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Last Week's Spotlight
Web Digest Weekly
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All photos used are courtesy of Allison Burnett.
Allison Burnett
Discovering The Gyrl

Novelist Allison Burnett is a man of many talents. He is a well known
author with a fanbase to prove it. He is also a screenwriter. Films like
the upcoming remake of Fame are glittering entries on his resume.
Allison is the author of the award winning book Christopher as well
as its sequel The House Beautiful. He has a style unique unto himself
that he shares quite easily, with readers responding favorably to each
new title he produces, and the films he writes generally become
popular attractions at the box office, featuring some of today’s most
well known stars.
Now with a new book about to hit the stands, Allison has created
another masterpiece with Undiscovered Gyrl. I was fortunate to be
one of the reviewers chosen to read his new novel in its pre-release
phase and what I found was an enthralling tale about a young woman
living one life in reality and another more exciting existence through her
blog on the internet. I couldn’t pass up the chance to ask Allison for
another interview (he was featured a couple years ago when The
House Beautiful was released.) Allison proved to be as charming
and engaging as he was the first time. I’m pleased to welcome him
back.
CP: It’s good to be with you again, Allison.
AB: Always a pleasure, Carey.
CP: So you’ve got a new book about to hit the stands.
AB: Yes, my first novel that is not narrated by B.K. Troop.
I grew tired of channeling a tall, fat, bald, chemically
imbalanced, erudite, drunken, middle-aged gay man. Now
I am channeling a teenaged girl.
CP: (Laughs) What brought about Undiscovered Gyrl?
AB: I heard Katie Kampenfelt’s voice and began to type.
When I looked up, the book was finished.
CP: What can you share about the story?
AB: Undiscovered Gyrl is about a girl who starts a blog
after graduating from high school. The novel is her actual
blog. Katie is beautiful, adorable, funny, reckless,
promiscuous, self-destructive, and hungry for love and
acceptance. Very quickly Katie’s life begins to unravel.
Don’t let the blog form fool you. This book is far closer to
Miss Lonelyhearts or The Catcher in the Rye than it is
to Gossip Girl, and, for many, the ending is a shock.
CP: What’s the advance response you’ve been getting
from it?
AB: Vintage is conducting a brilliant grass roots campaign
that has proved very effective. Advanced Reader Copies
went out to literary blogs around the country and to the
Vine readers on Amazon. The responses have been
wonderful.  
Also, there are three promotional trailers for the book on
youtube.com that are helping to create a buzz. One was
made by my editor at Vintage. The other two were made
by film directors, Zalman King and Jordan Alan. Zalmans’
video stars me, talking about the book; Jordan’s stars his
wife, the gorgeous and talented Amanda Righetti, from
Friday the 13th and The Mentalist.
You can see all three at allisonburnett.com under Fiction.  
CP: When will the book be available?
AB: August 11th, but it is available for pre-order now
through Amazon.com.
CP: Are you working on another book?
AB: I just finished one. It’s called The Escape of
Malcolm Poe, and I am over the moon about it. A big step
forward for me, I think. Next year, the third and final B.K.
Troop novel comes out, published by Alyson Press. It’s
called Death By Sunshine.
CP: Are you still writing screenplays? Any new films?
AB: I wrote the remake of Fame, which opens September
25th all over the country. It’s different from the original, in
that it is rated PG, not R. The dance and music are
sensational.
CP: What do enjoy the most about writing?
AB: Being alone and communing with the eternal.
CP: Which format is your favorite, novels or films?
AB: Novels, because I write without a committee in my
head.
CP: What’s next for you?
AB: After writing two novels back to back, I will work
exclusively on screenplays for a while. Also, on the side, I
am working on a Broadway musical.
CP: Okay…Now a few nosy questions again:Married -
Single -Divorced -Involved?
AB: I was married for two years when I was 22. Now I
live with my wonderful girlfriend Chloe, and our two
gorgeous baby boys, Keats and Winslow.
CP: What hobbies have you been keeping busy with
lately?
AB: I collect old photographs of authors, miniature lead
farm animals, and Depression-era ephemera.
CP: Seen any good movies lately?
AB: Yes, Johnny Belinda.
CP: What music are you listening to these days?
AB: Sondheim. For the first time. To help with my
musical.
CP: Reading anything good?
AB: I loved the new biography of Joseph Kennedy, by
Cari Beauchamp and The Dud Avocado by Elaine
Dundy.
CP: Personal preference: Long sleeves or barefoot
weather?
AB: Long sleeves, hands down, especially here in LA,
where it is glorious when there is cold or fog or rain.
CP: What advice or wisdom can you pass along here?
AB: Make sure that every page you write is more
interesting than the one that came before it.
CP: And what are you most proud of?
AB: That despite my childhood, which would have left
many people curled up in a fetal tuck pining for death, I
managed to create a wonderful life for myself -- a loving
partner, two beautiful boys, and a fulfilling and
remunerative career.
CP: Allison, thanks for being here again.
AB: Any time, Carey.
Allison Burnett is a remarkable individual. His career speaks for itself
and the magic he makes through his writing is sensational. With
Undiscovered Gyrl he has created yet another story that is impossible
to put down. The book just simmers with excitement, tension, and a
conclusion the reader will never forget. Discovering the gyrl, Allison
captures his audience with ease and proves just why his work is so
popular. He’s also a very nice guy who flattered me immensely by
asking me to pre-read his newest work. I’m quite sure that it will
become a bestseller in its own right. With the talent of a master like
Allison at the helm, how could it miss?

Allison’s Website: www.allisonburnett.com


Carey Parrish