Byron Lane is a multi-talented writer and actor. He has written and starred in theatre plays, series, and films, plus he has even won an Emmy Award when he was a TV news journalist. So, as you can see, he is the real deal and now, he is adding a published book to his list of achievements!
A Star is Bored is about Charlie, who becomes the personal assistant of big-time film star Kathi Kannon and subsequently about all of their ups and downs while Hollywood and life just happen. It is witty, it is humorous, and it is heartfelt. You can read our review for A Star is Bored here.
In anticipation of the release of A Star is Bored (mark your calendars, it’s out on July 28th), we got to sit down with Byron and ask him all of our questions!
Hi Byron! Tell us a little about yourself?
Hi there! I’m a storyteller and have been for as long as I can remember. It started with putting on plays when I was a kid growing up in New Orleans, to becoming a television news reporter for many years in Las Vegas, and then moving to Hollywood and writing a movie, a webseries, a play, and now, my debut novel, A Star Is Bored.
If you had to use three words to describe A Star Is Bored, what would they be?
My. God. Just kidding! I’d say: Humor, heart, friendship.
A Star Is Bored feels like an homage to platonic love. How important do you think it is that love – different kinds of love – are more widely portrayed in literature?
SO IMPORTANT! We experience all kinds of love in our lives and I wish we had more examples of that in art. There’s so much focus on romantic love, we miss all the great, gritty, glorious textures of love from family and friends (and on and on… pets, patients, co-workers, neighbors). I’ve learned much from my romantic relationships, sure, but I’ve also learned so much from all the other relationships in my life.
Kathi and Charlie’s affection for each other seems to be quite unique, what do you think is the key to their relationship? Is it unconditional love, lots and lots of work, or a bit of both? How does that translate into relationships in general?
I’d say the universal key to their relationship, and all relationships, is respect. Charlie respected Kathi and vice versa. And respect opens the door to honest communication which opens the door to unconditional love. I don’t dispute the old adage that relationships take work. But when both parties respect each other and feel safe discussing inevitable conflict, it doesn’t feel so daunting and can yield some beautiful connections.
In the book, Charlie goes through and learns a lot from his job. What was the most important thing that you took away from your own time as a personal assistant?
I learned not to take things too seriously. Carrie showed me that things don’t always need to be so heavy, that there’s fun to be had in everyday adventures, that humor feels better than tension, that things usually work out whether you’re serious or playful, so might as well have a bit of a good time when possible. Carrie was light and life. She brightened every room and lightened every load and it was delightfully contagious.
There are several heavy topics in this book which are dealt with in a way that feels real, comforting, and sad at the same time, such as Kathi’s addiction, her poor mental health and Charlie’s own problems with his father and his attempts at happiness – privately and professionally. How was writing about these topics for you and how did you go about them when planning to not end up with an overly sad novel?
I just tried to be honest. When I’m honest in my life, about my life, it tends to make others honest about theirs and suddenly we all relate to each other and our lives in a more meaningful way. I don’t know whether it’s been years of therapy or what, but I find I’m generally an optimistic person. Even in sad or heavy situations I can usually find something sweet or helpful or humorous. Charlie and Kathi faced their issues with respect and honesty and those are ingredients that can make anything a little easier to handle.
The thing that resonated with me most was the always present spark of positivity and love. Even in scenes where heavier topics were discussed, Charlie’s voice always tried to be positive and he came across as a very loving character. How much of yourself did you put into his character? Besides his job, etc.?
I’m a pretty positive person. I wasn’t always that way—I’ve done therapy for years and have a huge pile of self-help books by my bed. But it is important in my life that I live with a sense of hope and optimism and I definitely wanted readers to have a taste of that too. I used to stress and worry about things that almost always worked out just fine or better than I imagined. So, I try to skip the catastrophic thinking part and just go to the part where life is full of humor and hope.
If you could give Charlie a happy-forever-after, what would that look like?
I want Charlie and Kathi to continue to grow their friendship and grow old together. I want Charlie and Reid to rent Kathi’s guest house or live next door so they could occasionally share coffee (or Coke Zeros) on quiet mornings, or sit and watch deer in the backyard on hot summer afternoons. I want Charlie and Kathi to be each other’s friend they call in 30 years and say, “remember that time…?!”
What’s next for you?
I’m writing, writing, writing. Working on a pilot that’s a little bit like Waiting for Guffman, inspired by my real-life experience of writing and producing and staring in my play Tilda Swinton Answers An Ad On Craigslist, and the wild adventures of my friends and I trying desperately to take it from basement theatres to Broadway. Also working on a second novel! Stay tuned!
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for us?
Yes! My boyfriend Steven Rowley has a brilliant book now out in paperback called The Editor, about Jackie Onassis becoming the surprise editor of a young writer’s first novel. I also recently loved Heart of Junk by Luke Geddes and The Book of V by Anna Solomon.
