Stars Collide: The Story Behind the Story
Stars Collide is a story within a story—about two sitcom stars who are in love on their show. . .and in real life. If you want to know how and why I decided to write this Hollywood-driven tale, I'll have to take you back to the summer of 1978, when my father moved our family to Los Angeles so that he could get into the movie business. At that time, I was just a young Texas girl—a wide-eyed wannabe who felt like a fish out of water in the Hollywood world of glitz and glam. My dad had an idea for a movie, but didn't want to write it, so he handed the project off to me. Thus began my (tentative and terrifying) writing career.
Our co-authored screenplay (Liar's Moon) went on to be produced as a movie in the early '80s, starring a young kid named Matt Dillon. I moved back to Texas, and eventually started penning inspirational novels, primarily romantic comedies. However, a piece of my heart has always clung to that wonderful summer in L.A., where doors first opened for me and possibilities seemed endless. Watching my father work as a producer laid the foundation for my whole career as a writer. And becoming a member of the Screenwriter's Guild at the tender age of 19 gave me the tools I needed to offer readers a glimpse into this magical world called Tinseltown.
When I first came up with the idea for Stars Collide (and the rest of the books in the "Backstage Pass" series) I wanted to pay tribute to my father, who passed away in '06. If he hadn't pushed me to co-author that screenplay back in L.A., I wouldn't be a writer today. I knew that I needed to craft a story he would love, so, of course, I set it in Hollywood. And it had to have a few twists and turns, because my father taught me early on that careful plotting makes for an exciting story! I could think of no greater place to set my tale than smack-dab in the middle of a Hollywood sitcom, so that's what I did. Kat and Scott (who play the characters of Angie and Jack on the sitcom) are in love. . .both on set and off. But neither has the courage to tell the other, (at first, anyway).
The "Backstage Pass" series takes the reader on a fast-paced ride through the sometimes-crazy, sometimes-serious world of Tinseltown, where the rich and famous aren't always as they appear on-screen. The first book in the series (Stars Collide) is about the lead actress in the fictional "Stars Collide" television sitcom. Book two (Hello! Hollywood) is about the head writer on the sitcom. Book three (yet unnamed) is about the female director of the sitcom.
I did my best to portray both Old Hollywood and new in this fun new series, leaning on several of the great films from days gone by as inspiration. I hope my readers enjoy the stories as much as I enjoyed penning them!
