SPRING 2007 |
|
|
That is why I am glad to be part of Arabesque’s 2007 Summer Reader Series with a theme set in Hollywood. In Celluloid Memories (July) Savannah Shelton, after caring for her actor father until his death, comes to find out first hand what drew her father to L.A. to try and make it as an actor in a town known for eating its gifted. It is a particularly brutal place for black actors, but Savannah will discover that not only was her father talented enough to survive, he had the respect and admiration of the industry insiders, and other blacks who saw him as a role model. Despite her feelings about Hollywood, Savannah finds herself drawn to the magic when she writes a film script that gets, as the saying goes in L.A., a lot of buzz. Celluloid Memories is also about taking risks, and learning to love as if your heart had never been broken.
Here is the
starred review from Library Journal:
|
When I was a little girl I was fascinated with the idea of living on an island. Then it suddenly hit me that I did! Manhattan island, where I grew up. So it seemed very fitting that I would now get the chance to write about another island in New York...City Island.
Located just south of Orchard Beach, where it is a part of the
borough of the Bronx, City Island is barely a mile long. It is a
small tight knit community once owned and occupied by Native
Americans, and later developing thriving businesses in sail-making.
I’ve always thought there was something exotic and mysterious about
City Island, which is why I thought it would be the perfect setting
for my short story, Home, Sweet Home, about a young man who’d always
wanted to live on the tiny island, and may (or may not) have gotten
his wish by way of death. "Home, Sweet Home" will be published this fall in a collection called BRONX NOIR, with all of the SHORT story entries set in various parts of the borough.
Here is an early review of the collection from Publisher’s Weekly:
|
|
Plans are moving along for the
St. Jude/Harlequin project mentioned in the spring issue of Word Of
Mouth. The project will be the publication of two books of women’s
fiction and romance, in which a secondary plot will incorporate the
research and treatment work done by St. Jude for childhood cancer
diseases. My book will be titled FOR ALL WE KNOW, and will be
set in Memphis, Tennessee, the home of the St. Jude research and
hospital facilities. I will begin working on the book this summer,
but I will not be saying much about the actual story until after
I’ve finished writing.
One morning recently after
awaking, I turned on my TV to find that an infomercial playing that
was all about St. Jude. The program talked about St. Jude’s
treatments and research by showing three young patients and their
families, and talking about each of the diseases the children
suffered from. The stories were poignant and heartbreaking and in at
least one case used in the piece, did not have a happy ending. But
the one thing that most impressed me, besides the dedication and
loving care the hospital staff showed to all the children and their
families, was the bravery of the children themselves, and the
absence of complaints about their condition. It made me want to do
whatever I could to help save them all.
FOR ALL WE KNOW will
introduce an unusual hero, and a heroine drawn to him, but will also
tell the heartfelt story of a child fighting a life-threatening
illness.
More about my project, and
St. Jude, in the months to come. |
|
Of
course, I’m talking Hollywood. Disney World notwithstanding, L.A.
is still the place to be if you’re hoping for fame and fortune.
Despite the odds against making it big, it is the ultimate lottery
for those with talent, determination, and tough skin. In the winter
edition of my newsletter I used Special Report to tell
readers about my experiences on the fringe of the film industry and
my opportunities to meet with producers interested in my work. It
was an amazing adventure!
