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Facing Reality: A Love Story
In Hollywood, you go big, or you go home. But how do you know when it's time to face reality?
Then
Paul landed in LA fresh out of film school with a hot new script and bright sunny future. Studio doors were opening, and when he spoke, people listened.
He was poised to be an overnight sensation, Hollywood's newest wunderkind. But Tinseltown is a fickle place...
Now
Paul is drowning in debt, mooching off his girlfriend Maggie, and screening his creditors' phone calls. The money ran out on his movie masterpiece, and he's writing a screenplay no one wants to read.
Desperate, he applies for a job on a reality TV movie.
Hours before his interview, Paul crashes his car in a mad dash to escape the repo man. Undeterred, he limps into the interview, bleeding all over the movie producer's expensive leather couch.
He's hired on the spot.
After so much struggle, Paul finally gets his break. He’s already charting his path to the top.
But this new project is not the brass ring Paul imagined. There is a dark side to the glitz and glamour. As both Paul and Maggie get sucked deeper into La-La-Land's underbelly, they will have to learn the real price of fame.
Ian Bull is the author of the thriller series The Quintana Adventures, about Army Ranger photographer Steven Quintana and movie actress Julia Travers. The Picture Kills and Six Passengers, Five Parachutes are the first two books in the series, and The Danger Game is third book and is out now. He also wrote the romantic crime thriller Liars in Love, and several books of nonfiction. Email him at ianbullauthor@gmail.com, and we'll send you something.
He grew up in San Francisco and lives in Los Angeles with his wife and daughter.
Then
Paul landed in LA fresh out of film school with a hot new script and bright sunny future. Studio doors were opening, and when he spoke, people listened.
He was poised to be an overnight sensation, Hollywood's newest wunderkind. But Tinseltown is a fickle place...
Now
Paul is drowning in debt, mooching off his girlfriend Maggie, and screening his creditors' phone calls. The money ran out on his movie masterpiece, and he's writing a screenplay no one wants to read.
Desperate, he applies for a job on a reality TV movie.
Hours before his interview, Paul crashes his car in a mad dash to escape the repo man. Undeterred, he limps into the interview, bleeding all over the movie producer's expensive leather couch.
He's hired on the spot.
After so much struggle, Paul finally gets his break. He’s already charting his path to the top.
But this new project is not the brass ring Paul imagined. There is a dark side to the glitz and glamour. As both Paul and Maggie get sucked deeper into La-La-Land's underbelly, they will have to learn the real price of fame.
Ian Bull is the author of the thriller series The Quintana Adventures, about Army Ranger photographer Steven Quintana and movie actress Julia Travers. The Picture Kills and Six Passengers, Five Parachutes are the first two books in the series, and The Danger Game is third book and is out now. He also wrote the romantic crime thriller Liars in Love, and several books of nonfiction. Email him at ianbullauthor@gmail.com, and we'll send you something.
He grew up in San Francisco and lives in Los Angeles with his wife and daughter.
204 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 29, 2018
About the author
Ian Bull
22 books8 followersI write fiction as Ian Bull, and nonfiction as Donald Ian Bull. Yes, I have a split personality, but both sides tell great California stories.
As Ian Bull, I've written five novels: the action-adventure trilogy The Quintana Adventures, featuring former Army Ranger turned Hollywood paparazzo Steven Quintana and his "enemy-to-lover," the movie star Julia Travers. These books grab you on page one and catapult you on a global rollercoaster thrill ride.
The series has earned some hardware along the way: The Danger Game won the 2021 New York City Big Book Award for Best Action Adventure and was named a Distinguished Favorite in the Independent Press Awards, and Six Passengers, Five Parachutes was a semi-finalist in the Los Angeles Book Pipeline Competition — one of ten chosen from 5,000 entries — as well as an Honorable Mention at the London Book Festival. Writer's Digest gave the first two books a perfect five out of five stars.
I've also written Liars in Love and Facing Reality: A Hollywood Romance -- stories about love, ambition, and the price of chasing your dreams in Los Angeles.
Both earned four out of five stars in the Writer's Digest competition, which praised their fresh dialogue and deftly drawn characters.
As a TV producer, writer, director, and editor, I've spent 25 years working on some of the most iconic reality shows, including The Real World, Road Rules, The Osbournes, Dr. 90210, Project Runway, The Voice, Beverly Hills Nannies, and more. That world, glamorous on the outside and chaotic underneath, is at the heart of my fiction.
As Donald Ian Bull, I write non-fiction, including a book of essays about swimming, a guidebook on producing reality TV, and a book of the best posts from my blog, CaliforniaBull (dot com).
I grew up in San Francisco, graduated from UC Berkeley, worked at KQED, then moved to Los Angeles for UCLA Film School and never left. I live in Studio City with my wife Robin and daughter Lily.
I love California, I love stories, and I love hearing from readers.
H
As Ian Bull, I've written five novels: the action-adventure trilogy The Quintana Adventures, featuring former Army Ranger turned Hollywood paparazzo Steven Quintana and his "enemy-to-lover," the movie star Julia Travers. These books grab you on page one and catapult you on a global rollercoaster thrill ride.
The series has earned some hardware along the way: The Danger Game won the 2021 New York City Big Book Award for Best Action Adventure and was named a Distinguished Favorite in the Independent Press Awards, and Six Passengers, Five Parachutes was a semi-finalist in the Los Angeles Book Pipeline Competition — one of ten chosen from 5,000 entries — as well as an Honorable Mention at the London Book Festival. Writer's Digest gave the first two books a perfect five out of five stars.
I've also written Liars in Love and Facing Reality: A Hollywood Romance -- stories about love, ambition, and the price of chasing your dreams in Los Angeles.
Both earned four out of five stars in the Writer's Digest competition, which praised their fresh dialogue and deftly drawn characters.
As a TV producer, writer, director, and editor, I've spent 25 years working on some of the most iconic reality shows, including The Real World, Road Rules, The Osbournes, Dr. 90210, Project Runway, The Voice, Beverly Hills Nannies, and more. That world, glamorous on the outside and chaotic underneath, is at the heart of my fiction.
As Donald Ian Bull, I write non-fiction, including a book of essays about swimming, a guidebook on producing reality TV, and a book of the best posts from my blog, CaliforniaBull (dot com).
I grew up in San Francisco, graduated from UC Berkeley, worked at KQED, then moved to Los Angeles for UCLA Film School and never left. I live in Studio City with my wife Robin and daughter Lily.
I love California, I love stories, and I love hearing from readers.
H
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
June 26, 2026
Facing Reality: A Love Story is an engaging contemporary novel that blends romance, ambition, and Hollywood drama into an emotionally compelling story.
Ian Bull crafts an authentic and entertaining portrait of life behind the glamour of the entertainment industry, exploring the challenges of creative ambition, financial struggle, and enduring love. Through relatable characters and an insightful look at the realities behind fame, the novel delivers both emotional depth and engaging storytelling.
Overall, it's an engaging read for fans of contemporary fiction, Hollywood novels, women's fiction, romantic drama, entertainment industry stories, character-driven fiction, aspiring creatives, relationship-centered novels, and readers who enjoy stories about ambition, resilience, and finding what truly matters.
Ian Bull crafts an authentic and entertaining portrait of life behind the glamour of the entertainment industry, exploring the challenges of creative ambition, financial struggle, and enduring love. Through relatable characters and an insightful look at the realities behind fame, the novel delivers both emotional depth and engaging storytelling.
Overall, it's an engaging read for fans of contemporary fiction, Hollywood novels, women's fiction, romantic drama, entertainment industry stories, character-driven fiction, aspiring creatives, relationship-centered novels, and readers who enjoy stories about ambition, resilience, and finding what truly matters.
Displaying 1 of 1 review