Van Night: A Novella — L.C. Zingera

A lighthearted contemporary novella (updated 2017)

After ten years in the spotlight, sultry singer Giovanni DellaSera, known to the world as Van Night, needed a break. He was tired and jaded and no longer himself. As his fame had increased, his world had become little more than a gilded cage. Van and his longtime friend and manager Salvatore Rossetti, who was almost as recognizable as Van, had come up with a plan. They would hire two Las Vegas lookalikes to impersonate the pair and to remain at the compound as a distraction for the overzealous paparazzi.

Meanwhile, Van and Sal, with disguises in place escape for a quiet retreat in the mountains. Their plan goes awry when they are arrested before reaching their destination by small town cop Deana Wright.

Deana knows instantly that something isn't right about the two. After checking their IDs and finding them to be fake, she takes them to jail, where left with no choice they reveal their true identities. Amused at their ingenuity she aids them in their plan, taking them to the newly opened guest house run by her younger sister Pippa, an aspiring artist.
Van finds himself falling for the unpretentious and talented little sister, but soon the two doppelgängers call with bad news. Van's former girlfriend has broken into the compound and destroyed his soon to be released music video.

Van has no choice but to face the paparazzi storm that Rissy has created, but he is determined that he won't allow her to destroy his chance at something wonderful with Pippa.