Vroman’s Live, the virtual author conversation series by Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasadena, presents Amanda Pellegrino, with Katy Colloton and Katie O’Brien, as they discuss “Smile and Look Pretty,” Pellegrino’s debut novel, on Thursday, March 10, starting at 6 p.m.
The discussion is free to watch and listen to on Crowdcast.
“Smile and Look Pretty” tells of best friends Cate, Lauren, Olivia and Max – overworked and underpaid assistants to some of the most powerful people in the entertainment industries.
Like the assistants who came before them, the women know they have to pay their dues and abide the demeaning tasks and verbal abuse from their bosses in order to climb the ladders to their dream jobs. But as they are passed over for promotions and the toxic office environments reach a breaking point, the women secretly start an anonymous blog detailing their experiences, which snowballs into hundreds of others coming forward with stories of their own. Confronted with newfound viral fame and the possibility of their identities being revealed, the assistants have to contend with the life-changing consequences of speaking out against those who refuse to share the power.
Amanda Pellegrino is a TV screenwriter and novelist living in New York City whose writing has appeared in Refinery29 and Bustle. Most recently she was a writer on Showtime’s “American Rust.”
Colloton and O’Brien are the creators and actors on TV Land’s “Teachers,” which ran for three seasons. They starred in all 50 episodes of the series. Colloton got her start performing at Just For Laughs Chicago, The Del Close Marathon, and the 2013 Chicago Sketch Comedy Festival where TimeOut called her the “Breakout” of the year. O’Brien wrote, produced, and starred in “Adults and Tiaras” as well as “Key and Peele.” The duo also developed and wrote for Jon Stewart’s “Night of Too Many Stars.”
To reserve your spot on the Crowdcast event, visit www.crowdcast.io/e/amanda-
For more information, call (626) 449-5320 or visit www.vromansbookstore.com/
