Starlet’s Man / Starlet’s Web / Starlet’s Run / Starlet’s Light
The Starlet Series #0.5–#3
Carla J. Hanna
Young Adult Romance
Series Links: Goodreads | Amazon
Welcome Carla — I’m happy to be hosting/featuring you and your Starlet Series on my blog.
Charline, thank you so much for hosting me on your blog tour!
So, first of all — I must ask (since the Starlet Series is set in Hollywood) who is your favorite celebrity and, of course, why?
I’ve met several celebrities in person and my kids played with dozens of the kids of celebrities when we lived in Santa Monica, California. A few celebrity moms were my friends, and I make a point to see their movies on opening day to support them. I mostly interacted with nannies or drivers when the kids played together.
Although we were not friends, the two most famous celebrity moms that were awesome — considerate, friendly, respectful, and great with their kids were Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Garner. I had read that when a star is nice to a stranger, that stranger is a fan forever. That’d be me, especially since the actors were so nice to my kids. I’m a big fan of both women.
In keeping with the ‘Hollywood’ question theme — what prompted you to choose Hollywood as the setting for your Young Adult series? Furthermore, 
what was it that pulled you into writing Young Adult/New Adult books versus any of the many other reading genres?
What I bring to the Starlet Web Series is the reality that children of celebrities grow up in a culture of harsh contradictions. We all have to deal confusing social messages as we come-of-age, but nowhere in the world is the contrast between family values and running a profitable, highly
competitive business so conflicted.
Just like me, celebrity parents love their kids and want to instill good values so that their kids can live happy, drug-free lives. But the kids are also used as pawns in the hype-machine. At the same time that the parents take the kids to church and teach them family values, the parents make a living out of promoting sex and violence in entertainment. I wrote the series as young adult novels so that teens everywhere can understand Hollywood’s influence and take more control of how those few people who choose what stories we read or see can influence them.
With regard to your writing career – what is/was the biggest challenge you have ever dealt with? How did you master, or get beyond, whatever it was?
I question whether I should sell-out. I’ve had a ton of interest from publishers and producers in the Starlet Series but it is always conditional on making the series more sexy. I’m against the push for more sex scenes for teen books and films like Fifty Shades. Fifty Shades intentionally drew the 17+ high school and college audience. Personally, I think it exploits young women and messes up our understanding of love and mutual respect. As an author, the roller coaster of interest has been stressful and waiting for the conditional offer takes its toll. I do understand that TV needs to get viewers to get advertising dollars but I disagree that the content needs to be so sexual and violent. For example, the fantastic Game of Thrones books are not nearly as violent or explicit as the TV show. Hollywood has exaggerated the need to ignite viewer emotion.
When was it that you discovered ‘the call of the writer?’
I walked my dogs with a screenwriter-friend. In 2009 she told me that teen erotica was next up. We talked about beauty and she told me anti-aging and Barbie’s body would become the norm. She predicted the Kardashians. She explained how the streaming American on-screen export would define Western culture. I knew she was right. Only about 100 people choose what millions of people see on-screen and define my culture. But Hollywood is NOT my America. I’m not obsessed with sex or beauty. I don’t want my children to be defined by or against that culture. I wrote the Starlet’s Web Series because I want viewers and readers to change the future of what defines
Western values.
As I’m also an author, I know that there are times when I’m just not motivated to write. Do you ever come across those days? If so, what keeps you going, or pulls you through those writing ‘doldrums.’
I wrote the draft of the entire series before I decided to become a writer. I outlined seven books and had notebooks on each major character based on the people I had met. I wrote the draft of the first five books (Starlet’s Man, and the actress’s memoirs: Starlet’s Web, Starlet’s Run, Starlet’s Light, and Starlet’s End) all in a four-month explosion, typing constantly during the time the kids were in school. I didn’t experience writer’s block because I wrote it for my kids to read when they are older.
As soon as I decided to make the story public I had editing writer’s block and insecurity: “Can I get sued? Would readers understand the message? Would it sound preachy when I don’t want to be preachy? Why should I care that people believe the Hollywood hype? What if entertainment is harmless? Would my efforts make any dent in changing behavior?”
Then after I got my first verbal offer for the series to make it teen erotica: “Would I get another offer? Shouldn’t I just add the rape and sex scenes requested? What do I know about the publishing business? Maybe the editor is totally right: a teen book can’t sell without sex scenes today. Should I reduce the diversity as suggested? Do I really need my characters to reflect the mixed-races and ethnicities that exist in Hollywood or should they be white, the ‘safer’ choice?”
Then when I decided to publish anyway: “Should I publish the first memoir, Starlet’s Web, first or should I wait? The editor thought Starlet’s Man was too Latino. Should I really hold off on Starlet’s Man and put out Starlet’s Web first? But I had wanted Starlet’s Man to be first. Maybe I should do the suggested rape scene as the inciting incident in Starlet’s Web as the editor insisted. But I don’t like the book that way. But what do I know?”
I talked to a publishing expert who helped me test the market by putting out the editor’s version of Starlet’s Web. My insecurity left when readers read the ARC and had the same reaction to the editor’s profit-driven market-timing changes. Confidence filled me, and I published Starlet’s Web the way I wanted the story to go with persons of color, spiritual conflict, and sexual confusion. Now, I’m eager to release Starlet’s End in September (originally I was going to call it Starlet’s Totems but “End” is better).
Now, I understand that the Starlet Series is fictional – but how much real life circumstances do you put into the tales?
In reading books, I have always found that stories having a basis in fact always seem more
realistic and believable. The Starlet Series is 100% realistic fiction. One criticism I see repeated about the series is “teens don’t talk like that.” I like that criticism because it shows me that I did my job because the teen actress I based the story on talks exactly like Liana Marie. I think it’s completely absurd that she and other Hollywood people speak in scripts. I think it’s unhealthy that the people who write our TV shows and films do not speak or act like “real” people but they influence all of us. Think of how many times you’ve quoted books or film. Think of the “sass-talk” you’ve learned from movies. Think about how movies have shaped your expectations about love, sex, or beauty. My screenwriter-friend wrote films from which I quoted but her personal life was an absolute train-wreck. I don’t want her ideas of love and commitment to influence my life. I don’t respect her choices. So why did I love her words? My teen nephew who lives in Montana quotes lines from his favorite movies all the time. Yes, Hollywood teens do talk in scripts while they cuss constantly. Let’s use our own words and live authentic, honest lives not clouded with false drama.
Speaking of reading books… Do you actually have time to read? If so, what are you reading currently? (And your book edits don’t count). *chuckle*
I did an indie-author review exchange that practically destroyed my enthusiasm for reading even though most books were amazing gems. I am burned out on romance and am now exploring adventure. I’m currently reading the absolutely amazing-I-love-it-so-much Bone graphic novel series by Jeff Smith.
What is your all-time favorite book? Why?
I love so many books. Now that I have become a writer I tend to enjoy most of the books I read because I know how hard it is to get the work to the publishing point. Michael Lewis is my favorite writer but Pride and Prejudice is my favorite book. I love the social constraints and judgments the characters face in the challenge to become authentic.
For my final question – is there an interesting, or funny anecdote regarding a writing experience of yours that you’d like to share? And thank you again for being here, Carla.
When I lived in Santa Monica, I often sat behind a very influential celebrity/political family at church. I wondered how the celebrity children dealt with the contradictions. One of the kids is now grown up and is dating a former Disney teen star. Was the relationship real? Was it Hollywood hype? Why does it matter?
Charline, thanks again for letting me tell your readers about me and the Starlet’s Web series!
Author Bio
Carla J. Hanna lived in Santa Monica, CA where her children played with the children of celebrities. She mingled with plenty of nannies and a few good celebrity moms. Her award winning books, The Starlet Series, include Starlet’s Man, Starlet’s Web, Starlet’s Run, & Starlet’s Light. Starlet’s End is scheduled to release September 2015, subject to change from publisher interest.
Giveaway: There is a giveaway on this tour! $25 Amazon/Barnes & Noble Gift Card or Book Depository Spree; One (1) Necklace (Based on Cover Image). Ends 5/1.
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Thank you for hosting the interview about the teen Starlet Series. -Carla J. Hanna
Happy to have been able to feature you, Carla. 🙂