Author we dig: Liane Bonin

Liane Bonin is inspiro-a-go-go.

She’s a showbiz reporter in La La land (I’m totes green with envy) and author girl of the fabulous new book, Celebrity Skin.

I LOVE this book.
So much so that I had to write it in capitals. It really is the coolest insight into the world of young Hollywood you’ll ever read. If you love Heat magazine, it’s like that, only a trillion times better.

What’s not to love?

To find out more ’bout the book, Liane has come to hang in the world o’ pink.
I am mucho happy.

We love, love, love Celebrity Skin, what made you want to write about the whole world of celebrity?
I’ve been an entertainment journalist in L.A. for about a million years, so I’ve met a lot of celebrities - I’ve seen them at their best, their worst, and every stage in between (think Seven Dwarves – grumpy, happy, giggly, pouty, etc. etc.). The thing that always surprised me was that no one had written a book for young adults that really showed Hollywood accurately – everything I read was either over-the-top cartoon glam or seedy scandal. It always bummed me out, because there’s so much more than that going on in showbiz, and the truth is SO much more interesting than what you see on television tabloid programmes.

The part you hear about – Lindsay Lohan crashing her car, Britney Spears shaving her head – is just the tip of the iceberg, trust me. Finally I realized that, since no one else was writing what I considered a “real” Hollywood story, it was up to me to do it!

If CS was made into a movie, who would be your dream cast?
That’s so hard! Erin would DEFINITELY be played by Keiko Agena, who’s the absolute smartest, funniest thing about The Gilmore Girls (do you guys have that in the UK? Hope so, cuz it’s SO good!). I think she’d be able to raise one eyebrow and communicate all of Erin’s conflicted feelings about her friend’s perilous rise to stardom instantly. And since we’re talking about GG, I’d LOVE to see Matt Czuchry, who plays the dashing Logan Huntzberger, as Clive – I think he’d be able to capture Clive’s charm and outrageous sense of fun (and he’s certainly cute enough, right?).

Now, who to play Taylor, a starlet trapped in her own personal whirlwind… (picture me tapping fingers on tabletop, deep in thought)? How about Lindsay Lohan? Or is that way too much typecasting?

This is your first book, how did it go from idea in your head to a real life book for us to read?
I knew I wanted to write about Hollywood from an outsider’s perspective, not the star’s – I wanted Erin to be a girl who gets thrown smack into the middle of everything, but still has the presence of mind to look around and see through the glamorous gauze to what’s really happening. I toyed around with the idea of writing about a teen journalist, but ultimately I liked the idea of a regular girl whose best friend just happens to become a huge star. It’s something that could happen to any one of us – which is a good reason to be nice to everyone in your class. You never know who might be the next superstar!

What’s the coolest thing about being an author-girl?
Hearing from readers! It’s such an honor when someone tells you they’ve read what you’ve written, especially when they want to know what happens next (not that I’m spilling – I don’t want to spoil Pretty on the Outside for anyone!).

You’re also a celebrity journo-girl, what’s that actually like - spill!
It’s really cool! I’ve been backstage at the Oscars lots of times, eaten lunch with Reese Witherspoon and Spider-man (you know, Tobey Maguire), gone to crazy Hollywood parties and I get to see movies before anyone else. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a non-stop party (I have to work a lot, too), but the perks are pretty great!

What do you prefer being, author or journo-girl?
Oh no, do I have to pick? That’s too hard! Can’t I be both, pleeeeeease? I can’t imagine one without the other!

What was life like as a teen girl for Liane in the world?
I was never the same girl twice! For a minute I fancied myself a little surf punkette (who didn’t surf and sunburned in about a minute!) with vertical hair. Then there was a goth phase that, in some ways, never ended (still love me the Morrissey, still love me the head-to-toe black, but without the black lipstick). There was a vintage retro phase, a romantics phase – thank goodness I never got a tattoo, because I would have hated it in a week. But that’s one of the best parts about being a teen girl – you can reinvent yourself every time you run a load of laundry!

What was your favourite book as a teen girl?
Another tough question! I loved A Separate Peace by John Knowles (cried like a baby) and The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton (again with the crying!). And anything by Steven King or Paul Zindel.

What’s your fave book for teens now?
6x: The Uncensored Confessions by Nina Malkin. Nina’s a rock music journalist, so she knows her stuff – and I got so addicted to this book it made me want to start a band. It’s a rollercoaster ride with four characters so cool you’ll wish they were real so you could be friends with them.

And… is it totally kiss-uppy to say I desperately wish I could time travel so that I could’ve read Think Pink when I was 13? It would have changed my life so much for the better. Actually, I think it can still change my life for the better – I need new false eyelashes!

If Celebrity Skin had a soundtrack - what would it sound like?
What I hear in my head is some Arctic Monkeys, a LOT of Amy Winehouse (”Rehab” on a loop, over and over and over again – which is what’s happening on my iPod in real life, honestly), a little Rooney, Morrissey, some Elvis Costello, She Wants Revenge, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Hole, Sleater-Kinney – so, in essence, some wild party music, some mopey stuff, some grrl power tunage and some slinky and sexy songs, too. But yeah, the soundtrack would blow you off your chair – hopefully, just like the book!

What’s a day in the life of LB really like?
I wish there was a typical day! When I have my journalist cap on, I could be doing anything. I might be at a movie screening, or preparing for an interview, or running across Hollywood to meet a celebrity. I might be writing about fashion, interviewing a designer, traveling out of town for an event, screaming out questions on the red carpet – you name it! I’ve done really crazy things – interviewed cult deprogrammers, experts on Disneyland, circus ringmasters, cheating spouses and female private investigators. My days are never quite the same, and not always what I expect. When I have my author cap on, I’m sitting quietly at my computer, but I’m still super busy imagining all sorts of adventures for my characters.

What’s next in the world of Liane?
After Celebrity Skin there are two sequels in the Fame Unlimited series — Pretty on the Outside and Idol Talk. I can’t say too much without giving away the plots, but let’s just say as Taylor’s star rises, the stakes get higher – and so does the stress on her friendship with Erin. There are cute boys galore, wild trips to Las Vegas and New York City, some serious dating temptations, a devious, career-climbing friend who gets a comeuppance you’ll have to read to believe, a sex tape scandal (!) and… I want to say more but I shouldn’t!

The Colour pink. Discuss.
Hot pink, fuchsia, bold, bright, that’s the way I like me my pink! It’s all the good stuff wrapped up in one — cherry bubblegum, lipstick, and the happiest color out of the crayon box. Okay, there’s some room for the soft pink, maybe with a touch of grey, but it should be a bit rainy out for that. But no matter what shade, pink is the ultimate girl color. And what could be better than that?

Visit Liane at: www.lianebonin.com and sign up for her newsletter, it’ll rock your socks!

Book Blurb
Nowadays, Taylor Christensen is gorgeous, rich, and one of the biggest stars around, but the day Erin Kim met her, Taylor was on the middle school D-list, with the headgear to prove it. Erin, under her own stress from her traditional Koreanborn parents who don’t want her to change, was there for Taylor when she needed a friend way back when, and she was there for her when the braces came off and the whole world noticed.

Sure, Taylor had the “it” Hollywood was looking for, but someone had to help her deal with the ups and downs of superstardom. Erin didn’t mind-especially since it helped her get her mind off some tough problems at home. Through it all, Erin was Taylor’s one true friend. But as Erin watches her best friend self-destruct, she knows that telling Taylor the truth about what she’s become could end their friendship once and for all.

Go buy it here, pronto.