SYNOPSIS OF WAIFS OF THE WASTELAND

[Wayne Beauvais]

At the height of Prohibition in 1925 Hollywood, Joe Holder, an ex-con just released from prison, seeks to reclaim a lost love. But there is a hitch – in the years since he has been locked up, she has become a movie star. So begins WAIFS OF THE WASTELAND.

 

In the summer to follow, amid the glitter and grit of silent filmmaking, Joe soon finds he has two rivals for Rose Allen’s affection – an actor named Yancey Dix and Hollywood itself. Yet, Joe cannot give up this woman who is tattooed in his heart. He must win her back, thus beginning his conversion from a roughneck to “a gent what can star in his own flickers.”

 

Told by Pooch, a pickpocket and Joe’s sidekick, WAIFS takes the reader back to the first golden age of tinseltown. It is a hectic world filled not only with movie folk but also with bootleggers and socialist-labor leaders, sassy flappers and newshounds. In their midst appears a genuine tough guy who reaches for a star – and nearly captures her.

 

A mainstream/literary work, this book’s audience should include readers of unconventional love stories, Hollywood novels, and crime/suspense fiction.

 

 We are a father/daughter writing team. I have taught English, literature and film; and my daughter recently graduated with honors from Sheffield/Hallam University (in England) with a Masters in creative writing.

 

This is our first novel, and we're really excited that it has found a home at Oak Tree Press. Although a publication date has not yet been determined, we're anxious to get our names and book into the hands of interested readers.