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SCARED SCRIPTLESS by Alison Sweeney

SCARED SCRIPTLESS

by Alison Sweeney

Pub Date: June 3rd, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4013-1105-6
Publisher: Hyperion

A unique take on workplace romance from the actress-turned-author (The Star Attraction, 2013) whose TV credits include The Biggest Loser and Days of Our Lives.

Maddy Carson’s success as a script supervisor for a popular television series is getting in the way of her personal life. It's easy to see why as Sweeney digs into the minutiae of Maddy's job: “I have a visual record of every prop and how the actor is holding it and every movement they made in the scene,” Maddy says, explaining how she keeps the action consistent between takes, but that's only one reason her motto is “Never trust the actors.” Maddy is nothing like the stiletto-wearing models who fawn over the show’s handsome stars, and it’s been hard for her to find a good match when the actors on set seem to be the only men available—although the hot new cast member, Adam Devin, is surprisingly down-to-earth. Maddy thinks she’s found the perfect compromise in her buttoned-up boss, Craig, but when her typecasting fails to match reality, she’ll have to decide whether to stick to the script or follow her heart. Their relationship is put to the test when they decide to pitch a reality TV series based on the ski-resort town where Maddy grew up. It takes a long time to build up to the main conflict—the show could either save the flailing town or exploit its residents, depending on how it’s handled—but the second half delivers a big emotional payoff. Whether she's shaking in her high heels as she pitches the show to a room full of bored executives, cringing at a heavily edited “sizzle reel” that shows her neighbors in a bad light, or agonizing over how invisible she would feel standing next to a star on the red carpet when she pictures a new relationship with Adam, Maddy's fight for a non-Hollywood ending is about as Hollywood as it gets.

With a lovable heroine and industry gossip, Sweeney’s latest goes behind the scenes and straight to the heart.