True Blondes
A Novel
Former beauty queen and gorgeous blonde Mandy and her life-battered friend, Diane, want nothing more than to reach the heights of success in show business. Their journey to self-discovery and stardom during the turbulent 1960s and 1970s takes them from New York City to Las Vegas and Hollywood.
During an era when unrest and free love take precedence, Mandy’s small town upbringing has left her inexperienced, and she soon discovers that being a winner is not all it’s cracked up to be. Once a movie starlet, nothing has gone right for forty-year-old Diane in years. A graduate of the School of Hard Knocks, her dreams have all but vanished as she looks for love in all the wrong places. Mandy is determined to become a star and begins auditioning for roles. She meets Diane, and together they soon realize that the path to stardom is lined with unscrupulous agents who want to take advantage of their beauty and naïveté.
As these two blondes continue their journey to discovering who they really are deep inside, only time will tell which one will persevere through the challenges and realize that if she can survive her past, she can make it anywhere.
About the Author
Carol Hollenbeck, author of the novel True Blondes, has been nominated three times in the Samuel French One Act Play Festival. Several of her plays have been produced Off-Broadway. She has also been featured in the documentary Seniors Finally Say #MeToo!, which she co-developed with Jennifer Sherron Stock and Gilda Miros, and which won the national 2019 Hometown Media Award.
Other Works
True Blondes
A Novel
Former beauty queen and gorgeous blonde Mandy and her life-battered friend, Diane, want nothing more than to reach the heights of success in show business. Their journey to self-discovery and stardom during the turbulent 1960s and 1970s takes them from New York City to Las Vegas and Hollywood.
During an era when unrest and free love take precedence, Mandy’s small town upbringing has left her inexperienced, and she soon discovers that being a winner is not all it’s cracked up to be. Once a movie starlet, nothing has gone right for forty-year-old Diane in years. A graduate of the School of Hard Knocks, her dreams have all but vanished as she looks for love in all the wrong places. Mandy is determined to become a star and begins auditioning for roles. She meets Diane, and together they soon realize that the path to stardom is lined with unscrupulous agents who want to take advantage of their beauty and naïveté.
As these two blondes continue their journey to discovering who they really are deep inside, only time will tell which one will persevere through the challenges and realize that if she can survive her past, she can make it anywhere.