In this fascinating account of her life as a young actress in New York City, and later as "Hollywood's Youngest, Sexiest Producer," writer Barbara Dan pulls no punches, as she describes the many pitfalls actors are likely to encounter on the road to success in show business. At age 23 she opened her own showcase theatre in Hollywood to help other actors get discovered by agents, producers and the studios. Later she worked for the story editor of Shirley Temple Storybook and Dinah Shore Chevy Show, and describes meeting her future husband, actor John Dan, and many other actors, cameramen, gifted people in the industry and her own life-changing conversion to Christ through the Hollywood Christian Group, and shares insights into the false gods of fame, fortune and success and why they fail to deliver. To today's aspiring talent she adds: "Respect yourself. Avoid shortcuts to success. Take the High Road which leads to no regrets. Hone your gifts, and never lose heart."
About the Author: First published in her teens, Barbara Dan has enjoyed a variety of life experiences including working as an actress, model, night club comedienne, singer/dancer, comedy writer, puppeteer, theatrical producer in Hollywood, screenwriter, publicist, fund-raiser, real estate saleswoman, hands-on builder of houses, escrow officer, school teacher, couples' communications workshop coach with her family therapist husband, as well as publisher, editor, adjunct college professor, and-by far her biggest joy- being mother of four now grown children, grandma to five grandchildren, and great-grandmother (thus far!) of three toddlers. A voracious reader of history, she enjoys quilting, gardening, oil painting, travel, tracking genealogies, and prowling around in old graveyards and musty museums while doing research for her next historical novel. She is a member of Women Writing the West and Western Writers of America, Inc. Besides degrees in Theatre Arts and Advanced Accounting, she earned her M.A. in Humanities (emphasis: Literature) from California State University in 1988, but feels that life experience is the most valuable tool any writer (or artist) brings to his or her work. (A good sense of humor helps, too!)