Tinseltown Riff centers on Ben Prine, a thirty-something hack screenwriter who, on a Labor Day weekend, finds himself in desperate straits. Latching on to a dubious last-minute opportunity, he unwittingly embarks on a collision course with a Montana tracker connected with a Vegas mob; an odyssey which culminates in a fateful showdown on an abandoned Western movie set.
"Tinseltown Riff is a twisty tale of quirky characters in a dangerous world of shadows and subterfuge, that company town called Los Angeles. Shelly Frome opens the door on a fascinating and all-too-real scene of hustle and hope. One lovely riff." - Donald E. Westlake, Oscar nominated and three-time Edgar Award winner, Mystery Writers of America Grand Master, author of over a hundred crime novels, many of which have been made into motion pictures.
"Tinseltown Riff is a kick -- a funny, well-told tale about the world's most insane business." - Peter Lefcourt, Emmy Award winner, screenwriter and best-selling novelist specializing in the Hollywood scene.
"Shelly Frome's Tinseltown Riff takes us on a ride along the Hollywood fringe that is equal parts gritty intrigue and social comedy. In a subculture where get-rich-quick screenwriting workshops are a con and even the Santa Ana winds can be an illusion, Frome's characters are heartbreakingly real. Under this pulp fiction lurks an unsettling yet compelling truth about the Dream Factory and its high-risk allure." - John Fusco, mainstream Hollywood screenwriter of Young Guns, Thunderheart, The Forbidden Kingdom, winner of two Bronze Wrangler awards and the Spur Award for Hidalgo, an Academy Award nominee for Best Screenplay and showrunner for Marco Polo.
"Shelly Frome writes with loving attention to the moment and the milieu of Hollywood and the aridity that surrounds it. Some of the best scenes give us a real taste of the Hispanic world most tourists never see. A fast moving and intriguing book with real energy." - Lee Jacobus, book critic, Connecticut Public Radio.
About the Author: Shelly Frome is a member of Mystery Writers of America, a professor of dramatic arts emeritus at the University of Connecticut, a former professional actor and a frequent contributor of articles on all facets of creative writing appearing in a number of periodicals, blogs and web sites in the U.S. and the U.K. His noted southern gothic crime-and-blues odyssey Twilight of the Drifter is also published by Sunbury Press. His fiction includes The Twinning Murders, Lilac Moon and Sun Dance for Andy Horn. Among his works of non-fiction are the acclaimed The Actors Studio and texts on the art and craft of screenwriting and writing for the stage. He lives in Litchfield, Connecticut.
