Location: United States
Member Since: Dec. 17, 2011

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Martin Turnbull

Biography

Martin Turnbull has worked as a private tour guide showing both locals and out-of-towners the movie studios, Beverly Hills mansions, Hollywood hills vistas and where all the bodies are buried. For nine years, he has also volunteered as an historical walking tour docent with the Los Angeles Conservancy. He worked for a summer as a guide at the Warner Bros. movie studios in Burbank showing movie fans through the sound stages where Bogie and Bacall, Bette Davis, Errol Flynn, and James Cagney created some of Hollywood’s classic motion pictures.

From an early age, Martin was enchanted with old movies from Hollywood’s golden era–from the dawn of the talkies in the late 1920s to the dusk of the studio system in the late 1950s–and has spent many, many a happy hour watching the likes of Garland, Gable, Crawford, Garbo, Grant, Miller, Kelly, Astaire, Rogers, Turner, Welles go through their paces.

When he discovered the wonderful world of biographies, autobiographies, and memoirs, his love of reading merged with his love of movies and his love of history to produce a three-headed hydra gobbling up everything in his path. Ever since then, he’s been on a mission to learn and share as much as he can about this unique time.

Originally from Melbourne, Australia, Martin moved to Los Angeles in the mid-90s.

Smashwords Interview

What's the story behind your latest book?
My latest book (as at November 2013) is called "Citizen Hollywood" and it's the third novel in a series set at the (real life) Garden of Allah Hotel which stood on Sunset Blvd during Hollywood's golden age. "Citizen Hollywood" is set in the late 30s and early 40s when the lives of the three main characters plays out against the fight over Orson Welles' debut movie, "Citizen Kane." It was a thinly-veiled portrait of the most powerful man of the era William Randolph Hearst who, understandably, was none to pleased at this screen portrayal.
What motivated you to become an indie author?
When I finished my first novel - "The Garden on Sunset" - I made a list of the literary agents I felt were most likely to take me on as a client. It was a list of 68 agents and I spent six months querying each of them. By the time I had collected 68 "No thank you"s, I'd learned about the pros and cons of indie publishing. By the time I received my 68th knock-back, I'd come to the conclusion that indie publishing wasn't a Plan B to traditional publishing but was, in fact, an Alternate Plan A wherein I could control content, cover, price and marketing. There seemed to be many pros to indie publishing and very few cons.
Read more of this interview.

Where to find Martin Turnbull online

Website: http://www.martinturnbull.com
Twitter: @TurnbullMartin
Facebook: Facebook profile
Blog: http://martinurnbull.wordpress.com

Where to buy in print

http://www.amazon.com/Garden-Sunset-Martin-Turnbull/dp/1466218959/ref=ntt_at_ep_edition_1_1

Series

Hollywood's Garden of Allah novels by
Life in Los Angeles during Hollywood's golden age, centered around the Garden of Allah Hotel, which stood at the gateway to the Sunset Strip from 1927 to 1959.
The Garden on Sunset: A Novel of Golden-Era Hollywood
Price: Free!
The Trouble with Scarlett: A Novel of Golden-Era Hollywood
Price: $2.99 USD.
Citizen Hollywood: A Novel of Golden-Era Hollywood
Price: $2.99 USD.
Searchlights and Shadows: A Novel of Golden-Era Hollywood
Price: $2.99 USD.
Reds in the Beds: A Novel of Golden-Era Hollywood
Price: $3.99 USD.
Twisted Boulevard: A Novel of Golden-Era Hollywood
Price: $3.99 USD.

Books

The Garden of Allah Novels Trilogy #3 ("Tinseltown Confidential" - "City of Myths" - "Closing Credits") by
Price: $7.99 USD. Words: 319,050. Language: English. Published: October 24, 2018 . Categories: Fiction » Historical » USA, Fiction » Biographical
1950s Hollywood saw the beginning of the end of everything: the Eisenhower Years and everything it represented, the restrictive Production Code, Hollywood’s golden-era studio system...and the Garden of Allah Hotel. The times they were a-changing and Hollywood's denizens needed to change too...or be left behind.
Closing Credits: A Novel of Golden-Era Hollywood by
Series: Hollywood's Garden of Allah novels. Price: $3.99 USD. Words: 109,820. Language: English. Published: October 24, 2018 . Categories: Fiction » Historical » USA, Fiction » Biographical
When a mysterious list starts circulating, columnist Kathryn Massey's life falls under a public magnifying glass. Beset by writer’s block, screenwriter Marcus Adler finds a box in the basement of the Garden of Allah whose contents could rejuvenate his career but cost him his reputation. New to television, Gwendolyn Brick teams up with Lucille Ball but is conflicted by new opportunities.
City of Myths: A Novel of Golden-Era Hollywood by
Series: Hollywood's Garden of Allah novels. Price: $3.99 USD. Words: 120,110. Language: English. Published: February 15, 2018 . Categories: Fiction » Historical » USA, Fiction » Biographical
Losing herself one headline at a time has dumped Kathryn Massey at the bargaining table with the man she trusts the least. Now that Gwendolyn Brick is a costumer at 20th Century-Fox, she finds that her friendship with Marilyn Monroe puts her into the crosshairs of Darryl Zanuck. Exiled in Rome but under the spell of romance, Marcus Adler must learn to say goodbye in order to give love a chance.
Tinseltown Confidential: A Novel of Golden-Era Hollywood by
Series: Hollywood's Garden of Allah novels, Book 7. Price: $3.99 USD. Words: 97,680. Language: English. Published: May 31, 2017 . Categories: Fiction » Historical » USA, Fiction » Biographical
As America embraces the 1950s, television is poaching Hollywood’s turf and Joseph McCarthy forces exiled screenwriter Marcus Adler fights to finally clear his name. Hollywood Reporter Kathryn Massey knows a secret that might take down a charismatic figure out to intimidate the film industry. When “Confidential” magazine arrives, Gwendolyn Brick figures she’s got nothing to hide - until she does.
The Garden of Allah Novels Trilogy #2 ("Searchlights and Shadows" - "Reds in the Beds" - "Twisted Boulevard") by
Price: $7.99 USD. Words: 312,660. Language: English. Published: November 3, 2016 . Categories: Fiction » Historical » USA, Fiction » Biographical
1940s Hollywood was a perilous time. Over the music of the Hollywood Canteen hung the fear that some of these brave boys won’t make it back. Then came the paranoia that Commies lurked behind every movie, bringing with it the Red Scare. And once HUAC was finished rattling its publicity-seeking saber, a new threat flourished. This time from that plywood book with the tiny screen.
Twisted Boulevard: A Novel of Golden-Era Hollywood by
Series: Hollywood's Garden of Allah novels, Book 6. Price: $3.99 USD. Words: 100,040. Language: English. Published: November 3, 2016 . Categories: Fiction » Historical » USA, Fiction » Biographical
When screenwriter Marcus Adler plans to start over with a disgraced star, a Hollywood censor reminds him that the past isn’t forgotten. Columnist Kathryn Massey must deal with a rival when she glimpses a sight on the set of “Sunset Boulevard.” Gwendolyn Brick thought her new store would be a hit, but when LA’s most notorious madam threatens it, she’ll need a Hollywood miracle to keep her it alive.
Reds in the Beds: A Novel of Golden-Era Hollywood by
Series: Hollywood's Garden of Allah novels, Book 5. Price: $3.99 USD. Words: 107,480. Language: English. Published: January 12, 2016 . Categories: Fiction » Historical » USA
As World War II ends, a new boogieman emerges: the Red Menace. MGM’s Marcus Adler needs to keep his reputation beyond reproach; columnist Kathryn Massey may have to take on J. Edgar Hoover himself; and at Bullocks Wilshire, Gwendolyn Brick makes a discovery that could revive her dream. In postwar Hollywood, there are reds in the beds, the sharks are circling, and it’s feeding time.
Searchlights and Shadows: A Novel of Golden-Era Hollywood by
Series: Hollywood's Garden of Allah novels, Book 4. Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 110,790. Language: English. Published: January 7, 2015 . Categories: Fiction » Historical » USA
The dark days of Pearl Harbor loom over Los Angeles, and posters warn Hollywoodites that loose lips sink ships. MGM screenwriter, Marcus Adler, needs to come up with a sure-fire hit. Gwendolyn Brick dreams of opening her own dress store, but it threatens to drag her back into the orbit of Bugsy Siegel. Columnist, Kathryn Massey survival depend on a place nobody’s heard of: Las Vegas.
The Garden of Allah Novels Trilogy #1 ("The Garden on Sunset" - "The Trouble with Scarlett" - "Citizen Hollywood") by
Price: $7.99 USD. Words: 296,530. Language: English. Published: January 30, 2014 . Categories: Fiction » Historical » USA
The Garden of Allah Hotel on Sunset Boulevard — Hollywood’s most infamous hotel during Hollywood’s most famous era. Book One: “The Garden on Sunset” — Book Two: “The Trouble with Scarlett” — Book Three: “Citizen Hollywood”
Citizen Hollywood: A Novel of Golden-Era Hollywood by
Series: Hollywood's Garden of Allah novels, Book 3. Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 110,010. Language: English. Published: January 12, 2014 . Categories: Fiction » Historical » USA
Hollywood, 1939: When Tinseltown begins to woo wunderkind Orson Welles, he stashes himself at the Chateau Marmont until he’s ready to make his splashy entrance. But when William Randolph Hearst realizes "Citizen Kane" is based on him, he won’t be happy—and when Hearst isn’t happy, nobody’s safe. Marcus Adler, Kathryn Massey, and Gwendolyn Bricky need to go for broke, and the clock is ticking.
The Trouble with Scarlett: A Novel of Golden-Era Hollywood by
Series: Hollywood's Garden of Allah novels, Book 2. Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 102,820. Language: English. Published: October 7, 2012 . Categories: Fiction » Historical » USA
Book 2 in the Garden of Allah novels finds Marcus, Kathryn, and Gwendolyn caught up in a Hollywood obsessed with finding the screen’s Scarlett O'Hara. Kathryn scoops the news which makes Louella Parsons hopping mad, Gwendolyn wants the role but faces stiff competition, while Marcus creates a fiasco at the Hearst Castle and needs an out. Who knew casting Scarlett O'Hara could cause so much trouble?
The Garden on Sunset: A Novel of Golden-Era Hollywood by
Series: Hollywood's Garden of Allah novels, Book 1. Price: Free! Words: 89,870. Language: English. Published: December 17, 2011 . Categories: Fiction » Historical » USA
(5.00 from 1 review)
In Hollywood, 1927, three naïve hopefuls band together to tread water against a tidal wave of threadbare casting couches, nervous bootleggers, human billboards, round-the-world zeppelins, sinking gambling boats, waiters in blackface, William Randolph Hearst, the Long Beach earthquake, starlets, harlots, Harlows and Garbos. But how will they get their feet inside Hollywood’s golden door?

Martin Turnbull's tag cloud

1940s    1950s    1950s america    1950s american historical fiction    20th century    20th century fiction    20th centuryfox    alla nazimova    anticommunism    califonia    california    century 20    citizen kane    darryl zanuck    fiction    fiction 1940s    fiction with a gay leading character    fiction with a leading gay character    garden of allah hotel    garden of allah hotel on sunset boulevard    gay    george cukor    golden age of hollywood    golden era hollywood    gone with the wind    greta garbo    historical ficiton    historical fiction    hollywood    hollywood boulevard    hollywood historical fiction    hollywood history    hotels    huac    joan crawford    judy garland    katharine hepburn    la    los angeles    louis b mayer    margaret mitchell    marilyn monroe    mgm    movie stars    movie studios    movies    movies entertainment    novels set in los angeles    orson welles    paramound    paramount    scarlett ohara    sunset blvd    sunset boulevard    television    the garden of allah hotel    turner classic movie fans    turner classic movies fans    wizard of oz    wwii