Today we’d like to introduce you to Staci Greason.
Hi Staci, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
When I was twenty-two years old I was living in Denver and studying acting at the University of Colorado. One day, sitting in French class, it occured to me that I didn’t need a college degree to work as an actor. My best friend (who also wanted to be an actor) and I decided to move to New York. Her uncle had connections at the NY Times. We could live with his family and be runners for the paper. Excited, I dropped out of college and sold all of my stuff, Two weeks before we were to leave, my friend changed her mind. I had one L.A. connection. She needed a roommate. I packed my Subaru hatchback like a suitcase and drove with my sister in-tow over the Continental Divide for adventures in Hollywood.
As a newbie to L.A., the best things I did were to find the right acting class, the right spiritual community (I’m an SGI Buddhist), and get a job as an assistant to a talent agent to learn the ropes. About a year later, I landed my first low-budget horror flick Terror Night, then a role in Friday the 13th VII, and after five or six screentests over the course of two years, I landed a recurring gig on Days of Our Lives that turned into a three-year contract. It was the stuff of dreams.
When my soap contract ended, I chose not to renew. I wanted to pursue writing full-time. For thirty years, it’s been the L.A. wild ride of day jobs and writing gigs. Some of my TV pilot scripts and screenplays have won awards, some have almost been made, but mostly it’s been a hustle. Recently, my fourth novel, All the Girls in Town, about three women who join forces to wreak vengeance on a rockstar who ruined their lives was released and it’s gathering good reviews.
Five years ago, to my great surprise, I got married to a funny, smart, kind guy. For the first time in my life. At the age of 53. I know L.A. has a rep for ageism. And it’s real. But I’m living proof that anything can happen if you don’t give up on yourself.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road has been filled with steep climbs, beautiful vistas, and very hard falls, figuratively and literally – ha! I’m an avid hiker (one of the many reasons I love Los Angeles). One time, on a very bad date, I fell down a steep trail off of Mulholland and tore my ACL. This became a metaphor for my health and career experiences in my thirties.
My career obstacles (or opportunities as we say in Buddhism) have been heartbreaking, daunting, exciting, and filled with growth for me as a writer and person. Over the years, I’ve discovered that every piece of work has its own path. For instance, in my forties my lit agent suggested I self-publish a novel I’d written about a housewife who climbs a tree by the mall to keep it from being torn down. It was a disappointing experience, but later, it was briefly optioned and I was given the opportunity to write the screenplay. Ten years and numerous rewrites later, that screenplay, TREED has gone on to place in Nicholls, PAGE, Cinestory, AFF, and other high-ranked screenplay contests.
I’ve had more almosts than wins in my writing life, thus far. And this may be true for many writers. Life isn’t a straight line. The very best thing about continuing are the relationships that I have made with fellow creatives. Community has added richness to my life.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
When I’m not binging on a great new limited series with my husband, mostly what I do is sit in my writer’s room and stare at the computer. My fourth novel, All the Girls in Town, about three smart, sexy, slightly messed-up women who join forces to wreak vengeance on the rockstar who ruined their lives was published in July 2022. I’m very proud of this book.
When I started working on the story, I wanted to explore what unhealed trauma looks like in a person’s daily life. I created Dani, a heartbroken woman with an eating disorder who’d given her love and lyrics to help her husband Peter and his band, The Disasters. rise in fame. When we meet Dani, she’s broke, still reeling from their divorce, and writing a blog about killing Peter. She’s a literary assassin! I started thinking “Who else might be reading her blog, Just-Deserts?” (Yes, it’s pronounced desserts). That’s how Red, Peter’s jilted on-again/off-again lover, and Sasha, his backup singer/current wife, were born.
Dani, Red, and Sasha’s lives are told in individual chapters, slowly circling toward each other, until they discover a horrible truth about Peter. This shocking discovery compels them to overcome their differences and take action to stop him.
I was writing the novel when the #MeToo movement broke open wide. The story was headed in that direction, but the courageous voices of women speaking out about predators compelled me to the end.
All the Girls in Town is truly my love letter to the power of united women. I believe in women. May we be seen, heard and believed. I hope that readers find solace and community with my book.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
Never. Give. Up. Listen to advice. Be willing to change. Be a good citizen of the world. Take care of your knees.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.stacigreason.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/staciwrites/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/staci.greason
Image Credits
5AD6ADA3-6A63-427B-A3F8-872EB4CBD6 – Book Passages Corte Madera Event with author Jasmin Darznik 1CA80386-6A91-411D-B4D3-551F7FB3814 – Diesel Bookstore in Brentwood All the Girls in Town Launch with author Leslie Lehr IMG_1120 – BookBar Denver Book Event with Maria Ines Canto, Assistant Professor of Spanish – Mexican Literature Colorado State University (photo credit: Brooke Austin) IMG_1119 Staci with her husband Larry Shore at Alexandria Books in San Francisco IMG_5225 Village Well Coffee & Books Event with author Christine Sneed IMG_1500 Staci signs her novel at Village Well Coffee & Books in Culver City IMG_3975 Staci at Book Bar in Denver
