Guest Blog: Georgie Lee

This week, we're welcoming author Georgie Lee, whose latest title is Studio Relations. The author is offering a free copy of the book to a lucky blog visitor. Here's the blurb:     

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.

**Q&A with Georgie Lee**

When did you start writing?

I grew up writing many different things including poetry, short stories and screenplays. I’m a lifelong history buff, voracious reader, writer and a movie lover. I especially enjoy classic films because they have such witty dialogue. My professional writing career began at a small cable TV station in San Diego where I wrote marketing videos and public service announcements. I dreamed of being a screenwriter so I moved to Los Angeles and earned my MA in screenwriting. I never conquered Hollywood, but I’d always enjoyed reading romance novels, so one day I started writing one. It was a Regency romance and it went on to become Lady’s Wager, my first published novel. It took me about a year to write Lady’s Wager and the first draft wasn’t exactly perfect. I learned a lot by rewriting that story.

What inspired you to write your current release Studio Relations, a love story set in 1935 Hollywood?

My love of classic films and Gone with the Wind helped inspire this book. I knew from my film studies background that there were a few female directors working in Hollywood during the 1930s. While the major studios did employ women behind the scenes, women usually worked in publicity, writing or the costume shop. It was the rare female who stepped behind the camera, and she faced a number of obstacles, from demanding studio bosses to disapproving women’s groups. Also, the 1930s saw a great deal of change in Hollywood from the conversion to talkies to the introduction of the Hays Code, which dictated what could and could not appear on screen. Outside the studio gates, the Great Depression was raging and Europe was heading toward World War II. There was a lot of conflict both on the soundstage and off for me to play with. I touch on all these subjects in Studio Relations, but especially what it was like for a woman to work in a man’s world in 1935 Hollywood.

In Studio Relations, I also pay homage to my favorite film Gone with the Wind, by making the film Vivien directs a Civil War movie. I drew on my knowledge of Gone with the Wind’s production to help me make the scenes dealing with the production of Vivien’s film seem authentic to the time period. It was fun to pull from both my knowledge of classic Hollywood and Gone with the Wind to help make Studio Relations an engaging story.

What is your favorite scene from this story and why?

My favorite scene from Studio Relations is the shotgun wedding scene. After a PR debacle, Vivien and Weston are forced to get married. The studio boss is in charge of making the arrangements and I had a blast helping him put it all together.

Who is your favorite author, and how does this person inspire you?

I admire so many great authors, it’s hard to pick just one. I am going to go with a few classics, Oscar Wilde for sharp witty dialogue, W. Somerset Maugham for great insight into characters and D.H. Lawrence for well developed internal monologue.

If you could time travel back in time, where would you go and why?

I’m a major history buff so choosing just one time period is tough, but I have to pick ancient Egypt during the reign of Hatshepsut and Thutmose III. She was the most powerful female ruler in Egypt and they were co-rulers for some time. Once she died, Thutmose became one of Egypt’s greatest Pharaohs. It would be wonderful to see the dynamics that made her reign possible, to watch her rise to power and to know why, so many years after her death, Thutmose decided to remove her from the historical record. Also, I’d love to know more about the ancient Egyptian’s daily lives. Although we know a great deal about their funerary practices, very little is known about their daily lives. I would love to see the court of Pharaoh, to see how he and the noble women spent their days.

Tell us about your upcoming releases and what you’re working on now.

I’m currently working on a couple of Regency romances for Harlequin Historical. I also have a Regency-set novella, Hero’s Redemption, coming out from Carina Press in July.

Thank you Lisa for having me here today, and thank you to everyone for stopping by!

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

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2985551.Georgie_Lee

Blog: http://georgielee.blogspot.com

Studio Relations at Amazon 

Excerpt Thursday: Studio Relations by Georgie Lee

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:     

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

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2985551.Georgie_Lee

Blog: http://georgielee.blogspot.com

Studio Relations at Amazon 

Movie Adaptations: Cleopatra

By Stephanie Dray

"Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale her infinite variety." ~ William Shakespeare, on Cleopatra

Cleopatra is a timeless icon of femininity and feminism. She is the most famous woman in the history of the world--perhaps because she was, and remains, the most powerful woman in the history of the world. No subsequent queen or prime minister or secretary of state has ever had the geographic dominion, relative wealth, and unfettered authority that was enjoyed by Cleopatra VII of Egypt.

Yet, almost everything we know about her has been filtered through the propaganda of her enemies. The unbiased facts seem to be these: She was a woman of extraordinary charm who shared a bed with not one, but two of the most powerful men in the ancient world--Julius Caesar and Marcus Antonius. She would become mortal enemies with a third--Octavian, otherwise known as Augustus Caesar--who did more to immortalize her than either of her lovers.

She comes down to us through the ages without a face. Her coins--many of which depict her in quite severe and haggish ways--are stylized portraits, meant to impart terror rather than admiration. The few busts that we believe portray the Egyptian queen cannot be verified. There are no extant portraits nor textual descriptions of her. Because of this, artists have a blank canvass upon which they can imagine this cunning political queen in any way they like.

That is a siren's call to Hollywood.

The first cinematic portrayal of Cleopatra was in 1917. It was a silent film starring seductive actress Theda Bara who paraded on stage in a variety of costumes that would be considered risky even by today's standards. Unfortunately, not much is known about the film because even though it was popular in its day, it was deemed profane under the Hay's Code in the 1930s and subsequently destroyed. Only fragments of it exist today in a museum. However, we do have some images of Theda Bara, the so-called Serpent of the Nile, and they are oh, so pretty to look at.

In 1934, Claudette Colbert starred in a Cecil B. DeMille production about the Queen of the Nile. The production is in black and white, old-fashioned in style, but the dialog is often fun. This is an Egyptianized version of the queen, which is not necessarily entirely inaccurate, but there is little visual reference to her cultural heritage as a Macedonian Greek. I especially like the invention of Herod making trouble between Cleopatra and Antony--which is unlikely to have happened the way it plays out on screen, but hints at the genuine trouble between the two client monarchs! There's a certain jaded maturity that Claudette Colbert brings to the role, but the entire picture seems too small to incorporate such a big historical figure.

Almost thirty years later, Hollywood had another go at it, this time creating a budget-busting visual extravaganza that would give the world its most iconic images of Cleopatra in the person of violet-eyed actress, Liz Taylor. The movie is a huge, splashy melodrama that bankrupted the studio, launched careers and destroyed the marriages of its co-stars; it's the film on which Richard Burton and Liz Taylor fell in love. Their sexual chemistry burns up the screen, their personal lives echoing those of the characters. One cannot watch without feeling the tiniest bit voyeuristic, and the authenticity of their connection makes what might otherwise be a schmaltzy production into something emotionally gripping.

This is not to say that the film is all eye-candy and soap-opera. The acting is stupendous. Rex Harrison is utterly charming as Caesar. Richard Burton smolders as a brooding Antony. And Liz Taylor is a revelation as Cleopatra. She's by turns clever and naive, petty and big-hearted, grasping and generous. She's a difficult woman, but not a foolish one. There's a reason that even though she'd go on to win awards for other films, this one will probably be her most memorable role.

The costuming and set-decor is an interesting mix of Egyptian, Roman and Greek--all of this in keeping with accounts we have of Alexandria where cultural fusion was the norm. Though the film never mentions Cleopatra's children by Antony--including the heroine of my own debut novel, Cleopatra Selene--it's fairly historically accurate; viewers will learn from this film as well as be entertained. Not much better can be said for Hollywood than that!

Perhaps with an eye to how difficult it would be to top the 1963 Elizabeth Taylor version, Cleopatra has appeared primarily on the small screen ever since. The 1999 Television Mini-Series starring Billy Zane, Timothy Dalton and Leonor Varela was based on Margaret George's excellent novel. Unfortunately, the series bears little resemblance to the book. In this version, Cleopatra is a foot-stomping, whining, little brat. Alexandria is rendered similarly unimpressive. Worse, the story has many small gratuitous inaccuracies which make little sense in light of the fact that the older versions managed to get it right. But what kills the miniseries is Leonor Varela. Her acting is so atrocious that it's painful to watch. The only redeeming thing about this version is actually Billy Zane’s boyish rendition of Marcus Antonius. He's very convincing as a hedonistic Antony and brings all his considerable charms to bear. He's not hard to look at either.

Which brings us to the latest incarnation of Cleopatra: Lyndsey Marshal's version on HBO's Rome. While I can find nothing bad to say about the series as a whole, which was masterfully written, funny, absorbing and dramatic--our Egyptian queen got the short end of the stick. Here she's portrayed as a drug-addled slut who deceives Caesar about the parentage of her son. Other than Augustus' accusations against her, there's nothing in the historical record to suggest this but not every portrayal can resuscitate the queen's image. Marshal's Cleopatra is without moral scruple--in that, hers may be the closest portrayal of the historical woman.

Now Hollywood seems poised to make another attempt. Given the run-away success of Stacy Schiff's recent biography, a new movie is being planned starring Angelina Jolie. Given that she's the biggest, most scandalous star in Hollywood, the choice seems apt. Moreover, her appearance in the ill-fated movie Alexander may have costume designers eager to turn her into another ancient queen. Reportedly, this film will focus more on Cleopatra as a mother and strategist. It remains to be seen what sort of images will leave their mark in popular culture this time, but Cleophiles like me will be waiting in line to find out!


Stephanie Dray's debut historical fiction novel, LILY OF THE NILE , was just release by Berkley Books. The sequel is expected to release at the end of 2011. Both novels are set in the Augustan Age and feature Cleopatra's daughter.

Accidents: James Dean

By Lisa Marie Wilkinson

"Along came a Spyder and picked up a rider
Took him down the road to eternity..."
~ Lyric from "James Dean" (by J.D. Souther, Jackson Browne, Glenn Frey, Don Henley)

Nothing secures a place in the land of legends more securely than exceptional talent extinguished by violent, untimely death.

James Dean had accumulated a relatively small but impressive body of work by the time of his tragic death at age 24 as the result of massive injuries sustained in a car crash, including starring roles in three films that have gone on to become recognized as classics: Rebel Without a Cause, East of Eden, and Giant.

A student of the famous Lee Strasberg Actor's Studio, the gifted method actor was a renowned racing enthusiastic, and his racing career ran concurrently with his film projects. He purchased a race-ready MG TD when he secured the part of Cal Trask in East of Eden, and later upgraded to a Porsche 356 Speedster, earning second, third, and fourth placements on the California racing circuit.

While filming Rebel Without a Cause, Dean began searching for the perfect race car, settling on a Porsche 550 Spyder when production on his first choice, the Lotus MK X, was delayed. The level of personal risk associated with racing fast cars was not lost on the Hollywood studios that employed him, and Dean was contractually forbidden to race while filming Giant.

Ironically, once filming was completed, Dean was free to race again, and he died on September 30, 1955 while in route to compete in a car race being staged in Salinas, California. His final film, Giant, was released posthumously in 1956.

The car in which Dean was killed, the Porsche 550 Spyder, has attracted its own share of myths and legends, including rumors that the car was cursed. Dean hired designer George Barris (who would later design the original Batmobile) to add custom touches. The finished version included racing stripes and the moniker "Little Bastard" painted on the car.

As with any tragic event, there are always the eventual "what-ifs" that arise. What if Dean had stuck with his original plan to drive his station wagon and tow the race car, instead of making the last minute decision to drive the racer, in order to become more familiar with the car before the race? What if the other driver, 23-year-old student Donald Turnupseed, had not crossed into Dean's lane when moving to take the fork onto State Route 41 near Cholame, California, hitting Dean's vehicle nearly head on? What if Dean had heeded the warning impulsively offered by actor Alec Guinness? His words to young Dean upon viewing the racer were, "If you get in that car, you will be found dead in it by this time next week."


In a final irony, it was announced in 2010 that the strip of highway known as "Blood Alley" where Dean met his end fifty-five years earlier, will be widened due to its notorious history of fatal car crashes.

Lisa Marie Wilkinson is an IPPY Gold Medal winning author of historical adventure-romance. Her latest novel, STOLEN PROMISE, featuring vibrant Gypsy characters and breath-taking romance, is available now.

Tragic Tales: Fatty Arbuckle

By Lorelie Brown

Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and...Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle? Who the heck is that?

While almost everyone has heard of the first two, Arbuckle has all but faded from public memory, and it was all because of one woman’s death.


Fatty Arbuckle (he supposedly hated the nickname Fatty, but I can hardly make myself think of him by any other name) started in Vaudeville as a fairly young kid. He moved to motion pictures in 1909. But he didn't get his really big break until he moved to Universal Pictures in 1913 and starred in the Keystone Kops franchise. After those, Arbuckle became huge--his fame grew to match his very large body type. Arbuckle was somewhere between 250 and 300 pounds, but the remarkable part of him was that everyone remembered him as having a light graceful step that belied his large size. Along with helping to mentor Chaplin and Keaton, he also helped out Bob Hope by hooking him up with Hollywood contacts.

By 1921, Arbuckle was on top of the world, career wise. He'd moved to Paramount Studios for a then-amazing $1 million per year. Arbuckle and two friends drove up to San Francisco for Labor Day weekend and rented a total of three rooms at the St. Francis Hotel. After a few calls, illegal booze and catered food were both delivered and a party was in full swing.

Among the guests were Virginia Rappe and Maude Delmont. Though Rappe would later be described in newspapers a sweet and innocent girl, that was far from the truth. She'd clung to the outskirts of Hollywood for years, occasionally getting tiny roles and more frequently showing up at Hollywood parties. Delmont was even worse, being known for intentionally seducing men for the sole purpose of later blackmailing them.

Rappe took sick. That much is for sure. Beyond that, things are fuzzy. Arbuckle claimed he retired to his room to change clothes and found an obviously-ill Rappe in his bedroom. People were called in, ice was placed on her midsection and most everyone said she was ill from drinking too much alcohol. Several doctors treated Rappe in the hotel, and most agreed with the alcohol poisoning diagnosis. (Though what always makes my eyebrows go up is that one doc gave her morphine. For alcohol poisoning! Totally normal at the time, but now the idea of treating that with a depressant makes little sense to non-medically-educated me.) After four days in the hotel, Rappe was moved to a local hospital. She died there on 9 September of peritonitis and infection from a torn bladder.

Delmont, however, claimed that Arbuckle had raped her friend. It would be her claims that carried the day. The San Francisco Prosecutor at the time, Matthew Brady, was very ambitious and seemed to think he could ride a conviction of Arbuckle all the way to being governor of California. Prosecutors decided that Rappe's bladder had been torn by the very large Arbuckle's weight bearing down on her during the alleged rape. (In reality, Rappe's bladder was probably damaged by a botched abortion she had days before joining the Arbuckle party in San Francisco.)

Arbuckle was tried three times for Rappe's death. The first trial ended with a hung jury that was locked up at 10 to 2 for acquittal. The second was 10 to 2 for conviction. The third ended in a complete acquittal and the jury even went so far as to write Arbuckle a letter of apology that he had been put through so much.

But the damage was already done. In an ironic twist considering William Randolph Hearst's role in suppressing the 1924 Ince scandal, newspapers owned by Hearst pushed Arbuckle's guilt. Headlines had pretty much already convicted him. Articles carried lurid details and didn't hesitate to pass along rumors that Arbuckle had violated Rappe with foreign objects such as a coca-cola or champagne bottle.

Arbuckle's career was sacrificed on the pyre of public opinion. He was banned from movies for the better part of a year, but even after the ban was lifted he was never as famous again. He had a little comeback at the end of the 20s but it didn't last long. He died before he could really make it to the top again. And our collective memory lost a great actor.

Guest Author: Isabelle Santiago

This week on Unusual Historicals we're featuring Isabelle Santiago, author of 1950s Old Hollywood and Film Noir-style romances. Here's the blurb from her debut novel, CINEMATIC ROYALTY.

Charles Witmore is used to celebrities. As owner of the grand Winmont Hotel in Los Angeles, he has seen them come and go more times than he can count. But the experience is altogether different when silver screen starlet Bridget Phillips walks into his life and crashes into his heart. He's absolutely starstruck. Her beauty is exactly as majestic as has been rumored, but he wonders about the many claims laid against the woman, who seems to be so shrouded in mystery.

Initially claimed by prejudice, he sees nothing more than the ice princess she presents, beautiful and stone cold. But, the more time she spends at his hotel, the more he begins to see there is more to her facade than meets the eye. Soon, she becomes the object of his affection, and in an amusing ploy, his two best friends, Betty and Eleanor, and his cute assistant Tessa, set up the matchmaking scheme of a lifetime.

But will Bridget's dark secret keep Charles from his happily ever after?

***

With the wealth of Regency historical, gothic Victorian style romances, and other such time periods commonly used in the historical market, what inspired you to write about the 1950s?

Well, the story started when I went to visit an old friend in New York City and was able to stay in a remodeled Art Deco style hotel. The place oozed charm, elegance, and grace, from its white marble floors to the intricate gold crown molded ceilings. Stepping through its doors was like going back in time and I often found myself daydreaming, imagining the important people who had walked its halls once upon a time. And the more I allowed myself to imagine it, the more real the vision became, until I could hear the twinkling keys of the grand piano on the roof conservatory, hear the thud of high heeled feet stomping across lush, carpeted floors, and imagine the big band playing as a group of well dressed men and beautiful women danced the night away in a smoke-filled lounge.

These images stayed with me long after I left the city. I'd always been a fan of the time period. I counted Casablanca, Sabrina, and An Affair to Remember as some of my favorite films. But I never set out to actually write a historical, wasn't sure I even wanted to, since I'm mostly a sci-fi/fantasy gal. Eventually, the story begged to be written, and how could I deny it? Sometimes you just have to go where the muse takes you.

You write the time period as though you lived it yourself. Did you find it difficult to research? What helped put you in the right frame of mind?

There is a surprisingly vast amount of information on the 50s, specifically in the areas of fashion, movies, music and automobiles- the staples of popular culture. It also helps that vintage items are so popular because it gives you a real portrait of the time.

The more specific items were a lot harder to find, like textures of fabrics used in most clothing or the price of cab fare! Things you don't realize you'll really need until you write the scene and are caught completely off guard.

Then there's always the option to interview people who actually lived it. That's the nice thing about writing 'contemporary historicals,' you have witnesses and you can get some really amazing first hand accounts.

As for frame of mind, there were lots and lots of movies and music. You'll notice many of the films of that time have a certain sound, flow, narration to them. I watched all my old favorites and introduced myself to lots of new ones. TCM and I became very close. I also spent time on Frank Sinatra Pandora radio. Lots of Doris Day, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, and really moody big band stuff. It was so much fun to listen to.

While CINEMATIC ROYALTY was at its heart a poignant love story, you also made it a point to chronicle your heroine's life in the limelight and talk about the troubles of being in the public eye. What moved you to make that such an important part of her story?

I wanted to play with the notion of public perception and how many of us may not be quite what we portray to others, though in Bridget's case, that was on a much grander scale. We're so inundated with the paparazzi's obsession and opinion on celebrities. And it's changed so much over the decades. Hollywood felt much more glamorous in the 1950s. It was nothing like the press portrays it now, an endless listing of arrests, divorces, and stints in rehab. Men were gentlemen, women were ladies, and celebrities were revered. Like Grace Kelly for instance, whose life mimicked a fairy tale as she found and married her prince. Or Liz Taylor whose stunning good looks and many marriages made her Hollywood's bad girl.

It was all so much larger than life, and it made for great storytelling. Often, these actors' personas were just as much a role as the parts they played. I really wanted to explore what that would do to a person and to a blossoming romance, if one person in the relationship was always worried the other was in love with an image, and not who they really were inside.

CINEMATIC ROYALTY was joined by DARK HOLLYWOOD NIGHTS in the print edition. This story veered into more Katherine Hepburn-like antics, with your heroine, Alexi Grant, being both humorous and spunky.

It's funny you should say that, actually, because the single, largest influence in that story was the movie The Philadelphia Story. I loved the witty banter and the confusion which created classic comedy moments. I wasn't ready to let go of the characters in Cinematic Royalty, but I didn't feel like writing something as heavy or angst-ridden as Charles and Bridget's romance. So I settled for a new set of characters, with the old ones making some fun cameos.

I set it in the same hotel, The Winmont Los Angeles, owned by Charles, the hero from book one, and in that way kept the setting and world familiar to the reader. Then I threw in a murder mystery involving another starlet, keeping the glamorous Hollywood angle, but dealing with two very normal people, an aspiring businesswoman and a private eye. Lots of crazy side characters were born and fun hijinks ensued.

***

Thanks for stopping by, Isabelle! Readers, would you like to sample a taste of 1950s romance glamor? Leave a comment or question for your chance to win a signed print copy of Isabelle's two-book collection, featuring both CINEMATIC ROYALTY and DARK HOLLYWOOD NIGHTS. Maybe answer of of these questions: Who's your favorite 1950s Hollywood star, and what movie from that era do you love the most? I'll draw a winner at random next Sunday. Void where prohibited. Best of luck!

Excerpt Thursday: Isabelle Santiago

This week on Excerpt Thursday we're featuring Freya's Bower author Isabelle Santiago's lighthearted murder mystery, DARK HOLLYWOOD NIGHTS, set in 1950s Hollywood. Join us Sunday when Isabelle will be here to talk Hollywood gossip and give away a copy! Here's the blurb:

A hair's breath away...

Alexis Grant's only job is to keep the prestigious Winmont Hotel running smoothly while her cousin, Charles Witmore, enjoys his honeymoon. The only problem: things begin to fall apart the moment he leaves. The pompous Chase Branton, who's determined to get access to one of her off limits celebrity clients, doesn't help.

Can she keep it together long enough to earn a managerial position of her own, or will a high profile death cause all of her dreams to shatter?

***

"I want a real man, Chase." She lifted a thin brow, her eyes glittering mischievously. They looked even brighter, glowing cerulean, if that was even possible. "A man who's going to treat me like a woman should be treated."

Brown eyes watched her, hungry. Chase tightened his grip even more. He suspected she'd have bruises on her pale, milky skin by the morning. He didn't care. She was throwing herself into the lion's pit, as though he could somehow save her. He was a private investigator, not a superhero.

"You're crazy," he whispered, not low enough to avoid being heard. She got the message loud and clear. He saw it in the way her lips twitched struggling to hide a smile. "If you think I'm going to let you leave me...." He finished, giving in, playing along with her dangerous game.

"The lady's decided." The goon stepped forward. His body, too tall and thick to avoid being awkward, waddled. Chase snickered. He looked like a penguin. "What's funny?" the man spat out, stopping short. He grimaced.

"Yea, what's funny?" Lexi egged on, ripping herself from his grasp. She tiptoed forward. Her hips swayed with each step, an exaggerated swish of her body from side to side. He had to hand it to her. Her undercover face was nearly flawless.

It didn't help that she'd developed a sudden sex appeal he hadn't seen in her before. Under the layers of composed, if not completely ungraceful exterior, was a woman begging to come out. "I've made my choice, Chase," she said, interrupting his thoughts, lifting her eyebrows as she turned beside the goon. Her hand drifted carefully behind the man beside her. Chase held his breath. Her long fingers were only inches away from the gun that hung on his holster. She was crazy.

Chase did the only thing he could. He stepped forward and swung.

His knuckles cracked as bone met bone. Lexi shrieked somewhere to his right. He didn't get time to react before large, heavy fists pummeled him. He fought against the idiot who held his arms behind him so that his penguin friend could swing his huge, gorilla hands at his face. Everything became a blur until the metallic click of a gun unlocked broke through the haze. Silence fell. Heavy, deafening silence against the panting breaths of three men frozen in place, staring.

She was quite a sight. Nearly five foot six judging by his own height, milky-white skin spilled over beautiful bone structure, limp obsidian hair and sapphire eyes. In all her femininity, there was something deadly about the way she held the gun in her hands. With authority. Like she'd held a gun before. Chase swallowed hard. God, he hoped she'd held a gun before.

"Excuse me, gentlemen," she said, her voice silky. "As flattered as I am by all the attention, what I'd really love is a booth right next to that man over there." She pointed inside. The two goons didn't move, didn't let him go, but their heads turned to follow her line of sight. Chase stared at her in disbelief. Their gazes met. She winked. The gangsters turned back toward her, and their hands slowly released him. "I'd also love your biggest bottle of wine. Today's been quite a doozy."

Love Affairs: Doug & Mary

By Delia DeLeest

Before there was Brad and Angelina, or Brad and Jen, or Angelina and Billy Bob or any other Hollywood couple known only by their first names, there was Doug and Mary, the very first king and queen of Hollywood. American royalty.

Mary Pickford's star rose in 1913 and she soon became the most popular actress in the world, she stayed at that pinnacle until 1930. She wasn't just popular, she was the epitome of stardom for seventeen years. There has never been an actress able to duplicate her accomplishment and in today's world where actors are old news after five years, there probably never will be. She was known as America's Sweetheart and made millions playing "the girl with the golden curls".

Douglas Fairbanks was the action hero of his day. If there was a swashbuckling pirate or a mythical hero to be played, Fairbanks was there. He was the man all the ladies loved and all the men wanted to be. When Doug and Mary met in 1916, the sparks flew. Because they each had other spouses at the time, they didn't become free to marry each other until 1920, about two weeks after Mary's divorce became final.

They set up housekeeping in a Hollywood mansion they called Pickfair and it soon became the place to go when dignitaries visited America. An invitation to Pickfair was your ticket into the world of Hollywood's, and America's, elite.

Shortly before their marriage, Doug and Mary also went into business together. Along with fellow actor, Charlie Chaplin and prominent director, D.W. Griffith, they formed United Artists motion picture studio. This not only enabled these four luminaries to choose which pictures they wanted to make, but gave them the means to write, produce and direct in addition to acting.

United Artists became very successful and Doug and Mary became even richer and more powerful than they'd been before. What makes Doug and Mary so unusual in their world of money and success was that they had a deep love for each other, one that could not be faked for the benefit of their fans and the movie cameras. What Doug and Mary had was real.

Anyone who's seen Singing in the Rain knows of the upset talking pictures created in silent era Hollywood. Though they were both wonderful, competent actors, talkies threw Doug and Mary both off their game and neither ever recovered.

With a lot of energy and no way to expend it now that his movie making was greatly reduced, Douglas took to world travel, something Mary despised. She was content to spend her time quietly at Pickfair, ruling her kingdom from behind the high walls of her castle. In 1930, Doug met Lady Sylvia Ashley and began an affair that, three years later, resulted in his and Mary's divorce. Hollywood's golden couple was done.

Doug went on to marry Sylvia and a year later, Mary married band leader Buddy Rogers. In 1939, Doug died in his sleep of a heart attack. Though Mary died many years later (1979) after being married to Rogers for 40 years, it was believed that they both still loved each other till the end, always regretting their inability to reconcile.

Of course, this could also just be wishful thinking on behalf of their fans and of those who want to believe in Hollywood happily-ever-afters, I know that's where my sentiments lie.

Famous People: Hollywood Fame

By Penny Ash

Hollywoodland. A name that conjures up images of glamor and fame, glitter and excitement, and even seediness and the shabby. Place of the fantastic, where a lowly waiter or maid could suddenly be "discovered" and rocket to stardom, like Lana Turner did. In Hollywood, you could stop in at a restaurant and maybe see your favorite star. Along with Las Vegas, it's a place you can mention practically anywhere in the world and find it recognized.

It started out as a planned community built where the old Spanish ranchos had been and flourished until a lack of water made it necessary to annex it to Los Angeles. Then in 1911 the first film studio arrived, The Nestor Company. Cecil B. DeMille and D. W. Griffith arrived soon after and the boom began. The area was perfect for making movies, with it's open spaces and good climate. The sign arrived in 1923 to advertise a real estate development. The arrival of the thousands of people it takes to make movies meant everyone needed a place to live.

By 1949, the sign had badly deteriorated. The Chamber of Commerce took over, fixed it up, and removed the last four letters. It wasn't long before Hollywood became the trademark for an entire lifestyle. But it didn't last. As the world changed and movie making began to compete with TV, the condition of the sign deteriorated again.

In the 1970s and early 1980s, another push was launched to "Save the Sign." People like Hugh Hefner campaigned to repair the icon, and people like Alice Cooper bought letters. It was vandalized several times and used to make political statements through the 1980s.

The sign and its condition has always been a metaphor and a mirror for the condition of the town, a beacon for those wanting fortune and fame, glamor and glitz, and fantasy. It will continue to draw people as long as people are dazzled by fame.

Famous People: Mae West

By Jacquie Rogers

American stage and film actress Mae West was not only the first woman to make a million dollars in the entertainment business, her work rescued Paramount Studios from oblivion and debt. She was a formidable financial force and made a lot of money for a lot of people.

"Any time you've got nothing to do and lots of time to do it, come on up." ~ Mae West

This amazing woman was born in 1892 and by 1895 was already performing on the vaudeville stage. When she was fifteen, she was a "coltish shimmy dancer" billed as a "sex clown," so her beauty and wit were bankable early on.

"Anything worth doing is worth doing slowly." ~ Mae West

In 1918, she made it to Broadway and appeared in a musical called Sometime. She was tremendously successful as a stage actress. Miss West's early years in vaudeville and stage gave her a venue in which to hone her writing skills. She wrote nearly all her best hits, including five film credits, and her creative talent was noticeably missing on the later films that bombed at the box office.

She wrote a play called Sex and staged it in 1926. This earned her some morals charges and she was arrested twice.

"I believe in censorship. I made a fortune out of it." ~ Mae West

The real fascination with Mae West over the years probably has more to do with the time she lived. She was born in the Victorian era of corsets but society was evolving--not as radically as Miss West, for sure, but her humor certainly reflected the changing values of the day. The Roaring 20s brought a huge social revolution and Miss West was right there to promote pleasure and have fun. Maybe she gave the Depression-weary masses permission to have a good time. Who knows. But her humor struck a cord, and even though she was the first commercially successful blonde bombshell, her humor was appreciated by women as well as men.

"A woman in love can't be reasonable--or she probably wouldn't be in love." ~ Mae West

She starred in her first Hollywood film in Night After Night (1932). She held her own with Cary Grant, WC Fields, and many other leading men of the day. She was a box office hit until . . .

Will Hays of the Production Code Administration (the censors) took a special interest in suppressing her bawdy nature (purely for the good of the country and our families, of course).

...The initial screening of "Klondike Annie" elicited rigorous monitoring from the PCA (Production Code Administration) for its implications of interracial sex, representations of torture and unpunished murder [which undermined the Code's principle of "compensating moral values"], and for casting West as a prostitute...."

Source: (Archive of Cases)

With the censors watching her every move (and not in a good way), Miss West finally gave up on films and went back to the stage. Her humor could not survive the censor's red pen, and we have to surmise that she wasn't having much fun, either.

Mae West lived out her life in and out of show business, but she never quit writing. In the 50s, she wrote the review of brawny men with herself as star, and some say she singlehandedly started the bodybuilder popularity boom. To this day, we love her sometimes wise but always witty one-liners. And she even has a live jacket named after her!

"His mother should have thrown him out and kept the stork." ~ Mae West

Jacquie



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