Patti Callahan Henry

The Idea of Love Patti Callahan Henry

Screenwriter Harper has had two flops in succession. He needs a hit and he needs it badly. Empty of any new ideas and crippled with writer's block, he decides that he will ""steal"" a love story. He cant do that in Hollywood, of course, so he heads to the East Coast for change of scenery, some new ideas, and above all, that good love story he needs. Taking on a fake identity as a historian interested in local folklore, he interviews townsfolk under the guise of getting to know their family stories. ?And in Bluff, SC he meets Ella, a beautiful young woman who has lost her true love in a sailing accident; he drowned while saving her. ?Harper believes he has finally found his story: a love big enough to sacrifice your life for. But the thing is, Ella isn't telling the truth. Her husband left her; she has a crappy job selling wedding shoes, and she lost her best friend in the divorce. In desperate need of a love story herself, Ella tells Harper the story of the life she wishes she had, and in the process, she starts acting like the woman she wishes she'd always been. Every time Ella tells Harper more of the made-up version of her life—her idea of love—she thinks, ""one more time."" But soon they are both too deep into the lies to get out. Add dysfunctional families, small town chaos, eccentric neighbors and exes on both sides, the knot of lies looks too tight to undo. Can two people come together for all the wrong reasons and still make it right?