Kiss Me, Swami: The Spiritual Education of a Beauty Queen
GENRE
MEMOIR ROMANCE
Core Theme
SELF DISCOVERY
TIME PERIOD
1960s & '70s,1980s & '90s,2000s,1940s & '50s
COMPARABLE TITLES
MODEL SHOP, FACTORY GIRL, EAT PRAY LOVE
CHARACTER LIST
• KATHALYNN TURNER: TEENS THROUGH 70S. BEAUTIFUL, LUCKY, ALWAYS SEARCHING
• MAC: 40S, HEART SURGEON, KATHALYNN’S FIRST HUSBAND AND FATHER TO THREE OF HER CHILDREN
• BOB: 30S-70S, FINANCIER, KATHALYNN’S SECOND HUSBAND AND FATHER TO HER YOUNGEST DAUGHTER
• JAS: 50S, PETER PAN COMPLEX, KATHALYNN’S LOVER AND FORMER THERAPIST
• STELLA: KATHALYNN’S ACTING COACH, FRIEND AND CONFIDANT
• GENEVIEVE: NEWBORN -20S KATHALYNN’S YOUNGEST DAUGHTER
Logline
Kathalynn Turner Davis ditched beauty pageants for Hollywood, finding herself in the living rooms, nightclubs, sound stages, and lives of some of the era’s hottest celebs, including the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll himself.
Target Audiences
Age: 35-54,18-34,55+
Target Gender: Universal
Setting
New York, Greenwich, Los Angeles (Beverly Hills, Laurel Canyon, LA)
Based on a True Story
Yes
Publishing Details
Status: Yes: self-published
Publisher: Silver Falcon Press
Year Published: 2019
Starting Description
Kathalynn dreams of becoming something big and making it in Hollywood. She goes on to compete in beauty pageants and then on a whim, follows singer Brian Hyland out to California, where she ends up getting involved with acting and all that Hollywood has to offer.
Ending Description
Kathalynn finds that there is meaning in life and makes journeys to Israel, India, etc., to better herself spiritually and continue the path of enlightenment.
Group Specific
Information not completed
Hard Copy Available
Yes
ISBN
978-1733840705
Mature Audience Themes
Information not completed
Plot - Other Elements
Coming of Age,Meaningful Message,Philosophical Questions
Plot - Premise
Internal Journey/Rebirth
Main Character Details
Name: Kathalynn Turner Davis
Age: 15 through today (60s)
Gender: Female
Role: Protagonist
Key Traits: Aspiring,Adventurous,Charming,Desperate,Insecure,Naive,Outspoken,Funny,Romantic
Additional Character Details
The author has not yet written this
Additional Character Details
The author has not yet written this
Additional Character Details
The author has not yet written this
Brief
True story. A beautiful starlet leaves behind the world of beauty pageants for the promise of stardom in sunny California. Though she has many brushes with Hollywood greatness, she follows her instincts to New York in an effort to better her acting. Here she finds several men of her dreams and becomes a wife and mother as she continues on a spiritual journey to reach her true potential.
What We Liked
- The many cameos of famous names is always a thrill;
- The fact that this is a biography of a real person who waited until the latter part of her life to write it gives this an epic nature that allows the reader to really delve deeply into her life and personality;
- The sweeping nature of the character study that follows a young woman through many generations of her life is perfect to into adapted into a feature;
- The story of Kathalynn could be part of a documentary or docu-drama about those who exist adjacent to celebrities. This type of adaptation would be appropriate for a television project;
- Strong female leads;
- Spiritual, positive message.
Synopsis
Kathalynn Turner competed in beauty pageants from a young age. Her dream was to become Miss America. However, she always felt inferior to the taller and those she perceived to be more beautiful. When she was old enough to move out of her family home, Kathalynn followed her teen idol Brian Hyland, to Los Angeles where she hoped to become a star. She was immediately swept up into the Hollywood scene and met anyone who was anyone, including Elvis. She was a bit of an “it” girl when she received a small role in the film, The Grasshopper. The reviews were good, but she didn’t want to be known as the funny, cute girl. She wanted to be a serious actress so she picked up and moved to New York to study.
In New York, Kathalynn took dancing and acting lessons, but also met an older man named Mac. They had a whirlwind romance and married. They quickly became the parents of three young children, moved into the coveted Dakota apartment building, and rubbed elbows with the rich and famous. Kathalynn took acting lessons from Stella Adler and developed a circle of actor friends that kept her busy. Soon the marriage fell apart. However, Kathalynn was not a single mom for long. She soon met and fell in love with a goofy financier named Bob. They had a child, Genevieve, and moved to the suburbs of Connecticut.
Kathalynn hated the suburbs, but kept herself busy with her metaphysical movements organization, Science of Mind, and learning about The Sedona Method of self-discovery. She and Bob also ran a charity to help victims of child abuse as the children got older. After many years, the marriage to Bob broke down and Kathalynn moved on to dating Jas. She fell madly in love with him, but he was unable to commit. After her break up with Jas, Kathalynn moved back to New York and then traveled on a spiritual journey to India and Israel where she had a spiritual awakening. Sunny California beckoned to her again, and she relocated to Los Angeles where she is now a therapist, life coach, actress and writer.