Rising Star: Book One in the Rise and Fall of Dani Truehart Series

by Michele Kwasniewski

Overview

In the first book in THE RISE AND FALL OF DANI TRUEHART series, RISING STAR, fifteen-year-old Dani Truehart is living a life that is not quite her own. Driven by her mother's desire for fame and fortune, she has spent her childhood dutifully training for a career as a pop star. On the brink of discovery, doubts begin to creep into Dani's mind as she questions her own desire for fame, and she wonders whether she can trust the motivations of the adults who are driving her forward.

Following a brilliant audition arranged by her vocal/dance coach and former '80s pop icon Martin Fox, Dani is thrown full-force into the music industry. She leaves her friends, family and scheming mother behind to move with Martin, who has become her legal guardian, into the Malibu compound of her new manager, Jenner Redman. Jenner, the former swindling manager of Martin's boy band, leverages what's left of his depleted fortune to launch Dani's career.

Isolated from her life at home and trying to stay apace with her demanding schedule, Dani struggles to keep in touch with those she loves, connect to her withholding mother and find her voice as an artist. With Martin and Jenner at odds over their rocky past and finding herself unprepared to handle the pressures of her future singing career, Dani's debut album and future stardom are at risk of falling apart.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781950544165
Publisher:	Rand-Smith LLC
Publication date:	10/20/2020
Pages:	268
Sales rank:	1,022,815
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.56(d)
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

After graduating from Loyola Marymount University with a BA in Technical Theater, Michele Kwasniewski spent over fifteen years in film and television production. She worked as a set production assistant on movies such as INDEPENDENCE DAY, FACE/OFF, PRIMAL FEAR, and EVITA and as a production manager on television shows including BIG BROTHER. She is also a proud member of the Producers Guild of America. Michele's colorful experiences in the industry inspired her to write THE RISE AND FALL OF DANI TRUEHART series. Michele lives in San Clemente, California with her husband, their son, and a disobedient dachshund. RISING STAR is her first novel.

Editorial Reviews

08/16/2021

In Santa Clarita, Calif., dark-haired, implied-white Danilynn Marie Truehart, 15, has spent most of her life training for pop stardom, rigorously micromanaged by her avaricious, scheming Texan stage mom and unprotected by her absent father. After successfully getting signed by producer Jenner Redman, Dani is initially riding high. But as the realities of showbiz and sacrifice rear their heads, she begins to crumble under the pressures of fame as a teenage star. Luckily, Dani has the support of boyfriend Sean; sage, brainy sister Geena; and best friend Lauren—all of whom are blond—and, perhaps most endearingly, her “’80s has-been” Black gay manager Martin Fox, who steps in as Dani’s legal guardian. Kwasniewski effectively captures Dani’s inner turmoil as she determines what her future should hold. The protagonist reads a bit older than her stated age, internal monologues skew long, and some plot points are predictable, but Dani’s determination and enthusiasm shine through as Kwasniewski deftly conveys nuanced family dynamics and interpersonal relationships from a teen perspective. This whirlwind series starter effectively encapsulates the melodrama and heart of one teen accomplishing her goals despite the odds. Ages 13–up. (Self-published)

Publishers Weekly

2022-01-20
A talented teenage girl begins a life-changing journey to pop-star fame.

In the first installment of first-time author Kwasniewski’s series, 15-year-old Dani Truehart has already spent several years honing her singing voice and dance moves. Not even her pushy, critical, eyes-on-the-monetary-prize mom has dimmed Dani’s passion to pursue a career as a performer. (“My mother never stops. She is unrelenting, unforgiving, and utterly determined to make me into a star.”) When Dani’s dance mentor, Martin, a former boy-band star, arranges to have Dani audition for the agent/producer who once represented him, she is on her way to attaining her dream. Yes, there are rather unsurprising hitches and challenges that get in her way—Dani’s disillusionment with her mom and ineffectual father, her fear of losing her boyfriend in her trajectory toward stardom, and her sadness at her lack of social life (“My friends are living their lives without me. I feel like I’m missing out”)—but she is more than prepared to make the necessary sacrifices. Dani is a well-rounded lead; we see her self-absorption as well as her drive to succeed and transcendent vocal talent. And, although other characters exist primarily as her satellites, Martin’s empathy and warmth feel rooted in life experience. Kwasniewski’s background in film and television production provides authenticity, and she evocatively limns the world Dani finds herself in as she works to get signed with a major record label: vocal practice, dance lessons and choreography, gym workouts, costume fittings, makeup and hair consultations, lessons in how to handle the press, work with a temperamental songwriter, etc. It’s heady stuff when Dani’s songs get airplay, social media takes notice, and she begins doing interviews and making publicity appearances. Will Dani’s burgeoning fame be the happily-ever-after it seems poised to be? The sequel, Burning Bright (2021), seems likely to reveal the answer.

Relatable YA fiction with a strong star and an informed, behind-the-scenes setting.

Kirkus Reviews