Publisher, Brilliance Corporation (May 2005)

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When her husband Kenny dumps her (by cell phone) mere months before their ten-year wedding anniversary, Gracie Pollock finds herself reeling. Though her role as the wife of a semi-famous Hollywood studio executive often left her cold, Gracie had grown accustomed to the unique privileges extended to Tinseltown’s power elite: reservations at Spago on a Friday night; beauty treatments by dermatologists (Arnie), manicurists (Jessica), and colorists (Christophe) to the stars; line-jumping at Disneyland with her daughter and Ugg-wearing celebrity offspring. And despite consenting to naming their daughter Jaden in a (failed) attempt to lure Will Smith into one of Kenny’s productions, Gracie believed she and Kenny were different from other Hollywood couples. She never thought she’d be a starter wife. But now that her marriage is over, she’s a social pariah, and it’s only through a faux pas by her world-class florist that she learns her husband has upgraded: Kenny is dating a pop tartlet. With images of the ‘tween queen everywhere she turns, Gracie seeks refuge at her best friend’s Malibu mansion for some much-needed divorce therapy. Soon she’s associating with all the wrong people, including a mysterious hunk who saves her from drowning, the security guard at her gated community, and – God forbid – Kenny’s boss, one of Hollywood’s better-known Lotharios. With her signature wit, sassy style, and cameos of the rich and famous – and wannabe rich and famous – Gigi Grazer tackles the most delicious and dastardly details of a divorce and recovery, Hollywood style.

About the Author: Gigi Levangie Grazer wrote the screenplay for Stepmom, the Columbia TriStar movie starring Julia Roberts and Susan Sarandon. Her previous novel, Rescue Me, is being developed into a film at Fox Searchlight. Grazer lives in Pacific Palisades, California, with her husband, producer Brian Grazer, and their four children.

About the Performer: Susan Ericksen lives on the East Coast, where she performs on stage and on television. She also appears regularly with the Hope College Repertory Company, of which her husband David Colacci, another fine Brilliance narrator, is artistic director.