Victoria Foyt
Encyclopedia
Victoria Foyt is an American author
, novelist, screenwriter
and actor
. Her debut novel
, The Virtual Life of Lexie Diamond, is a coming-of-age mystery
thriller geared toward the young adult audience. The well-received novel was published in 2007 by HarperCollins
Publishing and was recommended by The Center for Children's Books. Foyt co-wrote and starred in four critically acclaimed feature film
s, Going Shopping
(2005), Déjà Vu
(1997), Last Summer in the Hamptons
(1995), and Babyfever (1994) with her husband, indie film director Henry Jaglom
. She has completed another young adult novel, Save the Pearls Part One REVEALING EDEN, a Young Adult, fantasy-adventure/romance novel that deals with beauty and race.
Foyt also wrote and directed a critically acclaimed short film, The Sweet Spot, starring Jennifer Grant
and Carl Weathers
. She currently lives in Santa Monica, California
.
, the only daughter and the youngest of four children. Her father was a radiologist, and her mother was a musician
and homemaker
. She is of Europe
an descent as both of her parents have Italian, Swedish and English ancestors.
Since she was a child, Foyt was an avid reader; books were a very important part in her life. Foyt spent time reading, playing tennis and working on creative projects, such as sewing her own clothes from patterns in Vogue
. She attended Westminster Christian High School in Coral Gables, Florida. She went to the University of Miami
, where she received her Bachelor of Arts degree with a double major in Spanish and French, and a double minor in German and Business.
, Hollywood Dreams
, Going Shopping, Festival in Cannes
, Déjà Vu, Last Summer in the Hamptons, Babyfever, Venice/Venice
, Eating
, New Year's Day
, Someone to Love, Always, Can She Bake a Cherry Pie?
, Tracks, and A Safe Place
. They have two children together, Sabrina and Simon.
Foyt is very disciplined about her writing schedule, writing from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. every day, a habit formed when her children first went off to school. She likes to work on more than one project at a time and is currently writing A Valentine to Faith, a romance for adults, as well as a detective novel.
s of Going Shopping, Déjà Vu, and Last Summer in the Hamptons. She also wrote Festival in Cannes (2001) and was interviewed for Venice/Venice (2002), which was shot entirely at the Cannes International Film Festival, and directed by Jaglom.
In 2002, AFI’s
Directing Workshop for Women awarded Ms. Foyt a place in its coveted program. She wrote and directed a critically acclaimed short film, The Sweet Spot, starring Jennifer Grant and Carl Weathers, which played in many major film festivals, including PBS on Hollywood: Fine Cut, the Los Angeles International Short Film Festival, the Hawaii Film Festival, and the Newport Beach Film Festival
, among others. Variety
critic Scott Foundas called the film “a deliciously funny satire” and it was deemed “A sensational debut, wildly dark and uproariously funny by unpredictable turns,” by FX Feeney of the L.A. Weekly. Foyt also wrote and directed the promotional video for her debut novel, The Virtual Life of Lexie Diamond, which is posted on YouTube
.
Foyt has written articles that were published in O At Home, Harper's Bazaar
, and Film & Video. Her article in O At Home tells of her affectionate journey of buying and remodeling her home, the article penned for Harper’s Bazaar is a memoir of her quest to become pregnant and the journey to motherhood, also the inspiration behind the screenplay
she co-wrote for Babyfever.
. Lexie spends the majority of her life online, in a virtual world that provides an escape from “The Bubble,” or so-called real life, in which she has no social circle and few social interests, and views other people in terms of computer and web metaphors.
Lexie is both delighted and mystified when her mother seems to emerge from new software she is gifted, a symbolic bridge to the afterlife
. This happiness is overshadowed when her father rapidly develops a new romantic relationship. Lexie tries to cope by retreating further into cyberspace
, yet can’t help but re-emerge when her mother announces that she is the victim of murder
, not an accident, inspiring Lexie to leave cyberspace to solve the mystery of the killer's identity.
Fun plot twists coupled with Lexie’s distinct voice and unique spiritual perspective make this a great read for adolescents and teens, as well as adults, especially those having to cope with the death of a loved one or who feel alienated from life.
s and mythic stories, adding, “I am a writer today because my mother took me to the library every two weeks, where I fell in love with reading.” She refers to Hemingway’s stylistic influence on her writing. She lists classic literature such as Great Expectations
, Crime and Punishment
, Catcher in the Rye, Jane Eyre
, Pride and Prejudice
, The Once and Future King
, and The Count of Monte Cristo
as works that greatly influenced her desire to be a writer as well as her artistic sensibility. She lists Don Quixote and Gone with the Wind
as two of her favorite books.
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, novelist, screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. Her debut novel
Debut novel
A debut novel is the first novel an author publishes. Debut novels are the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to publish in the future...
, The Virtual Life of Lexie Diamond, is a coming-of-age mystery
Mystery fiction
Mystery fiction is a loosely-defined term.1.It is often used as a synonym for detective fiction or crime fiction— in other words a novel or short story in which a detective investigates and solves a crime mystery. Sometimes mystery books are nonfiction...
thriller geared toward the young adult audience. The well-received novel was published in 2007 by HarperCollins
HarperCollins
HarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
Publishing and was recommended by The Center for Children's Books. Foyt co-wrote and starred in four critically acclaimed feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
s, Going Shopping
Going Shopping
Going Shopping is a 2005 American romance film directed by Henry Jaglom and stars Victoria Foyt, Rob Morrow, and Lee Grant .-Cast:* Victoria Foyt as Holly Gilmore* Rob Morrow as Miles* Lee Grant as Winnie...
(2005), Déjà Vu
Déjà Vu (1997 film)
Déjà Vu is a 1997 American dramatic romance film directed by Henry Jaglom. It stars the British actors, Stephen Dillane and Vanessa Redgrave. It premiered at the American Film Institute Festival on 25 October 1997 and was released theatrically on 22 April 1998.-Plot:Dana , a young American woman,...
(1997), Last Summer in the Hamptons
Last Summer in the Hamptons
Last Summer in the Hamptons is a 1995 movie directed by Henry Jaglom and released by Rainbow Releasing and Live Entertainment and features a large eclectic ensemble cast....
(1995), and Babyfever (1994) with her husband, indie film director Henry Jaglom
Henry Jaglom
- Life and career :Born January 26, 1941 in London, England to Simon and Marie Jaglom, Henry Jaglom trained with Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio in New York, where he acted, wrote and directed off-Broadway theater and cabaret before settling in Hollywood in the late 1960s...
. She has completed another young adult novel, Save the Pearls Part One REVEALING EDEN, a Young Adult, fantasy-adventure/romance novel that deals with beauty and race.
Foyt also wrote and directed a critically acclaimed short film, The Sweet Spot, starring Jennifer Grant
Jennifer Grant
Jennifer Diane Grant is an American actress, the only child of actors Cary Grant and Dyan Cannon.Her parents divorced when she was only two years old. The reasons given for their divorce were that her father was unable to find his "perfect wife"; in addition, there was a thirty-five year age...
and Carl Weathers
Carl Weathers
Carl Weathers is an American actor, as well as former professional football player in the United States and Canada. He is best known for playing Apollo Creed in the Rocky series of films...
. She currently lives in Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
.
Early years
Victoria Foyt was born in Coral Gables, FloridaCoral Gables, Florida
Coral Gables is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, southwest of Downtown Miami, in the United States. The city is home to the University of Miami....
, the only daughter and the youngest of four children. Her father was a radiologist, and her mother was a musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
and homemaker
Homemaker
Homemaking is a mainly American term for the management of a home, otherwise known as housework, housekeeping or household management...
. She is of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an descent as both of her parents have Italian, Swedish and English ancestors.
Since she was a child, Foyt was an avid reader; books were a very important part in her life. Foyt spent time reading, playing tennis and working on creative projects, such as sewing her own clothes from patterns in Vogue
Vogue (magazine)
Vogue is a fashion and lifestyle magazine that is published monthly in 18 national and one regional edition by Condé Nast.-History:In 1892 Arthur Turnure founded Vogue as a weekly publication in the United States. When he died in 1909, Condé Montrose Nast picked up the magazine and slowly began...
. She attended Westminster Christian High School in Coral Gables, Florida. She went to the University of Miami
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
, where she received her Bachelor of Arts degree with a double major in Spanish and French, and a double minor in German and Business.
Present
Foyt married Henry Jaglom in 1991. Jaglom is a former actor and current indie director whose credits include Queen of The Lot, Irene in TimeIrene in Time
Irene in Time is a 2009 American indie film directed by Henry Jaglom. It marked the second collaboration between director Jaglom and his protégé, actress Tanna Frederick, who also starred in Hollywood Dreams, Jaglom's 2006 film. Irene also starred Victoria Tennant, Lanre Idewu, and Andrea...
, Hollywood Dreams
Hollywood Dreams
Hollywood Dreams is an American film starring Tanna Frederick, Justin Kirk, David Proval, Karen Black, Eric Roberts, Seymour Cassel and written and directed by Henry Jaglom.-Plot:...
, Going Shopping, Festival in Cannes
Festival in Cannes
Festival in Cannes is a 2001 film directed by Henry Jaglom.The plot is an entertainment industry farce about filmmakers trying to make deals during the Cannes Film Festival....
, Déjà Vu, Last Summer in the Hamptons, Babyfever, Venice/Venice
Venice/Venice
Venice/Venice is an American film starring Henry Jaglom, Nelly Alard, Melissa Leo, Suzanne Bertish, Daphna Kastner, David Duchovny, John Landis and written and directed by Henry Jaglom.-Plot:...
, Eating
Eating (film)
Eating is an American comedic drama film starring Nelly Alard, Lisa Blake Richards, Frances Bergen, Mary Crosby, Gwen Welles, Elizabeth Kemp, Marina Gregory and written and directed by Henry Jaglom.-Plot:...
, New Year's Day
New Year's Day (film)
New Year's Day is a 2001 comedy-drama film starring Andrew Lee Potts, Bobby Barry, Jacqueline Bisset, Anastasia Hille, Michael Kitchen, Sue Johnston, Ralph Brown and Marianne Jean-Baptiste. It was written by Ralph Brown and directed by Suri Krishnamma....
, Someone to Love, Always, Can She Bake a Cherry Pie?
Can She Bake a Cherry Pie?
Can She Bake a Cherry Pie? is a 1983 American comedy film directed by Henry Jaglom. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1983 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Michael Emil - Eli* Karen Black - Zee* Michael Margotta - Larry...
, Tracks, and A Safe Place
A Safe Place
A Safe Place is a 1971 film starring Jack Nicholson, Tuesday Weld, Orson Welles and Phil Proctor and directed by Henry Jaglom....
. They have two children together, Sabrina and Simon.
Foyt is very disciplined about her writing schedule, writing from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. every day, a habit formed when her children first went off to school. She likes to work on more than one project at a time and is currently writing A Valentine to Faith, a romance for adults, as well as a detective novel.
Film career
Foyt co-wrote and starred in four critically acclaimed feature films, Going Shopping (2005), Déjà Vu (1997), Last Summer in the Hamptons (1995), and Babyfever (1994), which were helmed by indie film director Henry Jaglom. Her narrative commentary can be heard on the DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
s of Going Shopping, Déjà Vu, and Last Summer in the Hamptons. She also wrote Festival in Cannes (2001) and was interviewed for Venice/Venice (2002), which was shot entirely at the Cannes International Film Festival, and directed by Jaglom.
In 2002, AFI’s
American Film Institute
The American Film Institute is an independent non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts, which was established in 1967 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act...
Directing Workshop for Women awarded Ms. Foyt a place in its coveted program. She wrote and directed a critically acclaimed short film, The Sweet Spot, starring Jennifer Grant and Carl Weathers, which played in many major film festivals, including PBS on Hollywood: Fine Cut, the Los Angeles International Short Film Festival, the Hawaii Film Festival, and the Newport Beach Film Festival
Newport Beach Film Festival
The Newport Beach Film Festival is a film festival in the United States held in Newport Beach, California, that showcases more than 350 films to more than 30,000 attendees annually....
, among others. Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
critic Scott Foundas called the film “a deliciously funny satire” and it was deemed “A sensational debut, wildly dark and uproariously funny by unpredictable turns,” by FX Feeney of the L.A. Weekly. Foyt also wrote and directed the promotional video for her debut novel, The Virtual Life of Lexie Diamond, which is posted on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
.
Writing career
Foyt’s first book, The Virtual Life of Lexie Diamond, (HarperCollins Publishing, 2007), is a coming-of-age, mystery young adult novel that garnered rave reviews and was well-received in the teen audience. TeansReadToo.com gave the book a five-star rating, calling it a “must-read!” Its success inspired the novel Foyt is working on now, Save the Pearls Part One REVEALING EDEN, a fantasy-adventure/romance novel geared for the Young Adult market.Foyt has written articles that were published in O At Home, Harper's Bazaar
Harper's Bazaar
Harper’s Bazaar is an American fashion magazine, first published in 1867. Harper’s Bazaar is published by Hearst and, as a magazine, considers itself to be the style resource for “women who are the first to buy the best, from casual to couture.”...
, and Film & Video. Her article in O At Home tells of her affectionate journey of buying and remodeling her home, the article penned for Harper’s Bazaar is a memoir of her quest to become pregnant and the journey to motherhood, also the inspiration behind the screenplay
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
she co-wrote for Babyfever.
The Virtual Life of Lexie Diamond
In 2007, Foyt released The Virtual Life of Lexie Diamond, (HarperCollins Publishing), a coming-of-age, mystery novel for teens. Elements of mystery, drama, technology and comedy are woven together to chronicle the adventures of its 13-year-old narrator, Lexie Diamond, as she navigates life after the sudden death of her mother in a hit-and-run accidentHit and run (vehicular)
Hit-and-run is the act of causing a traffic accident , and failing to stop and identify oneself afterwards...
. Lexie spends the majority of her life online, in a virtual world that provides an escape from “The Bubble,” or so-called real life, in which she has no social circle and few social interests, and views other people in terms of computer and web metaphors.
Lexie is both delighted and mystified when her mother seems to emerge from new software she is gifted, a symbolic bridge to the afterlife
Afterlife
The afterlife is the belief that a part of, or essence of, or soul of an individual, which carries with it and confers personal identity, survives the death of the body of this world and this lifetime, by natural or supernatural means, in contrast to the belief in eternal...
. This happiness is overshadowed when her father rapidly develops a new romantic relationship. Lexie tries to cope by retreating further into cyberspace
Cyberspace
Cyberspace is the electronic medium of computer networks, in which online communication takes place.The term "cyberspace" was first used by the cyberpunk science fiction author William Gibson, though the concept was described somewhat earlier, for example in the Vernor Vinge short story "True...
, yet can’t help but re-emerge when her mother announces that she is the victim of murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
, not an accident, inspiring Lexie to leave cyberspace to solve the mystery of the killer's identity.
Fun plot twists coupled with Lexie’s distinct voice and unique spiritual perspective make this a great read for adolescents and teens, as well as adults, especially those having to cope with the death of a loved one or who feel alienated from life.
Literary influences
In an interview with the Los Angeles County Young Adult Librarians, Foyt mentions her literary influences as coming from fairy taleFairy tale
A fairy tale is a type of short story that typically features such folkloric characters, such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments. However, only a small number of the stories refer to fairies...
s and mythic stories, adding, “I am a writer today because my mother took me to the library every two weeks, where I fell in love with reading.” She refers to Hemingway’s stylistic influence on her writing. She lists classic literature such as Great Expectations
Great Expectations
Great Expectations is a novel by Charles Dickens. It was first published in serial form in the publication All the Year Round from 1 December 1860 to August 1861. It has been adapted for stage and screen over 250 times....
, Crime and Punishment
Crime and Punishment
Crime and Punishment is a novel by the Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky. It was first published in the literary journal The Russian Messenger in twelve monthly installments during 1866. It was later published in a single volume. This is the second of Dostoyevsky's full-length novels following his...
, Catcher in the Rye, Jane Eyre
Jane Eyre
Jane Eyre is a novel by English writer Charlotte Brontë. It was published in London, England, in 1847 by Smith, Elder & Co. with the title Jane Eyre. An Autobiography under the pen name "Currer Bell." The first American edition was released the following year by Harper & Brothers of New York...
, Pride and Prejudice
Pride and Prejudice
Pride and Prejudice is a novel by Jane Austen, first published in 1813. The story follows the main character Elizabeth Bennet as she deals with issues of manners, upbringing, morality, education and marriage in the society of the landed gentry of early 19th-century England...
, The Once and Future King
The Once and Future King
The Once and Future King is an Arthurian fantasy novel written by T. H. White. It was first published in 1958 and is mostly a composite of earlier works written in a period between 1938 and 1941....
, and The Count of Monte Cristo
The Count of Monte Cristo
The Count of Monte Cristo is an adventure novel by Alexandre Dumas. It is often considered to be, along with The Three Musketeers, Dumas's most popular work. He completed the work in 1844...
as works that greatly influenced her desire to be a writer as well as her artistic sensibility. She lists Don Quixote and Gone with the Wind
Gone with the Wind
The slaves depicted in Gone with the Wind are primarily loyal house servants, such as Mammy, Pork and Uncle Peter, and these slaves stay on with their masters even after the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 sets them free...
as two of her favorite books.