Pumpkinville. The name conjures images of a bucolic small town, perhaps in the Deep South, where life moves at a slow, leisurely pace.
In reality, Pumpkinville is a town an hour outside of Los Angeles. It's Hollywood's go-to rental spot for vintage cars, costumes, and sets. Stocked with collectibles, Pumpkinville is a paper town, existing through the good graces of the entertainment industry.
It's also the home of twelve-year-old Joey Rogers. A precocious child quickly growing into a handsome young man, the golden goose child actor is at the whims of his stepfather, George, who controls almost every aspect of Joey's life-right down to the types of toys and presents George's ex-wife is allowed to give her own son.
George's latest project is a movie based on Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle's childhood, written by Arbuckle's one-time secretary and silent film star Holiday Fairchild-a personal hero of Joey's.
When Fairchild-now in her eighties-attends a collectibles show in Anaheim, Joey knows it might be his only chance to meet his idol. He wants George to accompany him, but not to meet Holiday. Joey has made a decision about his future-and it doesn't include acting.
About the Author: P. Holiday Gardner was adopted by a US Army captain when she was six years old. After studying design in Florida, she moved to Los Angeles to become a set designer.
At present, Gardner is a dessert design artist for a DiRoNA award-winning French restaurant she cofounded in 1990.
When not designing or writing, she is a dog breed aficionado with a love of books about the toy, film, and music industries.
