Girl Talk With Joanna Philbin

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By Rocco Staino August 3, 2010

Talk show host Regis Philbin's daughter Joanna talks about her YA debut novel, The Daughters (Little, Brown, 2010), about three BFFs in trendy New York City.

School Library Journal caught up with Philbin, who grew up attending private schools in the Big Apple and now lives in California, to discover how much of her book parallels her own teenage years.

Lizzie is the only daughter of a supermodel. Carina is heir to a media empire. And Hudson's mother is a pop icon. So which one of these characters most closely resembles you?

Like Lizzie, I wanted to be a writer from a young age. And like Lizzie, I didn't feel that I quite fit the role of being the child of someone who was on TV. I was shy and sensitive, and always felt more comfortable alone reading a book or hanging out with my friends than being out with my parents at a glamorous event.

Lizzie has a thing for Todd, a 15 year-old who's into literature and collecting first edition books. Was he your type when you were a teen?

I definitely liked artistic boys when I was in high school-actors, musicians, etc. Sadly, I didn't have a Todd Piedmont in my life while I was growing up. But if I had, I'm sure I would have been in love with him.

Lizzie is shocked that she's becomes "the new face of beauty" and is suddenly in the spotlight. What do you think of the media's obsession with celebrities?

I think it's gotten overwhelming for everyone. It's all we see now whenever we walk past a newsstand. And I think it's even changed what we consider "news," which is what I was trying to satirize.

There's a lot of designer name-dropping in the book. Do you think most teens can relate?

I'm not sure. I would like to think that it's the characters that 15 year-olds are relating to, and not necessarily the brand names.

Your characters use the word "shnit" rather than a more familiar four-letter word. Did your editor suggest that to escape the censors?

That was from me. My sister was the first person I heard say that word, and I've always loved it. I thought it suited the characters better than actual cursing.

Both you and Lady Gaga have attended Convent of the Sacred Heart high school. What was that like?

Sacred Heart is one of the most competitive and prestigious girls schools in New York, but it's also a very nurturing place. It was where I was first encouraged to write, and where I was known among my friends as a writer. But not having boys around was a mixed bag. It took me until my mid-thirties to really understand men. And I'm sure I still don't.

What was it like growing up as the daughter of Regis and Joy Philbin?

In one sense, it was much more normal than anyone would probably assume. I didn't have a crazy allowance, and we didn't have nannies or chefs. My mom cooked dinner most nights, and then my sister or I would do the dishes and clean up. But at the same time, strangers knew about our lives and came up to my dad in restaurants and really felt like they knew my parents and even my sister and I. That might strike people as very abnormal, but it's all I've ever known. So there's really nothing that I would change.

What can we expect from your next installment, The Daughters Break the Rules, and book three?

Out in November, The Daughters Break the Rules will be told from the point of view of Carina, who professes not to care about her dad's billions. When he cuts her off, she realizes that she cares much more than she thought. Book Three, out next May, is Hudson's story. She's as talented as her pop-star mom, but she has her own unique musical style. Can she hang onto it in the face of her mom's overwhelming fame? Find out next May.

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