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We're excited to announce the launch of the blog tour for The Merchant of Venus: The Life of Walter Thornton by Nancy Thornton Navarro and Adriana Thornton-Cornejo with Philip Mershon. Join us as we celebrate with the authors by interviewing them about their book and giving away a copy to one lucky reader.
Before we get to that, here's more about this investigative memoir:
Imagine losing a parent and discovering he had a secret life you'd never known about. You and your siblings embark on a quest to uncover what it all meant, becoming enmeshed in a series of images and anecdotes found in newspapers, magazines, books, and documents. Ultimately, you realize your parent was not just famous, but VERY famous! Walter Thornton was famous during a time when it was easy to be forgotten (1920s to the 1950s), making the discoveries about his life all the more engaging due to the involved process of uncovering them.
Through alternating perspectives presented by two sisters, the Thornton saga unfolds in a whirlwind of surprising revelations, thrilling with unexpected drama, adventure, and glamour. Just imagine beautiful models, pin-up girls, Hollywood royalty—Thornton was a true trendsetter. This book unveils the captivating story of Thornton's rise from an orphan to a charismatic male model to a visionary who transformed advertising by founding the first-ever agency for advertising models. But hold onto your hats because there's more! Get ready for dramatic twists, encounters with models who transformed into Hollywood legends such as Lauren Bacall, Susan Hayward, and Grace Kelly, and a hint of McCarthy-era intrigue—it's a gripping tale worthy of the silver screen itself!
Publisher: Tile House Publishing, LLC
ASIN: B0CZF5WH15
ISBN-13: 979-8989273553
Print Length: 240 pages
Purchase a copy of The Merchant of Venus: The Life of Walter Thornton on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Bookshop.org. You can also add it to your GoodReads reading list.
About the Authors, Nancy Thornton Navarro and Adriana Thornton-Cornejo
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Walter Thornton's daughters have devoted countless years to researching, writing, and archiving their father’s extensive collection of photos and documents, discovered in the attic of their childhood home. Drawing upon the invaluable insights collected from their father’s documents and aided by the assistance of numerous librarians from esteemed institutions such as the Library of Congress, the New York Public Library, and others across the country, as well as historians, they have fully immersed themselves in the quest to unveil their father's narrative.
Nancy Thornton Navarro is a former trademark and copyright attorney who has also served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Irving, Texas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Nancy currently lives near Dallas with her husband and is a proud mother of three.
Adriana Thornton-Cornejo (R) is a Programmer, 2D Artist, and CAD Drafter at Focus 360, a company serving the Home Building Industry. Adriana hopes that, with renewed public interest in her father’s life and career, she can one day open a Walter Thornton Museum. She lives near Los Angeles with her husband and their two sons.
Philip Mershon is an entertainment industry historian and storyteller who loves going down a good rabbit hole in search of the truth. He lives in Palm Springs, California.
Find them online at:
Webpage: https://themerchantofvenus.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thorntoncornejo
--- Interview by Nicole Pyles
WOW: First of all, congratulations on your investigative memoir, The Merchant of Venus: The Life of Walter Thornton. I can only imagine the moment you realized your father had this unbelievable life in Hollywood you never knew about before. Can you describe how you discovered it?
Nancy: Thank you for your kind words! Our journey began with an antique photo in the major Hollywood movie Seabiscuit. My sister insisted I watch the movie because she saw a photo of our dad in it. Initially, it was simple curiosity, but it soon led us to a much bigger story. In 2004, after watching the movie, I went to the internet and typed, "Man sells his car after Stock Market crash of 1929." The first result from the Associated Press showed the same photo used in the movie, captioned: "Bankrupt Investor Walter Thornton sells his car after the Stock Market Crash of 1929." At that moment, all my skepticism vanished. It was indeed our father in the photo, but understanding why would take us years to uncover.
Our father’s main agency was in New York, where many big stars started as models. Once they became high-profile models, they received media attention, which attracted Hollywood producers. Our father’s agency was also the first to establish offices in California, bridging the gap between New York and Hollywood.
WOW: That's incredible! Do you know why your father didn't share this with you before?
Nancy: The simple answer is that we were too young to understand, and we grew up in Mexico, which had a different culture and language. In hindsight, we know our dad did make many references to his previous life and career, but he was also humble and never made himself out to be greater than he was. We asked our mother if she knew about his previous career, but she said they never talked much about their pasts. Both of them had been abandoned at a very young age and didn’t want to be reminded of that. Additionally, they had a growing family of six kids spaced out every two years. Even if he had tried to tell us, the cultural differences would have made it difficult for any of us to comprehend.
WOW: I can see all of those factors playing a part. How did you begin your research? What was your process like?
Nancy: Our research began with the famous Stock Market Crash photograph. We started by searching online for the source, but at that time, there weren't many newspapers and magazines available online. So, we moved on to visiting local libraries and communicating with research teams at remote libraries such as the Library of Congress and various New York libraries.
Once we realized our father was a public figure in New York, we went back to our childhood home to search through many boxes left by our father in one of the casitas our parents used for storage. We shipped those boxes, half to my sister and half to me, so we could go through all the information. My sister and I were constantly in contact about our findings and started uploading everything to Google to share information. To this day, we still find new information about our dad as more and more content is uploaded to the internet.
Once we started adding all the information on Google, we collaborated to form a timeline by years, starting from his birth. It sounds easy, but it was not. We were overwhelmed with all the information we found from libraries, online sources, and in the boxes. There were many times we didn’t know where everything fit.
Additionally, we didn’t fully understand the significance of much of the information, so we worked with historians to help us understand the historical context and identify many of his famous models. We both started writing what we found, initially aiming to share the story with our family. We began merging our writings into one document.
As we realized it was history that no one knew and felt we had to tell, we hired different ghostwriters to help us put it together in a uniform and more professional voice. Throughout the years, we worked with various writers as our research progressed. Ultimately, we settled on a talented writer and historian who worked with us for years. However, in the end, he changed our chronological timeline of our dad’s life story to a back-and-forth style of storytelling, making it very confusing for readers given the timeline of his story.
We were saddened that he didn’t like the chronological approach we preferred, so we parted ways. My sister and I then went ahead and put our manuscript back together in chronological order, incorporating much of the information we had written before. We asked Philip Mershon to step in since he had previously been hired as an editor and already knew the story.
WOW: What an incredible process! Can you tell me more about your other co-author, Philip Mershon, and how he contributed to the memoir?
Nancy: Philip had been recommended by our prior writer to help us with developmental editing. He told us that our manuscript, as organized by the previous writer, was confusing which we already knew but needed a clear head to help us organize. So, when our other writer walked away, we asked Philip to help us take the manuscript to the finish line. He ensured our story read well in chronological order, edited it, and made sure that our manuscript was interesting. We rewarded his loyalty by putting his name in the book.
WOW: I am so glad you found someone who could help you turn your manuscript into the incredible book it is today! How did you know how to organize the book and compile the information you've discovered? What was your revision process like?
Nancy: I think we touched on this a little before. At the beginning, it was a mess because we didn’t know much about what we had. Some of the information from libraries and our dad’s archives was from old newspapers and magazines that were falling apart, and many didn’t have readable dates. It took a lot of research to determine where things were supposed to be.
We followed our father’s life chronologically, starting from his birth. We both created files organized by year and later transferred the information to Google so we could both see what each other had found. It was a long, tedious, and sometimes confusing process, but in the end, it worked. We created a comprehensive map of our dad’s life and discovered history along the way.
WOW: That's a great technique you took. You and your sister have a unique career background! How did that contribute to compiling this memoir?
Nancy: My sister's background is in the creative field, while mine is in the legal field. The skills we brought to compiling our memoir were complementary. We both worked on the research and writing, but she was instrumental in archiving all the photographs. I was responsible for obtaining legal documentation from our dad's agency, including lawsuits, corporate papers, and more. Additionally, I handled drafting and negotiating with the writers and historians who assisted us.
WOW: What a great balance. Did you have the chance to interview sources who knew your father? If so, what was that like?
Nancy: Yes, we had the chance to interview a few people who knew my father. One of them was Arlene Dahl, a famous model who later became a Golden Age of Cinema star and the mother of actor Lorenzo Lamas. Unfortunately, due to COVID, we could only interview her in writing and not in person. It was amazing and emotional to read the answers to the questions we asked her. She had so much respect for our father who started her career and she never forgot that. Arlene passed away a couple of months after she communicated with us at the age of 96.
We also interviewed my father's nephew from his first wife's side of the family. He was a young boy when my father was a famous man in New York and had many stories about how influential he was. Additionally, we spoke with my mother, who shared her own insights into their life together.
We tried to locate and interview more models, business associates, lawyers, or anyone else who might have known him, but unfortunately, they had all passed away.
WOW: I'm glad you were able to find some who were able to help. Kudos to your mom for also stepping in to share insights! Through your research, what did you learn about yourself, and your past?
Nancy: Through my research, I learned that my siblings and I were truly privileged growing up—something I hadn't fully realized before. This privilege was due to the immense love we received from our parents. Our father, who was retired for much of our upbringing, was always there for us, offering his devotion and wisdom. Growing up in Mexico, we knew he was different because he was an American from Ohio with limited Spanish skills, different customs, and even a unique way of dressing. We always thought of him as an ordinary businessman, but our research revealed a different story.
Adriana: I've learned that my dad has left a part of himself in me. From him, I learned many life lessons: discipline, punctuality, generosity without allowing myself to be taken advantage of, trust without naivety, and listening without losing my own voice. I've learned that the setbacks in my life have made me stronger and more resilient than I ever realized. Even when pain feels overwhelming, I've discovered that time helps me heal and move forward. I've also discovered my own capabilities by taking on new challenges and succeeding. I'm incredibly proud of myself and have learned that with determination, I can achieve anything I set my mind to, despite any obstacles from my husband or family.
WOW: I love the perspective you gained. What is next for you and your sister? What are your working on that you can tell us about?
Nancy: We are currently working on translating the book into Spanish and creating an audio version. We also hope to release a picture book in the future. One of my sister’s dreams is to open a museum to teach and display everything we have in our father's archives, including photographs, records, pinup clothing, bathing suits, and many other items that defined that era.
WOW: What an incredible plan you have ahead of you! What tips do you have for people deep-diving into researching their own family history?
Nancy: We found that websites like ancestry.com, findagrave.com, familysearch.org, and newspapers.com are excellent sources of information for researching family history. Additionally, librarians are invaluable and incredibly helpful in finding what you are looking for. Given that our father was a public and famous person, we were able to find a lot of information in various libraries.
WOW: Great resources! What do you hope people gain by reading this book?
Nancy: Our hope is that readers will gain a deep understanding of several key aspects through this book. Firstly, we aim to educate readers on the rich history of modeling, tracing its beginnings. Secondly, we explore the rise of iconic stars from the golden era, shedding light on how these luminaries first emerged onto the scene.
Additionally, we explore the fascinating origins and enduring popularity of the patriotic Pin-Up Girl movement that began during World War 2, revealing its cultural significance in a way that no one has explored before. Moreover, we take a critical stance on historical inaccuracies surrounding our father's agency, offering new insights into his professional journey, including his notable highs and lows.
One of our father’s photographs has become the most iconic photograph of the stock market crash of 1929 but there is much more to that photo that people think. We hope that by reading our book people will look at that and many more historical photographs more carefully to understand inaccuracies.
Furthermore, we aspire to inspire readers through the remarkable journey of our father, who rose from orphanhood to become a trailblazer in U.S. history. His story not only showcases resilience and determination but also underscores the profound impact of one individual's journey on the broader landscape of American culture.
In essence, we aim for readers to be informed, inspired, and captivated by the multifaceted narratives woven throughout this book, offering a fresh perspective on the history of modeling and its enduring cultural influences.
WOW: I truly believe you will achieve that with this book. Thank you so much for chatting with us today!
--- Blog Tour Calender
August 5th @ The Muffin
Join us at The Muffin as we celebrate the launch of The Merchant of Venus: The Life of Walter Thornton. We'll interview the authors and give away a copy of the book.
August 6th @ Just Katherine
Visit Katherine's blog for a guest post about the beginnings of modeling. She also shares an excerpt from the book.
August 8th @ Knotty Needle
Visit Judy's blog for her review of The Merchant of Venus: The Life of Walter Thornton.
August 10th @ Boots, Shoes, and Fashion
Join Linda's blog for her interview with the authors about The Merchant of Venus: The Life of Walter Thornton.
August 12th @ Finished Pages
Visit Renee's blog for her review of The Merchant of Venus: The Life of Walter Thornton.
August 14th @ Create Write Now
Join Mari for a spotlight of The Merchant of Venus: The Life of Walter Thornton.
August 15th @ Chapter Break
Visit Julie's blog for an interview with the authors about their book The Merchant of Venus: The Life of Walter Thornton.
August 17th @ A Wonderful World of Books
Visit Joy's blog for an excerpt of The Merchant of Venus: The Life of Walter Thornton.
August 20th @ Sara Trimble's blog
Join Sara for a guest post by the authors about early silent movie stars and their distinctive makeup.
August 26th @ One Writer's Journey
Visit Sue's blog for her review of The Merchant of Venus: The Life of Walter Thornton.
August 28th @ Author Anthony Avina's blog
Visit Anthony's blog for a review of The Merchant of Venus: The Life of Walter Thornton.
August 30th @ Choices
Visit Madeline's blog for a guest post from the authors about the history of the Chrysler Building.
September 1st @ Frugal Freelancer
Join Sara for her review of The Merchant of Venus: The Life of Walter Thornton.
September 1st @ Boys' Mom Reads
Visit Karen's blog for her review of The Merchant of Venus: The Life of Walter Thornton.
September 2nd @ One Writer's Journey
Visit Sue's blog for an interview with the authors about their book The Merchant of Venus: The Life of Walter Thornton.
September 4th @ Candid Canine
Visit Christine's blog for her review of The Merchant of Venus: The Life of Walter Thornton.
September 8th @ Jill Sheets' blog
Visit Jill's blog for her interview with the authors of The Merchant of Venus: The Life of Walter Thornton.
***** BOOK GIVEAWAY *****
Enter to win a print copy of The Merchant of Venus: The Life of Walter Thornton! Fill out the Rafflecopter form for a chance to win. The giveaway ends August 18th at 11:59 pm CT. We will randomly draw a winner the next day via Rafflecopter and follow up via email. Good luck!
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9 comments:
What an incredible story! And fantastic interview! I loved hearing about your research process and I look forward to reading your book. Good luck on your tour!
A must read for my summer list
Thank you for sharing your father's story - what an amazing and unique journey for your family!
I love reading about people who have overcome adversity.
Congratulations on your fascinating book!
What an incredible story to share.
Sounds like an interesting story. What a treat to find new information about your father. I'd love to read about your research methods.
I would love to read about Walter's Journey. It sounds fascinating.
It's fascinating what secrets may lie in our lineage
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