Centenarian Alan Shayne Releases Memoir Reflecting on a Century of Life, Love, and Cultural Change

A candid memoir spanning Hollywood, LGBTQ+ history, and late-life perspective; Shayne is available for interviews and events.

WEST PALM BEACH, FL, UNITED STATES, February 5, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Most people spend a lifetime gathering stories. Alan Shayne has lived long enough to gather a century’s worth.

At 100 years old, Shayne is releasing his new memoir, AND IT ONLY TOOK 100 YEARS…, a candid, deeply personal account of survival, identity, love, and reinvention across one of the most transformative centuries in modern history.

Born in 1925, Shayne’s life spans the advent of talking pictures, World War II, the Golden Age of Hollywood, the criminalization and later liberation of gay life in America, and now the digital age. Along the way, he built a remarkable career in the entertainment industry, worked alongside Hollywood legends, and sustained a 67-year partnership that has defied the odds.

But this is not a nostalgia piece. It is something rarer: a clear-eyed reflection on what actually matters when you’ve lived long enough to see everything change.

Told with warmth, restraint, and disarming honesty, AND IT ONLY TOOK 100 YEARS… explores:
• Growing up gay when simply being yourself was dangerous
• Behind-the-scenes stories from Hollywood’s golden years
• Building a creative life and career from humble beginnings
• The realities — not myths — of long-term love and commitment
• The quiet wisdom that only decades can teach
• What it means to arrive late to understanding… and still arrive

Rather than offering advice or easy lessons, Shayne offers something more intimate: perspective. “I don’t have answers,” Shayne says. “I just have a few things that it took me a very long time to understand.” With gentle humor and remarkable clarity, Shayne invites readers of all ages to reconsider the pressure to “figure life out” early. His message resonates especially strongly today, when many feel behind, uncertain, or rushed.

Understanding, he reminds us, may come late. And that’s perfectly normal.
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About the Author
Alan Shayne was the President of Warner Television for many years, shepherding hit shows including Alice, Night Court, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, Wonder Woman, Growing Pains, and The Dukes of Hazzard. He began his career as an actor on Broadway and became a well-known casting director of TV and films such as All the President's Men. He produced TV specials and, after leaving Warner, received an Emmy nomination for producing the mini-series The Bourne Identity. He has lived through nearly every major cultural shift of the past century and now shares those experiences with candor and grace in AND IT ONLY TOOK 100 YEARS…. At age 100, Shayne is newly engaging with readers through public appearances and social media, continuing his lifelong belief that it’s never too late to begin something new. He lives in West Palm Beach with his husband, Norman Sunshine.
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Availability
Alan Shayne is available for:
• Interviews (print, podcast, radio, television, virtual or in-person)
• Book signings and literary events
• LGBTQ+ and Pride programming
• Senior living and lifelong learning communities
• Book clubs
• Cultural and historical discussions
• Keynotes and moderated conversations
His perspective on longevity, identity, creativity, and late-life reinvention makes him an engaging and thoughtful guest for a wide range of audiences.
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Book Information
Title: AND IT ONLY TOOK 100 YEARS…
Author: Alan Shayne
Format: Hardcover / eBook
Publisher: Rand-Smith Books
Publication Date: February 10, 2026
ISBN: 978-1950544622
Retail Price: $29.95 / 12.99

Jeff Howard
Rand-Smith Publishing
+1 804-874-6012
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