Hang Fire - Paperback

by Anthony Mora (Author)

Depicting a world where perception defines reality, Hang Fire is a razor-sharp satire of a city where ambition know no bounds and excess is the norm. In 2019 Hollywood, struggling novelist James Lansing is trapped in a seductive dilemma when a fast-talking, on-the-fringe producer dangles the promise of a film adaptation of his book. She tantalizes James with introductions to Hollywood elites and promises of deals just out of reach.

James finds himself bankrolling a dizzying parade of power lunches and star-studded dinners, convinced that success is perpetually just around the corner, and always wondering why he picks up the check. Drained by the endless carousel of dead-end meetings, James, who fancies himself the next Fitzgerald, longs to retreat to his studio apartment and lose himself in his next novel. However, he is relentlessly propelled forward by his best friend Jerry-a self-proclaimed producer/director/ writer who views James' future film as the golden ticket to propel them into the upper echelons of Hollywood's A-list.

Enter a Felliniesque parade of L.A. characters: parasite producers, desperate directors, guileless ingénues, exhibitionist shrinks, and stars in danger of falling. In this maze of Hollywood ambition, lives intersect in unexpected ways, forming a complex web of competition. Unlikely partnerships and betrayals emerge driven by an insatiable hunger for success and fame. As tensions escalate and conflicts erupt, no one suspects the approaching pandemic and total lockdown of 2020 which is about to upend their world, threatening to turn their Hollywood hustles and dreams into so much nuclear dust.suspects the approaching pandemic and total lockdownof 2020 which is about to upend their world, threatening to turn their Hollywood hustles and dreams into so much nuclear dust.