Q. When did the ideas for the series come from?
A. When I lived in Santa Monica, I wondered what life would be like for my kids if they attended Santa Monica High School as teens. The series is an exploration of how teens would deal with the inherent contradictions from family values and Hollywood messages.

Q. What is the hardest part of writing a book series?
A. I had trouble making the scenes real enough for teen readers. Hollywood people talk in scripts and cuss constantly. Being sexy and young is in the forefront of an actor’s or performer’s mind no matter what age. I wanted to bring that reality to the page within the genre constraints. The dialogue can sound odd because it does in real life. Any teen who wants to be a star should understand the mentality that defines Hollywood culture.

Q. Is there a message in your books you hope readers learn?
 A. Readers should take more responsibility for the messages in stories. We should demand diverse characters in skin color, body size, and religion.

Q. Are you working on any new writing projects? Can you tell us a bit?
A. I’m finishing up the final book of the series, Starlet’s End. It has been a long process. I originally set it in the state of Montana but the setting failed. I’ve re-worked the setting to the San Francisco Bay area where I lived before moving to Santa Monica, Ca.

Q. Is there anything you would have changed about the series?
A. I wish I released Starlet’s Man first instead of releasing Liana Marie’s memoirs. Prior to publishing, I worked with an esteemed editor who told me that my half-Latino Catholic Manny would alienate readers. She urged me to make him white protestant. Part of his character is being a stubborn Latino, something I captured perfectly in the series and something that is both a character strength and flaw. I was afraid to show him for whom I thought he’d truly represent in Santa Monica: the underpaid crew who support the entertainment industry, go to church, but hate the industry influence.