We chat with author Maureen Lee Lenker about His Girl Hollywood, which is a standalone follow-up to It Happened One Fight, a rompy second-chance romance set in the glittering world of 1930s film.
Hi, Maureen! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Sure! I’m Maureen Lee Lenker, and I’m a hopeful romantic and entertainment journalist. I’m currently a Senior Writer at Entertainment Weekly for almost eight years where I’ve probably covered some of your favorite movies and shows. Since I was about 12 years old, I’ve been obsessed with classic Hollywood and filmmaking. I’m also a theatre nerd, avid reader, and consider any day where I get to visit the beach an excellent day.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
It feels like something that’s always been with me. My mom read me bedtime stories every night basically from the time I was born, and she would take me to the bookstore and the library all the time. I wrote my first book, Marbley and the Missing Sanddollar, complete with my own illustrations when I was about 7 years old. It was about my meerkat stuffie and his search for a sanddollar at the beach.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: Being read to: Is Your Mama a Llama? Reading on my own: Nancy Drew and the Secret of the Old Clock
- The one that made you want to become an author: This is a more fraught answer now but in total honesty it was Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Two right now: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
Your latest novel, His Girl Hollywood, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Glamorous. Empowering. Adventurous. Feminist. Romantic.
What can readers expect?
I hope readers will get a glimpse into the challenges (and the rarity) of being a woman behind the camera in the Golden Age of Hollywood, as well as an understanding of how gender stereotypes impact the way a woman is expected to behave on a set. They’ll also be getting a swoony, second-chance, friends-to-lovers romance with a hunky hero inspired by Gene Kelly. And there are plenty of hijinks and fun action sequences too. Plus, I hope it takes them back in time to this era of Hollywood history.
Where did the inspiration for His Girl Hollywood come from?
I have always wanted to write about a female director in the golden age of Hollywood because women were so important in the early days of cinema and then were eventually edged out by the studios. There were a few female directors working in this era, most notably Dorothy Arzner and Ida Lupino (who was also an actress), who were heavy inspirations for Arlene. I was also inspired by Catherine Hardwicke and her discussions of directing Twilight and the ways that she felt she had to hide some more feminine traits on set, even though she also felt they gave her different strengths.
As for Don, I was heavily inspired by Gene Kelly and his journey from Broadway to the screen and the ways that his dance style and ability to conceptualize dance on screen revolutionized the screen musical and what was possible for dance on screen.
Certain films — Swing Time, Cover Girl, It’s Always Fair Weather — were also important touchstones.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
The climax of the novel involves a rescue mission on the Los Angeles waterfront, and I really enjoyed writing how each of my characters (especially Flynn and Joan) handle the situation. Plus, I come from a family of longshoremen living and working in San Pedro, CA, so I really loved getting to delve into this history. Lastly, a lot of Arlene’s home life is based on my grandma and her home and traditions — and I wanted to pay tribute to all that love with this book, so I loved writing those sections.
Can you tell us a bit about your research process for His Girl Hollywood?
Sure. In some ways, I feel like I’ve been researching this book for years by immersing myself in Hollywood history and watching classic films. A lot of what I borrowed from Gene Kelly or wrote about life on set during this time were things I’d studied in college or read in books for fun. But I did a ton of research online, especially into organized crime in 1930s Los Angeles and the canneries of San Pedro and Long Beach.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
I think just solidifying what exactly was keeping Don and Arlene apart. But once I figured out the full ramifications of Don’s relationship with his gangster manager and Arlene’s sense of abandonment, it just a matter of layering that into their arcs throughout.
What’s next for you?
Next up is my third novel set in the Golden Age of Hollywood. It will follow notorious rascal Flynn Banks and the woman, Liv De Lesseps, who finally makes him believe in love.
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up in 2025?
I’m super excited for so many novels, but some top picks include: Taylor Jenkins Reid’s new novel about astronauts, Atmosphere; Myah Ariel’s sophomore novel, No Ordinary Love; Jasmine Guillory’s Flirting Lessons, her first f/f romance!; and Sarah MacLean’s genre pivot, These Summer Storms.
