Scared Scriptless: A Novel

by Alison Sweeney

"Maddy Carson loves her job as a Script Supervisor on the hit show, The Wrong Doctor, as much as she loathes fake boobs, juice cleanses, oversized designer sunglasses, and all other things "Hollywood." Super-organized and down-to-earth, Maddy has maintained a strict dating rule throughout her ten years in L.A.: "No Actors!" But she is seeing someone in the industry, Craig, one of the Executive Producers for the show ... and technically her boss. When Maddy regales Craig with stories of Wolf County, her beloved hometown in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, he's intrigued. He convinces her that a reality show featuring the eccentric characters of the charming ski town could be great for the production company (not to mention a hit that could help his career). Given that her parents and her community are facing serious financial challenges, a show that could drive tourism and boost the economy may be just the saving grace they need. Maddy and Craig visit Wolf County, where she uses her personal connections to recruit people for the show and to get footage for a sizzle reel to pitch to networks. Indeed, the lively characters and beautiful backdrop make for terrific material. But back in L.A., Maddy learns that Craig has his own agenda, and their creative vision's clash. Now Maddy has to stop Craig, whatever it takes. Meanwhile, Maddy has an unexpected flirtation with The Wrong Doctor's newest cast member, Adam Devlin. When things begin to fall apart with Craig, she decides to give Adam a chance-but is she suited for dating a hugely popular actor with throngs of female fans who follow him everywhere and even leave their panties tucked into his windshield? When it comes to life and love, Maddy has to learn that sometimes it's more important to break all her self-imposed rules and simply follow her heart. Mimicking the five-act script of a television show, Scared Scriptless is a love letter to TV, and offers a fascinating behind-the-scenes look for fans of both reality and scripted television - worlds that Alison Sweeney knows intimately."--

• ISBN10: 1401311059
• ISBN13: 9781401311056
• Publish Date: 3 June 2014 (first published 1 January 2014)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Hyperion
• Format: Paperback (UK Trade)
• Pages: 320
• Language: English

Reviews

[Leah]

When I saw Alison Sweeney’s new novel Scared Scriptless up for for review on Netgalley, I requested it immediately – it’s been on my amazon wishlist for a while, and I just love the title! It’s one of the best titles I’ve ever come across, most definitely a favourite! I’ve got another of Alison’s books on my shelf, but couldn’t resist the opportunity to read her new novel. She’s an actress who has also become a writer, proving herself to be multi-talented and she’s got a keen eye for the goings on behind the scenes of a tv show, as she proves here with Scared Scriptless.


I watch a lot of tv. A lot. I prefer American tv shows – they’ve got longer seasons, they tend to be more dramatic and they just work for me some how, but when you see the finished product on tv you just don’t realise what goes in to making it appear that way on our screens, all we see is the beautiful end product and Scared Scriptless allows us a big glimpse into how a tv show is made, and exactly what a script supervisor does – I didn’t even know that was a thing! But it sounds super fascinating, the whole making of a tv show sounds like something I would love to be part of and I was super jealous of Maddy. Can you imagine that being your life? It beats being a checkout girl any day, especially with the delectable Adam Devin present…

I found myself caught up in Scared Scriptless quite quickly and it’s a very warm, very sweet novel, full of heart. Maddy is the best narrator, offering such a great glimpse into the world of telly. Despite how hectic her job was, or how many hours she worked, I felt that Maddy really, really loved her job, that shone off the pages and made me wish for that. Made me wish I still loved my job as enthusiastically as Maddy does. I loved hearing about the show she was working on, and I loved that she aspired to do more – perhaps one day produce, she had talent and ambition, but was lovely with it and if I were working in Hollywood I would want her firmly on my side. The “Wolf” part of the novel was probably my favourite – I loved the idea for the show, set in Maddy’s home town, loved the community vibe, where everyone knows your name, the kinda show I would watch, in fact.

I very much enjoyed immersing myself in Scared Scriptless. I loved the characters – Maddy, Adam, Billy Fox, they were all great, with the exception of Craig who I never really warmed to. Too polished for me. The set up was fantastic – written not in chapters but in scenes, a nod obviously to script writing, which I thought was very clever. I’m actually surprised no writer has ever gone the whole hog and written a novel exactly like a script, that would be fascinating but Sweeney’s nod was interesting. I’m looking forward to going back and reading the other Sweeney novel I have as this was really good, it was a bit like sitting in a restaurant hearing a story from old friends, and I felt sad to leave when it was all over.