Title: Starlight (Starlight Trilogy Book #1)
Author: Alexandra Richland
Release Date: May 1, 2013
Genre: Historical Romance
Cover Design by: Rakestraw Book Design
Book description:
October 1952 finds eighteen-year-old Marie Bates relocating from her rainy hometown in the Pacific Northwest to the sun-soaked streets of Los Angeles, California. Marie’s plans for a teaching career take an unexpected turn when she’s asked to take a screen test at a major motion picture studio.
Renamed Elizabeth Sutton by the studio heads, she lands her first role as an extra. On set, Elizabeth spies Aidan Evans, a rebellious, twenty-three-year-old Method actor from New York. Aidan is branded as a stuck-up troublemaker by his famous Hollywood peers, but Elizabeth suspects a tragic secret lurks behind his steely facade.
As their careers hit the fast track and friendship evolves into romance, the expectations of Hollywood stardom threaten to shine a spotlight on Aidan’s dark past before he can make peace with it. Elizabeth must help Aidan confront the painful event that shattered his life and conquer a terrifying truth before it destroys him and their future together.
The first book in the Starlight Trilogy, Starlight is a story of love and redemption set against the backdrop of the final years of Hollywood’s Golden Age.
Elizabeth Sutton Character Interview
1. Have you always dreamed of becoming an actress?
Actually, my original career choice was teaching, preferably English. Nathan Taggart’s screen test offer was quite unexpected, though it ended up being a blessing. I find acting challenging but very rewarding and look forward to receiving my next film assignment from my boss and the head of Starlight Studios, Mr. Luther Mertz.
2. Which actors/actresses are you a fan of?
I greatly admire my dear friend, actress Constance Murphy. Connie is not only very talented, but also one of the nicest women in the business. We hit it off right away upon our first meeting on the set of Checkmate. She was the lead actress in the film and I was only an extra. However, she made me feel welcome and did not look down on me like others on the set did. She helped me find value in my role, no matter how small it was, and I will never forget her kindness. She has been one of the most instrumental people in helping me integrate into the film industry.
Aidan Evans is by far the most talented actor I have ever had the pleasure of watching onscreen. His performance in Spike Rollins is phenomenal. I’m not surprised the critics are singing his praises and all of the top industry professionals want to work with him.
Truthfully, there are too many actors and actresses to list. I still cannot believe I have the pleasure of calling the incredible men and women employed by Starlight Studios my peers. I am truly grateful to Nathan Taggart for believing in me and offering me a screen test, and to Mr. Mertz for signing me to his studio.
3. What do you like do when you are not working at Starlight Studios?
I enjoy reading, listening to radio programs, and attending social gatherings with my roommate, Olivia Weston, her beau Nathan Taggart, and our friends Constance Murphy and her beau, crooner Matthew McKenna. Sightseeing is something I enjoy in my downtime as well, since prior to my move to Los Angeles, I had never ventured out of Oregon State.
I’m lucky because work provides me with the opportunity to visit many places I never dreamed I would get to see. Unfortunately, I was unable to see much of the cities I stopped in during my Sparkling Meadow promotion tour because my schedule was so busy. However, I did have an opportunity to tour New York City, which more than made up for my lack of freedom in the other cities.
4. Where and how do you practice your scripts?
When I first receive a script, I go over it by myself in my bedroom, or some other quiet place where I will be undisturbed, in order to get a feel for my character and to identify what drives her to act the way she does in the film. Then I will go through the script with Olivia, usually in our living room. Bouncing my lines off another person allows me to better grasp the flow of dialogue and determine the best emotional approach to the scene. Finally, I will rehearse with my co-stars on set.
5. You starred in Sparkling Meadow, a film about two people from very different backgrounds falling in love. Do you believe that’s possible in real life?
When I received this film assignment, I was immediately drawn to my character, Claire Wilson, and the notion that a rich, cultured young man could fall in love with a poor farmhand’s daughter. To me, it was like a fairy tale; a story that exists only in books or films. However, I soon found out that such a relationship is not so farfetched in real life. If you strip away outside influences, titles, money, and avoid judging people solely on physical appearances—choosing to focus on the very core of the individuals instead—you may find that they are not polar opposites after all. So yes, I absolutely believe that people from different backgrounds can fall in love and make their relationship last. The important thing is not to listen to others’ opinions and just follow your heart.
6. If Mr. Mertz was not in charge of your film assignments and who you work with, what would you look for in an ideal leading man?
Since I am only a novice actress, my ideal leading man would be approachable, punctual, and patient. He would be dedicated to his work and willing to discuss the script in detail as well as rehearse his lines with me until we are both comfortable with each scene Furthermore, he would challenge me in my role, offering suggestions for improvement or alternative ways for me to approach a scene to deliver the best possible performance to our audience.
7. If you could visit anywhere in the world at this very moment, where would you go?
I dearly miss my parents back in my hometown, Clarkson, Oregon, so if I could go anywhere in the world, it would be there. Unfortunately, my present schedule at the studio does not permit me enough time off to visit them. I saw them briefly during my Sparkling Meadow tour stop in Portland, but one evening just wasn’t enough. Hopefully, I will have a chance to see them again soon for a lengthier period.
8. Name of one your greatest strengths and one of your greatest weaknesses.
Perseverance is a strength of mine. Although acting is new to me and quite challenging at times, I am dedicated to perfecting my craft and refuse to let the little blips I’ve experienced along my journey deter me from working hard and giving each film assignment my all.
A weakness of mine would be my inability to comfortably accept compliments on my acting. While I admit I have come along way since I signed my contract, because I am employed by the same motion picture studio as all of my greatest acting influences and people I highly respect, I am always conscious of the fact that I have a long way to go before I am even remotely in the same category as them in the talent department. Thus, I tend to sell myself short. I use this awareness to help me strive for greatness. I want to make Mr. Mertz proud of his decision to invest time and money in me and sign me to his studio.
9. What is the thing you are most proud of?
I grew up in a small town, Clarkson, Oregon, where the common aspiration among women was to marry a local man out of high school, bear children, and happily settle into the role of wife and mother. While I admire those women and their dedication to their families immensely, I had other ambitions: I wanted to experience living in a large city, get a full-time job to save money for school, attend teacher’s college, and support myself through hard work instead of handouts from my parents or a husband. Santa Monica College had a prestigious teaching program, which is why I chose to relocate to L.A. specifically. Although fate had other plans for me and I ended up signing a film contract instead of enrolling in college, moving to California on my own when it was uncommon for a single woman to do so is by far one of my greatest accomplishments.
10. Do you have anything you wish to add, Miss Sutton?
Thank you for approaching me with the opportunity to participate in this interview. It was a very pleasant experience. Please wish your readers all the best, and convey my sincerest gratitude for their continued support of my films.
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