I'm thrilled to welcome Donna Figueroa today, but before Donna takes over, here's a little bit about her book. And don't forget to check out the excerpt below!
About the Book:What if you were to meet the perfect person - your best friend, soul mate and
the great love of your life - but at the wrong time? That question is at the
heart of Fall Again, a contemporary
romantic series about two working actors set against the backdrop of New York,
Los Angeles and points in-between.
In Beginnings you’ll meet Marc &
Lauren in the optimistic New York City of the late 1980’s. Marc and Lauren meet
when they are very young and building careers as professional actors in New
York. Despite an obvious attraction, decorum dictates that their relationship
remain platonic.
Over time Marc and Lauren find themselves struggling to maintain the façade of
being just friends to those around
them, as well as to each other. Regardless of their best efforts to remain
friends Marc and Lauren fall in love.
Guest Post: It’s what I do
One
of my first professional writing jobs was a play I wrote for the Indianapolis
Fringe Festival where my husband Tony and I performed together. One evening, we
joined another married couple for dinner; performers who also had a show in the
festival.
Christian
and Catalina amazed audiences with magic and telepathy, while our show was
based on our marriage and living in Hollywood.
Catalina
proposed our next show. “You should
do a show about your experiences as actors in Hollywood! People will find it
fascinating.”
This
sounded strange. “But it’s not fascinating! It’s just what we do.”
Catalina
disagreed. “Not to people outside of the industry who are dying to know about
the real Hollywood! I’ve enjoyed
listening to your stories and others would too!”
Hollywood
is a city, an industry and a state of mind. For me, it’s also home.
I
never wrote that show, but never forgot Catalina’s words.
When
I began to write Fall Again, I
focused on bringing the tortured romance of Marc and Lauren to life. But
remember, this is also a story about the lives of working actors. I soon found myself thinking about my own
experiences in the industry along with experiences of my fellow actors. Many of
these events found their way into my manuscript and became elements in the
careers of the actors in Fall Again.
When
we first meet Lauren Phillips, she’s just completed her first day of work on a
network soap, the fictional Clayton’s
Crossing. For years, daytime dramas provided work and on the job training
for many actors. My first job on network television was on NBC’s Days of Our Lives. Like Lauren, I was
nervous…especially when I learned that my scene was with Genie Francis, formerly
Laura Spencer on General Hospital,
and soap opera royalty! This was Genie’s first day as reporter Diana Colville. She comes to Salem’s University Hospital
searching for someone who can identify a person in a photograph and approaches
the nurse at the desk…me! I had five lines of dialogue that day. Ten days later
I was back on set, and would return to DOOL
regularly as Nurse Evelyn for ten years.
Lauren
will eventually book a job as a guest star on a sitcom. The event was inspired
by my own appearance on The Robert Guillaume Show. Yes, I was thrilled when I
booked the job and loved working with Robert. But for me this was just another
job; it’s what I do. For every amazing day in an actor’s career, there
are ten or more ordinary days.
As an actor, I’m not always in control. But as
a writer I’m in complete control! In Fall
Again I’ve created a world that provides a realistic glimpse into the lives
of working actors. Hopefully I’ve
dispelled some misconceptions of my profession while telling Marc and Lauren’s
love story. I want my readers to experience the triumphs and heartbreaks
throughout my character’s careers, and most importantly, enjoy their journeys!
Excerpt
He heard her quick light footsteps
coming up the three flights of stairs before she finally came into view on the
landing at the bottom of last flight of stairs.
As Lauren Phillips turned the corner
she looked up at Marc and stopped, seeming surprised. “Marc?”
Marc responded as he took notice of the
striking woman at the bottom of the stairs. “Yeah.”
An expression of pleasant recognition crossed
her face. “Oh my God… Marc Guiro! I didn’t realize that Mel’s friend Marc… was
you!” She confidently bounded up the last flight of stairs seeming very happy
to see him.
But Marc was confused. This girl appeared to know him, but as far as
he knew he had never laid eyes on her.
Lauren quickly realized this. “I’m
Lauren Phillips. I went to NYU and we lived in Weisman Hall at the same time
the last two years you were in school.
We were in different towers but I saw you in the cafeteria and in the
laundry room from time to time. You were
two years ahead of me… but we were in a dance class together one semester.”
Marc looked at her closely. “I only
took two dance classes while I was at NYU.” He continued to look at her
blankly.
Lauren tried not to take this
personally and attempted to play off the situation with humor. “Well whichever class you’re thinking of now…
I was probably in the other one.”
Lauren flashed a cool controlled smile
at Marc as Mel came into the hallway.
“Lauren…you made it!”
Lauren ran to her roommate giving her a
big hug. “Thank you for today! It was
wonderful!”
Mel didn’t want to take credit for booking
Lauren on her show. Casting liked her
look and personality. All she had done
was to deliver Lauren’s photograph and resume to the Clayton’s Crossing’s casting department. “No, Lauren that was all
you. I just gave casting your
photograph. Once they called you in for
your interview I was out of it.”
Lauren was suddenly aware that she was
ignoring Marc and looked back towards him.
“Mel got me a day of background work on
Clayton’s Crossing today!” Her
excitement was getting the best of her.
“So I’ve heard. That’s great!
Why don’t you both come inside?”
Marc ushered them both into the apartment
while still questioning himself. Had he
ever met this girl? He would have
remembered.
Lauren was attractive. She had deep set dark brown eyes and dark
hair which she was wearing pulled back into a perfect lose ponytail. He could see that she was wearing a lot of makeup,
but she would be after a day on set. The makeup only enhanced her high cheekbones
and smooth skin. She was dressed nicely
in a gauzy long Indian skirt and blouse that she wore belted which showed off a
tiny waist. She was slender. Over her
shoulder she carried a large tobacco colored leather satchel.
But Marc found himself looking beyond
her physical appearance. She had what
some might call a sparkling personality, not to mention a bright and wonderful
smile. Lauren’s energy was contagious. When she came up the last flight of
steps toward him, it was as if someone had turned on an incredibly bright
light.
Bio
Donna Figueroa is an actor and writer living and working in Los Angeles
CA. She has worked on stage and on the
big and small screens. Her credits include appearances on several daytime
dramas, voiceovers for animation, commercials and industrial projects, and
several television commercials.
She
is a producer and storyteller at The Story Salon, Los Angeles’s longest running
storytelling venue where she has written, performed and developed 3 one person
shows.
Donna
considers herself an athletic shopper always in search of the ultimate bargain.
She
lives in Hollywood with her husband writer/comedian Tony Figueroa, and their
three neurotic cats.
