Absolutely True Lies
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Hollywood seems to thrive on salacious, superficial stories that manipulate the truth. Do you find the portrayal of Hollywood in the book to be true to life or an exaggeration?
Hollywood IS an exaggeration. Actors are paid millions of dollars to tell big stories and that carries over into their real lives; to a lesser extent, this also happens to the people working with them. It’s easy to get lost in the world of make-believe. Yes, salacious things happen here. But it’s also true that just as often the gossip is false and used to either gain or deflect attention away from what you don’t want people to talk about.
Let’s talk about Daisy. Different layers of her character are uncovered throughout the book. Was she the most fun character to develop? Is she based on a specific celebrity?
Daisy is not based on a single person, or even a couple of people. Elements of Daisy come from quite a few performers I’ve worked with either as a writer or as a script supervisor. Of course it’s fun to write a person who can literally say anything, but it’s also a delicate balance. Daisy may be a little bananas, but it was important to me that she also be real. One of the major themes in the book is seeing beyond the facade, so I had to be careful to never dehumanize her.
Why do you think America is so fascinated with fame and celebrity life?
Part of it is innate, biological. I’ve read studies about how other species fawn over the alpha in their groups the way we do over movie stars.
I think that our current state of celeb worship has taken things to a different level. Reality TV has created a new sort of aspiration where you don’t need to be an amazing actor or win an Olympic gold medal to become famous. So there’s a level of personal identification we’ve never had before. What I have yet to understand is the desire to watch both the rise and fall of celebs. I know people who’ve been addicted to a show and nearly worshipped the stars only to giggle with glee when those same idols are arrested or cheated on.
You referenced The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills when describing Holly’s introduction to the Dixsons’ lifestyle. Do you watch reality television? What are your favorite shows? What do you think reality television reveals about America’s celebrity culture?
Have you seen RHOBH? It’s fantastic!
But seriously, I do watch a few reality shows. I’ll be the first to admit I can’t turn off RHOBH or RHONJ, and I was a devotee of Dance Moms until the end of season four (those kids are just too cute and talented). And the only two shows I have to watch live (as opposed to on DVR) are Top Chef and Project Runway, because I love food, fashion, and crazy talent (and I can’t handle spoilers!).
I have a lot of industry friends who hate reality TV for changing the landscape of entertainment, but like anything else in life, I think it’s both good and bad. Yes, we’ve made quite a few people famous for absolutely nothing, but I love that talented people from so many different disciplines are getting the attention they deserve. And sometimes it’s educational; I’m a much better cook since I started watching Top Chef!
Was it intentional to name your main character Holly, as a play on words of “Hollywood”?
I’m particular about what I name my characters and I’ve always found “Holly” pretty. In terms of the Hollywood connection, I liked it only because I knew that it would drive someone like Holly crazy.
Holly constantly feels frustrated with Vaughn for failing to make concrete plans with her. “This is one of the many, many things I hate about men,” she thinks to herself. Do you think women are more direct than men when it comes to relationships and their feelings?
I don’t, in fact. I think what Holly’s responding to isn’t men in general, but “the rules” we’re expected to play by in relationships. Wait three days to call, play hard to get . . . I’ve always hated any sort of pretense and Holly gave me an outlet for that frustration. She wants (as I always did, before I was married) a level of honesty that doesn’t exist much in the dating game. Hell, we even call it a game!
Can readers expect a new book starring Holly Gracin in the future? Can you tell us anything about what you’re working on now?
I loved every second I spent with Holly Gracin, and before I was even halfway through the book, I was already inventing new adventures for her in the future. So we’ll see!
As for what I’m working on now, I’m mentally back in Italy, though this time it’s a period piece, which is all I can say for now!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
© MAGGIE ZULOVIC
Rachel Stuhler grew up in Rochester, NY, so obsessed with movies and books that she spent as little time as possible in the real world. In her late teens, this obsession led her first to New York as a production assistant and then to Los Angeles. There, she spent four years working as a script supervisor (and pining after writing jobs) until one day an actor told her, “If you think you can do it better yourself, just do it.”
Within a year, Rachel had sold TV movies to Lifetime and Hallmark and, because she doesn’t know when to quit, began dreaming of writing a novel. After forcing countless crew members, family, and friends to read manuscripts, Rachel came to write Absolutely True Lies. She continues to work on TV movies and plot her next move in world domination, or writing about world domination, which is more fun and a lot less work.
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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2015 by Rachel Stuhler
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First Touchstone trade paperback edition May 2015
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Interior design by Kyle Kabel
Cover design by Eileen Carey
Cover photograph © Becca Wohlwinder Photography/Moment/Getty Images
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.
ISBN 978-1-4767-6302-6
ISBN 978-1-4767-6304-0 (ebook)
Contents
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Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
&nbs
p; Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Reading Group Guide
About the Author