Philip Kaplan: On When the Book Writes Itself

Ambassador Philip Kaplan had a 27-year career as a diplomat in the U.S. Foreign Service, including being U.S. minister, deputy chief of mission, and Charge d'Affaires, to the U.S. Embassy in Manila, Philippines during the tumultuous overthrow of Ferdinand Marcos.

Now retired from the State Department, Kaplan is currently a partner in Berliner, Corcoran & Rowe LLP's Washington, D.C. law office, where his practice is focused on public and private international law. He lives in Bethesda, MD.

In this post, Philip discusses how the characters came to him through the magic of the writing process in his debut novel, Night In Tehran, how sometimes the stories seem to write themselves, and more!

Name: Philip Kaplan
Literary agent: Ronald Goldfarb
Book title: Night in Tehran
Publisher: Melville House
Release date: October 26, 2021 (paperback)
Genre/category: Thriller/Historical spy novel
Elevator pitch for the book: If you’re curious to see how diplomacy and espionage really work, dive in.

IndieBound | Bookshop | Amazon
[WD uses affiliate links.]

While I was working in the U.S. State Department in the late 1970s, I dealt with Iran policy. I was disturbed by what I considered policy errors that led to the takeover of Iran by a fundamentalist regime of ayatollahs. These ayatollahs have become a dangerous adversary of the United States that has lasted 40 years.

It took some years for this story to form. I remained a diplomat and ambassador, and later became a partner in a Washington, D.C. law firm. This led to more ideas for my work of fiction, but the general plot always remained the same in my mind. The biggest challenge was that I also had much to learn about writing fiction.

I constantly encountered the challenges of publishing a debut novel as well as the process of altering my submitted drafts. There was also a lot of good advice from my publisher.

There were tons of surprises. The amount of time that goes into editing as well as the work that goes into a book once you’ve written it on the post-production side. It was also surprising how my characters took form naturally. My intimate familiarity with the events in Iran, and further research and interviews with former U.S. officials, facilitated a general outline. But the book wrote itself.

My fictional characters appeared and developed though the magic of the writing process. My protagonist, diplomat David Weiseman worked for the CIA Director, and formed a love/espionage partnership with a French agent. David dealt with leaders in Iran and spies from several European and Middle East countries. David faced challenges which tested his diplomatic skills, courage, and moral character. All this and more emerged in the writing process. As a debut author persistence finally paid off in publication, but it did take time.

First, I hope this book is entertaining. Between the romance between David and Francoise as well as the political storyline that was drawn out to hook a reader. Second, the intrigue of diplomacy and espionage. The double dealing and betrayals, but ultimately identification with the hero and heroine who are trying desperately to do the right thing … together. Third, the delicate interaction of espionage, romance, and the historical context. It makes for a compelling read.

Never give up.

Click to continue.