The Last We Fake
An LA novel-in-stories each season, along with selected short fiction from exceptional authors, both new and established, whose works take place at the shifting borders of the American Dream. Each season, the podcast debuts an original novel in serialized episodes. Separately, the episodes stand alone, but together they comprise a novel-length journey, with a cast of recurring characters.
The Last We Fake
S3 E13 - The Celebrity by Catherine Hein: Episode 12, Don't Spit On the Stars
Using old acting-school skills to conquer the dance-away instincts ingrained by her family, Wanda finally phones for the directions to St. Jude's Hospital. But the flickering world at Sunset and Vine floods her with ancestral memory--from golden visits to the Hollywood Ranch Market, to the high-rise vistas behind casting couches where she'd fought her way free, to The Brown Derby, The Smoke House, and the warm safety of Coffee Dan's. And is that Tab Hunter as Jesus in the revolving glass?
Catherine Hein's former life took her from 20 years in the entertainment industry to two years in a homeless women's shelter. That's where Wanda, the reigning spirit of this epic two-volume novel of early ‘60s Hollywood, was born.
Host Alan Rifkin's novels, essays and short stories of Los Angeles have been published widely. Learn more about him at www.alanrifkin.com.
Intro music is from the song "Slow," performed by Sally Dworsky. Written by Sally Dworsky and Chris Hickey. Available on iTunes, Spotify, Apple Music and all other streaming platforms. Closing credit music for Season 3 is performed by Ben Rifkin. Podcast art by Ryan Longnecker.
Double publishing news!! Season Two’s novel, Sunland by Charlie Haas, is being released in print by Beck & Branch with a new title, The Current Fantasy ("Heart, soul, art, and the promise of Giant Vegetables... perhaps the last great untold chapter of the California Story." —Don Wallace). Visit: https://www.beckandbranch.com/the-current-fantasy.
Season One’s novel, The Drift That Follows Will Be Gradual by Alan Rifkin, has just been released by Open Books (“A delectable tour de force through our fractured culture—witty, wise, memorable, and touching.”—Richard Bausch). Purchase on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Drift-That-Follows-Will-Gradual/dp/1948598795?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
