Chicagoan Marla Goldberg must rebuild her life at forty-one after an unexpected divorce. While adjusting to being single, trying to improve conditions at the radio station where she's an account executive and fit in with her successful family, she dips her toes into the daunting dating pool. Marla yearns to fulfill her long-held dream of being a full-time, working actor, yet can't quite believe, "Leap and the net will appear." Being a movie and TV show extra teaches her meaningful lessons, but she must learn what for her is the hardest lesson of all: how to feel special and valued when you’re not the star. Ruth Kaufman's MY LIFE AS AN EXTRA, a humorous novel in which EAT, PRAY, LOVE meets LA LA LAND in Chicago, received an Honorable Mention in The Tracking Board's 2017 Launch Pad Manuscript Competition, ranking in the Top 5% of all entries. Three standalone novels comprise her Wars of the Roses Brides series: AT HIS COMMAND, FOLLOW YOUR HEART and THE BRIDE TOURNAMENT. She's also the author of MY ONCE & FUTURE LOVE, an Arthurian paranormal medieval.  Other accolades include 2016 Booksellers' Best Award double winner (Best Historical and Best First Book) and Romance Writers of America® Golden Heart® winner.  Ruth is also an on-camera and voiceover talent with a J.D. and a Master's in Radio/TV who loves peanut butter and chocolate milkshakes and going to the theatre. Credits include independent feature films, short films, web series, national TV commercials, and hundreds of voiceovers including e-learning courses, medical narration and commercials.  She presents a variety of workshops for authors and actors and is a comedic storyteller. Learn more at ruthkaufman.com and ruthtalks.com. Follow her on Twitter: @ruthkaufman or Facebook: Ruth Kaufman Author & Actor.