PUYB Blog Tour: Interview with Shamron Moore, author of 'Hollywood Strip'


Shamron Moore became fascinated with Hollywood at a young age.  She counts Ava Gardner, Greta Garbo, and Sharon Tate as early inspirations.  In 2000, she left her home state of Michigan for the excitement of Los Angeles.  Over the course of nearly eight years, she appeared in various international print publications, commercials, television shows, and feature films.  She left the industry to focus on writing, one of her lifelong passions.  Many of her experiences in Hollywood served as inspiration for Hollywood Strip.  She has since written a sequel and is currently penning her third novel. 

You can visit Shamron at www.ShamronMoore.com.

Her latest book is Hollywood Strip.

Connect & Socialize with Shamron!



Q: Welcome to The Writer's Life!  Now that your book has been published, we’d love to find out more about the process.  Can we begin by having you take us at the beginning?  Where did you come up with the idea to write your book?

I came up with Hollywood Strip during a session with my then-therapist.  I was craving a new direction in life.  Up until then, for about eight years, I worked as an actor and commercial print model.  But I grew to be completely bored and unsatisfied.  Everything felt so stagnant and I was very unhappy.  Right around this time, I read Jacqueline Susann’s Valley of the Dolls, and became inspired to write my own novel.  A career in writing hadn’t occurred to me before this point, but I listened to my gut and went for it.

Q: How hard was it to write a book like this and do you have any tips that you could pass on which would make the journey easier for other writers? 

Writing Hollywood Strip wasn’t that difficult, although sometimes I struggled with self-discipline.  Finding a lit agent and publisher was much more trying.  I recommend reading Walter Mosley’s This Year You Write Your Novel; it’s very informative for first time novelists.

Q: Who is your publisher and how did you find them or did you self-publish?

Tor/Forge, a division of MacMillan.  My agent set it up.

Q: Is there anything that surprised you about getting your first book published?

The fact that I’ve never had a single piece published before Hollywood Strip is kind of something.  Getting a novel published is a challenge to begin with, and combined with having zero credits?  It’s a bit unheard of.  I worked hard on this book--I rewrote it and reworked it many, many times, and listened to constructive criticism.  I was determined to get published, one way or another.  It took nearly four-and-a-half years, from writing the first paragraph to having it on bookshelves, but I accomplished exactly what I set out to do.  

Q: Can you describe the feeling when you saw your published book for the first time?

Pride.  A tremendous sense of accomplishment.  It’s as if I were pregnant for the last four years and finally gave birth.  And there’s my baby, chilling in the chick lit section at Barnes & Noble.

Q: What other books (if any) are you working on and when will they be published?

I’ve written a sequel, which remains title-less as of this moment.  I don’t have too many details for you--yet.  We’ll see how Hollywood Strip fares!  I also penned a children’s fable and began my third novel.

Q: Fun question: How does your book contribute to making this world a better place?

Hollywood Strip adds some levity and entertainment, which the world can use more of.  Laughter is the most underrated medicine.

Q: Finally, what message (if any) are you trying to get across with your book?

Callie, Hollywood Strip’s heroine, comes to realize life isn’t about how much money she accumulates; it’s not about how many magazine covers she graces.  It’s the things that aren’t spendable or seeable that are the most valuable.  What matters most is one’s health and the love of friends and family--and the love of oneself. 
  
Q: Thank you again for this interview!  Do you have any final words?

My pleasure.  Shakespeare put it best, and it sums everything up:  “To thine own self be true.” 



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