Books by Allison Wajert Venini

Mackenzie (Mackey) is a young aspiring actress residing in a suburb of Philadelphia. When she suddenly becomes ill on the set of a film, she garners the attention of a former tabloid darling with a disreputable past named Dwayne. He offers to pay for her physical therapy. Her parents are quick to push a wanton proposition on Mackenzie: do whatever it takes to get as much as possible out of the actor. She feels betrayed and humiliated by them, and her friends are likewise disgusted. She accepts the invitation to meet him for the sole purpose of thanking him. However, he is taken by her commitment to the craft of acting and touched by her unaffected demeanor. He asks to see her again. She soon juggles maintaining false pretenses with her parents through omission of details, while fostering a very real friendship with the actor.Through the actor, she also meets an art conservator, Hunt. He shares his insight as he works to ensure that the creative voices of the past are not eroded or obliterated through carelessness, hatred, or simply the passage of time. Dwayne eventually loses contact with Mackenzie, and Hunt blocks her access to him. She later learns that Hunt was shielding her from seeing Dwayne relapse into his alcoholism. Mackenzie visits Dwayne at a hospital. Dwayne perceives that she has been hiding something from him, as well. She admits to him what her parents want her to do. Dwayne exhorts her to distance herself from her parents, as her relationship with them is toxic. He asks her to pray for him, and she says she will.