Guest Post - Ruby Preston

Thank you to the author of Showbiz that I reviewed yesterday, she sent me this great guest post, check it out!


How My Broadway Day Job Inspired SHOWBIZ
By Ruby Preston

To say that my personal experiences as a Broadway producer have inspired SHOWBIZ would be the understatement of the century. In fact, it was entirely thanks to my crazy experiences - and a few clever friends who suggested over drinks one night that I put my stories down in writing - that my heroine Scarlett Savoy and this whole novel came about!

If you want my juiciest stories, you’ll have to read SHOWBIZ. But let’s just say that show business is riddled with contrasts. From rehearsals in rat infested basements to red carpets and paparazzi. From meetings where the agenda items include discussing a $10 million dollar budget followed by what kind of “look” we want for a fairy godmother in Act 2. And keep in mind that most of these meetings are populated by men in ties discussing said fairy godmothers. Can you picture it?

In these meetings, each decision can feel like it’s make or break, risky, high stakes. And yet, when you take a step back, you can’t help but smile at the subject matter. It’s a crazy business.

Despite the myriad challenges I’ve faced as a young producer, there’s no arguing the fact that I feel lucky every day to work in a business where the shows I produce can have such a vital impact on people. Theater speaks to audiences deeply and can change lives.

Many of you reading this may have been personally affected by live theater. Maybe it was the first time you saw Les Miz or Phantom or Wicked. There’s no doubt that what happens on stage transcends our daily lives. But, as you’ll learn in Showbiz, A Novel that path to Broadway may not be what you think.