CAROL’S NEW NOVEL, “MODEL, INC.”, BOWS AUGUST 11, 2009

“Model, Inc”, the much-anticipated sequel to Carol Alt’s first work of fiction, “This Year’s Model”, will be launched on August 11th. It will be available at Barnes and Nobel bookstores and on Amazon.com.

“The cover, of course, features the young model who won the contest we ran last year and she’s just adorable! Rianna (Hardesty) couldn’t have been a better pick for my book and I’m really thrilled for her!”, Carol says. When Carol teased Rianna recently about being “so old” (at 21!), Rianna said, “But…but…I’m not so old!” Carol, of course, was kidding her, but she found it rather charming that even at the tender age of 21, someone can still be a bit sensitive about age.

“Model, Inc.” follows the further adventures – both personal and career-wise – of MAC, the heroine of the first novel. “It’s not just difficult to get to the top”, Carol tells us, “it’s difficult to stay on the top, as Mac (formerly Melody Ann Croft) learns. Models have a lot of choices and decisions to make throughout their careers, often on a daily basis. When you make those choices based on what your heart tells you, things tend to work out well. Choices based upon finance or ego, or that come from simple greed, generally do not turn out as well.

However, there is one BIG word that has helped Carol to become a star and to stay there! Carol explains:
“Even early in my career, LOYALTY meant the world to me and I would sometimes agree to work for less money for my old, established clients. My agencies weren’t always pleased by those decisions, since it obviously meant less money for them, too. But my attitude was – and still is – that these were the clients who helped establish my career. They had been loyal to me; why wouldn’t I return the favor?! In other words, they were the ones who made me famous, but now that I was famous, I wasn’t going to work with them, just because they couldn’t pay me what newer clients paid? No way! I’ve never treated people that way.

“There’s also a practical side to loyalty: If someone I’d been loyal to moved to a new company, trust me, they absolutely remembered me! Many times they would take me along with them to the new place – most times at double the money!”

“What you rarely hear mentioned in our business is the concept of loyalty, of being correct with people and paying it forward. But I’ve always lived my life according to those principles and have rarely regretted it.”

It’s been pointed out that what Carol has done for Rianna Hardesty is a prime example of “paying it forward”. “Absolutely!”, Carol says. “I wanted to give someone else a chance, which, I’m sorry to say, is not something I was usually given by other women. I never wanted to be one of those types; I want to help other women and give them a fair shot at succeeding in whatever it is they choose to do. I realize that I’m always being judged, based on my appearance or job title, which I can’t help and I guess that’s just human nature, but it’s not MY ‘human nature’. Jealousy and anger, based upon what other women look like, or are doing, or their success, just is not what I want to have in my life and it never has been. But I certainly know how it feels to be on the receiving end of that kind of petty behavior. Maybe it helps me to write more interesting, realistic experiences for Mac…!”

Here’s an adage that Carol has lived by ever since she first heard it when she was about 20: At 20, you have the face you were born with; at 30, the face you have worked for; and at 50, the face you deserve. “In other words, if you waste your time on negative thoughts and anger and jealousy, it’s going to eventually start showing on your face. You can tell what kind of life someone has lived just by looking at their face! Who needs that? So, I’ve spent a lifetime trying to avoid all of that.”

As for “Model, Inc.” cover girl, Rianna Hardesty, Carol and her publishers flew her in to New York, where Lord & Taylor’s provided a beautiful outfit for her, and then they even spent some time over at the Ford Modeling Agency, where she met Carol’s agents. Rianna is a full-time student, but who knows where all of this might eventually lead her?

If you’ve been waiting to find out where fame and fortune (and a positive attitude!) have led Melody Ann Croft, pick up a copy of “Model, Inc.”. And remember: Carol would love to hear your reaction, after you’ve read the book.