Charity Trickett stumbles through Hollywood in 1997, trying to break into Hollywood and stay out of trouble. Each chapter title is a pop culture reference from the 90s that represents the chapter.
Welcome to the Jungle – Guns N’ Roses
You’d be surprised how many links there are between Guns N’ Roses and Charity Trickett.The glam metal song, Welcome to the Jungle is the title of the fourth chapter in Charity Trickett is Not So Glamorous. The song is about how a city can eat you up and spit you out. When Charity arrives in LA, she drives along Sunset Blvd, passing the clubs that GNR played at, The Troubadour and The Viper Room. Billboards fill the sky, showing the world what to watch, wear, and buy. Charity feels that she has arrived at the epicenter of the world she wants desperately to be a part of, and her ambition fuels her with possibility. Little does Charity know that Hollywood will soon bring her to her “Sha-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-knees”.
Impulsive – Wilson Phillips
What kind of playlist is this? You can’t follow GNR with Wilson Phillps… In my defence there are five chapters of other pup culture references between testosterone amped metal and cotton candy girl pop.
There are so many reasons why Charity’s impulsiveness wins against her rational, and I’m sure you’ll agree, when I say that we can’t fault her for this series of impulsive decisions. First, Jack: he is certainly not Charity’s type, but when he asks her on a date to a film premier, she can’t say no. She’s never been to a Hollywood premier. This is like the most exciting thing in the world. When Charity arrives at the premier and discovers it’s for a Canopy Studio film, she does entertain not going. Her co-workers will be there, and they will think it’s weird that Charity is there too. She didn’t work on the film. But to turn down going to a premier of a film produced by the most iconic film studio in the world would be foolish. Now, when Charity realizes that she’s sneaking into the premier, that’s when she should have pulled the shoot once and for all. You should not sneak into a workplace party. But she’s already kind of on the red carpet, and the allure of the glamour is too much to resist. At the premier, Charity is inches away from a hot and heavy make-out session with her sexy co-worker. Circumstance, not restraint keeps this from happening, but Bravo girl! Office hook ups and messy. Way to do the right thing. Now, when Charity makes out with the female lead from the movie in front of the paparazzi and the entire party, that’s when her impulsiveness gets the best of her. But sometimes, you don’t want to think about it. You just want to lose yourself in a kiss.
Just a Girl – No Doubt
This song starts off so bubbly that it’s message can be lost in the upbeat. It’s a smart feminist attack against the patriarchy, delivered with just the right amount of tongue and cheek. It was a huge success in the mid 90’s and was a major contributor to No Doubt’s rise to fame. The song perfectly mirrors Charity and Vivy’s feelings in chapter 16 when Canopy Studios, a male-dominant goliath who has profited off women for decades, refuses to put a woman in a position of power on a film about women’s rights.
I Left My Wallet in El Segundo – A Tribe Called Quest
Just like Charity, I lost a copy of a blockbuster film at an AMC theatre in El Segundo. It was a little more serious than losing a wallet. It led to an FBI investigation and a super fun book.
All I Really Want – Alanis Morisette
Like Charity, Alanis is a nice Canadian girl. And like Charity, all Alanis wants is peace, common ground, comfort, and justice, to name a few.
Finally – CeCe Peniston
I don’t want to spoil the ending but this song cheers for love! It celebrates it! It appreciates it! All while acknowledging that it takes time to find it. In the case of Charity Trickett, it took nineteen chapters. Finally! Thank you, chapter 24! We were rooting for this.
Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me – Elton John and George Micheal
Everything seems almost impossible in Chapter 25. I mean, how much more can a girl take? It’s like the sun is setting on Charity and she’s going to lose everything before she’s even gotten it. George Micheal and Elton John sing this song with such soulful tenderness, that if you don’t have an emotional reaction, you may be dead
Torn – Natalie Imbruglia
It seems that all is lost in Chapter 28. Natalie Imbruglia’s sweet voice sounds perfectly defeated in this song. It captures the feeling of being totally beaten down which is so Charity right now.
It Ain’t Over ‘til It’s Over – Lenny Kravitz
Sure, it’s the last chapter. But it’s not over, y’all. There are at least two more books in the series.
A Novel
Bridget Jones fans will fall hard for this based-on-a-true-story, behind-the-scenes tale of a young woman’s calamitous adventures trying to break into the movie industry in 1990s Hollywood.
Hollywood, 1997. When Charity Trickett moves to LA to assist the director of the biggest blockbuster film of the year, she quickly realizes that Hollywood isn’t all red carpets and Rodeo Drive. But her determination to become a screenwriter and producer in this glamorous yet cutthroat industry cannot be stifled. Working harder than she ever has before, she impresses the top brass at Canopy Studios and inches herself closer to her dream. But her ambitions and tender heart are threatened by backstabbing coworkers, an evaporating bank account, love gone wrong, a mistake that could cost the studio hundreds of millions of dollars, and an FBI investigation that could land her in jail.
Surrounded by fame and money but unsure how to access either one, Charity’s grit and kindness steer her toward devoted friends and hopeful artists. If she can manage to stay out of trouble, maybe she can change bad to good.
Women's Fiction | Humor [SparkPress, On Sale: June 10, 2025, Trade Paperback / e-Book , ISBN: 9781684633166 / eISBN: 9781684633173]
Christine Stringer is a former MGM assistant who was investigated by the FBI for piracy of a film starring The Rock. So yeah, she does find herself in little snafus from time to time. She has a BFA from the University of Victoria where she studied theatre and English. As a screenwriter and novelist, she strives to brighten people’s days, writing stories based on her film career, love life, and general mishaps. She lives in beautiful Vancouver, BC, with her husband and two young children who bring her joy every day, even though they have banned her from singing in the car.
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