Book excerpt: In Theda Bara's Tent follows the adventures of a spirited orphan who makes his way into the burgeoning movie business in the days when the screen was silent and the moguls were just small-time theater owners. Harry Sirkus is so brave and lovable everyone wants to help him including a struggling theater owner named Louis B. Mayer who, at age 22, living in Haverhill, Massachusetts, is years away from being studio head at MGM. Harry runs away from Haverhill at age 13 and must make his way in the world alone. After many adventures and heartbreaking struggles he goes to New York to work for the avaricious William Fox, founder of Fox News, a newsreel company. In his search for love and prosperity, Harry encounters screen stars, Tin Pan Alley song pluggers, bootleggers, dare-devil cameramen, movie moguls, and a young gossip columnist who steals his heart. Rich in historical context, with a cast of characters real and imagined, this page-turner follows Harry Sirkus as he makes a mark in the flourishing film industry and goes on to become a famous news broadcaster. Harry's personality is so captivating and vivid readers will be hard-pressed to remember that the author made him up. Written by Diana Altman who grew up in the movie business, this is fictionalized history at its best.