It's sometimes hard to remember that a lot of historical novels weren't "historical" when they were written; they were contemporary. It's also important to remember that a historical novel isn't required to fall into the romance genre.

Author Juliette Fay writes historical novels that aren't bodice-rippers or set on a Southern plantation or on windswept moors. Her latest, "City of Flickering Light," has a fanstastic premise: Three friends — burlesque dancers Irene and Millie and comedian Harry — head to Hollywood in 1921 to try to make it in the burgeoning and newly dazzling movie biz. In an ongoing succession of tribulations, setbacks and heartbreak, the trio learn it's not easy — a situation that certainly resonates today in our culture that thrives on celebrity-at-virtually-any-cost.

Fay, whose titles also include "The Tumbling Turner Sisters" and "The Shortest Way Home," will discuss and sign copies of her work Wednesday at the Savoy Bookshop and Cafe.

Juliette Fay, 7 p.m. Wednesday, Savoy Bookshop and Cafe, 10 Canal St., Westerly; free; (401) 213-3901.