Happy Easter, readers. We're happy to have Georgie Lee on this special day.
Thank you for joining me today and for the lovely
ladies of the Roses of Prose for having me here. Not only is today the last day
of March, but it is Easter. Many of you have probably spent a fun morning
hunting for Easter eggs, attending Easter service or just spending time with
family and friends. In the midst of all this egg and chocolate overload, I’d
like you to take a moment to stop and think about the 1930s.
The 1930s?
Yes, the 1930s, the decade of the Great Depression,
the start of World War II and the golden age of Hollywood, which just happens
to be the setting for my latest release Studio
Relations. It is the story of Vivien Howard, a vivacious female director and Weston
Holmes, a handsome studio executive who must overcome their professional
differences to find love during Hollywood’s golden age.
The 1930’s also brought us a few Easter traditions.
Granted, the decade didn’t contribute as much to the way we celebrate Easter as
it did to the way we celebrate Christmas, but it did add a little something to
the springtime fun.
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Associating bunnies and eggs with Easter
has been around for a long time, but did you know that jelly beans were first
introduced into Easter tradition in the 1930s? They’d been around as a candy
for some time, but for some reason their association with Easter was cemented
in the 1930s.
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The first Easter Seals, the sale of
which benefit services for the disabled, were introduced in 1934. The
organization had been around since 1919, but the seals themselves were not
introduced until 1934.
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The song Easter Parade by Irving Berlin rose to prominence in 1933 as part
of a Broadway review. However, the Fred Astaire version we all know and love didn’t
arrive until 1948.
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You can blame hollow chocolate bunnies
on the 1930’s. According to a Smithsonian.com article, advertisements for
hollow chocolate bunnies first appeared in newspapers in 1939. Debate still
rages as to whether solid or hollow are best.
So, as you enjoy another handful of jelly beans
while Easter Parade drifts out of the
stereo for the last time, please consider curling up with Studio Relations, a story set in the decade that started the hollow
bunny debate and these other Easter traditions.
Studio Relations 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.
Georgie Lee Bio
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.
Social Media Links
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/georgie.lee.96
Twitter:
@GeorgieLeeBooks
Buy Links
Studio
Relations -
http://www.amazon.com/Studio-Relations-ebook/dp/B008RBSNYY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1354932766&sr=8-2&keywords=studio+relations
Excerpt
Studio Relations
By
Georgie
Lee
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.
