Rebel Princess by Anne M Strick
Romance
Date to be Published: September 14, 2010
Synopsis:
An insider's first-ever behind-the-scenes scoop on how movies are REALLY made: gritty, grinding, tunnel-vision labor, back-stage intrigue, explosive dramas, parties, and relationships that last a night or a lifetime. Larger-than-life characters who live life with fervor, and contend with their own inner demons and one another, all in the pressure cook er of a location shoot in the exotic world of Mexico. This romp of a story follows
the making of a movie from pre-production through wrap. A hotly passionate love story elevate the stakes.
Complete with sex, suspense and a possible murder.
Guest Post from Anne M Strick: Rebel Princess, (part )
These shots of me with Arnold
Schwartzenegger and Wilt Chamberlain
were made on the set of CONAN THE DESTROYER, at Churubusco
Studios, in Mexico
- where THE REBEL PRINCESS is set, and which shapes the background and plot of
the book. The film’s producer, Raffaella de Laurentiis, was to a large
extent - with some dramatic/erotic license - the model for my protagonist,
Davena De Havilland. (I eventually did six films with her around the world).
The gag-shot photographer, the renowned Time Magazine star
Dirck Halstead, had been called in to do some “special or high-end” still
photography. By now we were
buddies. I’d worked with Dirck before, on the movie
GREYSTOKE, in Africa, Scotland and England, and on DUNE, then filming a Churubusco in tandem
with CONAN. By now, we were
buddies. I’d helped lug his equipment
through the mud of the African rain forest, and we’d shared innumerable meals
and hairy auto rides down dicey roads in several countries. It often amused him, at the end of a days
’shoot, to play a little - and set up gag pictures with the principals
and me.
Incidentally - that
we were filming
CONAN THE DESTROYER and DUNE at Churubusco Studios at the
same time – was a rare arrangement.
Raffaella was producing
both, and the two-for-one gambit
made financial sense - though not
easy! I was the publicist on both, and
I’ve never worked harder - nor had more
memorable fun.
Nor so much enjoyed writing a book about it all!
Thank you for joining us today, Anne!
My Review:
Mostly the story is told from the heroine's , Davena De Havilland, point of view. Davena has always been a free spirit with a strong mind and even stronger needs. She wants to produce the film, Open Season and she wants to do it her way. After all, Rafe promised she would handle it and prove herself. He's the boss and her dad. But even though he promised, there are some changes he's made and threw at her last minute. A dalliance with an actor throws a pipe wrench in Davena's plans when his wife is murdered and Davena is apparently considered to have a significant part in it. The lead actress and actor have an affair under the nose of her significant other who is on set caring for their 2 children. And Davena's own sister is out to prove herself to be grown up and all that, having slept with three men in very recent times and is found to be pregnant. And it all happens in Mexico, far from home and familiarity and where the officials certainly wouldn't be mistaken for good ole Americans. And to top it off, the co producer brings in a top notch script writer, that no one knows Davena was once married to....Will the fur fly or will someone near and dear have a happily ever after?
Ok the story line and characters have a boatload of baggage and past history.
It all takes place in a twelve week time period and Murphy's law prevails. Are they cursed? Heck no, this is what kind of crazy events fill all on location shoots, but I really wondered just how much more Davena could deal with.
The story is told in a sequence of weekly shoot happenings and setbacks. It is relatively fast moving and the characters, although they may be at each other's throats are all sympathetic to the reader--in a dysfunctional family style! And the team has only one goal...to make a creditable wrap and a darned good movie. I should also mention the sex scenes are adult in nature
and this should be considered an adult read. Overall I liked it but I think I needed to give the book more time to be digested and I fear I have not done it justice in my review. I will further state, I am glad my own life lies on the viewing end of movies and films and not with their creation. That kind of life is for those tougher than me!
About our author:
Anne M.Strick has spent over twenty years in the movie
industry. She has worked for Universal, Warners, Paramount
and EMI, as a Unit Publicist, Project Coordinator and National Publicity
Director, and with such Hollywood
legends as Jack Nicholson, James Earl Jones, Sean Penn, Arnold Schwarzenegger,
David Lynch, Sting and Dino De Laurentiis, among many others. She has
published theater reviews, articles in Parents Magazine , Frontier and The
Nation, and six books: two novels, two self-help books, one memoir (a
best-seller in Italy);
and a non-fiction, scholarly critique of our adversary trial system.
(”remarkable”) . Born in Philadelphia, and educated at Bennington College and
UCLA, she lives in Los Angeles.
Contact Links:
Purchase Links:
Smashwords http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/80692
For additional reviews of this read, please follow the tour schedule below:
September 10 - Book Reviews and More - Giveaway/Guest Post/Excerpt/PROMO
September 13 - Kimmie's Bookshelf - Giveaway/Excerpt/PROMO
September 14 - LoveLiveLife Reviews- Review/Guest Post/Giveaway/Excerpt
September 15 - Library Muse - Giveaway/Excerpt/PROMO
September 16 - Firestar Books - Interview/Giveaway/PROMO
September 17 - Books and Needlepoint - Interview/Giveaway/Excerpt/PROMO
September 18 - What's on the Bookshelf - Guest Post/Giveaway/Excerpt/PROMO
September 19 - My Escape - Giveaway/Excerpt/PROMO
September 20 - Dive Under the Cover - Review/Excerpt
September 21 - My Miscellaneous Bookshelf - Review/Giveaway/Excerpt
September 22 - The Bookshelf - Giveaway/Guest Post/PROMO
September 24 - My Reading Addiction - Review/Giveaway/Excerpt
September 25 - Debbie Jean's Blog - Review/Giveaway/Excerpt
September 26 - My Chaotic Ramblings - Guest Post/ Excerpt/PROMO
September 27 - My Cozie Corner - Review/Giveaway
September 28 - Reviews By Molly - Review/Giveaway
October 1 - Gothic Angel Book Reviews- Review/Giveaway/Guest Post/Excerpt
October 2 - Book Lovin Mama's - Review/Guest Post/Giveaway
October 3 - Beth Art From the Heart - Review/Excerpt
*Disclosure
of Material Connection: I am a member of Reading Addiction Blog Tours and a
copy of this book was provided to me by the author. Although payment may have
been received by Reading Addiction Blog Tours, no payment was received by me in
exchange for this review. There was no obligation to write a positive review.
All opinions expressed are entirely my own and may not necessarily agree with
those of the author, publisher, publicist, or readers of this review. This
disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision’s 16 CFR, Part
255, Guides Concerning Use of Endorcements and Testimonials in Advertising*
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