Someday, Someday, Maybe

May 27, 2013
Actress Graham's debut novel is set in 1995, a time when Caller-ID was a new feature, faxes were commonplace, and New York City's Times Square was still known for peep shows and unsavory characters. Following a predictable plot, Franny Banks, an aspiring actress living in pre-trendy Park Slope, Brooklyn, is desperate to break into theater but has only six months left on her self-imposed deadline to make that dream come true. With Franny's unruly hair, a body that doesn't quite fit the actress mold, and quirky personalityâwhich too often feels forcedâshe doesn't see how she can compete with the petite and polished Penelope Scholtzky. Suddenly, Absolute, one of the biggest tal-ent agencies in the business, becomes interested in Franny and things take a turn for the better; she gets jobs and begins a relationship with up-and-coming actor James Franklin. But as Franny rises, she wonders if everything she's worked so hard for is really what she wants. Although much of the story centers on the ordinary realization that what you want isn't always what's right for you, Graham pro-vides an inside peek at the world of acting and the struggles of making it. Agent: Esther Newberg, ICM.

March 15, 2013
In TV-star Graham's debut, an aspiring actress runs up against a self-imposed deadline: Make it in NYC within three years, or find another profession. It's 1995, and Franny is about to give up on her goal. She's come so close: acting classes with an illustrious thespian coach, a marred but memorable performance in his showcase and offers from two agents. Of these, the smoother-talking Joe Melville seems better connected than the crusty anachronism, Barney Sparks--almost immediately, Joe books Franny a bit part in a newly revived sitcom which may gain her increased attention, if it ever airs. On the romantic front, Franny has, she thinks, a long-distance relationship with Chicago law student Clark, a promising flirtation with handsome rising star James and a comfortable confidant in her roommate, Dan, a struggling screenwriter. Although her Filofax (scrawled and doodled sections of which precede most chapters) is temporarily chockablock with auditions for commercials and soap operas, there are long arid stretches spent in front of the TV instead of on it, when she's not temping as a catering server or striving to hold on to a cocktail-waitressing job. Finally, Joe comes through with a breakthrough role; except that it is in a zombie flick and involves nudity. Franny is perilously close to her deadline without a palpable validation of her career choice. Her fallback people, including Clark, her long-suffering father, and Dan, seem to be moving on without her. It's make it or break it time, but as is sometimes the case in semiautobiographical novels, the story seems to meander aimlessly, as it might in real life. However, thanks to Graham's affection for her characters as well as her authoritative exposition of the logistics of an actor's working (or in this case, nonworking) life, readers will excuse the detours. An entertainment-industry coming-of-age story that manages to avoid many of the cliches of the genre by repurposing them to humorous ends.

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April 15, 2013

Franny Banks is an aspiring actress who has only six months left on a self-imposed deadline for success. And it seems she might make it. After her acting class's annual showcase, which does not go as planned, Franny is surprised to receive offers from two renowned agents, a guest spot on a TV show, and a national commercial. Then her agent stops calling, the rejections pile up, and she loses a coveted waitressing job. Facing a financial crisis, a love triangle, and a mountain of self-doubt, Franny must figure out whether she really can make it in a field where only five percent of aspirants succeed, without losing herself in the process. VERDICT With insight, care, and an abundance of humor, actress Graham (Gilmore Girls; Parenthood) demonstrates that her acting chops are not her only talent. Franny's struggles are so real, so relatable, and at times so familiar that one wonders just how much of this first novel is autobiographical. Recommended for all aspiring actors and for any reader who has ever wondered about the life of an actor before she becomes a star.--Jennifer Beach, Cumberland Cty. P.L., VA

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2013
Actor Graham (Gilmore Girls, Parenthood) turns to a new creative outlet with her breezy first novel set in the demoralizing if funny bustle of New York City's 1995 acting world. Twentysomething Franny Banks is destined to act, if she can can actually land a decent audition and an even more decent part. Able to pay her rent since she snagged a coveted comedy-club waitressing job, Franny lives the typical life of a struggling actor as she tries to balance finding a good agent, going to auditions, making a splash in her acting class, and keeping her disliked if much-needed job while fretting over the looming self-imposed deadline of three years to make it on Broadway. Her roommates, good pal Jane and wannabe writer Dan, play her foils as she also deals with family issues and the very enticing James Franklin, from her acting class. A jaunty style and cutesy Filofax entries mark this as light yet enjoyable reading. Recommended for readers interested in a blithe, behind-the-scenes take on aspiring actors and their world.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)