Known for her Biblical fiction, Stephanie Landsem steps out into a new genre with her latest release, In a Far-Off Land, an historical romance set in 1930s Hollywood.

Known for her impeccable research, this story lifts the lid on the good, the bad, and the ugly as a young woman seeks fame and fortune as an actress far away from her Midwest home.

Today, Stephanie shares a behind the scenes look at Hollywood, gleaned from her time researching and writing this novel. Be fascinated, order the book, and enter the giveaway below (thanks to Tyndale House Publishers).

Over to you, Stephanie…

A story about the price of fame, the truth sacrificed on its altar, and the love that brings a prodigal daughter home.

As the Great Depression hits the Midwest, Minerva Sinclaire runs away to Hollywood, determined to make it big and save the family farm. But beauty and moxie don’t pay the bills in Tinseltown, and she’s caught in a downward spiral of poverty, desperation, and compromise. Finally, she’s about to sign with a major studio and make up for it all. Instead, she wakes up next to a dead film star and is on the run for a murder she didn’t commit.

Only two unwilling men―Oscar, a Mexican gardener in danger of deportation, and Max, a too-handsome agent battling his own demons―can help Mina escape corrupt police on the take and the studio big shots trying to frame her. But even her quick thinking and grit can’t protect her from herself. Alone, penniless, and carrying a shameful secret, Mina faces the consequences of the heartbreaking choices that brought her to ruin . . . and just might bring her back to where she belongs.

The Grit behind the Glam in Old Hollywood

The hard times of the Great Depression and the lure of the rich-and-famous life of Hollywood was a recipe for both hope and heartbreak for many young women across America.

In the 1930s, thousands of pretty home-town girls jumped on a bus west, sure they were going to be the next “it” girl discovered at Schwab’s soda fountain. Although Schwab’s was a daily hangout for the likes of Charlie Chaplin, Myrna Loy, and Judy Garland, the chances of getting discovered and exchanging a Hoover dress for furs and diamonds were slim.

That didn’t mean plenty of hopeful girls didn’t try. This is what they often found in the land of sunshine and promises:

Hucksters. Where there is money and hope, there are confidence men, and the City of Angels was no exception. Hucksters would find a girl straight off the bus and offer her a surefire way to stardom. This included an expensive photo shoot, selling her pictures that they told her she needed for auditions. They’d go on to suggest acting lessons, then dancing lessons. All in the name of making it big. When the girl was broke, the guy was gone, and she was no closer to the silver screen.

Quickies. These were cheaply and quickly made films that would hire any girl willing to shed her clothing for a chance at a leading role, or any role. Needless to say, starring in a quickie wasn’t the way up in Hollywood; it was the way down.

Central Casting Corporation. This office was founded in 1926 by the Association of Motion Picture Producers and for a time was the largest employment agency in the world. It received up to eleven thousand calls for work per day. Only about 5 percent of this huge workforce would be hired at a daily wage ranging from $5.50 to $11.00. Inconsistent work, and not enough to live on while you waited for your big break.

Day jobs. During the Great Depression, the unemployment rate in America was at 30 percent of the workforce. It was even harder to get a job when you were a woman, inexperienced, and from out of town. Girls who had hoped to send money home from their studio paychecks instead found themselves hard put to get enough to eat and a roof over their heads.

For every Lana Turner and Jean Harlow, there were thousands of girls who failed to get their big break. Some went home disenchanted; some made ends meet however they could. A few lived the dream of riches and fame. All of them found out that even in the land of sunshine, all that glittered was not gold.

Stephanie Landsem writes historical fiction because she loves adventure in far-off times and places. In real life, she’s explored ruins, castles, and cathedrals on four continents and has met fascinating characters who sometimes find their way into her fiction. Stephanie is just as happy at home in Minnesota with her husband, four adult children, two cats, and a dog. When she’s not reading, researching, or writing, she’s avoiding housework and dreaming about her next adventure—whether it be in person or on the page.

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Buy at Amazon: In A Far-Off Land or Koorong