Secrets of a Soap Opera Diva

by Victoria Rowell

Book Overview

Calysta Jeffries is the hottest black actress in daytime and the diva of the soap opera world, known for her role as Ruby Stargazer on television's most popular soap opera, "The Rich and the Ruthless."

After fifteen years, three returns from the dead, two failed pregnancies, one alien abduction, and overcoming retrograde amnesia, Calysta still hasn't managed to snag the biggest award in daytime drama: the Sudsy. Now is supposed to be her moment. But Calysta's onscreen/offscreen rival Emmy Abernathy wins the award for the fourth time. The drama begins when journalist Mitch Morelli asks Calysta for a quote after the award show and her true feelings for her costar slip out.

Ripped from the headlines of Soap Opera Digest and straight off of the television screen, Secrets of a Soap Opera Diva will give readers plenty to talk about as they try to guess where the real world ends and Rowell's imagination begins.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1439164428
• ISBN13: 9781439164426
• Release Date: May 2010
• Publisher: Atria Books
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 1.01 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.6" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

A REAL FUN READ...

I love Victoria Rowell so when I heard about this book I wanted to love it as well--and I did. Her writing is as snappy as she is. The story, although fiction delves into the fictional soap opera and her alter ego. As a fan of Y & R for many years I do not want to believe the race card was played as written in this novel. All in all, Secrets of a Soap Opera Diva is exactly what you would expect and hope for--A fun read...

Good Solid Story

Very entertaining! I am waiting for the next installment! Victoria Rowell is a very talented actress and writer!

A DELECTABLE AND SUDSY TREAT

Sweeping across the canvas of the soap-sudsy world and across the miles to the Deep South, this fascinating saga offers a peek into the past, the present, and the future of the soap opera stars and the entire genre. Victoria Rowell's Secrets of a Soap Opera Diva: A Novel bears more than a passing resemblance to real-life soap operas and in her exploration of what goes on behind the scenes, it is easy to imagine that everything is true to life. After all, Ms. Rowell portrayed a feisty character on The Young and the Restless--a character "presumed dead"--so it wouldn't be a stretch to imagine that some of the same machinations portrayed in this story were at work in her soap opera. This story takes us to the glitzy sets of The Rich and the Ruthless and the sister soap The Daring and the Damned (could these be thinly-disguised pseudonyms for The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful?). When a "sudsy award" goes to an actor who doesn't deserve it, instead of the well-loved black actor Calysta Jeffries, we begin to suspect that pay-offs and much glad-handing is at work. Just when we think we have it figured out, though, we see how far some will go to ensure that their own agendas are realized. As a soap fan for many years, I found the story to be compelling, titillating, and a little bit alarming, in view of soap cancellations occurring right and left. Will the beloved world of soaps die a slow death? Or is there hope that someone somewhere will rescue the genre and allow fans to continue enjoying the sudsy treats these shows offer? My rating for this totally delectable romp is five stars.

Wonderful summer read!

This book was a page turner from beginning to end. If you love drama in your books then this is the book for you. Who knew that Victoria Rowell could give such excitment not only on screen but in black and white? The way she wrote this book its like you were watching on tv, you could visualize everything that was going on. I finished this book in a weekend because I couldn't put it down. This book deserves more than five stars! Just wonderful.

Movie in my head

I loved this book! It was suppose to be a summer read but i just couldn't resist taking a peek , the next thing i new i was finished with the book. This was a page turner. Every word i read i saw in my head as if it were a movie playing in color.... The drama was like something from the most dramatic, overindulgent, opulent 80's Dynasty drama. Loved the back stabbing , career climbing double crossing vipers of soap land. They don't put soaps like this on t.v. anymore. i can't wait for the second book! P.S. i think this book had more truth than fiction:)