Marchetta, Camille

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MARCHETTA, Camille

PERSONAL: Born in Brooklyn, NY; Education: College of New Rochelle, graduated; attended New School of Social Research (now New School University).

ADDRESSES: Agent—Lynn Pleshette Literary Agency, 2700 North Beachwood Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90068.

CAREER: Screenwriter and novelist. National Broadcasting Company, Inc., New York, NY, former secretary; Richard Hatton Ltd. (theatrical and literary agency), London, England, staff member; staff writer for television series Dallas. Producer of films, including (with others) Scruples and Nurse (for television); other television work includes coproducer of series Dynasty; co-executive producer of series Falcon Crest, and story consultant for series Central Park West.

MEMBER: Writer's Guild of America, Screen Writer's Guild.

WRITINGS:

Scruples (television screenplay; based on characters created by novelist Judith Krantz), American Broadcast Company, Inc., 1981.

Lovers and Friends, Arbor House (New York, NY), 1989.

(With Ivana Trump) For Love Alone, Pocket Books (New York, NY), 1992.

(With Ivana Trump) Free to Love, Pocket Books (New York, NY), 1993.

The Wives of Frankie Ferraro, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY) 1998.

Writer for television, including Nurse (movie), and series Dynasty.

SIDELIGHTS: Brooklyn born and raised in a large Sicilian family, Camille Marchetta discovered early on a love for reading and literature. After graduating from the College of New Rochelle and studying with Anatole Broyard at the New School in New York City, she spent eight years working with writers in London at Richard Hatton Ltd., a theatrical and literary agency. Moving to Los Angeles, she eventually joined the writing staff of the popular nighttime soap opera Dallas, for which she wrote twelve episodes. Now established in the industry, Marchetta went on to write television movies and pilots for new series. She also produced Nurse, which won an Emmy Award for actor for Michael Learned, co-executive produced Falcon Crest, and produced several segments of the Dallas spin-off Dynasty.

Marchetta's first novel, Lovers and Friends, was released in 1989. The novel follows David and Sarah, a high-profile couple who seem to be a match made in heaven. However, David's best friend, photographer Nikki Collier, fears that David's uncontrollable lusts and Sarah's sacrificed career will drive the two apart. A reviewer for Publishers Weekly wrote that Marchetta's "engaging, yet not entirely engrossing tale of a consuming love affair is powered by a cast of characters whose celebrated talents are matched by their towering egos."

Marchetta's second novel was released in 1998. The Wives of Frankie Ferraro focuses on one man's search for love and his relationships with three very different women. A contributor to Kirkus Reviews commented that while "The plot is practically nonexistent, … the story … is strangely gripping and unexpectedly satisfying for pulpy romance, perhaps thanks to the author's tight, fast-moving style." The reviewer added that Marchetta's protagonists "defy stereotyping in ways that are unusual for the genre, and the overall message seems genuinely heartfelt." In addition to her own fiction, Marchetta has also coauthored two bestselling novels with Manhattan celebrity Ivana Trump, former wife of wealthy, high-profile entrepreneur Donald Trump.