CLAIRE HANDSCOMBE
Author
Friendship, fame and second chances
Nobody is a bigger fan of actor Thomas Cassidy than Libby. Nobody. That's why she's totally going to marry him.
She’s going to write a novel, name the main character after Thom, and find a way to get it to him. Intrigued and flattered, he will read it, fall in love with her prose, and ask to turn it into a movie. She will pretend to think about it, then say, ‘Sure, but can I work on it with you?’
Their eyes will meet over the script… and fade to black.
But with four interwoven lives in play, can anything be that simple?
Thoughtful, quirky, and moving, Unscripted is a story of friendship and second chances, and asks the question: how far can you take your dream?
“Deftly turns the classic tale of a celebrity crush into a modern transatlantic story that’s original, emotionally honest, and a whole lot of fun.” — Karin Tanabe, author of The Gilded Years
Big dreams and first crushes
Nothing's going to distract Clara from her big life plan as a viola player.
Not her semi-famous dad.
Not her new stepmom.
Not her annoying sisters.
And definitely not Tim, the swoopy-haired Scrabble geek...
You might think it's fun to grow up around Hollywood with semi-famous parents. You'd be wrong, and Clara Cassidy would be the first to tell you so.
She's fourteen, figuring out life with three siblings and a new stepmom, and navigating her freshman year at a stupid high school where she doesn't even want to be. She was supposed to be at arts school by now.
It's fine, though, totally fine: she's going to practice her viola extra hard and get into LACHSA next year. She's definitely 100 percent focused and not even slightly going to get distracted by Tim, the sophomore Scrabble champion with the swoopy hair and the chin dimple. Nope. Not her.
“Girl, Unstrung is an insightful and entertaining coming-of-age story filled with a lot of heart, humor, and love.” — The Hill Rag
"Girl, Unstrung offers a dynamic writing style, deep characterizations, viola-centered details, and sweet treatment of young love. Especially appropriate for teenage string players, this new work by Claire Handscombe should be on the reading lists, and then shelves, of every book-loving violist." — Journal of the American Viola Society
Essays and Quotes from Fans of The West Wing
The West Wing premiered in 1999. That's a long time ago. Back then, we were worrying about the Millennium Bug, paying $700 for DVD players, and using pagers. 1999: a century ago.
And yet, the show continues to have an impact that is arguably unique. If you live or work in DC, references to it are inescapable. People have walked down the aisle to the theme music. Or they’ve named children, pets, GPS systems, and even an iPhone app after the characters. Or they’ve started Twitter accounts as the characters to continue the storyline and comment on current political events. Or they credit it for closer relationships with their family members or a way out of depression.
In this anthology of quotes and essays, contributors from six countries, ranging in age from twenty to seventy years old, tell their West Wing stories.
About Claire Handscombe
Claire Handscombe is a British author who moved to Washington, DC, in 2012, ostensibly to study for an MFA in Creative Writing, but really, let’s be honest, because of an obsession with The West Wing.
She is the author of Unscripted, a novel about a young woman with a celebrity crush and a determined plan and Girl, Unstrung, a contemporary YA novel about a teen violist navigating big ambitions and her first crush; and the editor of Walk With Us: How The West Wing Changed Our Lives.
Recently back in London, she works in publishing and writes the If You Love That, Read This newsletter.