Narrated by Val Cole

Get to know the writer:

1. What is your short story about?

I recently watched the William Holden film Network for the first time and I started googling the actor’s life. Although I’m a fan, I did not know about his tragic death from a fall while intoxicated in November, 1981 because I was a toddler at the time. Natalie Wood also died by drowning while intoxicated only two weeks later. Coincidentally, William Holden’s companion Stefanie Powers was costarring with Natalie Wood’s husband on the Aaron Spelling television hit, Hart to Hart. Wood’s husband Robert Wagner is still regarded by some as a person of interest in her death. The story is imaginative speculation, but the character of Patricia is based on an interview of Stefanie Powers. She referred to Holden’s alcoholism as “his disease.” She also related how her two best friends “both married Robert Wagner, but I was married to him on television.” The character of Tad is a pastiche of different Wagner characters. I changed details of the real life deaths of Holden and Wood out of respect for their last moments.

2. What genres would you say this story is in? It’s an homage to the fictionalized Hollywood novels of Jackie Collins and Jacqueline Susann.

3. How would you describe this story in two words? Sleazy fun.

4. What movie have you seen the most in your life?

Lawrence of Arabia.

5. What is your favorite song? (Or, what song have you listened to the most times in your life?)

The Sleigh Ride Song is my favorite Christmas song. Rock DJ by Robbie Williams is a current favorite on Spotify. I also love ‘80’s camp hits, anything Rolling Stone puts on their “worst” list.

6. Do you have an all-time favorite novel? Valley of the Dolls and Blonde are fun reads because the writers did not intend for camp to ensue. The prose sounds beautiful and Dickensian, but the content is beyond anything Dickens imagined. Only Joyce Carol Oates can write a graphic scene between three people and feel as pure as Snow White while doing it, but she’ll never dethrone Jacqueline Susann as queen of Hollywood fiction.

7. What motivated you to write this story? Trying to make sense out of actor William Holden’s sad death.

8. If you could have dinner with one person (dead or alive), who would that be?

Rudolf Valentino. He’s mysterious because he died so young at the height of his fame. I read his biography when I was very young and the pictures from silent movies seemed almost alien to me. Also, I love wine and Italian food and ballroom dancing. Maybe he would help me improve my tango, a dance he popularized.

9. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about? Cooking, bicycling, standard poodles, environmental protection, and wine.

10. What influenced you to enter your story to get performed? I was browsing through Submittable and came across the opportunity.

11. Any advice or tips you'd like to pass on to other writers? Have fun and be yourself. Believe in your dreams. Delete rejection emails immediately. Be open to feedback, but it’s okay to disregard criticism that isn’t constructive, even if it’s from an editor.