How far would you go to be famous? Some are willing to sleep their way to the top (think Video Vixen), others sell-out (think MC Hammer), and others choose notoriety (think Bill O'Reilly).

Likewise, society is fascinated with celebrities. We want to know what Beyonce eats for breakfast and who New York (is she really a celebrity) would date. Which if you think about it, is quite crazy. Why do we really care?

Lolita Files (the first guest on More than Words' interview podcast) tries to bring America's obsession with fame into sharp focus in her book SEX.LIES.MURDER.FAME., which was released in paperback this month (that means it's cheaper!). I've never read a book by Files (shame!) although she's written five others including TASTES LIKE CHICKEN and CHILD OF GOD, which Kanye West has optioned for film. But I was all up in SEX.LIES.MURDER.FAME. (which has also recently been optioned for film), finishing it in two days, because the book, like the type of man I prefer, has levels.

On the surface SEX.LIES.MURDER.FAME. is about the outlandish lengths Penn Hamilton, a gorgeous, super-smart writer goes to get a homey, needy female editor to publish his masterpiece and catapult him into fame (hint: good sex goes a long way). So there's lots of gettin' physical and tons of drama. You know everything folks like to read. But within this framework, Files smoothly attacks our obsession with fame/drama, exposes the "underbelly" of the publishing world, and questions why we allow celebrities to get away with murder. Click here to listen to an excerpt from the book read by actor Mel Jackson (you remember the guy with the nice lips from Soul Food).

After I finish a good book, I usually want to know what was going on in the author's head. Here's what Files was thinking when writing SEX.LIES.MURDER.FAME.



What inspired you to write SEX.LIES.MURDER.FAME.?

It was really an intersection of two major things: For one, I kept seeing so many people in the media being rewarded (or not penalized) for bad behavior---from Paris Hilton, who has managed to make being bad an actual career that pays extremely well, to Bill O'Reilly with the falafels, to celebrity after celebrity who managed to turn what is typically viewed as heinous behavior into something to be emulated. It made me ponder a very big what-if: what if celebrity superseded all and there was no limit to what could make us famous and admired, even murder?

Secondly, it seemed every time I dated a guy, he would inevitably turn out to be a writer. Naturally, there's nothing wrong with that. I'm a writer. You are what you attract, I suppose. But every guy I dated turned out to be a writer looking to get put on or rise higher in the game and would ultimately whip out his great big...manuscript.

In the book, Penn Hamilton, the main character, is willing to do just about anything to become famous. Given what happens in real life today, do you feel that SEX.LIES.MURDER.FAME. is sort of art imitating life?

Oh, absolutely. The Lindsay Lohans, Nicole Richies, Paris Hiltons, and assorted reality TV stars seem to have no limits to what they will and will not do in front of the American public, and we sit back riveted, watching it all, unable to turn away. We buy the tabloids that put them on the covers, which makes the tabloids go out of their way to put them on the covers, which makes the paparazzi take all sorts of risks to get the most exclusive shots, even if it means provoking celebs, causing car accidents, or potentially harming their families. We obsessively visit the blogs of bloggers who track the celebrities' every moves (and want to be famous themselves!), taking hits of a drug that does none of us any good in the long run. It's a wretched, dangerous cycle, but no one seems to know how to stop it---or wants to. Everyone makes money in this game---the media, the celebs and the wannabes in their universe, the photographers, the advertisers---but the ones who lose are the kids who buy into the hype and choose these people as their role models and begin to mimic their behavior.

There is such a diverse cast of characters in the book. Was it difficult writing from the perspectives of both men and women, as well as different races?

Not at all. The interesting thing about being a black American is that we have to learn how to assimilate into all aspects of American culture. Whites don't exactly have to learn how to do that. They never have to go to the 'hood if they don't want to, never have to interact with a black person on a daily basis if it doesn't suit their fancy. We, however, sometimes end up being the literal spook who sat by the door and, as a result, often learn a lot about the nuances of race, culture, and gender in the process. I happen to be someone who studies people and how they interrelate, and observes pretty much everything around me. I guess years of doing that has made it easier for me to reflect it in my work.

There has always been a fascination with celebrities, but in today's world it appears to be in overdrive. Why do you think there is such an obsession with celebrity and fame today?

I think it's a couple of things. People love seeing how "the other half" lives, and in an age of excess that has been fueled by shows like MTV Cribs, MTV Diary, E! True Hollywood Story, and reality shows like Run's House, The Osbournes, and Nick & Jessica. We get to see pretty much everything, from the beds these people sleep on, the bathtubs they soak in, the cars they drive, what they eat, what they take when they get gas, what they wear when they go to bed, what their dog's poop looks like. It's information overload. It's taken need-to-know to a whole 'nother level and created habits in us that are really hard to shake. Once we get a glimpse of some, we want more, and the ceiling keeps being raised higher and higher on how much we want to know and see.

Also, I think many people find comfort in knowing that famous and/or wealthy people can also make really, really bad decisions and mess up on a regular basis. It's the great equalizer. Knowing Donald Trump sucks at marriage (how many is he on now?) can make Joe Guy not beat himself up so much when his marriage is about to dissolve.

How much of a role do you think the Internet plays in making or breaking a celebrity? Do you see this as a phase or something that is here to stay?

I think the Internet plays the most powerful and important role of all in the celebrity game. It is the one medium that supersedes all others in its ability to be instantaneous. Before media outlets can approve or vet whether something should be announced on the air, bloggers can post it without any consideration and the spinning begins. Perez Hilton, a blogger who has become almost as famous as the people he blogs about, is proof of that. He makes outrageous statements about celebs, draws drops of cocaine dripping from their noses and suggests they have STDs by drawing drops of white stuff dripping from other places, and all of this affects the livelihood of these people in the long run.

The average blog reader doesn't care about what's been vetted or not by a team of in-house attorneys. They just want to read about who's being poked fun at on any particular day. As a result, Perez's relentless taunting has forced celebs out of the closet before they were ready (if they ever were in the first place), and he's come pretty close to ruining careers. Throw in the advent of cellphones and their ubiquitous nature and how pretty much anyone can snap a pic of a celeb standing in front of them in Starbucks or trolling for late night condoms at CVS, e-mail the pic over to a blogger, and within seconds, it's up---well, it ends up being a game where everyone can participate. The Internet has officially become the Wild, Wild West for anyone considered high profile. There's no such thing as time off anymore. Don't pick your nose or scratch your booty. Ten seconds later, it'll be on PerezHilton.com. You never know who's watching anymore.

Check out Lolita Files' blog, "The Lo Zone," at www.lolitafiles.com.