Tyra Banks announced in May 2010 that she would be writing a novel, called Modelland, loosely based on her own modelling experience. Scheduled to be released in September 2011, it is the first of a planned three-part series. Banks stated that Modelland is the story of four girls who are accepted into an "exclusive" modelling school in the world of Modelland.
"I said I was going to do it, and here it is!" Banks, 36, writes in a note to fans posted Tuesday on Tyra.com. "It's for all the girls and guys who want a lot more FANTASY in their lives … and some fierceness and magic, romance and mystery, crazy and wild adventures, and yeah, some danger too.
"It's my novel called Modelland (pronounced "Model Land") that takes you to a fantastical place you've never seen, or heard about, or read about before ... Where dreams come true and life can change in the blink of a smoky eye."
"Modelland has always been a part of my mind and my heart," she says. "I'm excited that you'll be able to read about this magical world that's been living in my dreams for so many years."
Tyra Banks was fifteen years old when she started modeling, the same age as Modelland’s Tookie De La Crème.
Tyra invested five years in conceiving and writing Modelland, her first book of fiction. Her lifelong love of reading and storytelling is deeply embedded in every page. She was born in Los Angeles, lives in New York City, and has a vacation home in Modelland, where she is feverishly working on the next Modelland novel.
The novel is part of a three-book deal with Random House. No details of the plot or publishing date were available, but Banks says the novel has floated around in her imagination for a long time.
Tyra Banks appeared on "Good Morning America" to promote her new book, "Modelland." As a tie-in to the novel, Banks was sporting a curious look: a gold sparkly wing attached above her left eye.
"What's up with my eye? OK, so at Modelland, this fantasy world that I've created for my novel, if you find one of these, which I call a 'smize,' it increases your chances of getting into the most exclusive school in the entire world, the school that creates the most amazing supermodels called Intoxibellas. It increases your chances by 91 percent. [...] The models have magic in this school most definitely, so it's a totally fantasy adventure novel."
But she can't stop now, because she's got some big plans. Tyra told Roberts that she's not satisfied with just two TV shows or the "Modelland" series, but wants to create an entire cultural world à la Disneyland.
To accomplish her goal of total cultural domination, Tyra has enrolled in Harvard Business School, shacking up in the dorms and studying alongside her stunned classmates.
In addition, of course, to gunning for her Pulitzer for "Modelland".
