Celebrity Skin: Get Behind Minds of Paris, Nicole, Lindsay, Keira, and Beyonce

Los Angeles - Thanks to the media, people feel like they know the latest batch of young, glamorous stars, but do they?

Liane Bonin, a seasoned entertainment journalist (Entertainment Weekly, Teen People, The Los Angeles Times) gives us the scoop on what it's really like to be a drop-dead gorgeous overnight sensation just like the stars (think Nicole Ritchie, Paris Hilton, Keira Knightly) crowding the headlines of Gawker, Defamer, US Weekly, The Sun, New York Post and other tabloids. In her new novel "Celebrity Skin," Bonin examines the real life traumas that seemingly plague today's young stars: the nonstop parties and high risk, drug-and-sex soaked lifestyles; the tricky politics of Hollywood players (machinations that would make John Stewart or the characters of "Entourage" squirm); what really goes on in those rumored behind-the-scenes catfights; and the unexpected isolation and paranoia that comes with superstardom. It's perhaps something that Sacha 'Borat' Baron Cohen might've written if he were commenting on the antics of the modern day superstar.

Erin Kim is the best friend of teenage actress Taylor Christens and she's the fly on the wall who witnesses what happens when her friend is thrust into the spotlight. After years of struggling as a buck-toothed child actor, Taylor finally lands her big break on a hit TV show. On the surface, she looks like a monster success. But behind the scenes, she's battling a controlling stage mother, an aging and resentful co-star, and a crush on her handsome on-screen brother who can't reveal the terrible secret that keeps them apart.

"Celebrity Skin" is fiction with the kiss of reality culled from Bonin's experience interviewing A-list stars. She's listened to their fears about the paparazzi, their struggles with addiction, their attempts to make love last. Liane Bonin has insight into the unique problems facing these stars on a daily basis.

Liane Bonin's debut young adult novel is available in the US in February 2007 through NAL/JAM, a division of Penguin. More information on the author can be found at http://taylorchristensen.blogspot.com and http://us.penguingroup.com

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