Book excerpt: A captivating debut about the lure of the 1930s Hollywood, in all its dangerous glamour. Irving snapped his fingers, so loudly that it echoed through the room, over all the chatting and flirting. Elsa was surprised that such a sharp, loud noise could come out of such a small person. Laura Lamont, he said. You want it? It's yours. Come see me when you're ready. When the most famous producer in 1930s Hollywood plucks Elsa Emerson from a party and gives her a brand-new name, a star of the silver screen is born. Step by step she succumbs to the consuming power of the studio. But her transformation is more profound than she could ever have foreseen...