Arkansas Literary Festival

ANNA FIELDS: CONFESSIONS OF A REBEL DEBUTANTE

Make them tell you no… but don't pay any attention when they do.

“I’ve tricked more people into taking meetings with me than I can remember.” Blonde with angelic good looks, Anna Fields sports a devilish glint in her eye. “I’ve been told no more times than I can count. You just have to keep working to find another way to achieve your dreams.”

From Dollywood to Hollywood, Anna Fields writes about the unconventional road she has traveled in her soon to be released memoir, Confessions of a Rebel Debutante. Born in a small town in North Carolina, she was educated at an exclusive all girls prep school. She applied to Brown University on a whim, because “she liked the t-shirt” that Julia Roberts wore in a movie, and to her surprise, she was accepted.

After majoring in cognitive neuro science and not sure what to do after graduation, she went to Los Angeles, where she worked as actress and a personal assistant to Diana Ross, Chris Pine and other celebs. She wrote a play, submitted it to NYU and was accepted into their MFA program. She moved back to New York, where she completed her MFA, wrote for soap operas (eighty-five pages a week!!) and worked for Jill Zarin, one of the Real Housewives of New York featured on Bravo.

“I come from a long line of home makers and insurance agents, and that’s fine, but it just wasn’t the best way for me to make the most of my life.”

Fields said she wrote her memoir to empower and encourage women to follow their dreams. She said when someone tells you no, take what they say, use it to your advantage and keep going.

Without a SAG card when she first moved to LA, she sneaked into an audition when the proctor went to the bathroom. She won the role and her SAG card.

In her book, Fields dishes on different celebrities that she worked for over the years. She left Diana Ross’s employ when “she asked her to do something she wasn’t comfortable with.” Like any good author, Fields didn’t reveal any further details, she said we would have to buy the book.

Check out her website at: http://www.annafields.net/