The ‘Scandalous’ story of Loraine Despres

Young Chang

When asked her age, author Loraine Despres quoted a fellow writer to

explain why she couldn’t give it.

“I think it was Oscar Wilde who said never trust a woman who will give

you her age. If she’ll tell you that, she’ll tell you anything,” said

Despres, who appears Thursday at the Newport Beach Central Library.

The Beverly Hills writer has a saying for almost everything, most of

which come from her “Southern Belle’s Handbook.” The lines of wisdom were

passed down from her mother, her grandmother and one of her aunts.

No. 48 is: “It’s OK for a woman to know her place. She just shouldn’t

stay there.”

No. 103: “Never marry a man who makes your skin crawl.”

No. 13: “A smart girl makes a man sweat.”

Like Despres, her character Sissy LeBlanc adheres to the same

guidelines.

“The Scandalous Summer of Sissy LeBlanc,” Despres’ most recently

published book, which hit stores last November, is the fictional tale of

a bored Southern belle named Sissy who lives in Gentry, Louisiana in

1956.

She’s married to PeeWee LeBlanc and has kids, but finds herself

tempted by her high school flame of 14 years ago. The book jumps in time

to explain Sissy’s life and reveals how she “breaks out” of her stagnant

state in the end. Every chapter begins with a new rule.

Despres, who will sign books Thursday, set the story in the mid ‘50s

to make a political point.

“I’ve been involved in civil rights all my life,” she said. “1956 was

an election year, when politicians were campaigning on how bigoted they

were, and I thought this was a fun time to poke fun of.”

“Scandalous” is a funny and touching love story, but it also deals

with racism and anti-Semitism.

Despres, who grew up as part of a Jewish household in a home with

bullet holes in the walls near her bedroom, shared the following family

story to explain the shots.

In the ‘20s, a group of bigots called the Just Our Kind gang wanted to

run the Jews out of Tangipahoa Parish in Louisiana. Despres’

great-great-grandfather owned a store in town and decided no one was

going to run him out of his own home.

“The gang came galloping into our yard, it looked like a Western

movie, they had their hats pulled down low, they had handkerchiefs on

their faces, and they yelled ‘Be prepared to meet your maker!”’ Despres

said, recounting the story she heard growing up.

Her great-great-grandfather, though blind, shot back, but it was

Despres’ great-great-grandmother who helped drive the gang away.

“She was a good shot,” Despres said. “She and the children shot back

and they didn’t bother us ever again.”

While Despres’ great-great-grandmother was known for how she could

work a gun, the author remembers her grandmother being a gracious

Southern lady who always wanted everything to be done just perfect. She

use to give Despres advice on what smart girls do.

The author’s aunt was also a naturally popular woman who gave her

niece advice on how to be popular and how to flirt.

Despres’ mother was tough. She was a businesswoman who didn’t want any

boys to take advantage of her daughter.

Today, Despres is a mix of her female roots and has written a

character that is very much like herself, friends say.

“I thought it was an absolute reflection of Loraine ‘cause she’s

thoughtful and bright and giving women all those kinds of views,” said

longtime friend Dianne Dixon.

Jodi Berman Levine, a Tarzana fan, bought 14 copies of “Scandalous”

and passed them out to all the females she knows.

“It’s one of those kinds of books you don’t realize you’re reading --

you’re a part of it,” Levine said. “You’re living with her. And she’s got

an answer for every situation.”

Despres is also a screenwriting professor at UCLA. Her television

writing credits include “Love Boat,” “Knots Landing,” “Family” and

“Dynasty,” for which she is best known for the “Who Shot J.R.?” episode.

But the author is now fully concentrating on book writing, saying it’s

been “fun.”

There are scenes that she just won’t touch -- the ones she gets

perfect the first time and doesn’t even think to tinker with.

“Scandalous” has a scene like this -- the one where the villain

seduces a 16-year-old Sissy.

But Despres’ favorite writing moment is when she surprises herself,

which happened just last week while working on her next novel.

“I wanted to cut and I wanted to polish up a difficult chapter but I

came up with a sentence that just tickled me,” Despres said. “and that

makes me really happy.”

FYI

* What: Loraine Despres, author of “The Scandalous Summer of Sissy

LeBlanc,” will appear

* When: 7 p.m. Thursday

* Where: Newport Beach Central Library, 1000 Avocado Ave., Newport

Beach

* Cost: Free

* Call: (949) 717-3801