ABC Daytime’s General Hospital is known for releasing books based on the popular characters featured in its storylines. Prior releases have included Robin’s Diary, which detailed the private thoughts of the character of Robin Scorpio. Robin’s Diary chronicled the character’s perspective of dealing with first teenage love, HIV/AIDS infection, and the process of dealing with a loved one’s terminal illness and eventual death.
Promoted by integrating the books into the show’s actual storylines, General Hospital allows its fans to gain additional insights into the minds of its characters. While certainly a capitalization on the virtual relationship that viewers develop with the show’s characters and storylines, the development and sub-sequential release of General Hospital books add intrigue, uniqueness, and talent outreach opportunities for the show’s performers. The Secret Life of Damian Spinelli , which is scheduled to be released to the market on April 5, 2011, is the latest addition to the show’s book publications.
Featuring Damian Spinelli and Diane Miller
From a fictional standpoint, The Secret Life of Damian Spinelli is a collection of stories that curtail the experiences that the character of Damian Spinelli experiences in his work as a private detective. Regular viewers of General Hospital know Damian Spinelli (portrayed by Bradford Anderson) as the quirky and eccentric tech genius sidekick of mobster Jason Morgan. Self-nicknamed The Jackal, Spinelli has an orange soda and chip fetish, as well as a tendency to fall for unattainable blonde women, such as LuLu Spencer and Maxie Jones.
Having recently launched a private detective business, Spinelli has formed an alliance with lawyer Diane Miller to write a book about the confessions of the Port Charles residents he has attempted to help. Diane Miller is the head of Sonny Corinthos and Jason Morgan’s organized crime network. Portrayed by Carolyn Hennesy, Diane Miller is known for being both ruthless and sarcastically witty. However, the character has a soft side, expressed sporadically in her concern for the actions of her clients and her romance with Max, Sonny’s main bodyguard.
Written from Diane Miller’s Perspective
Spinelli has spilled his client’s confessions to Diane, who takes his stories and spins them into the book. The Secret Life of Damian Spinelli is not only a take on Spinelli’s experience, but written from Diane’s interpretation of them. Excerpts of the book and its writing process have been featured in scenes on the show, giving viewers a glance of the type of stories it might contain. Actually written by Diane’s portrayer, Carolyn Hennesy, the excerpts reflect mystery, suspense and intrigue, as well as a vivid, metaphoric writing style.
Available from Amazon as a pre-order in printed, ebook or enhanced ebook form, The Secret Life of Damian Spinelli promises to be an interesting and entertaining read. Not only does it give General Hospital fans additional background on their favorite characters, but it has added a welcome entertaining injunction to the show’s current storyline. More than just a supplemental marketing technique, The Secret Life of Damian Spinelli as one of General Hospital’s books reflects one of the unique characteristics that ABC Daytime brings to the world of soap opera.
Source: (2011, January 18). Soapnet.com. New General Hospital Book: The Secret Life of Damian Spinelli.
Helen Akers - Helen E. Akers
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