Mariel Hemingway knows the secret of keeping it together: organization.
''You don't have to be anal,'' says the actress and author of Healthy Living From the Inside Out (HarperCollins, $17.95), now out in paperback. ``Just get rid of things you don't need, things that don't nurture you. If your desk is completely out of control, that represents how your life is going.''
Her desk must be clutter-free. Life is going swimmingly for the 46-year-old, probably best known for her role as doomed Playboy centerfold Dorothy Stratten in Star 80. Though the tall, willowy blond still considers herself an actress first, she finds a healthy lifestyle keeps her head on straight.
''I come from a whacked-out family,'' admits the married mother of two daughters who was named after the famous Cuban port. ``I have to make a point to constantly look at things in a heightened way.''
She is, of course, referring to her paternal grandfather, Ernest Hemingway, who committed suicide in 1961, and troubled sister Margaux, who did the same on the 35th anniversary of his death.
Mariel's latest kick: promoting Healthy Curb, a natural appetite suppressant. She took time out of her busy infomercial schedule to chat:
What's your favorite Ernest Hemingway book?
``That's hard; I love them all. But I think The Old Man and the Sea is probably the most perfect prose ever written.''
You've worked with Woody Allen twice. Are you friends?
`I don't speak to him much anymore, but I always look at what he's doing. He had seen me in my first movie, Lipstick [with Margaux], and contacted me for Manhattan. I was just a kid from Idaho, I had no idea how cool it was. I just knew I was having a great time. He said he wrote the part just for me, but you never know. With Deconstructing Harry, it wasn't the most exciting role on the planet. I think I was playing the mother of the girl I played in Manhattan [laughs].''
Current plans?
``I'm coming out with a low-carb cookie called Blisscuits [www.marielskitchen.com], plus two movies: Golden Boys with David Carradine, and The Lighthouse, with Chris O'Donnell, which is funny because he played my grandfather in For Whom the Bell Tolls.''
You filmed Mean Season in Miami, some scenes at The Miami Herald. Like it here?
'I love Miami. It's one of the really great cities. Key West is not my favorite. I find it very touristy and commercial. I actually went on a tour of my grandfather's house. It cracked me up. I kept it very low key and they didn't realize it was me. At the end, they said, `Did you enjoy your tour?' and I said, 'I think my grandfather would have liked it.' They kind of blushed.''
