Orland Outland's latest novel deals with very contemporary themes indeed: pop-stardom, reality TV, ambition, and true love.

Adam Bede has it good: an easy job tossing off songs like "Can I Have a Taste of Your Ice Cream" for teen pop sensation Christie Squires; a smart, good-looking guy at home; and plenty of cash for compulsive shopping. So he can't really complain about a little manic depression, especially since emotional instability makes him perfectly qualified to write lyrics for teenage girls. And while he may never be a Serious Person like his partner Lyle - who's constantly called on by CNN to explain multilateral whatnot - Adam is still content.

Until the day Christie diva-ishly decides she decides she wants to be Taken Seriously and fires everyone. And then along comes Sam, a sexy East Village singer-songwriter who's dead set on getting Lyle into bed. So when a reality TV show, a la American Idol sets out to find the best singer-songwriter in the country - and both Christie and Sam sign up - what bipolar drama queen could turn down the prospect of conquering the competition? To beat the best and brightest (and youngest and cutest), Adam will have to risk eveything he holds dear, including his sanity. But it's the only way to find out if he's got what it takes to be Taken Seriously... by Lyle, by the ever-fickle audience, and most of all, by himself.