Kate Alcott – Hollywood Stardust

Kate Alcott’s Hollywood novels take us inside the sparkle of the star system to reveal real people, from Clark Gable and Carole Lombard on the set of Gone With The Wind to purity icon Ingrid Bergman’s spectacular fall from grace as an American darling. Hi there. I’m your host Jenny Wheeler and on the Joys of Binge Reading today Kate talks about growing up in Los Angeles and being a Hollywood insider, as well as assessing how women writers and actors fared in early Hollywood compared with today. Six things you’ll learn from this Joys of Binge Reading episode: Her early inspiration from Louisa May AlcottLiving in LA where 'Hollywood ruled'Her favorite character in all her 12 booksWriting a best seller with best friend Ellen GoodmanThe secrets of the 'Swiss Cheese Book Club' Her mother's part in her best-selling Titanic story Where to find Kate Alcott:  Website:  http://www.katealcott.com/ Facebook: @KateAlcott Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5052587.Kate_Alcott What follows is a "near as" transcript of our conversation, not word for word but pretty close to it, with links to important mentions. Jenny Wheeler: But now here's Kate. Hello Kate, and welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us.  I was really touched when I discovered that you've just very recently married and you're giving this time to do this interview when you've had a lot of great excitements in your personal life.  So let me just first offer you our congratulations and thank you for giving us the time. Kate Alcott: Well, thank you very much. Jenny Wheeler: Did it all go well? Kate Alcott: It did. It all went well. 400 family members on both sides. Kate Alcott novelist, who has also written historical fiction under the name Patricia Alcott. Jenny Wheeler: Oh my goodness.  That was a pretty big party!  You're an experienced journalist who's obviously used to writing, but what made you decide to move into fiction and was there a Once Upon A Time moment when something grabbed your insides and you said, "I've really got to write fiction." Kate Alcott: Well it was basically always a dream of mine from the time I was, I think about ten and I  - and other women have said this -  but it had a real influence.  I was quite taken with Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, particularly the story of Jo March. I identified with her. She wanted to be a writer, and I loved this character that she had created. And I've always felt that that was the beginning. I just knew almost automatically that what I wanted to do was to write fiction. Of course that had to wait a number of years. But eventually I was able to do it. Growing up in LA Jenny Wheeler: Yes, so I gather you grew up in LA, but possibly not in the Hollywood part of LA, and you've now published four highly praised historical novels and several of them dip very heavily into the early years of Hollywood.  Could you talk a little bit about your background in LA and possible insider connections that give you unusual insight into how things work there? Kate Alcott: Well, I think that growing up in Los Angeles was an experience all in of itself.  We really, in my lifetime as a young teenager, you lived and breathed the Hollywood stuff.  I remember my father bringing home a copy of