Laura
asked
Martin Turnbull:
As requested, a review has been posted about "The Trouble with Scarlett" by me. Count me as your latest fan for life! Care to share your secret to your excellent research to a fellow aspiring writer?
Martin Turnbull
Laura! I've just read the review you left for "The Trouble with Scarlett" - thank you so much for taking the time to compose such a long and thoughtful review! I appreciate it very much. Fan for life - I like it!
As for research...I have a "big plan" for these books - 9 novels covering the history of Hollywood's golden era from 1927 to 1959, which is both the heyday of Hollywood and the years the Garden of Allah was open. So I started out by reading every Hollywood-related autobiography and memoir I could get my hands on and spent a year sitting on the couch reading and taking notes. When I wanted to expand on a certain situation or describe a certain place, I'd jump on the internet and google for images or more detailed accounts of something that may have been just mentioned in passing in someone's biography. I don't recall a situation where I was able to find nothing. I found contradicting accounts of an event or situation, in which case I'd usually use a meshed version of the two. Often I'll use Wikipedia as a starting point, but then go to the references section at the bottom to see exactly where the Wiki got its information.
Hope that helps, and thanks again for the review. And let me know what you think of Book 3 - "Citizen Hollywood"!
As for research...I have a "big plan" for these books - 9 novels covering the history of Hollywood's golden era from 1927 to 1959, which is both the heyday of Hollywood and the years the Garden of Allah was open. So I started out by reading every Hollywood-related autobiography and memoir I could get my hands on and spent a year sitting on the couch reading and taking notes. When I wanted to expand on a certain situation or describe a certain place, I'd jump on the internet and google for images or more detailed accounts of something that may have been just mentioned in passing in someone's biography. I don't recall a situation where I was able to find nothing. I found contradicting accounts of an event or situation, in which case I'd usually use a meshed version of the two. Often I'll use Wikipedia as a starting point, but then go to the references section at the bottom to see exactly where the Wiki got its information.
Hope that helps, and thanks again for the review. And let me know what you think of Book 3 - "Citizen Hollywood"!
More Answered Questions
Grace
asked
Martin Turnbull:
I loved your first book, and just started the second book. Did you have to get any sort of permission from descendants or estate holders to use people like George Cukor, All Nazimova, and Tallulah Bankhead as supporting characters? I'm currently writing a historical fiction story featuring a 30s actress as one of the main characters and I wanted to make sure all my legal ducks were in a row. Thanks!
Glen
asked
Martin Turnbull:
Thank goodness Martin, I look forward to seeing your name up there on the credits. I just ordered Res in the Beds. I am ordering these through Amazon. Is that the best place to get them? Would it be better through Barnes & Noble or another seller? Want to make sure you are getting the full credit there as well.
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