James Franco debut novel, “Actors Anonymous,” is loosely modeled on the traditional 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, and gives the stories of characters struggling with the addictions of celebrity, fame and access.

The actors in the novel range from an ex-child star to a McDonald's drive thru-operator, all who face their own challenges navigating the waters of Hollywood. The stories are told in different styles from lyric essays to testimonials. The book gives insight into the nature of acting as well as the business.

Franco is an accomplished actor having started in the popular NBC series "Freaks and Geeks", and films like "127 Hours", "Spiderman 2", and "Rise of the Planet of the Apes". His portrayal as James Dean in the TNT biopic earned him a 2002 Golden Globe Award for Best Actor.

Franco is also a director, and acute student having earned an undergraduate degree from UCLA in 2008, and attends Yale in pursuit of a Ph.D in their English program. His insight in the film industry gives this novel both realism and truth.

Guest:

James Franco, actor, director,visual artist, and author of "Actors Anonymous," and "Palo Alto" 

James Franco will be in Los Angeles to talk about his new novel at the Aero Theatre for Live Talk Los Angeles.  The event will be held this Sunday, October 20