Hollywood and Velvet is a gripping tale of fame’s seductive and destructive power, following a struggling actor and a faded starlet as they navigate a surreal, volatile bond in the heart of Beverly Hills. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

I was living in Cincinnati in 2013 and one of my favorite bands, The National, released an album called Trouble Will Find Me. I listened to that album obsessively and over the course of several months, the vibe of the album inspired a narrative of a young guy from Cincinnati who gets out of the military and takes the risk that I never did. He heads to LA on a whim and has some early success in the film industry but ultimately, gets consumed by it. The story has some psychosexual elements to it, so I put the manuscript on the back burner because I felt society wasn’t ready for it. In 2023, I was already living in Florida, but I had the opportunity to see The National live in Cincinnati and their entire set was the entire Trouble Will Find Me album. That concert was a surreal, creative catalyst for me. I went back to my hotel, opened the manuscript, and put the finishing touches on it through the night. Looking at the recent mainstream successes of psychosexual projects like The Handmaid’s Tale and Babygirl, I felt the time was right to release it.

The book offers sharp commentary on the entertainment industry. Was this drawn from personal experience or research?

I had the opportunity in my youth to participate in some film productions and I fell in love with the process. However, even as a teenager in the 80s, I was already aware that the path to being a professional actor leads to heartache 99% of the time so I ended up enlisting in the military after high school and later, pursuing some business ventures which fortunately, ended up giving me the freedom in my 40s to explore my creative endeavors. The narrative I developed for the story was based on a compilation of publicized stories of abuse as well as many that are still circulating throughout Los Angeles but haven’t been made public yet.

What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?

With the exposure of the abuse in Hollywood over the past several years, I have heard a lot of people blame the victims and wonder why they didn’t “just walk away.” That is an oversimplified perspective. When you dedicate your entire life to pursuing a dream, it’s unrealistic to expect someone to walk away from their dreams because of one disgusting person.

I also wanted to explore the complexity of sexual assault and why it is often not reported. It is a trauma that doesn’t come with a natural way to cope. It creates a plethora of emotions and, as we have seen in hundreds of cases, the blame often falls on the victim.

And, of course, I wanted to explore the addictive power of fame. Both of the main characters have had a taste and in their own ways, are seeking to recapture the feeling. Fame can be like a drug. Once you are addicted, you will crave it your entire life.

The dynamic between Velvet and Christian is tense and intimate. How did you approach writing their evolving relationship?

Velvet was the easier character to develop because of the nature of the story. I had some flexibility with her because the reader never really knows the real person. I actually love hearing readers’ retrospective analysis, contemplating which of Velvet’s actions were genuine, which were contrived to manipulate Christian, and which were performance. Christian was a bit more rigid. I had to allow his character to grow and evolve but always maintain his core personality and beliefs. Their relationship was complicated by Velvet’s complexity and constantly changing behavior. I had to carefully consider how Christian would respond to it. It was important to develop him the way I did because a much more assertive or impulsive person would walk away from the situation. Most readers figure out that he was chosen to be in Velvet’s scheme because of his personality.

Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website | Amazon