The predatorial culture that’s part of Hollywood today and led to the MeToo Movement, in many ways, is the same insidious culture of the 1930s and 1940s. In this first book in a new historical fiction series by debut author Hal Scott, we’re taken back to when and where that dark culture first began, under the Hollywood lights. 

Beautiful and talented Savannah St. Clair is a 27-year-old Broadway actress who has come to 1940s Hollywood to pursue a long-held dream of becoming a movie star. She is lured under false pretenses by Vincent Lemaster, the owner of Starlight Studios, to his villa at The Garden of Allah Hotel on Sunset Boulevard. He sexually assaults her, and when she rebuffs his advances, he tells her she has no chance to advance her career if she doesn’t change her mind and play ball. 

Discouraged and depressed, Savannah seeks the advice of Alla Nazimova, the silent screen legend who was the original owner of The Garden and who still lives there. Nazimova becomes a mentor to Savannah, as does Skylar Coltrain, the top box office draw at Starlight Studios. With their advice, love and support, Savannah might have a shot at surviving Hollywood’s male-dominant industry. 

The Garden, also known as “The Oasis in Hollywood", is the residence and gathering place for anyone who is anyone in Hollywood. Famous for its loose sexual attitude and ambiance, encouraged by Nazimova, a lesbian herself, The Garden is famous for the trysts and affairs that take place there with some of the biggest names in Hollywood. Lesbian, bisexual, and homosexual encounters are encouraged, as well as straight sex. Sex is always available with the endless parties at The Garden. 

Can Savannah survive and succeed in Hollywood and in The Garden…especially following the ultimate showdown with LeMaster, a showdown in which one of them doesn’t live to tell the story? 

Praise for The Garden of Allah:

“A riveting view inside 1940’s Hollywood, and the role that time period played in what we now recognize as the #MeToo Movement. It’s historical fiction that unfortunately is more historical than fiction. I’m looking forward to the next book in this series.” (D.D. Scott, international best-selling author).

About the author: Hal Scott’s lifetime passion for reading good literature led to his earning a PhD in literature from the University of Memphis in 2016. With a BBA in marketing and an MA in literature, also from the University of Memphis, 1998 and 2004, respectively, Hal enjoyed a career as a sales representative in industrial sales, selling forklifts and materials handling equipment. A lifetime Memphian, he’s thankful he’s had the chance to write something of consequence - at least for himself. He’s been married to Annette Butler Scott for 51 years, and they have two daughters, Elizabeth Troutman and Carley Curlin, and two grandsons, Grant Troutman and Zac Curlin. This is his debut novel, but his plan is that it’s only the first of many.