Fame & Madness in America by Garrett Socol Fiction · Paperback · 150 pages ISBN 978-1-934081-35-8 · Out of Print Click on cover image to see full-size version

Fame Is the New Sex

When Brenda Bernstein poisons her husband of four days, little does she know that she is about to set off a media circus the likes of which haven't been seen since O.J. got into a white Ford Bronco.

Brenda becomes an overnight tabloid sensation-and so does everyone she has ever come in contact with, from her grade-school nemesis to her 90-year-old grandmother. As the notoriety of her trial gathers momentum, her erstwhile brother-in-law is courted by reality TV show producers to host their newest dating game show, "Mating After Murder," and her friend Veronica screen-tests for a remake of Body Heat, while the presiding judge at her trial wisely invests in a complete makeover for the benefit of the cameras infesting the courtroom. And let's not forget Brenda's mother, who is so thrilled to see her daughter gracing the cover of Time, she buys all copies of the magazine from her local newsstand.

Told in vignettes from the various important (and not-so-important) players' points of view, Fame & Madness in America is a wildly entertaining romp that explores the world of fleeting popularity in a culture that worships celebrities.

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Garrett Socol is a producer, playwright, and author. His short stories have been published in more than 40 literary journals including The Barcelona Review, The Dublin Quarterly, Word Riot, 3:AM Magazine, Underground Voices, Drunken Boat, and McSweeney's Internet Tendency. His pop culture pieces have appeared in Movieline, Cosmopolitan, and TheNervousBreakdown.com. He created and produced "Talk Soup," "The Gossip Show," and other series for E! Entertainment Television. His plays have been produced at the Berkshire Theatre Festival and the Pasadena Playhouse. This is his first novel. Garrett's website can be found at www.garrettsocolbooks.com.