Monday, November 4, 2013

Hollywood Dreams in the Gin and Jazz Era! Morticia Knight's newest out now!

Hi Cerise, thank you for having me at your blog today!

Hollywood Dreams in the Gin & Jazz Era

Hollywood Bound (Gin & Jazz 1), was just released and is only 99 cents! The Gin & Jazz series begins in 1924, and follows the story of the young and innocent Jack Stone as he travels from a vaudeville theatre in New York - with his best friend and new lover Nick - to Hollywood. They hope to find great jobs there working as set builders at a motion picture studio. It’s such a grand adventure because everything is so new to them. From hopping a train, to being intimate, to the excitement of being in Hollywood – they don’t know what to expect next. But after they arrive, they find that the glitz and glamour of the celluloid kingdom isn’t kind to new hopefuls.

In the following excerpt, the cracks are beginning to surface in Jack and Nick’s new relationship.

Jack and Nick seek fortune and adventure in the silent film era of Hollywood. But their newly-expressed love is threatened by the heady allure of fame, gin and easy money.

Jack rolled over on the bed to face the wall. They had too much time on their hands, and Jack’s ass was already sore from all of the rough games they had been playing—there was no way that was an option tonight. As much as he loved it, he needed a bit of a rest. Any suggestions about walking around the city or taking the trolley to sight-see had also been shot down by Nick the purse-holder. It was either too hot, or they couldn’t afford it. They had to save their money—just in case.
Just in case what?
“I’m sorry, Jack, but I gotta get outta here for a bit. I’m about ready to climb the walls.”
That’s what I’ve been trying to say all week.
“Here, you take the last two smokes—we need more anyway. I’ll pick up some matches too while I’m out. You wanna Coca-Cola? That’d be nice, huh?”
“Sure.”
Jack didn’t turn over. He suddenly didn’t feel like moving at all. It felt safer and more secure to huddle in a ball.
“Okay kid, I mean, Jack. I’ll be back in a little while.”
Nick patted him on the shoulder, and Jack heard the door shut behind him. What was happening? The excitement of the first few days had been heady. Not only were they finally in their dream town, but they were able to be together in the way Jack had yearned for them to be. Now he felt empty. It had nothing to do with being sorry about anything that was going on with their jobs, or how he felt about Nick. It was just Nick. He seemed unhappy and restless, and it was getting to Jack. It all came back to the same old problem. Nick wasn’t willing, or wasn’t able, to share his feelings. He held everything inside him like a deep, dark secret. No matter how many times Nick reassured him, Jack still felt unsure about himself and their situation.
There was a loud boom outside, and Jack saw a flash of light come through the window. He jumped up off of the bed and ran to see what was going on. It was just about twilight, and another boom rang out, this time even louder. He looked outside and realised that it was coming from behind the studio walls.
A picture! They’re making a picture!
It was too exciting. Why couldn’t he be higher up so he could see over the wall? Why wasn’t Nick here to share it with him? He couldn’t wait to tell him when he came back. Jack’s mind wandered to all of the possibilities of this mystery film. Could Douglas Fairbanks Jr. be just a stone’s throw away from him right that very second? The thought made him shiver.
On their second day there after they’d bought their coveralls, he’d found a torn scandal sheet in the trash. It wasn’t very big, and it was all in black and white, but it had lurid stories about FW Murnau, the genius filmmaker from Germany who had made the terrifying Nosferatu. Even more titillating was a story on Erich Von Stroheim, an Austrian director who some considered a sadist. He was supposedly filming orgies that featured women being tied up and whipped. No one knew for sure, since Willy Hays, the purity czar of Hollywood - who had made sure that nothing of an immoral nature would ever be seen on film again -  didn’t allow such filth. All actors and actresses even had to sign morality clauses in their contracts.
Jack was filled with curiosity about Stroheim’s films. If what they said were true, then there were other people doing the types of things he and Nick did. Would Nick want to whip him too? His cock had twitched a little at the thought, but he’d put it out of his mind.
But there were also lighter stories involving the little tramp, Charlie Chaplin, that only hinted at improprieties. And there had been pictures of his dashing Douglas Fairbanks with the pretty Mary Pickford. Jack had cut Douglas out of the paper—leaving Mary behind—so that he could hang it on their wall. Nick had pretended that he wasn’t interested in any star gossip nonsense, but Jack had caught him peeking over his shoulder a couple of times.
Jack sighed heavily. He longed for so much all of a sudden, and felt selfish and greedy for feeling that way. He was already so fortunate to have a man like Nick, even if Nick did have a hard time sharing his feelings. And here he was, all the way on the other side of the country in Hollywood—so close to his dreams. Never could he have imagined being in this place when he’d been kicked out of the orphanage three years before. Yet he ached to be on the other side of the wall across the street, and for Nick to be by his side always. He only hoped he could have both.
****
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