Spotlight of Tune In Tomorrow by Randee Dawn

PHOTO SOURCE:
TYPORAMA
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TUNE IN TOMORROW

RANDEE DAWN

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ALL INFORMATION IN THIS POST IS COURTESY OF KATIE SCHNACK OF SMITH PUBLICITY.

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The Curious, Calamitous, Cockamamie Story of Starr Weatherby and the Greatest Mythic Reality Show Ever.

Reality TV blends with fantasy in this new hilarious novel by veteran pop culture writer Randee Dawn.

August 16, 2022 

Solaris/Rebellion

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PRAISE FOR TUNE IN TOMORROW:

 
"I thought I’d seen everything in the galaxy of reality TV, until Randee's book!"– Andy Cohen, Host & Executive Producer, Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, and New York Times bestselling author


 

Randee Dawn has single-handedly created a glittering new genre: the Backstage Comedy Fantasy Romance — and I want more!" – Ellen Kushner, World Fantasy Award-winning author of Swordspoint

“Dawn's Tune in Tomorrow is a ton of fun with a lot of heart, charming characters, and devilish foes. And it's funny as hell.” – Zin E. Rocklyn, author of Flowers for the Sea 


"Few authors can open the door to another world as easily as you might turn on the TV, but Randee Dawn has the key and the remote control firmly in her hand. Flip through the fae and the grindylows, let her be your TV guide and psychopomp. You will find yourself howling at the gate for a rerun."– Meg Elison, author of Number One Fan

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ABOUT TUNE IN TOMORROW:

 

Starr Weatherby came to New York to become…well, a star. 

 

But after years of unsuccessful struggling, she’s offered a big role – on a show no one has ever heard of.

 

An over 400-year-old reality TV/docusoap, Tune in Tomorrow is shot beyond the "Veil" by mythical creatures, stars humans – and "streams" out to a fanatical audience of fantastic creatures, who are positive that they are getting a peek into real human lives. 

 

And in a way, they are.

But Starr's transformation from astounded newcomer to fan favorite is hardly smooth: A desperate, devious diva wants her gone; a handsome Lothario's advances are suspect; her assistant is organizing a strike – and was her predecessor dropped into a bottomless pit?

 

Starr vows to do whatever it takes to keep her dream job, but her struggle to save the show quickly becomes a fight… for her life.
 

Weaving together a unique combination of pop culture, fantasy and humor, Tune in Tomorrow takes readers on a roller coaster ride behind the scenes to see how the TV sausage gets made.

 

But amid all the wackiness, tough questions arise: What is "reality"?

 

And what might it mean to win a prize that makes you immortal?


 

“Tune in Tomorrow is a book packed with some of the things that make me happiest: TV, divas behaving badly, being torn between two lovers, magical creatures and mangoes. 

 

Yes, mangoes,” Dawn says. 

 

“It’s a nutty tale of redemption and renewals, and I'm hoping everyone will tune in!”


 

A funny, thrilling and mysterious adventure into the alternate world of reality television, Tune in Tomorrow is perfect for fans of Jasper Fforde, Terry Pratchett, and Christopher Moore.

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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS WITH RANDEE DAWN:

Q: Tell us what Tune in Tomorrow is all about?

Randee Dawn: There's the story part of the book, which is about a reality TV show run by mythical creatures, for mythical creatures … but starring humans! They just find our antics as charming and hilarious and intriguing as we do theirs: We make movies and TV shows about castles and dragons and quests and fauns; well, they love hearing about our mundane things like clipping the hedges or embezzlement or adultery or changing light bulbs! But in a bigger sense it's also about what it might mean to be immortal, and how "reality" might mean different things to different people. And it's about finding your inner Starr/star!

Q: You typically write non-fiction – what inspired you to write this story and take on a whole new genre?
 

Dawn: I have always wanted to write a novel. I actually had written several other books about fantasy and fey creatures, but they tended to be very serious – and didn't sell to publishers. My brilliant agent gently suggested, "Maybe you should try something different." Humor is tough, and I had no idea if I could write it successfully, if not write it all. But once I dove into Starr's world and heard her in my head, the silliness came naturally.

Q: Reality TV and soap operas aren't often considered "prestige" TV – is this a mistaken perception? What are your thoughts on that, as a pop-culture writer?

Dawn: Most all of the entertainment business is goofy and strange. But it is also an endeavor people take seriously – soaps and reality shows are no different. They are their own art form, and require hard work. And, time has shown that people continue to love them!

Q: What do you hope readers will walk away with after reading Tune in Tomorrow?
 

Dawn: Early on, Starr gives herself a pep talk by recalling a particularly strange improv routine she had to do once: pretend to be a singing mango. It was in that strange circumstance that she was "discovered," and also where she truly fell in love with acting. So she tells herself throughout the book, whenever she needs an extra dose of courage: Be the mango. Sometimes, being the mango isn't sufficient to save her, but I hope that amid all the pratfalling and puns and general shenanigans that people come away feeling that they, too, have an inner mango. And all they have to do is tap into it to get that extra push to make their dreams come true.

Q: Out of all the fruits, why a mango?

 
Dawn: Because it is the most delicious of all, and I am somewhat obsessed. Also, it has a delightful name that's just fun to say!

Q: How do you get inside your character’s heads during the writing process?
 

Dawn: I have the whole movie of what my stories are about in my head as I'm writing, and though I don't think about this consciously, if I need to be in a character's head, I just start seeing the world through their eyes, as if I've put on virtual reality goggles. That really helps. Also, if I do write something that doesn't seem right for a particular character to do or say, it will just feel wrong. That's when I know I have to go back and make it true to the person.

Q: How did your background as a national pop-culture journalist influence the way you wrote Tune in Tomorrow?
 

Dawn: Often, authors are told "write what you know," which is how we as a society end up with a lot of 20-year-olds writing memoirs. Which is fine! But limiting. When you have no other expertise, you write about yourself. It took me years in the entertainment business, and years removed from covering the soap opera world, to feel ready to use that as my backdrop. And yes, it's true: Tune in Tomorrow has its roots in soap opera. Because that's what reality shows are, anyway! Soaps are wonderful ways to tell story, and even if they look like Keeping Up with the Kardashians or Selling Sunset or Grey's Anatomy today, all of those formats have their roots in the greats, like General Hospital, Days of Our Lives or The Young and the Restless. I wrote what I know!

Q: What advice would you give to a writer working on their first book?
 

Dawn: Be in it for the long haul. Don't expect that your first draft will be the final draft, or even the thing that you first publish. The first draft is you telling yourself the story – I heard that a long time ago, and it's incredibly true. After that, it's about making it into a story that's ready for the world to read, and that can take a lot longer than you'd expect.

Q: What is next for you? 

Is there another installment in Tune in Tomorrow, or what can readers expect?

Dawn: A lot depends on how Tune in Tomorrow fares. If it sells well, I've got part of a sequel planned that takes place in some of the other TV shows and movies that mythics have been cooking up. But there's always a chance I'll go back to a novel I finished during the pandemic lockdown and get it smartened up to show to my agent – about a world where all the superheroes are women.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

Maryland-born Randee Dawn is now a Brooklyn-based entertainment journalist who scribbles about the glam world of entertainment by day, then spends her nights crafting wild worlds of fiction.

 

She's a former editor at The Hollywood Reporterand Soap Opera Digest, and these days covers the wacky world of show business for Variety, The Los Angeles Times, Emmy Magazine and Today.com.

 

Dawn's obsessive love of all things Law & Order led her to appear in one episode and later co-author The Law & Order SVU: Unofficial Companion. 

 

Her short fiction has appeared in numerous anthologies and online publications; she also dreams up trivia questions for BigBrain Games. 

 

Once a month she can be found hosting Rooftop Readings at Ample Hills Creamery in Brooklyn, and when not writing she's focused on her next travel destination, and hangs out with her wonderful, funny husband and fluffy Westie.

 

She admits she reads way too many books and consumes far too many mangoes.

Find Randee on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, BookBub, Goodreads, and her website RandeeDawn.com.

Tune in Tomorrow is available for pre-order through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, and anywhere books are sold.

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