Authors Dish: What Inspired Savannah Addison's Debut Novel?

May 2018: Debut Novel Inspiration
~ Savannah Addison ~

CTR asked:
QUESTION: What inspired you to write your debut novel?

Savannah Addison said:
I have always been a fan of stories in any form. Movies happen to be one of my favorite ways to consume stories. And actors are a large part of that experience.

The world of acting and its related world of celebrity have, therefore, always been of interest. It is hard for me to imagine what it would be like to have to live life in such a public way. To sacrifice anonymity for craft seems a truly hefty trade in my eyes.

Because of this, I find the idea of being an actor intriguing. Knowing what I know about celebrity and how it affects those faced with it makes me curious. Writing about that life where I get to create the questions and offer hypothetical answers is fun.

So, I guess that leads to my best answer for this question, which is: I wrote this book because it was fun to write. I really like the characters. I like their goodness. And I like how they face the challenges they face.

I like the setting they find themselves in and the challenges and comforts that setting brings. I like the juxtaposition between what we know about Hollywood life and what we know of small town living.

I also like the idea that fame has its own cost and is not necessarily the prize people think it is. I could not resist the idea of exploring how people try to cope with fame, often unsuccessfully at first, especially when fame is found early or suddenly. Understanding how they pick up the pieces left by these early attempts, which often include an effort at obliterating consciousness, seems an important part of understanding human nature and the human struggle.

I also find the challenge a child actor faces, moving from juvenile roles to more grown-up parts, fascinating. Children who act inevitably grow up on screen and in the public eye. This has to take its toll. Since they spend so much time pretending to be someone else, I cannot fathom that their identities aren’t, in some way, impacted.

Add to that the fact that not all child actors go on to be big adult stars and this challenge becomes very interesting indeed. Having someone work through that seemed a worthwhile process to explore. It is a transition—a significant transition for the child-cum-adult actor, both personally and professionally.

This, then, ties in well to another interest of mine—the transition. All transitions, in my mind, are very key experiences in life. They challenge people to define who they are and where they wish to go. So the idea of setting a story during a time of transition, age-wise, and during a transition, career- and life-wise, was also compelling.

I guess this wanting to explore and wanting to know means curiosity is another significant reason I wrote this book. Answering questions like, “What if…?” and “How would…?” seems a natural reason to pick up a pen.

Overall, it seems fun and curiosity were motivating forces when it came to creating The Actor. Using these forces to water the seeds of a love of movies, respect and compassion for the trials actors face, and an interest in how people move through transitions led to the novel that now exists.

Also, I imagine fun and curiosity will lead to the creation of future books as well. And I won’t be in any way surprised if there is more actor/entertainment fare to come. Passion begets passion, after all.

– Website – http://www.savannahaddison.com/
– Twitter – @SavannahABooks

The Actor by Savannah Addison cover

The Actor

[New Adult Contemporary Romance]

Colton Grey is Hollywood’s resident bad boy. A connoisseur of alcohol, pills, and women, he has been sent by his publicist to dry out on her cousin’s farm. What he finds there is more than a chance at redemption.

Haven Morrow is everything Colton is not—responsible, down-to-earth, and saddled with problems she didn’t create. With a mentally ill mother and sociopathic brother, Haven spends her days trying to save the family farm.

What starts out as a last-ditch effort to create the perfect comeback for Hollywood’s golden boy turns into a chance at redemption for two people unaccustomed to love and its mysteries. Do they have the courage to become who they are meant to be?