Meet Paulina Porizkova -- model, celebrity and author!

I'm not sure about you, but when I was a little girl I always dreamed of becoming a model. You know the drill. You parade around in front of the mirror when hopefully no one is looking and then strike a pose. Who knows? Maybe you still do it now, but don't worry! Your secret is safe with me.

This month's jewel probably had the same dream but unlike most of us, hers became a reality. If the name Paulina Porizkova doesn't ring a bell, then perhaps you're familiar with the television show Dancing with the Stars. Unfortunately, Paulina was the first celebrity voted off this season. She may not have scored big points with the judges for her dancing, but she certainly dazzled everyone with her beauty. Personally, I admire her for even trying. It must have been nerve-racking dancing in front of millions of viewers.

A Model Summer is Paulina's first entrée into the world of adult fiction. While researching her background for the column, I was surprised to discover that she had also written a children's book. Who knew she was so multi-faceted? If you've ever wondered what it's really like behind all of those glamorous clothes and exotic locations, then this book is definitely for you. Paulina's insight from having lived the life of a supermodel is brilliantly transposed into a compelling story full of betrayal, back-stabbing and lots of drama. It's quite entertaining as well as revealing.

As part of this interview, five lucky readers will win a copy of her book so don't forget to answer the trivia question at the end. Good luck! Go grab a glass of iced tea and get to know Paulina Porizkova.

Jen: Please tell us a little bit about your childhood. I read in your bio that your parents fled Czechoslovakia and left you behind during the Soviet invasion in 1968. I can't even imagine how frightening that must have been.

Paulina: I was only three years old when my parents left (my brother wasn't born yet) and didn't understand the situation at all. In fact, I thought everyone's parents went to Sweden at some point. The gist of the story is that my mom tried to get me back from the Czechoslovakia government, but she was unsuccessful and our story got much media attention. Eventually, I was reunited with my parents, but it did take a toll on their marriage. Soon after, they divorced.

Jen: How did your modeling career come about and had you always dreamed of becoming a model?

Paulina: My girlfriend wanted to be a photographer and she used me as her experimental model. One day she got brave and sent her photos of me to a talent scout, without telling me. The talent scout called me back. Two months later I was in Paris.

Jen: Of all the photo shoots you have done, which one sticks out most in your mind and why?

Paulina: There is no single one that sticks out. Sorry. You have to remember I did this every day for twenty years. It became just a job.

Jen: You seem such a well-rounded individual--beautiful, charismatic, and very intelligent, which has enabled you to pursue many venues such as modeling, acting, dancing, and writing. Which aspect of your career has been the most rewarding and why?

Paulina: First of all, thanks! Now, as far as rewarding goes: financially, modeling. Emotionally, acting. Creatively, writing. Physically, dancing. (This last bit is a joke. I don't believe that two dances lasting all of three minutes on National TV constitute "a career".)

Jen: I read that you have also written a children's book called The Adventures of Ralphie the Roach. Have you always wanted to be a writer? How did that book come about?

Paulina: Yes, I did always mean to eventually write. Modeling and acting just got in the way. Ralphie was my first attempt at story telling. And no, it wasn't autobiographical either. :-)

Jen: Switching gears, you've gone from being a children's writer to a mainstream novelist. What was the driving force behind you writing A Model Summer?

Paulina: I knew long ago I had a unique perspective into a business people seem fascinated with, but know little about. It struck me that people only get to know the polar extremes of the business: the overnight superstar or the poor little dead girl. There are a million lives and stories between these two, and that's what I wanted to address, the real life, the every day.

Jen: A question I am sure you've heard but one I must ask, how similar are you and your lead character Jirina's lives? After reading the book, which is fabulous by the way, I was surprised at how closely your real life seems to mirror hers. As writers, we tend to write about what we know best. Is this the case?

Paulina: Again, first of all, thank you!

Now for your question. Jirina and I have similarities, but we are not the same person. (THAT would be called a memoir and I would have gotten paid a lot more money!) But you make an interesting assumption: You say my real life closely mirrors Jirina's. Since I'm fairly sure you aren't old enough to have shadowed me my entire life, I take this to mean that's because Jirina is Swedish and goes to Paris to model at fifteen, most will believe the story is really about me. Just like I think that "Misery", which features an American male writer from Maine really is about Stephen King. And "Henry Bech" in which the protagonist is a Jewish male writer living in NYC is really about John Updike. Etc.

Honestly, had I written about, say a French model, or an African model, would people believe I wasn't talking about myself?

I've certainly written about what I know. Do many authors write about things they don't know?

Jen: From conception to completion, about how long did it take for you to write the novel and what was the most challenging part for you and why?

Paulina: I conceived Jirina and my theme probably a good fifteen years ago. Five years ago I sat down to write the first chapter. Three years ago I sat down to write for six to eight hours a day every day. The most challenging part was the language. English is my fourth language, and as such (although I'm fluent and a good speller), it presented me with myriad of technical obstacles. The fact I never went to high school didn't help either.

Jen: When thinking of a modeling career, the ideas of beautiful clothes and living a life of luxury immediately come to mind; however, according to your story, the modeling world seems harsh and at times brutal. Comparing your career to the careers of models today, has it become easier to live the life of a model or more difficult and why?

Paulina: I think it's gotten even harder. Back in my day (imagine this said with an audible sigh), sample sizes were 4 or 6 and starving oneself wasn't quite as popular. And, models had hopes for a bright future: they could become supermodels and makes ton of money and hook up with their favorite rock star or actor. Not so today. Actresses have taken over the glamorous parts and models are relegated to what they once were: clothes hangers.

Jen: What message, if any, are you sending your readers by writing this book?

Paulina: Your understanding of anything completely depends on the angle from which it is viewed.

Jen: Besides Jirina, who is your most favorite character in the book and why?

Paulina: I LOVED writing Evalinda. Had my book been a movie, and had I been twenty years younger, THAT would have been the part I would have loved to play. I have always been attracted to villains, understanding them and even loving them. (But fortunately, not in my real life!)

Jen: Will there be a sequel? And are you at work on your next novel? If so, what can you tell us about it?

Paulina: Definitely no sequels! Everyone can just go ahead and imagine Jirina becoming a supermodel and hooking up with a rock star without my help. (Not that that would be in the cards for her anyway.) My next novel is brewing away in my head for now. I hope to begin putting it on paper in the summer.

Jen: What was your experience like being on Dancing with the Stars? Had you had any dance training in the past? What, if anything, did you take away from the experience?

Paulina: I loved every painful minute, in retrospect. I had never done any sort of dancing before, or for that matter, any sort of exercise. My body is still reeling from it all. But I came away from it with a firmer butt, sore feet, lots of new friends and the dubious honor of being number one. Loser, that is!

Jen: Do you have a website? Mailing list? E-mail notification? Do you participate in author phone chats and if so, how would my readers go about scheduling one?

Paulina: I really should have one, shouldn't I? I'd love to do author chats. Feel free to contact my publicist Allison McGeehon, [email protected].

Jen: Paulina, I just can't thank you enough for being a part of Jen's Jewels. It has been such an honor for me to interview you. Best of luck in your future and please stay in touch.

Paulina: Jen, thank you so much for reading my book and being interested, curious and fun! And, ditto.

I hope you have enjoyed my interview with Paulina. Enter our contest (ends June 20th) to win a copy of Paulina's book by answering the following question. Good luck!

What is the title of the children's book that Paulina wrote?

Next month, I will be bringing to you an interview with Claire Cook, author of Must Love Dogs. She has a new book coming out titled Life's a Beach. You won't want to miss it!

Until next month-- Jen