Guest Blogger: Gemma Halliday

Years ago when I first starting learning about the whole online writing community I explored a few yahoo loops and message boards. Only one of those things has stuck with me for since the beginning. Romance Divas is a fabulous place, and I hope to always be part of it. One of the reasons it’s so great is the people. Divas rock. They support, commiserate, and kick ass when needed. They’re also more than just the message boards, so be sure to check them out. They’re always up to date on fabulous new releases…like this one from fellow Diva Gemma Halliday, who kindly offered to come and visit with us. Please make her feel welcome…then go buy her book. *grin*

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A huge thank you to Sasha for letting me crash her blog today to talk about my latest release, Hollywood Confessions. This is day six of my two week Hollywood Confessions Blog Tour, so please check out my website for more tour stops, as I’ll be giving away cool prizes (including gift cards, free books, cameo appearances, and Hollywood Headlines collectibles) at each stop!
In Hollywood Confessions(#3 in the Hollywood Headline series), Chester Barker, a reality show producer, is poisoned in his Beverly Hills estate. Luckily for reporter Allie Quick, it’s just the kind of story she needs. Allie has high aspirations – much higher than reporting on the latest celebrity gossip for the L.A. Informer, Hollywood’s most notorious tabloid. But if she’s going to join the ranks of the real reporters, she’s going to need a headline worthy story under her belt — and this story has her name written all over it. Allie has no shortage of reality stars suspects, but when she finds herself falling for her numero uno, Allie’s relationship with her editor is suddenly on the rocks, and her life is in danger. This is one deadline Allie can’t afford to miss!
While writing this book, one of the most fun things I got to do was create the fictional reality shows that Chester Barker worked on. While they are so not real shows, they so steal some concepts from my favs.
Among others they are…

Little Love
A reality dating show, where one eligible bachelor is put into a house with twenty hot, young single girls. Every week the girls tried to out-flirt each other on group dates to earn a rose at the end of the hour-long show. The last one left standing at the end of the season gets a proposal from the bachelor. The twist? All the contestants on the show are little people.
Don & Deb’s Diva Dozen
Don and Deb Davenport are the parents of 12 little girls: two sets of triplets (ages six and ten) and a set of sextuplets (four-year-olds), and all of them compete in the Tiny Tot beauty pageants. In their fourth season, the ratings hit a high when Don was photographed with a string of young co-eds at trendy Hollywood nightclubs. Don and Deb announced a trial separation for Fall sweeps, Deb taking the sextuplets and doing the Southern Glitz pageant circuit, while Don took the triplets to the West Coast Sunshine pageants. But, thankfully, by May sweeps, the couple announced they were going to give marriage a try again, and the season culminated in an hour-long Don & Deb’s Reunion show where the couple took all twelve children to Vegas for a long weekend, renewing their vows at the MGM Grand.
Stayin’ Alive
Currently in its ninth season, this is the granddaddy of all reality shows, pitting fifteen strangers against each other to fight for the title of Last Survivor Alive. Each season contestants are dropped in the middle of nowhere, the only location requirements being a beach (where the female contestants can wear their teeny tiny bikinis), torrential rains (that wet said bikinis suggestively), and lots of big, hungry mosquitoes (just for kicks). All fifteen contestants have to brave both the elements and each other, fighting it out in reward and immunity challenges. Anyone not winning immunity is forced to go to the tribal staging area, where someone is sent home each week. However, they aren’t voted out on their survival skills. Instead, the contestants participate in a dance-off, where a panel of judges vote out the contestant with the worst ballroom skills.

So, while no actual reality stars were harmed in the making of Hollywood Confessions, I will admit that several fictional ones might have been bruised. 😉 And since this is the 3rd book in the Hollywood Headlines series, today I’m offering a FREE autographed copy of the 2nd book in the series (Hollywood Secrets) in print format to one lucky winner. Just post a comment below to enter, telling me what sort of reality show YOU would create, and I will post the name of the lucky winner in the comments at the end of the day.
Happy reading!

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Gemma had a hard time figuring out what she wanted to be when she grew up. She worked as a film and television actress, a teddy bear importer, a department store administrator, a preschool teacher, a temporary tattoo artist, and a 900 number psychic, before finally selling her first book, Spying in High Heels, in 2005 and deciding to be a writer.
Since then, Gemma has written several mystery novels and been the recipient of numerous awards, including a National Reader’s Choice award and three RITA nominations.
Gemma now makes her home in the San Francisco Bay area where she is hard at work on her next book.
http://www.gemmahalliday.com
HOLLYWOOD CONFESSIONS
available now in:

Paperback Print*Kindle*Nook*Ebook

For a chance to win a copy of Gemma’s HOLLYWOOD SECRETS (Hollywood Headlines #2) comment below. A random winner will be picked and announced on Friday.