When a tyrannical tween discovers her reclusive uncle is really her biological dad, she goes to L.A. to get a confession and start a new life. Just one problem… he’d rather be Marilyn Monroe.

SYNOPSIS:

If NYC is Hell, then I live on the 10th floor of Purgatory. The narcissists screaming in the next room who claim to be my parents are splitting up. Even better, I just found adoption papers naming my “Uncle Fred” (a total stranger) as my biological dad. So, I staged my own mental breakdown to get sent away for a little R&R—to the only relative able to take me on such short notice. You guessed it.

I’m FRANKIE, an uptight 12-year-old who won’t relax until I know one thing: why FRED (30) gave me to his sister to raise, then vanished never to return. And I found out, right after I beat him senseless with his own stiletto ankle-strap. Yes, one more secret he thought he could keep hidden—his private obsession for dressing like Marilyn Monroe.

My plan was genius. Before leaving New York, I called the old billionaire eccentrics named in the adoption papers as my great-grandparents. They agreed to pose as prospect clients interested in Fred’s financial skills. But to earn their account, Fred first had to win their crazy “challenge” which demanded he sacrifice something priceless. Weird but perfect if we were going to get him to surrender the truth. I only had a month in Los Angeles before returning for a wicked custody battle, so the clock was ticking.

When I got to L.A., I quickly realized Fred wasn’t about to confess fatherhood. So I broke into his infamous closet, swiped his home video performance of “I Want to Be Loved by You,” and ousted him at his stiff company party. His boss fired him, making the challenge all the more crucial for Fred to win. My god, was he livid! But I vowed to make it up to him… by convincing him that West Hollywood’s biggest drag show was the answer to his woes. We would invite the old couple, then he would “sacrifice” his identity to embrace who he truly was—Fabulous! Also a father reinvented if all went well. The challenge would be won, Fred would get his job back, come clean about his past, and hopefully include me in his future.

From dime store Marilyn to mink-covered Monroe, I redesigned Fred head-to-toe. And as I learned to love my dad, I realized that I was actually worth loving, too. After all, I was the kid, and Fred needed to grow up! But on the day of the contest, his parents showed up to fly me home early, and he missed the challenge completely! All I could do was hope Fred’s conscience would prevail, and he would materialize in court and fight for me. Or maybe my mysterious great-grandparents would intervene. We’ll have to see. Until then…