Totally Tyra

As hostess of TV’s America’s Next Top Model, supermodel Tyra Banks indulges in fantasy all the time. Now she’s doing it again with Modelland (Delacorte, $17.99), her new young adult novel that’s part of a fantasy trilogy. We chatted up Banks, who appeared at Neiman Marcus in the Bal Harbour Shops to sign copies of her book.

 What inspired you to write “Modelland”?

I have this passion to expand my definition of beauty and to do it in very creative ways so that girls don’t feel like they are getting a lesson, but after they look at something or read something they feel better about themselves. I’ve been in the fashion industry since I was 15 years old and have seen and experienced a lot, and writing was always my love so it was nice to go back to it.

Does your main character Tookie De La Creme resemble you in some ways?

She does in some ways. Tookie was 15 years old when she started modeling. I was 15. Tookie is awkward, insecure, very gawky and odd looking. I was the same when I was very young. She hates chocolate. I detest chocolate. She loves whip creme, and I’m obsessed with whip creme. But she’s not 100 percent me. It’s not an autobiography.

How did you find the time to write?

It was really hard for me. It went over a course of five years. I took hundreds and hundreds of pages of notes. Character, plot, story lines, chapter breaks even when I hadn’t written chapters yet. The writing process was actually a year and a half. First, I was trying to fit it [into my schedule], but then I took months off and wrote every single day at the New York Public Library.

A lot of women are intimidated by beautiful, successful women , yet women gravitate to and look up to you. What’s your secret?

I guess it’s about being real and not putting up a front. I was talking about hair weaves before everybody was confessing that they had one. I talked about cellulite and showed pictures that were not retouched.

Why did you decide to come to Miami on your tour?

Miami has a huge book reading community. It’s interesting because the image of Miami is party, beach and fun. I used to go to Miami all the time for photo shoots. I used to stay at The Raleigh and the Delano. I remember doing Cover Girl ads and thinking, “Oh my gosh, it’s so hot.”

This story was originally published September 20, 2011 at 3:09 AM with the headline "Totally Tyra."