From Here to Reality

Product Description Sometimeslife is stranger than reality TV. When Johnny Koester is laid off from his TV production job in New York, he moves west, landing in Los Angeles just as the ashes from the riots are settling. The only job he can find is in the burgeoning new field of "reality television," and suddenly Johnny's working like a dog on Shocking Hollywood Secrets and, better still, Psychic CrimeBusters. Unfortunately for Johnny, life at his new home in Hollywood Court View is even more bizarre than his work. Plagued from day one by his mysterious neighbor, Benny, Johnny soon finds himself following clues having to do with old baseball scorecards and Tony Bennett songs -- and inadvertently setting into motion a series of events that will reveal Benny's deep, dark East Coast past. The only thing going right in Johnny's life is Joan -- the director of a shelter for runaway teens -- who has a heart of gold and a body that makes him weak. He interviewed her for one of his shows, and sparks definitely flew. But will she still love him when Shocking Hollywood Secrets hits the air? Putting his own quirky spin on the classic tale of a New York transplant in L.A., Steven Schindler has penned a hilarious tale of underworld intrigue, whirlwind love, and the somewhat difficult birth of a TV phenomenon. From Publishers Weekly Schindler (Sewer Balls; From the Block) has two decades of TV producing and writing under his belt, so it's no surprise that his third novel, an erratic blend of slapstick farce, meandering mystery and winsome romance, reads like an extended TV dramedy. Johnny Koester, formerly a New York TV producer of vaguely intellectual arts segments, is transplanted by sudden unemployment to Los Angeles, as the ash from post–Rodney King riots sifts over the city. There he lives off his savings in a rundown Hollywood apartment building, where neighbors include a busty Russian stripper and her darling three-year-old son; a chirpy spinster and her nosy, aged mother; and, most ominously, a down-on-his-luck former porn-film director. When Johnny finally finds work, it's as producer for two sleazy tabloid-TV series, Psychic CrimeBusters and Shocking Hollywood Secrets—where romantic sparks arc during Johnny's first interview with the vibrant woman running a shelter for teenage runaways. The story's mystery is less than energetic, as good-hearted Johnny slowly uncovers why his hangdog neighbor is hiding from the world. The romance? A happy-ever-after ending is never in doubt. Schindler's cockeyed insider's take on how bottom-feeder TV gets made is what gives this entertaining novel its oomph. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Review "A very funny Hollywood story told with wit and passion by someone who's obviously been there." -- Jay Leno"Schindler's cockeyed insider's take on how bottom-feeder TV gets made is what gives this entertaining novel its oomph." -- Publishers Weekly"What's real? What's fake? Who knows anymore? But I do know FROM HERE TO REALITY made me laugh. Great book!" -- Roger L. Simon (Author- The Big Fix, Director's Cut) About the Author Steven Schindler has worked for more than twenty years as a writer, producer, editor, and director of news, entertainment, magazine, and reality television programs. He is also the author of Sewer Balls -- "probably the best novel produced by the small presses in 1999" (Small Press Review) -- and From the Block. He lives in Los Angeles, California.