Books and the City

As With or Without You is set between Hollywood and the UK, it was obviously essential for me to go to Hollywood to do some research about how the rich and famous live. I know. What a tough assignment!

I had never been to Hollywood before, so I needed a chaperone who could show me around and accompany me to all the hip places to be seen. Luckily, my old friend Jacqui Moore, who had launched Loose Women with me many years previously, now lives in the US and, although she is based in New York, she spent many months in LA where she organized some of the biggest showbiz awards shows. 

So Jacqui flew in from New York, I flew in from London and we met in the arrivals hall at LAX, with Jacqui yelling ‘Warner!’ in her distinctive Brummie accent as I walked through the gate. We hired a car and Jacqui drove us to the Four Seasons, where we were staying. Again, she had spent many months staying in that famous hotel, so it was no surprise when the bellhops opened her car door and welcomed her back by name.

Over the next five days, we met up with several ex-pats who are enjoying life in LA, the most ‘fabulous’ of whom was the wonderful Sharon Osbourne.  Sharon is an old friend and she couldn’t have been more helpful, even though she had a lot going on in her life at that time. She took us to Soho House, which was packed with Brits abroad, and told me how life is for the rich and famous in Hollywood.

Another expat who helped me enormously was Natalka Znak, a TV producer who had recently relocated from London to LA. Natalka was so accommodating of my request to see how the Brits live in Hollywood that she even invited Jacqui and me to her young son’s pirate pool party at their house!

Every morning, we would start our day with a run around Beverly Hills, then return to drink tea and eat muffins sitting out by the pool. It seemed more than a little ironic that the spa pool overlooked a huge plastic surgery clinic, which several of the hotel guests seemed to have visited, judging by the ‘work’ we witnessed on the sunbeds arranged around the terrace. 

Jacqui and I made full use of the Rolls Royce, which is specifically for the use of guests staying at the Four Seasons. We were chauffered by the enigmatic Nelson, as we visited various romantic restaurants such as Little Door in West Hollywood and Shutters on the Beach in Santa Monica, both of which became locations in the novel. We drove along the Pacific Coast Highway towards Malibu and gaped at the magnificent properties on the cliffs overlooking the ocean and around the Hollywood Hills, imagining how it would be to live in one of the multi-million dollar properties nestled in the hillside. Most of all we laughed, talked and laughed some more. 

Los Angeles is an amazing, interesting place with a beautiful climate and breathtaking beaches nearby but, even after such a brief visit, I knew I wouldn’t want to live there. It struck me that it could be a lonely place to be, as you have to drive everywhere and it doesn’t seem the type of town where you make real, lasting friends. There is a superficiality to everyday life that I would find difficult and you are very much defined by your job and your level of success. 

Having said that, who am I kidding? If one of my novels was ever made into a Hollywood film, or if I got offered a big TV job out there, I’d be on the first plane to Tinseltown tomorrow! It’s the place where big dreams really do come true.