Book Title: FAR FROM THE A-LIST
Character Name: Michaela Turner
How would you describe your family or your childhood?
This is what everyone wants to know, isn’t it? Obviously, you saw my childhood play out on TV as little Daisy from Breyer’s Town. No, I won’t say her catchphrase for you and no, I didn’t actually have a gumball machine in my bedroom. If you’re curious about my real life and my childhood off screen, well, pick up my mother’s tell-all. Everyone else has.
What was your greatest talent?
My mother would say it’s acting. She’d say I was born to be a star. I guess the Emmy voters agreed.
Significant other?
How much time do you have? I’m sure you want to hear about my current relationship with Burke Sanders. You don’t get to date the hottest guy in baseball without everyone feeling like it’s their business, especially when you’re Page Six’s favorite fodder. The tabloids have enough on me, though, so I think I’ll leave it at that.
Biggest challenge in relationships?
Look, everyone thinks I’m supposed to be one of two things: what little Daisy should have been when she grew up, or that hot party girl from the tabloids. No matter what they get, they’re always disappointed.
Where do you live?
New York, of course. Always have, always will.
Do you have any enemies?
A better question is do I have any friends? And the answer would be yes, one. But Josh wouldn’t want me talking about him to some random person so let’s move on.
How do you feel about the place where you are now? Is there something you are particularly attached to, or particularly repelled by, in this place?
My apartment? It’s fine. Enough interior designers put their stamp on it. Just don’t ask me about that baby grand piano in the center of the living room, okay?
Do you have children, pets, both, or neither?
I think someone gave me a plant once. I wonder what ever happened to that…
What do you do for a living?
I’m an actor, I guess. Sure, the last thing I was in was a made-for-TV movie when I was sixteen, but I guess that’s what I do.
Greatest disappointment?
Well, we don’t get to choose our parents, do we?
Greatest source of joy?
A good grilled cheese sandwich.
What do you do to entertain yourself or have fun?
Haven’t you heard? I’m New York’s hottest party girl, according to queenofthesocialscene.com. I don’t know how much fun dancing until dawn actually is anymore but, you know. It’s something.
When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I never thought about it. I already had a career. I guess the only thing I wanted to be was normal.
What keeps you awake at night?
Oh, you know, your basic existential crises. Who am I? What’s my purpose? What if I peaked at seven? That kind of thing.
What is the most pressing problem you have at the moment?
Hard to say. When you’re estranged from your mother and your engaged ex floats back into your life and the tabloids make a sport of everything you do, they all feel pretty pressing.
Is there something that you need or want that you don’t have? For yourself or for someone important to you?
A little privacy would be nice. Being seen as a person and not a headline or a fictional kid from TV.
Why don’t you have it? What is in the way?
I ask again. How much time do you have?
Narrator: Bailey Carr
A Novel
In this fresh, propulsive take on fame in the tabloid era of the ’00s, a former child star struggles to figure out who she is beyond the characters she's played—on television and in relationships.
Former child star Michaela Turner is ready for her next big role—she just doesn’t know what it is yet. As someone whose days were once filled with bright lights, never-ending rehearsals, and adoring fans from around the world, Michaela now struggles to define herself beyond the glitz and glamour of her past.
She tries hard to stay out of the tabloids, but fading into the background isn’t quite as easy as it sounds. Not when her manipulative momager, Caroline, is dead set on launching her daughter’s big comeback, no matter how many old wounds it tears open. And especially not when Michaela’s attempts at “normal” relationships fail spectacularly at every turn, from the toxic ex she can’t seem to escape to the nice guy she wishes she could see a future with.
As her mother’s demands grow more draining and her love life takes hit after hit, she learns a few hard truths about the significance of self-worth and the beauty of letting go. Now, with her ex-boyfriend-turned-best-friend Josh as her only support, Michaela is ready to rebuild herself, one misstep at a time. And maybe, if she’s lucky, after all these years of pretending, she’ll finally have the chance to discover who she really is.
Women's Fiction Friendship [ MIRA, On Sale: December 9, 2025, Hardcover / e-Book / audiobook, ISBN: 9780778387510 / eISBN: 9780369762702 ]
Stephanie Burns is an author, beagle mom, and marketing professional with an MFA in Creative Writing from Emerson College. She’s drawn to stories about people making mistakes and finding their way, even when the world has other ideas. As the proud COO and Director of Social Media for the award-winning Tall Poppy Writers, she is dedicated to lifting fellow writers and getting unforgettable books into the hands of smart readers. She lives on the South Shore of Massachusetts where she plots by the ocean with her almost-famous beagle, Ollie Twist. Her debut novel, Far From the A-List, releases December 9, 2025 from MIRA/HarperCollins.
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