Sometimes it's hard to have pity for paparazzi-plagued celebrities. After all, they signed up for the gig, and they're copiously compensated for any given troubles. But celebrities' children are another story. It can't be easy to read about your parents' sex tapes, jailtime, or cheating scandals in the daily rags.
So to combat public misconceptions about celebrity kids and create new summer reading material for teens, the 14-year-old duo of Reginae Carter (Lil Wayne's daughter) and Bria Williams (Miami resident/rap star Birdman's daughter) wrote a book dubbed Paparazzi Princesses.
We spoke to the girls ahead of their Coral Gables book signing this Saturday on being in the spotlight, their own lifelong dreams, and handling the haters.
Cultist: What gave you two the idea to write a book?
Williams: We wanted more chances to start reading, we haven't been reading ourselves and we wanted to make a summer book for kids to read that's fun.
How do you think regular teens will relate?
Wiliams: I think they will because it's real life stories we're talking about in the book, they've just been embellished.
What have you learned from being in the spotlight?
Carter: I've leaned that you never give up and always follow your dreams. Don't let anybody bring you down or change your mind.
In your own words, how would you describe the book?
Carter: The book is about two teenage girls who have celebrity fathers and they're trying to grow up with a normal life but it gets tough because they have friends that aren't real, they have chores they have to do and they're not set up to because they're very spoiled. We have our ups and downs in the book.
I know you girls partnered with another writer. Did you do a lot of the writing yourselves -- how did that process work?
Williams: Yes, we did the writing ourselves. We told the stories and we embellished them. She just wrote down the stories -- we told them to her and added on to them.
Who are your role models?
Carter: I would have to say my role model is my mother. She's also a New York Times bestselling author with her book Priceless Inspirations. I went on some of her tour dates and it really influenced me to write a book and follow in her footsteps.
Williams: I would say my dad because he's a great business man. He does a lot of stuff with Cash Money and I see him doing business calls and stuff and he does them really well.
What do you want to do later in life?
Carter: I want to do ultrasounds for babies and stuff, be a radiologist.
Williams: I want to start a program and become a veterinarian when I get older.
Will you be writing more books together?
Carter: We plan to write a series of books. They pick up where they left off at the end of the book, and we just tell different stories.
What are your favorite books?
Carter: My favorite is my mother's book, Priceless Inspirations. I also really like Gail Harper's book, Letters to a Young Woman.
Williams: The series of books Pretty Little Liars and I like the TV show.
How have your dads supported you?
Carter: I'm totally supported 100% with everything I do. School or writing this book or my music or clothing line. They're very supportive and they just support us 100%.
Williams: My parents tell us to go for whatever we want to go for and they say don't give up and they're very supportive.
What do you think is the hardest part of being in the spotlight?
Carter: The hardest part would have to be the rumors. Just when we were young we didn't really know why they would say such mean things about us. Now we're older and we can really ignore it. Now we really don't care but that's the hardest.
Williams: I think the hardest part about it is seeing who your real friends are because some friends aren't honest and they're about getting tickets to concerts. Also the rumors and gossip, too.
Is it helpful to be able to tell those stories through this book?
Carter: Yes it is, because a lot of people have different perspectives about celebrity kids and we want to tell them that it's not all roses and daisies. It has its ups and downs.
You can meet the girls on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Books & Books in Coral Gables. You can also follow them on social media. Find Reginae Carter on Tumblr, Twitter, and Facebook. Find Bria Williams on Twitter and on her website.
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