This
week, we're welcoming author Georgie
Lee, whose latest
title is Studio
Relations.
Join us on Sunday, when the author will offer a free copy of the book
to a lucky blog visitor. Here's the blurb:
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Vivien
Howard hasn’t forgiven Weston Holmes for almost derailing her
career five years ago. Female directors in 1930s Hollywood are few
and far between, and a man who coasts by on his good looks and family
connections can’t possibly appreciate what it took for her to get
to where she is. But when the studio head puts Weston in charge of
overseeing Vivien’s ambitious Civil War film, she realizes she has
a choice: make nice with her charismatic new boss or watch a
replacement director destroy her dream.
Weston
Holmes doesn’t know much about making movies, but he knows plenty
about money. And thanks to the Depression, ticket sales are
dangerously low. The studio can’t afford a flop—or bad press,
which is exactly what threatens to unfold when an innocent encounter
between Weston and Vivien is misconstrued by the gossip rags. The
only solution? A marriage of convenience that will force the
bickering duo into an unlikely alliance—and guide them to their own
happy Hollywood ending.
**An
Excerpt from Studio Relations**
Hollywood
1935
Vivien
Howard marched into Earl Holmes’s office and threw the script on
his desk. “Storm of the South. This is it. This is the
picture I want to direct next.”
Earl
picked up the script and flipped through it, unfazed. “The Civil
War? It’s been done, and badly.”
“Not
the way I’m going to do it.”
“I
read the script a couple of months back. It’s a war movie. A woman
can’t direct a war movie.” He tossed the script onto his large
mahogany desk and leaned back in his leather chair, his hands clasped
over his round belly, his graying eyebrows knitted as his eyes bored
into her. Earl’s imposing attitude would have cowed a lesser
director, but Vivien had played this game too many times with the old
studio head to be scared off now.
“It’s
a love story set during a war.”
“The
Civil War.”
“I
know exactly how I’m going to shoot it.” She sat down on Earl’s
plush leather sofa, pushing back her shoulder- length curly brown
hair. She crossed her legs, thankful Miss Hepburn’s popularity had
made wearing trousers respectable. Even if the Women’s Decency
League proclaimed pants
the
ruin of womankind, Vivien preferred them to skirts and always made
sure they were femininely tailored to complement her dark hair and
eyes. Being one of only a few female directors in Hollywood, she
played a man’s game, but she was always careful to remain a lady.
Her career depended on this tightrope walk.
Earl
leaned back in his chair and studied her. She knew he was intrigued,
but she also knew he hated to let directors think they were getting
their way, even if they were.
“The
boys in New York won’t like the idea of a woman directing a war
movie,” he replied, selecting a cigar from the humidor on his desk.
“If
you pitch it right, they’ll love this project.”
“But
I’ve got to love it first.” He clipped off the end of the cigar
and placed it between his lips. Vivien picked up the large silver
lighter from his desk, popped open the cap, sparked the flame, and
held it out to him across the desk.
“You
love the money my films make. You also love how good my successful
films make you look to the boys in New York.”
Earl
leaned forward and lit his cigar, then sat back in his chair, slowly
drawing in the smoke. Vivien knew she had him. She smiled, waiting
for him to make the next move.
“Who’d
you have in mind for the lead?” he asked.
“Peter
Davies. He’s perfect.”
“He’s
a supporting actor. You need a leading man with box office draw,
someone like Gary Roth.”
Vivien
perched on the edge of his desk. “Peter has leading man potential.
All he needs is the right role, and this is it. ”
“And
the fact that you two are dating?”
“Has
nothing to do with it.” Vivien was on shaky ground, and she knew
it.
“The
boys in New York are going to insist on a big star, especially when
they get wind that I’m letting you direct a war movie,” Earl
protested.
Vivien
fixed him with a serious look. “It’s a love story, and you know
it. It’s also the best script to come across my desk in years, and
I’m the best director to do it.”
“We
still need a star to headline it.”
“And
we’ll have one when I cast the female lead.”
Earl
chewed on the end of his cigar, eyeing her. “Fine. You can do it.
Start tomorrow.”
“I’ll
start today.” Vivien jumped to her feet. She’d been planning the
film on the sly for weeks and relished the chance to finally work on
it out in the open.
Earl
shook his head, snatching the black phone off the receiver. “I
don’t let any of my stars push me around half as much as you do.”
Vivien
smiled over her shoulder as she made her way to the door. “That’s
because no one makes as much money for you as I do.”
“Don’t
make me regret this, Vivien,” Earl called out after her.
“You
won’t, I promise.” She winked, then slipped out the door.
A
dedicated history and film buff, Georgie Lee loves combining her
passion for Hollywood, history and storytelling through romantic
fiction. She began writing professionally at a small TV station in
San Diego before moving to Los Angeles to work in the interesting but
strange world of the entertainment industry.
Her
traditional Regency, Lady’s Wager and her
contemporary novella Rock ‘n’ Roll Reunion are
both available from Ellora’s Cave Blush. Labor Relations,
a contemporary romance of Hollywood is currently available from
Montlake Romance. Mask of the Gladiator, a novella of
ancient Rome is now available from Carina Press.
When
not writing, Georgie enjoys reading non-fiction history and watching
any movie with a costume and an accent. Please
visit www.georgie-lee.com for
more information about Georgie and her novels.
Find
Georgie on:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/georgie.lee.96
Twitter:
@GeorgieLeeBooks
Blog:
http://georgielee.blogspot.com
