Actress and “One Tree Hill” alumna Bethany Joy Lenz can now cross off a hypothetical bucket list item. Her upcoming memoir, “Dinner For Vampires,” has been endorsed by The New York Times!
Lenz’s memoir explores a challenging chapter in her life; the actress, who portrayed Haley James-Scott in the critically acclaimed series by the CW, was involved in a cult for a decade during her younger years. Lenz, 43, has shared insight into the harrowing period on the “One Tree Hill” rewatch podcast she shares with former ‘OTH’ castmates Hillarie Burton-Morgan, (Peyton Sawyer), and Sophia Bush, (Brooke Davis).
The “Drama Queens” podcast co-host has detailed her experience in a memoir set for release next month.
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Bethany Joy Lenz Opens Up About An Extremely Personal Experience In Upcoming Memoir
As The Blast previously reported, the actress and singer opened up about her past in an episode of “Drama Queens,” which aired in July of last year.
In the episode, Lenz revealed she had been a member of an unknown cult for a decade.
The “Pearson” actress told her co-hosts she planned to write about the experience at the time, in order to make peace with her past.
She described her time as a cult member as a “very valuable experience to write about…,” and also revealed it had taken a long time to recover from the harrowing period. Lenz also added in the interview, “And the recovery, 10 years of recovery after [leaving the organization]. So there’s a lot to tell.”
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The ‘A Biltmore Christmas’ Actress Wanted To Make Sure She Recalled The Experience ‘Right’
At the time of the episode’s airing, Lenz had not begun writing a memoir but had been privately working through the experience through writing.
Preserving all of the details she experienced during her time as a cult member for the memoir was important to Lenz. While going through the recollection period before she publicly shared details made the “Dexter” actress feel a bit uncomfortable.
“The pressure of getting it right and everything having to be exactly real and all the people that are involved,” Lenz described of the writing experience during the episode, were important points to nail before bringing her story into the spotlight.
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As she continued discussing her writing experience at the time, Lenz also explained, “Also, I don’t know how much I can say because there are still people and legal things in place that make it more complicated for the timing of that. But I do write. I write all the time.”
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Bethany Joy Lenz Revealed She Did Not Think She Would Publicly Write About The Experience
The new author revealed the existence of her memoir on Instagram earlier this spring.
In the caption of the photo revealing the colorful cover art, Lenz wrote, “Being a writer has been a great, private joy in my life since I was about 12. This isn’t the first book I thought I’d write, publicly, but as difficult as this subject matter is to untangle, I’m grateful I get to share my story, my way. It’s a story of forgiveness and a roadmap to how manipulation works, with heartache and humor along the way. We all make mistakes and I hope ‘Dinner for Vampires’ reminds you that, no matter what weird roads you’ve gone down, you’re not alone,” ending her post with an emoji of a heart on fire!
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The “Grey’s Anatomy” actress shared a pic on Instagram in August, showing her followers the inside of a recording studio, revealing she was recording the audiobook edition of “Dinner for Vampires!”
Readers Will Be Able To Meet Lenz In Person As She Promotes ‘Dinner For Vampires’
Lenz’s fans and “One Tree Hill” devotees will be able to celebrate the release of “Dinner for Vampires” with goodies and good times!
Readers will be able to meet Lenz on a book tour. As of this writing, Lenz has five dates scheduled for United States-based bookstores.
On September 13th, the “Five Star Christmas” actress posted a reel showcasing herself surrounded by countless copies of the books and signing them. Lenz announced in the caption Books-A-Million bookstores will offer exclusively signed copies.
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Bethany Joy Lenz Still Has Lots Of Love For ‘One Tree Hill’
The woman who brought Tree Hill’s beloved Haley James Scott to life may have a busy calendar filled with memoir-related plans, but she still has lots of love for the beloved quaint fictional North Carolina town!
In the caption for a ‘Tree Hill’-filled photo set, Lenz wrote, “Dangit, I love spending time with my Tree Hill family! THANK YOU to everyone who came out! It never gets old visiting Tree Hill and seeing the love you guys continue showing all of us.”
“Dinner For Vampires” will be released on October 22nd!
