Dana Aynn Levin's Blog, page 2
December 9, 2014
Sneak preview - the betrayal
A man betrays his son.
A son betrays his lover.
And a naive young woman pays the price.
In this second book in the Hollywood Princess series, Elizabeth Jacobs is having the summer of her life. She's working with her father at his movie studio all week, and spending romantic weekends with Danny, on location in Vancouver, working for Steve.
But something isn't right with Danny when the summer ends, and he arrives back at their home in Malibu. And the couple's return to Donnelly College in upstate New York for their sophomore year, doesn't help, either.
Soon, Elizabeth is confronted with the devastating reality that will tear at her heart, and blow her world apart. The Betrayal follows Elizabeth and Danny as they cope with the emotional upheaval caused by Danny's poor choices, and the cruel plots hatched by others. Indeed, Elizabeth and Danny find that they are both the victims in another's long-standing plan of revenge.
To recover, Elizabeth must decide whether she can love a man when she doesn't trust him. Can Danny ever earn it back? How do you get over a man, when he's the only one you've ever loved? Elizabeth must find the inner strength and resolve to do just that. Will she succeed? Or will Elizabeth get the ultimate revenge, by finding a new love?
The Betrayal - the second installment in the Hollywood Princess series will be out in Spring 2015. Though I'm still editing it, and I don't have the cover art finished, I've decided to start posting portions on WattPad. Follow the link below and enjoy the first few pages. I will periodically be posting more.
http://www.wattpad.com/86847354-the-betrayal-book-2-of-the-hollywood-princess?d=ud
A son betrays his lover.
And a naive young woman pays the price.
In this second book in the Hollywood Princess series, Elizabeth Jacobs is having the summer of her life. She's working with her father at his movie studio all week, and spending romantic weekends with Danny, on location in Vancouver, working for Steve.
But something isn't right with Danny when the summer ends, and he arrives back at their home in Malibu. And the couple's return to Donnelly College in upstate New York for their sophomore year, doesn't help, either.
Soon, Elizabeth is confronted with the devastating reality that will tear at her heart, and blow her world apart. The Betrayal follows Elizabeth and Danny as they cope with the emotional upheaval caused by Danny's poor choices, and the cruel plots hatched by others. Indeed, Elizabeth and Danny find that they are both the victims in another's long-standing plan of revenge.
To recover, Elizabeth must decide whether she can love a man when she doesn't trust him. Can Danny ever earn it back? How do you get over a man, when he's the only one you've ever loved? Elizabeth must find the inner strength and resolve to do just that. Will she succeed? Or will Elizabeth get the ultimate revenge, by finding a new love?
The Betrayal - the second installment in the Hollywood Princess series will be out in Spring 2015. Though I'm still editing it, and I don't have the cover art finished, I've decided to start posting portions on WattPad. Follow the link below and enjoy the first few pages. I will periodically be posting more.
http://www.wattpad.com/86847354-the-betrayal-book-2-of-the-hollywood-princess?d=ud
December 5, 2014
RomCon Guest Blog of the day
Check it out! I'm so excited to share this with you. Click on this link to see my post as Guest Blogger of the Day on RomCon.
http://www.romcon.com/category-romance/hollywood-princess-by-dana-aynn-levin
http://www.romcon.com/category-romance/hollywood-princess-by-dana-aynn-levin
November 18, 2014
Interview
Read my latest interview on Lilith at the link below.
http://lilith.org/blog/2014/11/hollywood-princess/
I'm so excited to have been asked to do this interview by author Yona Zeldis McDonough (You Were Meant For Me). I enjoyed myself immensely, and I think you can tell by reading this Q&A that I had a lot of fun doing it. My answers give you greater insight into who I am, and what in my life helped form the characters and story that is Hollywood Princess.
http://lilith.org/blog/2014/11/hollywood-princess/
I'm so excited to have been asked to do this interview by author Yona Zeldis McDonough (You Were Meant For Me). I enjoyed myself immensely, and I think you can tell by reading this Q&A that I had a lot of fun doing it. My answers give you greater insight into who I am, and what in my life helped form the characters and story that is Hollywood Princess.
October 1, 2014
Let It Go. Your mind, I mean
I've briefly touched on in the About and FAQ sections how I write any and everywhere, and that probably sounds like so much BS. I mean, really, who can do that if you take it literally. Even when I carried a yellow pad seemingly everywhere I went, it wasn't everywhere. And my thumbs don't type that quickly - a couple of sentences of texting is my my outer limit.
So what do I really mean by writing "any and everywhere?" For me, a large portion of my writing is done anywhere but in front of my computer, or with a writing implement in hand. It is done in my head, and like everyone else, I carry that instrument wherever I go. Some of my favorite places to write are while I'm driving, when I'm in the shower, or my all-time favorite and extremely productive location, Disney World resort buses and standing in line for rides. It I know. It sounds dorky, but here's how it works for me.
I tune out everything around me (including small children, but not traffic lights and cars). When possible, I listen to music. It focuses me, I give myself a suggestion to start the process. For example, at one point, Elizabeth and Danny leave Donnelly College for a few days to attend a movie premiere in New York City. I begin with this one thought, New York movie premiere. I imagine the venue and premieres that I've attended there. I picture the guests, how they are dressed, the food they are eating, and which of my characters will be present. By the time the stop light turns green, the dialogue and exposition are forming. I replay the scene over and over, improving it each time, until finally I am either back home with my computer, or I've found a yellow pad.
But what it comes down to is this - I let it go, my mind. I tune out my surroundings, and let imagination take over. By letting it go, creativity has room to blossom.
So what do I really mean by writing "any and everywhere?" For me, a large portion of my writing is done anywhere but in front of my computer, or with a writing implement in hand. It is done in my head, and like everyone else, I carry that instrument wherever I go. Some of my favorite places to write are while I'm driving, when I'm in the shower, or my all-time favorite and extremely productive location, Disney World resort buses and standing in line for rides. It I know. It sounds dorky, but here's how it works for me.
I tune out everything around me (including small children, but not traffic lights and cars). When possible, I listen to music. It focuses me, I give myself a suggestion to start the process. For example, at one point, Elizabeth and Danny leave Donnelly College for a few days to attend a movie premiere in New York City. I begin with this one thought, New York movie premiere. I imagine the venue and premieres that I've attended there. I picture the guests, how they are dressed, the food they are eating, and which of my characters will be present. By the time the stop light turns green, the dialogue and exposition are forming. I replay the scene over and over, improving it each time, until finally I am either back home with my computer, or I've found a yellow pad.
But what it comes down to is this - I let it go, my mind. I tune out my surroundings, and let imagination take over. By letting it go, creativity has room to blossom.
September 21, 2014
Empower Yourself
Though there is no domestic violence storyline in Hollywood Princess, I would feel remiss if I didn't address the recent events in the news. Because of the high-profile of professional football players, a personal tragedy that is often hidden from even the victim's closest friends and relatives, has been pushed to the forefront of the national conversation. Already, the number of calls to victims' hotlines has skyrocketed. While it's sad to learn that so many women need this help, it is heartening to learn that they are now taking the first step by seeking it out.
Domestic violence encompasses much more than a man physically abusing his spouse. There is it's not as easily recognized ugly step-sister, psychological abuse, which can be equally as damaging. It is not alright for a man to control what you do, who you speak to or socialize with, what clothing you wear, etc. And both physical and psychological abuse extend to teens and dating. Just because you're in high school or college, just because he's the popular guy on campus, doesn't mean he's not abusing you. If it doesn't feel right, it probably isn't.
At one point in Hollywood Princess, after a tear-filled, sleepless night, Elizabeth wears sunglasses to class. The professor, whom she and Danny are both close to asks, "Did Mr. Newman give you a black eye?" He says this with sarcasm, but Elizabeth is appalled. She discovered in the previous chapter that Danny did some pretty awful things, but of one thing she is certain; he would never physically hurt her. Elizabeth is certain of this because the men she is close to, her father and Danny's, never have and never would abuse a woman. Further, Elizabeth is confident that Danny would never abuse her because not only has he been raised with these positive role models, he knows with utmost certainty that if he struck her even once, that would be the end. Elizabeth would walk out on him forever.
Too many women are led to believe by their abusers that it is somehow their fault. IT IS NOT! Healthy men find an outlet other than abusing the woman in their lives for their anger and frustration. Speak up. Let the men in your life know that you will not put up with abuse. You deserve better in your life. Empower yourself.
Domestic violence encompasses much more than a man physically abusing his spouse. There is it's not as easily recognized ugly step-sister, psychological abuse, which can be equally as damaging. It is not alright for a man to control what you do, who you speak to or socialize with, what clothing you wear, etc. And both physical and psychological abuse extend to teens and dating. Just because you're in high school or college, just because he's the popular guy on campus, doesn't mean he's not abusing you. If it doesn't feel right, it probably isn't.
At one point in Hollywood Princess, after a tear-filled, sleepless night, Elizabeth wears sunglasses to class. The professor, whom she and Danny are both close to asks, "Did Mr. Newman give you a black eye?" He says this with sarcasm, but Elizabeth is appalled. She discovered in the previous chapter that Danny did some pretty awful things, but of one thing she is certain; he would never physically hurt her. Elizabeth is certain of this because the men she is close to, her father and Danny's, never have and never would abuse a woman. Further, Elizabeth is confident that Danny would never abuse her because not only has he been raised with these positive role models, he knows with utmost certainty that if he struck her even once, that would be the end. Elizabeth would walk out on him forever.
Too many women are led to believe by their abusers that it is somehow their fault. IT IS NOT! Healthy men find an outlet other than abusing the woman in their lives for their anger and frustration. Speak up. Let the men in your life know that you will not put up with abuse. You deserve better in your life. Empower yourself.
September 14, 2014
Life Imitates Fiction
Sometimes life imitates fiction, and in this case, it was really fun!
Last night I experienced my own "Elizabeth Jacobs Moment," when I attended one of those Hollywood events she and Danny Newman expect to be invited to. I had the pleasure of accompanying my husband, the associate producer of the Amazon original series Alpha House, to its Season Two wrap party in New York. What a great time!
It was everything you would imagine it would be: great food, celebrities - series creator Garry Trudeau, series stars John Goodman, Matt Malloy, and Mark Consuelos (and wife Kelly Ripa), among others, and … bowling. Yes, bowling. Sometimes the best Hollywood parties aren't the ones where the guests wear gowns and tuxedos, but the ones where they let their hair down and wear jeans and sneakers.
Of course, this was Hollywood, so it wasn't any ordinary bowling party. On a side street in the Times Square area, in a building you would never notice during the day, this was high-tech, neon, glamour bowling where the lighting is dim, loud music pulsates, and every lane has a big screen playing the latest music videos. In this environment, who cares what your score is.
I may have to use this venue
Last night I experienced my own "Elizabeth Jacobs Moment," when I attended one of those Hollywood events she and Danny Newman expect to be invited to. I had the pleasure of accompanying my husband, the associate producer of the Amazon original series Alpha House, to its Season Two wrap party in New York. What a great time!
It was everything you would imagine it would be: great food, celebrities - series creator Garry Trudeau, series stars John Goodman, Matt Malloy, and Mark Consuelos (and wife Kelly Ripa), among others, and … bowling. Yes, bowling. Sometimes the best Hollywood parties aren't the ones where the guests wear gowns and tuxedos, but the ones where they let their hair down and wear jeans and sneakers.
Of course, this was Hollywood, so it wasn't any ordinary bowling party. On a side street in the Times Square area, in a building you would never notice during the day, this was high-tech, neon, glamour bowling where the lighting is dim, loud music pulsates, and every lane has a big screen playing the latest music videos. In this environment, who cares what your score is.
I may have to use this venue
September 5, 2014
Reality Check
My husband often tells me I don't know how to suspend notions of reality when I am watching a movie. I disagree. But if he means that when a story is in a contemporary setting and I find the holes, he would be right. Nothing ruins a movie faster for me than the hero driving on a street that does not lead to his destination, or the hero taking a train to a stop that I know does not exist, or, well you get the idea.
I have a similar issue with contemporary novels. Usually it's the timeline that doesn't work. Recently I read a book and I actually had to re-read it to try to make sense of the timeline. The way I counted, for the action to fit as written, September and October had to have been a combined 12 weeks in length. In another book, a main character would have had to have left home while still in high school for the action to play out as described. I know that wasn't the case or it would have been a plot point in the story, or at the very least discussed.
In Hollywood Princess, I faithfully respect its contemporary setting. Set mostly in Los Angeles and on a college campus, the standard college semester calendar is strictly adhered to. Locations are trickier. When I wrote Hollywood Princess, the locations existed, but who knows what the future will bring. Please don't get angry if later on you find a location has closed. Similarly, when I am specific regarding driving directions, I am accurate. You can ask your GPS. Finally, for anyone wanting to attend Donnelly College or dine at the Lake House restaurant, these are both fictional, but you may be able to find close substitutes elsewhere in New York State.
I have a similar issue with contemporary novels. Usually it's the timeline that doesn't work. Recently I read a book and I actually had to re-read it to try to make sense of the timeline. The way I counted, for the action to fit as written, September and October had to have been a combined 12 weeks in length. In another book, a main character would have had to have left home while still in high school for the action to play out as described. I know that wasn't the case or it would have been a plot point in the story, or at the very least discussed.
In Hollywood Princess, I faithfully respect its contemporary setting. Set mostly in Los Angeles and on a college campus, the standard college semester calendar is strictly adhered to. Locations are trickier. When I wrote Hollywood Princess, the locations existed, but who knows what the future will bring. Please don't get angry if later on you find a location has closed. Similarly, when I am specific regarding driving directions, I am accurate. You can ask your GPS. Finally, for anyone wanting to attend Donnelly College or dine at the Lake House restaurant, these are both fictional, but you may be able to find close substitutes elsewhere in New York State.
September 2, 2014
Welcome to My new blog
I always thought it would be fun to start a blog, but I never knew where to start. What would I even have to say? But, this week has been so exciting for me, I didn't have to dwell on content development for long. This post has sort of written itself.
You see, two days ago Hollywood Princess was made available for pre-ordering on Amazon. What an overwhelming sensation when, for the first time, you see your work appear on an Amazon search. Suddenly it hits you- I've really written a book! Then relief- I've finished it. No more editing. I can devote my time to the first sequel now.
Indeed, it's hard to believe that my protagonists, Elizabeth and Daniel, were once vague imaginings. That I successfully created their world, including their lives in Hollywood and at college, their families and friends, remains a surprise to me. But I did it! Amazon says so!
You see, two days ago Hollywood Princess was made available for pre-ordering on Amazon. What an overwhelming sensation when, for the first time, you see your work appear on an Amazon search. Suddenly it hits you- I've really written a book! Then relief- I've finished it. No more editing. I can devote my time to the first sequel now.
Indeed, it's hard to believe that my protagonists, Elizabeth and Daniel, were once vague imaginings. That I successfully created their world, including their lives in Hollywood and at college, their families and friends, remains a surprise to me. But I did it! Amazon says so!
