Description And Copyright Information
Photo
1
Kristine
Goodfellow
Copyright by Christal Rice Cooper and Kristine Goodfellow
Photo
2
Kristine Goodfellow
Copyright by Christal Rice Cooper and Kristine Goodfellow
Photo
3a
Gaston
Leroux (1868-1927)
Photograph
taken in 1907
Public
Domain
Photo
3b
Cover
of the 1921 edition of Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux
Photo
4
Lon
Chaney Sr. and Mary Philbin in "The Phantom of the Opera"
(1925)
Film
is listed as public domain.
Photo
5
Jacket
cover of Phantom by Susan Kay
Photo
6a
Oedipus and the Sphinx
Oil
on Canvas
Attributed
to Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres (1780-1867)
Located
at the Louvre
Public
Domain
Photo
6b
The
psychologist Sigmund Freud, age 16, with his adored mother in 1872. Freud would later coin the term “Oedipal
Complex”
Public
Domain
Photo
7a
Phantom
of the Opera musical poster
Photo
7b
Andrew
Lloyd Webber at the set of "How do you solve a problem like Maria?"
Tracey
Nolan
CCASA
2.0 Generic
Photo
8a
Phantom of the Opera Movie Poster
Fair
Use Under the United States Copyright Law
Photo
8b
Scottish
actor Gerard Butler at the press conference for the film Crayolanus
02
14 2010
CCA
3.0 Unported
Photo
8c
Gerard
Butler as Erik/Phantom in the movie Phantom of the Opera
Fair
Use Under the United States Copyright law
Photo
8d
Actress
Emmy Rossum at the 2010 Independent Spirit Awards.
March
5, 2010
Attributed
to Cristiana Del Riccio
CCASA
2.0 Generic
Photo
8e
Actress
Emmy Rossum as Christina Daae in the movie Phantom of the Opera
Still
Fair
Use Under the United States Copyright law
Photo
9
Portrait of a Red Head
Oil
on Canvas
Attributed
to Angelo Asti (1847-1903)
Public Domain
Photo
10
Auburn
haired woman in a blue dress reading literature
Painting
by Charles Amable-Lenoir (1860 0 1926)
Public
Domain
Photo
11a
Goodfellow's view of the farm rolling hills in Pennsylvania from her great window.
Copyright granted by Kristine Goodfellow
Photo 11b
Kristine Goodfellow writing Phantom: Edge of the Flame in Pennsylvania.
Copyright granted by Kristine Goodfellow
Photo 12a
The Phantom/Erik and Kristine Goodfellow
Copyright by Christal Rice Cooper and Kristine Goodfellow
Photo
12
The new opera in Paris, France, late 1800s
Vintage engraved illustration appearing in Trousset Encyclopedia (1886-1891)
Photograph attributed to Morphart
Public Domain
Photo
13
Phantom/Erik
in the adaptation Phantom Of The Opera
The
Unicorn Publishing House, Inc
Illustrated
by Greg Hildebrandt
Photoshopped
by Christal Rice Cooper
Photo 14
Jacket cover of Phantom: Edge of The Flame
Photo
16a
The
Blind Girl
John
Everett Millais (1829 – 1896)
Cropped
Public
Domain
Photo 16
Painted styrofoam head of Erik/Phantom
Copyright by Christal Rice Cooper
Photo
18a
Woman With Red Hair
Attributed
to Dante Gabriele Rossetti (1828-1882)
Public
Domain
Photo
18b
Jacket
cover of Phantom: Edge Of The Flame
Illustrated by Mark Stone
Photo
19a
The Roman Widow
1874
Attributed
to Dante Gabriele Rossetti (1828-1882)
Located
at the Museum of Art of Ponco
Public
Domain
Photo
19b
Jacket
cover of Phantom: Edge of the Flame
Photo 20
Painted Styrofoam heads of Olivia and Erik
Copyright by Christal Rice Cooper
Photo
21a
Illustration of Phantom/Erik without his mask.
Fair Use Under the United States Copyright Law
Photo
21b
Jacket
cover of Phantom: Edge of the Flame
Photo
23
Woman with red hair lying in bed reading a book
Attributed to Jean Jacques Henner
Public Domain
Photo
24a
Lon Chaney Sr. as the Phantom/Erik in the 1925 film The Phantom of the Opera
Public
Domain
Photo
24b
Jacket
cover of Phantom: Edge of the Flame
Photo
25
Lou
Chaney Sr. as the Phantom/Erik in the 1925 film The Phantom of the Opera
Public
Domain
Photo 26
Jacket cover of Phantom of the Opera
Photo 26
Kristine Goodfellow
Copyright by Christal Rice Cooper and Kristine Goodfellow
Photo
27
Jacket
cover of Phantom: Edge of The Flame
Photo
30a
Mary
Shelley
Attributed
to Richard Rothwell
Shown
at the Royal Academy in 1840
Public
Domain
Photo 30b
Jacket
cover of Frankenstein
Photo
30c
Jacket
cover of Frankenstein: the Missing
Chapter
Photo
31a
Jacket
cover of Phantom: Edge Of The Flame
Photo
31b
Jacket
cover of Frankenstein: The Missing
Chapter
Photo
31c
Jacket
cover of Mansion On Butcher Lake
Photo
31d
Jacket
cover of Command Performance
Photo 32
Kristine
Goodfellow
Copyright by Christal Rice Cooper and Kristine Goodfellow
Photo
33
Jacket
cover of Phantom: Edge of the Flame
Photo 34a
Kristine Goodfellow in front of the Palace Theatre in London, England.
Copyright granted by Kristine Goodfellow
Photo 34b
The
Palace Theatre in London, England.
Attributed
to Matt May
CCASA
Photo
35
Kristine Goodfellow's Phantom: Edge of The Flame book which was signed by the entire London cast of Phantom of the Opera
Copyright granted by Kristine Goodfellow
Photo 36a.
Kristine Goodfellow and Geronimo Rauch in front of The Palace Theatre in London, England.
Copyright granted by Kristine Goodfellow
Photo 36b
Geronimo
Rauch in Les Miserables
Public
Domain
Photo 37.
Geronimo
Rauch as Phantom/Erik
Photo 38
"The story of my art continues"
