Gemma Goes Hollywood

My third High Heels book just hit the shelves this week, and, not to play favorites, but I think I had more fun writing this one than any of the others! Undercover in High Heels finds Maddie back in L.A., Hollywood to be exact, where she goes undercover as the new wardrobe assistant on the set of TV’s hottest prime time soap, Magnolia Lane. Which sounds like a dream job until a beautiful young starlet winds up dead on the set. Now it’s up to Maddie to catch a killer as she sifts through a leading lady with a secret, an actor on the verge of a nervous breakdown, a sexy cyber scandal, and one tabloid reporter who'll stop at nothing to get the story of the century. Not to mention the case's familiar lead detective, Jack Ramirez, whose patience with Maddie is wearing thin, maybe for good this time.

One of the things that made writing this book so much fun was that I got to revisit my Hollywood days. When I was a teenager, I moved to L.A. to peruse acting and what an amazing experience that was! I got to meet so many neat people (even a few celebrities) and spent most of my days on the set of movies and TV shows. I had a few regular roles on shows like Sweet Valley High (anyone remember the Wakefield twins? God, I loved those books as a kid!) and Beverly Hills 90210 (Brandon! Dillon! Sigh.), as well as some minor background roles in feature films and commercials. (Ten points to anyone who can spot Gemma in Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion!)

But my favorite studio set to visit was the one that I modeled my fictional Sunset Studios in Undercover in High Heels after - Universal Studios. No matter what we were shooting, it was like walking into an alternate reality the second you set foot on the lot. Universal is so big that it’s like a little city unto itself, complete with police force, restaurants, gardens, and even it’s own theme park! My favorite part of working there was that as the theme park’s studio tour would go by, we’d get to wave at the tourist taking our pictures like they’d just spotted Angelia Jolie. I have no idea how many vacation home videos I’ve ended up in, but I’m guessing it’s a lot!

The other thing that made Universal Studios so unique was the different complete neighborhoods they’d built onto the lot. They’ve got one street made to look like a typical New York city neighborhood, complete with brownstones and two story walk ups, but as soon as you turn the corner, you’re suddenly on Main Street USA, filled with mom and pop stores and the local diner. They’ve got an Old West street that you’d swear leads right to the OK corral, and a tree lined Leave it to Beaver style suburb. Not surprisingly, it’s hard to get your bearings when you’re walking through these disjointed neighborhoods. I’ll admit, just like Maddie does in Undercover in High Heels, I found myself lost once on the Universal lot, aimless wandering through the New York streets looking for my trailer. Thankfully, unlike Maddie, I didn’t have a crazed killer chasing after me.

So, in honor of my Hollywood theme release, I’m opening the floor to some serious celebrity gossiping today. Who is your favorite actress? Which hot leading man makes you drool? What is your can’t-live-without TV show? I’ll start: fav actor – Johnny Depp. In addition to being hugely talented, I just can’t watch the man without getting tingly all over.

~Trigger Happy Halliday