A deliciously witty and inspiring memoir by One Tree Hill star Bethany Joy Lenz about her decade in a cult and her quest to break free.
In the early 2000s, after years of hard work and determination to breakthrough as an actor, Bethany Joy Lenz was finally cast as one of the leads on the hit drama One Tree Hill. Her career was about to take off, but her personal life was slowly beginning to unravel. What none of the show's millions of fans knew, hidden even from her costars, was her secret double life in a cult.
An only child who often had to fend for herself and always wanted a place to belong, Lenz found the safe haven she'd been searching for in a Bible study group with other Hollywood creatives. However, the group soon morphed into something more sinister - a slowly woven web of manipulation, abuse and fear under the guise of a church covenant called The Big House Family. Piece by piece, Lenz began to give away her autonomy, ultimately relocating to the Family's Pacific Northwest compound, overseen by a domineering minister who would convince Lenz to marry one of his sons and steadily drained millions of her TV income without her knowledge. Family 'minders' assigned to her on set, 'Maoist struggle session'-inspired meetings in the basement of a filthy house, and regular counselling with 'Leadership' were just part of the tactics used to keep her loyal.
Only when she became a mother did Lenz find the courage to leave and spare her child from a similar fate. After nearly a decade (and with the unlikely help of a One Tree Hill super-fan), she finally managed to escape the family's grip and begin to heal from the deep trauma that forever altered the course of her life.
Written with powerful honesty and dark humour, Dinner for Vampires is an inspiring story about the importance of identity, faith and independence.
About the Author
Bethany Joy Lenz is an accomplished and award-winning actress and director, a singer, composer, librettist, author, producer, fine artist and publisher who is most recognizable from her nine-year run as "Haley James" on television drama One Tree Hill, among many other credits. She’s been nominated for an Ambie award as a radio drama performer, and currently co-hosts iHeart Radio podcast Drama Queens. She has recently been featured on the cover of People Magazine, in The New York Times, Vanity Fair, Variety, and on Call Her Daddy. Her memoir, DINNER FOR VAMPIRES: Life on a Cult TV Show (While Also in an Actual Cult) is a New York Times Bestseller.
Lenz lives in Nashville with her daughter and three dogs. She also publishes a broadsheet lifestyle newspaper geared toward reinvigorating critical thinking called Modern Vintage News.
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