Trouble in Glamour Town by S.R. Mallery

Happy Friday eve, dear readers! Today I am hosting an interview with S.R. Mallery, author of Trouble in Glamour Town! I also have a giveaway so be sure to check that out!


Hello Sarah and welcome to Passages to the Past! Thanks so much for stopping by today to talk about Trouble in Glamour Town!

Thanks for interviewing me, Amy! Enjoyed thinking about your questions!

What inspired you to write Trouble In Glamour Town?

I am the daughter of a television writer. My father scripted works from the 1950s Golden Age Of Television through the 1970s. During the early years when we were living in New York City, my parents would have their writer friends and spouses over to watch each one of my dad’s episodes whenever it aired. It was a big deal. My brother would crash in his bedroom, but I couldn’t sleep. I was too excited by the hubbub happening in our living room. Unbeknownst to the grownups, I would sit high up in the shadows of our stairs in my PJ’s and listen. I loved the clink of cocktail glasses mixing in with the articulate yet boisterous chatter. One minute the guests would be nonstop talking, the next, there was a hushed silence as they all listened with rapt attention to the show playing on the small-screened television set. Then, as soon as a commercial came on, they would again be gabbing away, this time with high praise for my dad, and heavy analyses of the production.

That ritual continued through my teen years, after my parents had moved us out to Los Angeles. Luckily many of their writer friends had also become transplanted East Coasters. A teenager by then, I was invited to these get-togethers (no alcohol allowed for me, of course!). It was at those parties that I would hear all sorts of stories about Hollywood, both past and present, and I loved it. I also enjoyed going on the television sets of my father’s work, watching not only the actors but also the directors, the crew members (those “grips” were hunky!), and various people wandering in and out. Loved the atmosphere; had no desire to act.

So, when I started to think about writing a murder mystery, the idea of Hollywood came crashing back to me. And because I relish the research process, I decided to go back further than the fifties. Back beyond the thirties and forties. I started exploring the silent flicks of the 1920s, and as soon as I discovered all the corruption that was happening in Los Angeles during that time, I thought, Bingo! This is it.

Who are your writing inspirations?

a) Harper Lee, for her touching characters and story in “To Kill A Mockingbird,” which grabbed my heart. Her marvelous show-don’t-tell prose inspired my writer’s prose journey.

b) Authors De Maupassant, O. Henry, and the TV series, “Twilight Zone” and “Hitchcock Hour,” all for their wonderful twist endings. It never occurred to me what an influence they all had on me until several reviewers mentioned that my stories in TALES TO COUNT ON reminded them of these sources.

c) Mary Stewart, Victoria Holt, and Daphne du Maurier for their page-turning plots that also satisfied my romantic yearnings.

What was the first historical novel you read?

I can’t actually remember exactly which one came first, but I know I loved, “Jane Eyre,” “The Three Musketeers,” and “The Count of Monte Cristo.”

What was the last historical novel you read?

That’s easy. Ellie Midwood’s “A Motherland’s Daughter, A Fatherland’s Son: A WWII Novel”. Excellent!

What appeals to you most about your chosen genre?

Research–Research–Research–Research!

I realize that writing historical fiction takes up a lot more time than writing other genres. I’ve also been told repeatedly that my research shows and have even been appreciated for that. The truth is, all that exploration does come at a cost. However, although I haven’t produced as many books as I would like, whenever I delve back into past eras, it triggers ideas about characters, plots, and scenes, and you can’t beat that! It also gives me an insight into earlier times, when, much like today, the good came along with the bad.

What do you like to do when you aren’t writing?

I love to take walks as I listen to Pandora or talk on the phone with family and friends. I also enjoy watching movies and TV series with my hubby close by and our cat, Junebug, pressed against me, chirpy-purring her little heart out.

Lastly, what are you working on next?

I’m currently working on two books. The first one is a novella called, TENDER ENEMIES, which will be part of a boxed set entitled, LOVE UNDER FIRE, due out in November. Here is that book’s blurb:

It’s 1941 in New York City, a time before Pearl Harbor, when Nazi spies are everywhere in the U.S. and no one knows who’s working for whom. In comes beautiful Lily, paid to gather intelligence by setting up a “honey trap” for Joe Stiles, a supposed German infiltrator. Problem is, she soon faces a danger she isn’t prepared for––falling in love.

The second book is a sequel to my historical western romance, The Dolan Girls. Not sure when that will be coming out. After that, maybe a cozy/time travel series...we’ll seeeee.



Trouble In Glamour Town by S.R. Mallery

Publication Date: November 12, 2017
eBook & Paperback; 202 Pages
ISBN-13: 978-1979566070

Genre: Historical Fiction/Romance/Mystery


Murder. Corruption. Romance. Movie stars. A modern day TV shoot ‘em up?

No. It’s 1926 Old Hollywood, and a film producer is gunned down in cold blood. In comes Rosie, a pretty bit-player, who, in spite of her stage-mother’s expectations, just longs to be happy. Silent screen idols Clara Bow, Gloria Swanson, Lon Chaney, and Rudolph Valentino float in and out, as Los Angeles’ corruption is exposed, the era described, and a chase to find the killer revs up before there’s another hit.

"Trouble in Glamour Town is very historically accurate, portraying the real workings of the Hollywood sleaze, dishonesty and corruption happening at that time. S.R. Mallery is a gifted author who drew me into the story from the first word and kept me reading until the very last page...Trouble in Glamour Town is an old fashioned type of murder mystery story and is a very good read." - Trudi LoPreto for Readers' Favorite

Amazon US | Amazon UK

About the Author

S.R. Mallery, two-time READERS’ FAVORITE Gold Medal Winner, has been labeled nothing short of 'eclectic'. She has been a singer, a calligrapher, a quilt designer, and an ESL teacher. As a writer, History is her focus and is woven into her stories with a delicate thread. When people talk about the news of the day, or listen to music, her imagination likens the story to a similar kind of news in the past and is conjuring up scenes between characters she has yet to meet.

S.R. Mallery's books include The Dolan Girls, Genteel Secrets, Unexpected Gifts, Sewing Can Be Dangerous And Other Small Threads, Tales to Count On, and Trouble in Glamour Town.

For more information, please visit S. R. Mallery's website. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Goodreads.

Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, May 7
Review at A Bookaholic Swede

Tuesday, May 8
Feature at View from the Birdhouse

Wednesday, May 9
Review at SilverWoodSketches

Thursday, May 10
Feature at Just One More Chapter

Monday, May 14
Review at Donna's Book Blog

Tuesday, May 15
Feature at So Many Books, So Little Time

Wednesday, May 16
Interview at SilverWoodSketches

Friday, May 18
Review at E. Lizard Breath Reads

Monday, May 21
Review at 100 Pages a Day

Tuesday, May 22
Feature at Broken Teepee

Thursday, May 24
Interview at Passages to the Past

Friday, May 25
Review at A Chick Who Reads
Review at LadyJ's Bookish Nook

Giveaway

During the Blog Tour we will be giving away four eBooks of Trouble in Glamour Town! To enter, please enter via the Gleam form below.

Giveaway Rules

– Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on May 25th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Giveaway is open internationally.
– Only one entry per household.
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.
– Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.

Trouble in Glamour Town


1 comment:

  1. Thank you SO much for this interview, Amy! You helped bring back my childhood to me. Just remembering my parents' get-togethers with their writer friends brings back great memories. And thank you so much for this tour! <3

    ReplyDelete

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