Paul Brogan releases new memoir and recalls his personal relationships with Hollywood legends
Paul Brogan’s latest book, A Sprinkling of Stardust Over the Outhouse, is a redo of sorts. In April of 2011, he published Was That a Name I Dropped? which was also autobiographical. “I was never completely satisfied with the result of my first book (…Name I Dropped). My publisher rushed it out before all the editing was complete and not allowing many other changes that were necessary,” the author said. “In addition, hundreds of pages got left on the cutting room floor, so to speak. This is the story I would have told, in addition to the last 11 plus years of continued growth.” The new book is a much more cohesive, complete and realized autobiographical story.
Originally from Concord, New Hampshire, Brogan’s journey has taken him from coast to coast. Each step along the way has been influenced by his love of the arts. He is active in the Concord Players; has written a book about the history of the movies in Concord; plays piano at popular piano bars during the summer in Ogunquit, Maine; and his passion for film drew him to California for a three-year period between 1990 and 1993.
Brogan’s second book published in 2019, was Gibson’s Bookstore’s (Concord, New Hampshire) top-selling book by a local author in all genres for the year. The Concord Theatre and Concord’s Love Affair with the Movies captured the history of the motion picture in Concord and the impact that the movies had on the lives of people living in Concord, starting in the late 1800’s. The New Hampshire author credits the nuns who taught him in high school for his love of
writing and the discipline he brings to the process. “I wrote a lot while a student at Bishop Brady High School, mostly turning books I liked into movie screenplays,” he said. “I have to approach writing like a job by setting aside daily hours and never wavering. I work on a book from Monday through Friday from 9 AM until 11:30 and from 1 PM until 4PM. I need the kind of structure that the nuns instilled in us when I was in Parochial School. It works for me. He revealed. I work in my office, which is a converted clothes closet. “When writing, I like to be ‘in the closet’,” Brogan quipped.
Brogan has a long-time vocation providing services to NH residents infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. In his capacity of as either Executive Director of Event Coordinator for AIDS Service Organizations, he gained much experience in grant writing for funding the work. “I was often told that my grants painted a compelling story and reason as to why the funder should give the money.”
In 2014 Brogan earned The New Hampshire Press Association Award as Best Blogger in NH for 2014. “Winning that award was based on scores of blogs I wrote regularly for Concord Patch,” he said. “Earning that award, I felt as though I could finally call myself a writer. It was a bit overwhelming but extremely gratifying.”
Brogan was a bit of a late blooming book author. “I never really started writing with a passion until after 50. It felt like the right time and as though I had this flood of ideas and stories I needed to finally tell,” he said.
A Sprinkling of Stardust Over the Outhouse includes details of Brogan’s relationships with numerous A-list movie stars beginning in the 1960’s. His deepest and most enduring friendship began with a letter he sent to America’s Sweetheart, Doris Day when he was a young child. “Doris was the number one box-office star in America when I first wrote her a fan letter in my 7-year-old scrawl. I’d seen the movie Please Don’t Eat the Daisies, where she played the mother of four boys. I wrote that if I didn’t have my own mother, I’d love to have her as a mother, Brogan said. “I sent it to ‘Doris Day, Hollywood, California’. There were no zip codes in those years of the early 60’s but it made it to the studio, and she responded.” Their relationship lasted until the star’s death in 2019 at age 97.
When asked what he wants his readers to take away from A Sprinkling of Stardust Over the Outhouse, he replied, “I hope they come away inspired to want to never stop trying new things. No matter your age, you can take on a new challenge and whether it is successful or not, you won’t be left with regrets about what might have been. We are all resilient and much stronger than we think. Never ‘settle for’ or stay in that rut. Something life changing may be around that corner.”
Brogan currently lives in Concord, New Hampshire with his husband, Alan, and Cappy, their 15 year-old Dachshund, who “still thinks he’s a puppy and behaves like one.” His mother, turning 99 on December 31st is a Juilliard graduate and taught music in the school for decades. “She is sharper than ever, still plays the piano and remains engaged in life.” The author cherishes his long-term friendships. “Most of my friends have been friends for decades and I value them as extended family,” he said.
Author Paul Brogan Gets Candid About His Relationships with Doris Day and Other Hollywood Icons
We caught up with Paul Brogan and had a lively conversation.
