I was given the amazing opportunity to interview Lauren Conrad at her book signing in Naperville, Illinois on Saturday, June 20. The interview touches on Lauren’s new collection, LC Lauren Conrad, her original Lauren Conrad Collection, her current job, what she hopes the future brings, future TV and movie plans for “L.A. Candy” and what her biggest lesson learned was after being on reality television. Thanks so much to Lauren Conrad, Kathy Conrad and Melissa Bruno for allowing me to conduct this interview! Hope you enjoy it!

Lauren Conrad is officially a novelist. The former “Hills” star just released her debut novel, “L.A. Candy,” to the masses, but if the plot sounds much like her own life, Conrad assures her fans out there that this is a work of pure fiction.

“I didn’t take anything specifically that happened to me. The only thing that I did was … it was a way to show not necessarily me but just the other side of being on a show like ours,” Conrad told MTV News. “For everyone that’s done it I think you see one side and you don’t see the other. It’s kind of an interesting story to tell.”

The plot revolves around a girl named Jane Roberts who moves to Hollywood and eventually gets her own reality show, which bears the same name as the book. She ends up working at an events company and it features all of the ups and downs of Jane’s personal and professional lives.

So, if you’re still not convinced that it’s all made up — or you’re one of the readers trying to decipher which characters are based on her friends from “The Hills” — think again. Conrad insists these are characters she concocted on her own.

“I think people already think some of the characters are based on certain characters, but the thing is, I think everyone has certain people in their life,” she said. “Everyone has someone they really don’t get along with. Everyone has a best friend. They have their parents. They have all these different people in their life and so does this character [Jane] and they all represent different people who change you.”

Source: mtv.com

You know her as “Lauren Conrad, reality TV superstar,” but how well do you really know her? Well, Conrad is turning the page from reality TV to reality fiction.

Conrad, who was the star of the reality show, “The Hills,” for the past five years, sat down with Early Show co-anchor Maggie Rodriguez Thursday to discuss her entry into the world of literature with her book, “L.A. Candy.”

“It’s a novel, but it’s about two best friends who get picked to be on a reality show,” Conrad said.

Although the book may be perceived as an autobiography, Conrad insists it’s not.

“It’s (fiction), and it’s made up stories. It’s just inspired by (real-life). You write what you know,” she explained.

And Conrad really knows reality TV.

She was just 18 when the cameras first showed up at her high school. Looking back now, Conrad sees the pros and cons of being a reality TV show star.

“I think, especially at that age when you’re still growing up, it’s a lot of pressure,” she admits. “There’s a lot of criticism and things you have to deal with. There’s a lot of really great things you get to do, too. It’s good and bad.”

Conrad went on to discuss her book, the impact of reality TV, her former nemesis-turned friend and “I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here” star, Hedi Spencer, and the state of reality TV today.

Source: cbsnews.com