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A Touch of Stardust

A Novel

A Novel

By Kate Alcott

By Kate Alcott

By Kate Alcott

By Kate Alcott

By Kate Alcott
Read by Cassandra Campbell

By Kate Alcott
Read by Cassandra Campbell

Best Seller
Paperback $15.00

Jan 26, 2016 | ISBN 9780804171984

Ebook $6.99

Feb 17, 2015 | ISBN 9780385539050

Audiobook Download $20.00

Feb 17, 2015 | 657 Minutes

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    A Touch of Stardust by Kate Alcott
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    Jan 26, 2016 | ISBN 9780804171984

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      Jan 26, 2016 | ISBN 9780804171984

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    About A Touch of Stardust

    Julie Crawford left Fort Wayne, Indiana with dreams of being a Hollywood screenwriter. Unfortunately, her new life is off to a rocky start. Fired by the notoriously demanding director of Gone With the Wind, she’s lucky to be rescued by Carole Lombard, whose scandalous affair with the still-married Clark Gable is just heating up.

    As Carole’s assistant, Julie suddenly has a front-row seat to two of the world’s greatest love affairs. And while Rhett and Scarlett—and Lombard and Gable—make movie history, Julie is caught up in a whirlwind of outsized personalities and overheated behind-the-scenes drama … not to mention a budding romance of her own.

    About A Touch of Stardust

    From the New York Times bestselling author of The Dressmaker comes a blockbuster novel that takes you behind the scenes of the filming of Gone with the Wind, while turning the spotlight on the passionate romance between its dashing leading man, Clark Gable, and the blithe, free-spirited actress Carole Lombard. 

    When Julie Crawford leaves Fort Wayne, Indiana, for Hollywood, she never imagines she’ll cross paths with Carole Lombard, the dazzling actress fromJulie’s provincial Midwestern hometown. The young woman has dreams of becoming a screenwriter, but the only job Julie’s able to find is one in the studio publicity office of the notoriously demanding producer David O. Selznick, who is busy burning through directors, writers, and money as he films Gone with the Wind.
         Although tensions run high on the set, Julie finds she can step onto the back lot, take in the smell of smoky gunpowder and the soft rustle of hoop skirts, and feel the magical world of Gone with the Wind come to life. Julie’s access to real-life magic comes when Carole Lombard hires her as an assistant and invites her into the glamorous world Carole shares with Clark Gable, who is about to move into movie history as the dashing Rhett Butler. 
         Carole Lombard, happily profane and uninhibited, makes no secret of her relationship with Gable, which poses something of a problem for the studio because Gable is technically still married—and the last thing the film needs is more negative publicity. Julie is there to fend off the overly curious reporters, hoping to prevent details about the affair from slipping out. But she can barely keep up with her blond employer, let alone control what comes out of Carole’s mouth, and—as their friendship grows—Julie soon finds she doesn’t want to. Carole, both wise and funny, becomes Julie’s model for breaking free of the past.
         In the ever-widening scope of this story, Julie is given a front-row seat to not one but two of the greatest love affairs of all time: the undeniable on-screen chemistry between Scarlett and Rhett, and offscreen, the deepening love between Carole and Clark. Yet beneath the shiny façade, things in Hollywood are never quite what they seem, and Julie must learn to balance her career aspirations and her own budding romance with the outsized personalities and overheated drama on set. Vivid, romantic, and filled with Old Hollywood details, A Touch of Stardust will entrance, surprise, and delight.

    About A Touch of Stardust

    From the New York Times bestselling author of The Dressmaker comes a blockbuster novel that takes you behind the scenes of the filming of Gone with the Wind, while turning the spotlight on the passionate romance between its dashing leading man, Clark Gable, and the blithe, free-spirited actress Carole Lombard. 

    When Julie Crawford leaves Fort Wayne, Indiana, for Hollywood, she never imagines she’ll cross paths with Carole Lombard, the dazzling actress fromJulie’s provincial Midwestern hometown. The young woman has dreams of becoming a screenwriter, but the only job Julie’s able to find is one in the studio publicity office of the notoriously demanding producer David O. Selznick, who is busy burning through directors, writers, and money as he films Gone with the Wind.
         Although tensions run high on the set, Julie finds she can step onto the back lot, take in the smell of smoky gunpowder and the soft rustle of hoop skirts, and feel the magical world of Gone with the Wind come to life. Julie’s access to real-life magic comes when Carole Lombard hires her as an assistant and invites her into the glamorous world Carole shares with Clark Gable, who is about to move into movie history as the dashing Rhett Butler. 
         Carole Lombard, happily profane and uninhibited, makes no secret of her relationship with Gable, which poses something of a problem for the studio because Gable is technically still married—and the last thing the film needs is more negative publicity. Julie is there to fend off the overly curious reporters, hoping to prevent details about the affair from slipping out. But she can barely keep up with her blond employer, let alone control what comes out of Carole’s mouth, and—as their friendship grows—Julie soon finds she doesn’t want to. Carole, both wise and funny, becomes Julie’s model for breaking free of the past.
         In the ever-widening scope of this story, Julie is given a front-row seat to not one but two of the greatest love affairs of all time: the undeniable on-screen chemistry between Scarlett and Rhett, and offscreen, the deepening love between Carole and Clark. Yet beneath the shiny façade, things in Hollywood are never quite what they seem, and Julie must learn to balance her career aspirations and her own budding romance with the outsized personalities and overheated drama on set. Vivid, romantic, and filled with Old Hollywood details, A Touch of Stardust will entrance, surprise, and delight.

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    Listen to a sample from A Touch of Stardust

    Also by Kate Alcott

    The Hollywood Daughter
    The Daring Ladies of Lowell
    The Dressmaker
    See all books by Kate Alcott

    Also by Kate Alcott

    The Hollywood Daughter
    The Daring Ladies of Lowell
    The Dressmaker
    See all books by Kate Alcott

    Also by Kate Alcott

    The Hollywood Daughter
    The Daring Ladies of Lowell
    The Dressmaker
    See all books by Kate Alcott

    About Kate Alcott

    Kate Alcott is the pseudonym for journalist Patricia O’Brien, who has written several books, both fiction and nonfiction. As Kate Alcott, she is the author of The Dressmaker (a New York Times bestseller), The Daring Ladies of Lowell, and A Touch of… More about Kate Alcott

    About Kate Alcott

    Kate Alcott is the pseudonym for journalist Patricia O’Brien, who has written several books, both fiction and nonfiction. As Kate Alcott, she is the author of The Dressmaker (a New York Times bestseller), The Daring Ladies of Lowell, and A Touch of… More about Kate Alcott

    About Kate Alcott

    Kate Alcott is the pseudonym for journalist Patricia O’Brien, who has written several books, both fiction and nonfiction. As Kate Alcott, she is the author of The Dressmaker (a New York Times bestseller), The Daring Ladies of Lowell, and A Touch of… More about Kate Alcott

    Product Details

    Category: Historical Romance | Historical Fiction | Literary Fiction

    Paperback | $15.00
    Published by Anchor
    Jan 26, 2016 | 304 Pages | 5-3/16 x 8 | ISBN 9780804171984

    Category: Historical Fiction | Historical Romance | Literary Fiction

    Ebook | $6.99
    Published by Anchor
    Feb 17, 2015 | 304 Pages | ISBN 9780385539050

    Category: Historical Fiction | Historical Romance | Literary Fiction | Audiobooks

    Audiobook Download | $20.00
    Published by Random House Audio
    Feb 17, 2015 | 657 Minutes | ISBN 9781101889435

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    Praise

    “If you could time-travel to anywhere in the golden age of Hollywood, it would be hard to imagine a place more exciting than the set of Gone with the Wind. . . . [A] breathtaking novel.” —The New York Times Book Review 
     
    “Sparkles with the magic of classic moviemaking.”  —Sarah McCoy, author of The Baker’s Daughter 

    “Simply enjoyable. . . . Alcott’s depiction of the earthy, expletive-spewing Lombard reads just right.” —Daily News

    “Enticing. . . . Gets just close enough to the glamour to . . . put a twinkle in your eye.” —The Austin Chronicle

    “This lively read with its cinematic scenes cries out for blockbuster movie treatment.” —Toronto Star  

    “Historical figures become intricate characters in Alcott’s hands.” —Seattle Post-Intelligencer

    “Readers of Nancy Horan’s Loving Frank and other biographical fiction will love this well-written, thoroughly researched look at Hollywood’s glamorous and not-so-glamorous past.” —Library Journal (starred review)

    “Well worth reading.” —Historical Novel Society

    “[A] stellar historical novel. . . . A terrific tribute to the industry pioneers.” —Booklist

    “Alcott is a splendid storyteller.” —RT Book Reviews

         “Powerful and charming.” —Curled Up With a Good Book

    “Well-crafted commercial fiction displaying intelligence and nuance.” —Kirkus Reviews



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