Absolutely True Lies

by Rachel Stuhler

  “Sure,” I replied. Actually, I didn’t want to know any of her secrets, but I was a little afraid to say no.

  Cool as a cucumber, Daisy shrugged and winked at me. “I’ve never used cocaine in my life.”

  If she was about to use that bullshit baby powder excuse on me, I was ready to walk right out the door. “I’m sorry?”

  She shrugged again, staring across the room at her mother and the new manager. “I’ve wanted to get rid of Jamie for more than a year now,” Daisy began, sounding like a forty-five-year-old cocktail waitress rather than a teenybopper starlet. “I’m tired of recording these crap songs and working on my mindless show. But every time I brought him a script I liked, he said it wasn’t time yet. Jamie was never very good at seeing the big picture, he’s only ever been concerned about the money coming in right now.”

  “Then why didn’t you fire him?”

  Her jaw set in a tight, determined line. “My parents signed a ten-year contract with him that didn’t expire until I was almost twenty-one. I couldn’t take two more years of his lying and mismanagement. Not to mention, I had three years left with Nickelodeon.”

  I instinctively took a protective step back from Daisy; she was truly scaring me. “So you, what, faked a drug arrest?”

  “All of it. I purposely left the medication suitcase in the back of our car on the way to the airport, I made everyone think I was losing my mind, and then I paid those kids to get cocaine all over me. I figured if the cops caught me red-handed, they wouldn’t bother testing my blood.”

  “But you said Jamie made you take all those pills . . .” I couldn’t make sense of what was happening here. This was turning out to be the strangest day of my life. And considering the last couple of months, that said a lot.

  “He did, but they’re pills. I’m not worried about taking ketamine or Demerol. They’re prescriptions.”

  Okay, so Daisy wasn’t exactly the diabolical mastermind she imagined. “How did you get drugs into Rehabilication?” I had to ask. “That first day I saw you, you were high as a kite.”

  Daisy patted me on the back patronizingly and laughed. “Oh, Holly Bear, there’s no easier place to score drugs than a rehab center. You just need to have money or to be okay with giving blow jobs. And I’ve got both covered.”

  I was in shock. Everything I’d known about my last few months was a lie, a fabrication, or a misunderstanding. I just couldn’t believe that the Italian fiasco had been engineered entirely by a teenage pop star. “Wait a minute—when you asked to have your memoirs written . . .”

  “Please, bitch,” she said, waving me away. “You knew the first day I wasn’t interested in talking about my stupid-ass TV show. I just had to keep things going until you really had something to write about.”

  Holy Mother of God. This girl was positively Machiavellian. “I wish you’d told me that two months ago.” In spite of myself, I laughed. “This would have been a lot less stressful.”

  “I am sorry,” she replied, actually seeming sincere. “But I couldn’t take the chance that you’d rat me out.”

  “What’ll you do now?”

  Daisy turned to me and smiled, her bright white veneers almost gleaming under the overhead lights. “I’m going to live, however I want. But first, I’m going to kick my mother and father the hell out of my house.”

  “Oh,” I said, just remembering something. “Thank you for the bonus. I didn’t expect it.”

  Daisy laced one of her arms around my back and leaned in to me. Without high heels on, she was so much shorter her head barely came to the top of my bra line. “Holly, you were the only thing that got me through this. You deserve every penny.”

  From across the room, Ben caught my eye and smiled.

  EPILOGUE

  When I was a kid, I thought one bad day was the end of the world. If Logan P. called me a name and everyone laughed, I thought that would be my name forever and people would forget to call me Daisy. It sounds silly now, but I think we do the same thing a lot more than we’d like to admit. When a guy breaks up with us, we say, “I’ll never love anyone again.” But we do. When we don’t get the job we want, we say, “My career is over.” But it’s not.

  Tomorrow is not today. And anything can happen tomorrow.

  The day the book was released just happened to be my twenty-sixth birthday. I woke up that morning in my new apartment near the beach and wondered if anyone would buy it. Given that I was owed fifty percent of the royalties, this was no small consideration.

  In the six months since I’d finished writing the book, a lot had changed. Daisy had guest-starred on an acclaimed HBO show as a junkie politician’s daughter and was practically a shoo-in for an Emmy nomination, and she’d just finished shooting that gritty drama with Robert De Niro. Less than a month after her appearance on The View, Deacon came out of the closet and announced that he was leaving his wife for a cabana boy he’d met in Acapulco nine years ago. Faith turned back to her faith and began selling religious-themed jewelry on QVC. They were lovely pieces, and I’d even bought a few of them myself, mostly as a thank-you to my mother and a reassurance that I was no longer destitute. And Donnie and Camille are planning their wedding, which will include me in a lime green dress. I think she knows it’s hideous, but for her, I’ll wear it proudly.

  About a month before the book’s release, Jamie was arrested for statutory rape. According to court documents obtained by CNN, Ariceli’s mother caught the two of them having sex in her hot tub. Jamie went to jail and Ariceli never did record an album. She tried out for one of those television singing competitions, but one of the judges felt she had a “skanky vibe” and she never made it through the first round. One good thing did come out of the arrest, though; as the reviews for the book started to pour in, Jamie’s actions lent a lot of credibility to “Daisy’s” words.

  As for me . . . As I said, I no longer live in that hellhole on Diablorado Street. I have a two-bedroom apartment in Santa Monica, and on days when the smog isn’t too thick, I can actually see the ocean. Smitty spends most of his afternoons perched in the open windows, enjoying the sun and salty air. And in case you were wondering, I didn’t bother painting over Jamie’s cell phone number when I moved out. I figured he deserved a prank call or two.

  Which brings me back to my birthday. I awoke to a wonderful breakfast of pancakes, bacon, and chocolate milk, prepared by my fantastic boyfriend. I’d like to say I enjoyed it, but I was really just counting the minutes until the bookstore opened.

  “Do you think anyone will show up?” I asked. Daisy was going to sign copies at the store right down the street at 10:00 A.M.

  “I’m sure they will,” Ben said, kissing the top of my head.

  We got coffee (or my mocha-ice blended version of coffee, covered in whipped cream) and walked the six blocks to the store. Just before we reached the plaza, I stopped short and buried my face in his shoulder.

  “Oh God, what if no one comes? What if the book sells ten copies?”

  He kissed my forehead sweetly. “If the book sells ten copies, we’ll take that thirty dollars and have a moderately priced lunch. It won’t make any difference.”

  Ben put an arm around my shoulder and resumed walking, giving me no choice but to follow. I just wanted to get this over with. I knew Daisy couldn’t really acknowledge who I was, but she’d asked me to stop by and say hello, just for good luck.

  As I turned the corner into the shopping plaza, I stopped short and gasped. There was a line all the way around the block and an employee was shepherding people behind a rope.

  “We’ll be letting everyone in for the Dixson signing in just a minute,” the harried employee called out to the restless crowd. “But please be patient and bear with us. I promise, we have copies for all of you.”

  I tried not to add up my royalty check just from the people in the line, but I couldn’t help it. “Do you t
hink all of the jobs will be like this one?” I asked Ben.

  He laughed and kissed me. “God, I hope not.” He smiled and winked at me. “What’s the next guy’s name?”

  “Right now, I don’t even care.”

  In fact, there was a next guy, and more clients after that. But that’s a story for another time.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Despite the single name on the cover, it takes an army of people to make any book (or movie) reach an audience, and Absolutely True Lies is no exception. My gratitude spreads far and wide, but most especially to:

  Jennifer Weinbaum Ray, my talented manager at Principal Entertainment, for keeping me employed/sane and helping me grow as a writer. Joseph Weiner of Miloknay-Weiner, for watching my back (in the legal sense). Doug Stewart, from Sterling Lord Literistic, for believing in me and this little book. Lauren Spiegel, my fabulous editor from Touchstone, who saw something special in Holly, and guided me to create the best version of this book. Thanks to my husband and son, for more things than I can count—unconditional love, unwavering support, and story times with crazy accents. To Diddy Riese, for making inspirational ice cream sandwiches I can’t stop writing about (and eating). And to my first readers, who suffered through endless drafts and self-doubt: Jamie Latta, Drew Weaver, Ann Sarnowski, Chrissy Bartz Brockman, Carol Gillis, and Lindsey McCann—your support means the world to me.

  TOUCHSTONE READING GROUP GUIDE

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  ABSOLUTELY

  TRUE LIES

  RACHEL STUHLER

  Holly Gracin has learned that living in Los Angeles as an entertainment writer doesn’t come with any real perks. She makes little money and doesn’t get to write any fun stories about celebrities or attend any swanky events. To top it all off, the fledgling magazine she’s working for suddenly shuts down. Without a paycheck, a job, or a decent apartment, Holly is on the verge of moving back home to upstate New York.

  Desperate and hopeful, Holly accepts a job to write the memoir of eighteen-year-old Daisy Mae Dixson, a Nickelodeon child star, blockbuster actress, and emerging pop star. As soon as Holly embarks on her ghostwriting duties, she quickly discovers that Daisy is not the sweet, wholesome girl that the public has lovingly embraced. Holly follows Daisy around the world as she travels on yachts, drinks heavily, is stalked by paparazzi, and fights with her own staff.

  While accompanying Daisy around the clock, Holly struggles to write the memoir, a task made more difficult when she falls victim to the media’s gossip mill and then becomes embroiled in a love triangle. When Daisy has a very public meltdown, Holly must figure out a way for the book to repair Daisy’s image—without ultimately ruining her own.

  FOR DISCUSSION

  1. The title Absolutely True Lies is a contradiction. Discuss the meaning of this phrase. What is a “true” lie? Have you ever told one? Why did the author choose this as the title of the book?

  2. After accepting her new job as a ghostwriter, Holly worries that she’s in over her head. “I wasn’t qualified to do this job, not in any way, shape, or form, and I guessed it was just a matter of time before Jameson discovered this and canned my ass.” Why does Holly feel this way? Have you ever accepted a job that you felt unprepared for? What did you do?

  3. Several characters refer to their jobs as “play.” Why is that?

  4. When Holly faints in a club, lies are immediately spread about her in the media. How would you react if a lie was told about you, especially one so public?

  5. How does Daisy the person compare to Daisy the celebrity? Does her seemingly wholesome image remind you of any other famous pop stars? Which pop stars do you think may not be as innocent as they appear?

  6. What do you think about Holly simultaneously dating Ben and Vaughn, although neither relationship is official?

  7. When Holly first met the Dixsons, she thought they were the “quintessential American family.” However, once she got to know them, her opinion changed drastically. She says, “As lovely and perfect as they seemed from the outside, in reality they had the market cornered on dysfunction.” What did she learn that changed her mind about the Dixsons? Do you agree with her? How did your feelings about the Dixsons change throughout the book?

  8. Compare Ben and Vaughn. How are they similar? How are they different? Whose feelings for Holly seem more genuine? Are you on Team Vaughn or Team Ben?

  9. How different would this book be if Holly could actually write about Daisy’s reality? Would you maintain Daisy’s good-girl image, or reveal her true self?

  10. When Holly confessed to Ben that she was having trouble capturing Daisy’s voice for the book since Daisy’s real life is not the same as the one she portrays, Ben said, “That’s part of Hollywood life, though. We’re selling a celluloid dream, not reality. People don’t want reality.” What does Ben mean? Do you agree with him that people don’t want to be sold reality? Do you think anything in Hollywood is real, or is it all manufactured for public perception?

  11. When Holly is making her many wishes at the Trevi Fountain, she muses, “I know the popular wisdom is that voicing your wishes cancels them out, but I don’t believe that. I think that all too often, we don’t get what we want because we’re too afraid to put it out there.” Do you agree? Do you think Holly puts herself out there, or is she being hypocritical?

  12. When Daisy disappears, Holly thinks to herself, “I know it sounds terrible, but [Daisy] was the architect of her own destruction and part of me truly felt like she needed to hit some kind of bottom if she had any hope of developing into a decent human being.” Why does Holly think that Daisy needs a fall from grace in order to learn from her mistakes? Do you agree? Are there any celebrities who’ve had public breakdowns, and then ultimately made triumphant comebacks?

  13. Jamie immediately turned his back on Daisy once she went to jail and her reputation in the public eye was at stake. When Jamie reaches out to Holly asking for money, he offers a warning about the Dixsons, saying, “They act like they care about you, but they don’t. They’ll use you and just throw you away. They do it to everyone.” Were you surprised by Jamie’s betrayal? Do you agree with his assessment of the ­Dixsons?

  14. Were you surprised to learn of Vaughn’s real intentions for dating Holly? Did you fall for his charm, too?

  15. Describe what you learn about Daisy by the end of the book. Is she smarter than anyone gives her credit for?

  ENHANCE YOUR BOOK CLUB

  1. Holly hated being followed by the paparazzi. Look through issues of US Weekly or People magazine, or browse your favorite gossip blogs/websites. What kinds of celebrity pictures are published the most in the media? Would you want to be a celebrity? Could you handle the paparazzi following your every move?

  2. Absolutely True Lies gives an insider look at the underbelly of fame and fortune. Read a tell-all celebrity memoir with your book club. Was it scandalous? Did you learn any juicy gossip? Anything about celebrity culture? Did the book capture “the voice” of the star? Try Through the Storm: A Real Story of Fame and Family in a Tabloid World by Lynne Spears or Facing the Music and Living to Talk About It by Nick Carter.

  3. Plan a European getaway to Rome! Visit the Trevi Fountain and make a wish. Like Holly, maybe yours will come true, too! If staying close to home is more your style, throw a Roman holiday–themed book club meeting with your favorite Italian foods, tiramisu, and lots of Italian wine.

  A CONVERSATION WITH RACHEL STUHLER

  Like Holly, you made a career out of ghostwriting a few celebrity memoirs. Are any of Holly’s scandalous experiences based on your own from your ghostwriting days?

  Absolutely True Lies is fiction, but a number of the crazy experiences Holly has are based on things I went through either as a writer or working on film sets. I’ve been forgotten about, and I’ve gone unfed and unpaid for long periods of time. I actually started writing the book as a form of catharsis after a par
ticularly bad day, just needing to get out my frustration in some more positive way than drinking my way through a bottle of ready-made margaritas.

  Absolutely True Lies is your first novel. How does writing a novel differ from ghostwriting a memoir?

  One is pure fiction and the other is a novel! I’m just kidding. Both have their own unique difficulties, but one of the bigger challenges with a memoir is that life doesn’t happen as cleanly as it does in fiction. In a novel, I can come up with transitions and find plot points that work the best, but in a memoir, you have to smooth out a person’s real experiences. And let’s face it, life is bumpy and frequently doesn’t make as much sense.

  Besides Holly, are there any characters in the book that you can particularly relate to? Are any characters based on people you know or have interacted with in your own life?

  Vaughn and Ben both have elements of my husband; the fun, talkative, funny guy I first met (Vaughn) and the smart, sweet, and insanely talented guy I came to know (Ben).

  I also wrote in Axel and Sharla because I have a particular soft spot for the men and women of the “glam squad.” I worked on film sets from nineteen years old to twenty-seven and grew to love the makeup and hair department. Those guys and girls get to set earlier than 90 percent of the crew and have the greatest energy. Most of my haircuts in my twenties came from a set hair stylist, in exchange for a bottle of wine!

  What was your favorite scene to write in the novel?

  That would have to be the two scenes where you really get a glimpse behind the facade of Daisy, first in the jail in Porta Maggiore and again at the party in New York. Daisy was a bit of a revelation to me as I wrote her. I had these ideas of who I wanted her to be and then she took on a life of her own, and both of those scenes are some of my favorite writing.