Celebrating Women's Fiction Day 2023: Multi-item Giveaway

CONGRATULATIONS, MICHELE A. 

winner of the Women's Ficton Day giveaway!

As a member of the Women Fiction Writers Association, I'm participating in events related to this year's Women's Fiction Day--with a giveaway!

The randomly selected contest winner will receive a trio of autographed women's fiction historical novels: Beautiful Invention: A Novel of Hedy Lamarr, The Limits of Limelight (Hollywood adventures of starlet Phyllis Fraser and her cousin Ginger Rogers), and The Myrtle Wand (a retelling and reimagining of the ballet Giselle set in 17^th century France), the Beautiful Invention ceramic coffee mug, a Giselle ballet t-shirt, a wand carved from myrtle wood, and a live myrtle plant grown.

 There are four methods of entry:

 1. Via my contact form, with "Giveaway" or "Women's Fiction" in the message box.  

 https://form.jotform.com/90075403157149

 2. By subscribing to my newsletter 

 3. Following Author Margaret Porter on Instagram and messaging me "contest" or "contest entry."

 4. Emailing an answer to this question: Have you ever seen the ballet Giselle? Be sure to include your name and email address. You won't be added to the mailing list but will only be contacted if you're the giveaway winner.

Deadline for entry: Saturday, June 10, 2022.

Winner to be announced the following day.

 What Is Women's Fiction Day?

 Women’s Fiction Day celebrates women’s fiction authors, novels, publishers, book sellers, and most importantly, readers who appreciate women’s fiction and the power of a great story. This year for Women’s Fiction Day, members across the country will hold book signings to engage and connect with readers. WFWA is working with its 1,800 members across the country and internationally to hold a day of book events both online and in person on June 8.

More info--and giveaways--available here: Women Fiction Writers Association

 What Is Women's Fiction?

Women's fiction is a writing genre that includes layered stories in which the plot is driven by the main character’s emotional journey. The stories can be contemporary or historical, and may have magical, mystery, thriller, romance, or other elements.

Celebrating Women's Fiction Day: Multi-item Giveaway

 

Congratulations, Tara B.!

The randomly selected contest winner will receive, in addition to an Autographed copy of The Limits of Limelight, the The Limits of Limelight pillow, a bottle of the iconic and historic Sortilège perfume (worn by real-life heroine  Phyllis Fraser in the novel), an elegant white silk scarf like the ones Fred Astaire wore in films with Phyllis's first cousin Ginger Rogers, a Limits of Limelight acrylic 16-oz sippy “go” cup with straw, a spiral Garden of Allah hotel notebook (Phyllis and Ginger and Ginger's mother lived there in the early 1930s), a Garden of Allah shot glass, and miscellaneous book swag.

Thanks to everyone who entered by

subscribing to my newsletter 

or

following Author Margaret Porter on Instagram

or

emailing an answer to this question: Have you ever watched a Ginger Rogers-Fred Astaire movie? (be sure to include your name and email address. You won't be added to the mailing list but will only be contacted if you're the giveaway winner.)

or

Doing all three to be be entered twice!

Deadline for entry was: 

Saturday, June 11

What should I know about The Limits of Limelight?

     

It's my 14th novel, available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook.

Finalist, 2021 Chanticleer International Book Awards

BookTrib Selection, Women's History Month

     

     Pretty Oklahoma teenager Helen Nichols accepts an invitation from her cousin, rising movie actress Ginger Rogers, and her Aunt Lela, to try her luck in motion pictures. Her relatives, convinced that her looks and personality will ensure success, provide her with a new name and help her land a contract with RKO. As Phyllis Fraser, she swiftly discovers that Depression-era Hollywood’s surface glamor and glitter obscure the ceaseless struggle of the hopeful starlet.

     Lela Rogers, intensely devoted to her daughter and her niece, outwardly accepting of her stage mother label, is nonetheless determined to establish her reputation as screenwriter, stage director, and studio talent scout. For Phyllis, she’s an inspiring model of grit and persistence in an industry run by men.

     While Ginger soars to the heights of stardom in musicals with Fred Astaire, Phyllis is tempted by a career more fulfilling than the one she was thrust into. Should she continue working in films, or devote herself to the profession she’s dreamed about since childhood? Which choice might lead her to the lasting love that seems so elusive?

     “Based on a true story....A witty and meticulously researched treat.” ~ Kirkus Reviews

     “An engrossing glimpse into a bygone era and the forces affecting a young woman's evolution into her own abilities...vigorous and involving to the end. ~ Midwest Book Review

      “A captivating novel about Hollywood...a more realistic and multifaceted view of the era.” ~ Historical Novels Review (*Editors' Choice)

     “A lovely tribute to the larger-than-life celebrities of early Hollywood....a glitz and glamour novel that shines brighter the deeper you go.” ~ Independent Book Review

     “A time capsule of Hollywood's Golden Era...a captivating novel of Tinsel Town's perils and pitfalls, trade-offs and triumphs!” ~ Leslie Carroll, author of American Princess 

 What Is Women's Fiction Day?

 Women’s Fiction Day celebrates women’s fiction authors, novels, publishers, book sellers, and most importantly, readers who appreciate women’s fiction and the power of a great story. This year for Women’s Fiction Day, members across the country will hold book signings to engage and connect with readers. WFWA is working with its 1,800 members across the country and internationally to hold a day of book events both online and in person on June 8.

More info--and giveaways--available here: Women Fiction Writers Association

What Is Women's Fiction?

Women's fiction is a writing genre that includes layered stories in which the plot is driven by the main character’s emotional journey. The stories can be contemporary or historical, and may have magical, mystery, thriller, romance, or other elements.

Interview with Mamie Parris: Broadway star, concert singer, audiobook narrator

I feel so fortunate that the amazing actress and singer Mamie Parris narrated the audiobook of The Limits of Limelight. The production process was smooth and entirely professional, and I couldn't be more pleased with the result. And the reviews!

My own history as book narrator is limited to nonfiction and instructional manuals. So I was curious to get Mamie's perspective on narrating novels--and this novel in particular. She very generously responded to my questions.

Relying on an audiobook narrator with a strong performance background was important for several reasons. Many of the characters are themselves performers, in film and theatre. Ginger Rogers, for instance, arrived in Depression-era Hollywood from the Broadway stage--where you have also appeared. Her cousin Phyllis Fraser, is striving to become an actress. Did you feel a connection with them, or other actresses in the novel, by virtue of being an actress and singer yourself? What impact did that have on your approach to the material?

I absolutely felt a connection to every performing artist in this book. Since the age of 17 I've been in New York City struggling, then working, then finding success as a professional actress. I'm very familiar with the kinds of struggles and triumphs relayed in the stories of Phyllis, Ginger, Anne, and Peg. I've even trod the same boards as many of these actors at theatres from New York to Connecticut to Maine. Our business is unique and very intimate. I felt privileged to give voice to their stories. 

When voicing the well-known Hollywood personalities, did you carry out any background research, apart from the words on the page? Create some sort of profile, as I do before writing about them?

I research and create characters for audiobooks the same way I would for a play. When I have the opportunity to narrate a book that features real people, my goal is never to imitate, but to take all the information I can gather, and create a fully realized person in my mind. The way they breathe and think is as important to me as how they sound. 

I’m curious about what aspect might have been the most enjoyable about recording The Limits of Limelight. And what you regard as the greatest challenge.

The biggest challenge was also, in its own way, the most enjoyable to me. I loved voicing some of the most recognizable actors and personalities of the era. But with that opportunity comes a great responsibility to their fans. I hope I haven't let them down.

Did you have a favorite character to portray? Or a favorite Astaire and Rogers movie musical? (I can never decide which one is mine!)

I loved Ginger, of course. She's confident and carefree, and grows into a real firebrand. Phyllis's journey was most rewarding. Of course, poor Peg Entwhistle was enjoyable for other reasons. She was complex and so fragile, I wanted to make sure I treated her with respect and love. And who wouldn't relish the opportunity to step into Katharine Hepburn's shoes?

I love a Gershwin tune, so Shall We Dance might be my favorite Fred and Ginger flick, though my favorite number has to be "Night and Day" from The Gay Divorcee. I'm thrilled that Ginger's incredible feathered dress has a mention in the book (with a killer story to it).

You have a home studio, set up with all the necessary technical equipment for recording books and commercial voice-overs. What is your typical work schedule when recording an audiobook? Is there an optimal time of day to do it? How long is your average recording session for an audiobook?

It all depends. I can generally tell right away how dense the material is: The number of characters and scenes involving dialogue, the type and length of the book itself. All this dictates my timeline. When I'm actively recording a book, I expect to spend anywhere from 4-6 hours in the studio at a time. I'm fond of working in the afternoon, when my voice has had plenty of time to warm up and settle. When I finish recording, I can expect anywhere from a few days to a week of editing and engineering, to make sure the finished product sounds the best it can.

With in-person concerts and stage performances possible again, after more than a year of theatre closures due to the Covid pandemic, please share upcoming events and locations.

I'm thrilled to be back in theatres again! Future performance dates and book releases can be found at my website.

Thanks for the great insights, Mamie! I couldn't be more pleased with the audio version of The Limits of Limelight.

This audiobook is available from Audible, ibooks, Google Play, Libro.fm, Chirp, and many other vendors.

Peg Entwistle and The Limits of Limelight

 

At The Limits of Limelight book launch

Two nights ago, at my book launch for The Limits of Limelight, during the question and answer time, a friend asked, “What was the hardest part of writing this novel?”

Without hesitation, I replied, “Peg Entwistle.”

Peg

Immersed in her life, thanks to the exceptionally detailed and brilliantly researched biography by the late James Zeruk, Jr., there was a great heaviness on my heart and spirits. As a renowned stage performer, and a promising film actress, she deserved a much happier fate than the one she chose for herself.

Peg was born in Port Talbot, Wales, to an English theatrical family that worked on both sides of the Atlantic. Her parents divorced, her father died, and she and her two stepbrothers were raised by her aunt and uncle, who had settled in Los Angeles. But Peg's sights were set on the stage, so as soon as she was old enough, she headed East. Unlike many stage-struck teens, she enjoyed rapid and meteoric success. 

I’ve known a little bit about Peg for a long time. Enough to believe that she must have needed a close and supportive friend in those final months, weeks, and days. So I gave her Phyllis. My novel’s main character. They were definitely acquainted with each another, put under contract by RKO at the same, time along with the other young beauties dubbed “The Baby Stars.”

Phyllis & Peg in makeup class at RK)

RKO's "Baby Stars"

Both were cast in David Selznick’s pet project, Thirteen Women, with Myrna Loy and Irene Dunne, and many more. Peg had a significant role, which was drastically reduced in the final edit—for reasons my novel reveals. Phyllis had a minor role, and was cut out of the movie entirely.

Lobby card for Thirteen Women

On the night of September 16, Peg walked from the Beechwood Drive home of her aunt and uncle, scaled the steep and rocky path leading to the Hollywoodland sign—in her younger years, she’d observed its construction, the laborers and trucks had passed by her house. She’d even climbed onto it, with her brothers, for fun.

The Hollywoodland sign from Peg's street

Motivated by despair and disappointment, all too conscious of her own mistakes, depressed about her dire financial situation and a run of bad luck, she made her final ascent.

Her body, lying in a ravine, was spotted by a female hiker, who reported the discovery to the police. It wasn’t recovered until after dark. Her relatives didn’t learn what had happened until they read the newspaper—two days after Peg’s disappearance.

A report of her death

The legends about Peg, whose gardenia-scented ghost reportedly haunts the neighbourhood where she lived and died, and assumptions made about her, are endless. And often erroneous. Like her biographer, I feel too little attention is given to her talent, her spiritedness, her persistence, her love of family and theirs for her, and her optimism—which eventually, tragically, ran out.

The impossibility of giving Peg a happy ending is another reason writing about her was painful. I hope in the afterlife, she and James are chatting up a storm. He dedicated years of his life to presenting the real Peg. He died before I could send him a copy of The Limits of Limelight, so I’ll never know his response to my portrayal of her. But I'm forever grateful to him for his lasting legacy--her biography.

Coming Soon--Very Soon--The Limits of Limelight

 

Somehow the summer fled, now it's September, and The Limits of Limelight will be released in ten days.

I received an early author copy, and expect a full carton to be delivered at any minute.

The in-person launch day event and blog tour are scheduled.

Book plates for autographing and sending out have been ordered. And book swag for giveaways (fruit smoothie not included!)

I've been doing preliminary publicity for the novel, on Zoom and on television.

It's a busy season, true. But I'm taking time to enjoy the roses--still blooming profusely.

And I fit in relaxation days at the lake--with husband, dog, and sometimes a fellow author who joins me for a writing day--if she's not hosting me at her house for the same.

The Limits of Limelight audiobook will also be released soon., and I'll be publishing my interview with my amazing narrator, a star of Broadway and the concert stage.

I've sent out the first September newsletter, and the second one will be chock full of info. You can sign up here to receive it.

I look forward to more frequent posting in coming weeks--so much to share about my main character, Phyllis Fraser, her first cousin Ginger Rogers, and her Aunt Lela Rogers!

Ginger, Phyllis & Lela at a formal event

Ginger & Phyllis on a very casual occasion 

Pre-Order The Limits of Limelight

 

Available for pre-order through Indiebound, Bookshop.org, Amazon, Kindle, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Kobo, Hudson Booksellers

April 13 is the birthday of Helen Maurine Brown Nichols, who became known as Hollywood actress Phyllis Fraser, first cousin and best friend of Ginger Rogers. There's no better day to announce the start of pre-ordering of my novel about Phyllis, which also features Ginger, and Ginger's mother Lela Rogers, and other notables of Golden Age Hollywood and literary New York.

      Pretty Oklahoma teenager Helen Nichols accepts an invitation from her cousin, rising movie actress Ginger Rogers, and her Aunt Lela, to try her luck in motion pictures. Her relatives, convinced that her looks and personality will ensure success, provide her with a new name and help her land a contract with RKO. As Phyllis Fraser, she swiftly discovers that Depression-era Hollywood’s surface glamor and glitter obscure the ceaseless struggle of the hopeful starlet.
      Lela Rogers, intensely devoted to her daughter and her niece, outwardly accepting of her stage mother label, is nonetheless determined to establish her reputation as screenwriter, stage director, and studio talent scout. For Phyllis, she’s an inspiring model of grit and persistence in an industry run by men.
look       While Ginger soars to the heights of stardom in musicals with Fred Astaire, Phyllis is tempted by a career more fulfilling than the one she was thrust into. Should she continue working in films, or devote herself to the profession she’s dreamed about since childhood? Which choice might lead her to the lasting love that seems so elusive?

"An engrossing glimpse into a bygone era and the forces affecting a young woman's evolution into her own abilities and adulthood . . . vigorous and involving to the end." ~ Midwest Book Review

"Based on a true story . . . A witty and meticulously researched treat." ~ Kirkus Reviews

"A biographical novel as bright as the Golden Era . . . A lovely tribute to the larger-than-life celebrities of early Hollywood . . . a glitz and glamour novel that shines brighter the deeper you go." ~ Independent Book Review

"A time capsule of Hollywood's Golden Era . . . a captivating novel of Tinsel Town's perils and pitfalls, trade-offs and triumphs!" ~ Leslie Carroll, author of American Princess

"Porter's elegant, warm and well-researched novel is a joy to read! Perfect for lovers of historical fiction and tales of remarkable women. 5 of 5 Stars." ~ Literary Redhead, Goodreads

Photos of Phyllis, today's birthday girl, with her Cousin Ginger.

The Return to Blogging

 The blogging went on hiatus for the second half of my Pandemic Year. It wasn't exactly intentional, but not entirely accidental, either.

As 2020 wound down, my Isle of Man trilogy was re-published in an ebook omnibus edition. Ordering information available here.

I was preoccupied with final proofing and edits and more proofing for The Limits of Limelight, my 14th historical novel, scheduled for publication in mid-September.

This 3rd work of biographical historical fiction features Phyllis Fraser (whose first cousin was Ginger Rogers), plus notables of Golden Age Hollywood and literary New York. Advance Reader copies are being distributed, and early reviews are most gratifying. I'll be sharing a great deal more as pre-order time and publication day draw nearer.

The snow arrived early--as it often does--when the roses were still blooming. It made for some interesting photographs:

Christmas was appropriately festive, despite quarantine conditions. It was also white.

As was February, much to young dog Dot's delight. 

Senior dog Ruth, isn't as thrilled.

There has been a benefit to lockdown times, and that's the ability to do writers' conference presentations and to participate in bookstore events and meet with book clubs who selected Beautiful Invention: A Novel of Hedy Lamarr as their monthly reading  selection. I've had a wonderful time sharing information about Hedy and her frequency-hopping innovation during World War II, and discussing her films and Golden Age Hollywood.

I've begun work on novel #15, which marks a return to the theatrical realm of 18th century London. When not writing, I've been reading like mad--new releases by author colleagues, advance reader copies from debut and veteran historical novelists. Now that my NetGalley account is reactiviated, I intend to post reviews there and here in coming weeks. 

If I made New Year's resolutions, one of mine would've been to be a more dedicated blogger in 2021!