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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Tyler Shields' SMARTEST MAN ML interviews the celeb photographer on his first electronic novel Words by Vanessa Pascale • Photo Credit: Tyler Shields vampire-fanged photos of Lindsay Lohan, fluid streaked models, and his latest shoot called "Occupied" featuring black leotard-clad models pepper spraying police officers ["I just wanted to show the flip side of it all, and also I wanted to see and know how far I could take them. Pepper spray is no joke and everyone took it really well," said Tyler of the shoot.], which recently garnered some hefty media attention, unveiled his latest imaginative creation late last year in the form of a fiction read titled, Smartest Man. Peppered with darkly humorous and unexpected incidents and a myriad of eccentric characters, like Tyler's famed photographs, Smartest Man goads readers to temporarily resign from their everyday lives and accompany him in a world soaked in fantasy and intrigue. The journey is one that is fascinating, action- riddled and reminiscent of works by fellow boundary-pusher, director-screenwriter-actor Quentin Tarantino. NOTE: Smartest Man must be read from beginning to end. E Always a pleasure to chat up Tyler Shields, who has contributed his gifted artistry to Miami Living in the past à la photos of beauties Brittany Snow and Lacey Chabert, the brilliant photographer kindly answered some questions on Smartest Man and what more we can expect from him. Miami Living: What made you write Smartest Man? Tyler Shields: Well, first I had the idea to make it a movie and it wasn't until I was telling the story to Emma [Roberts] that she was like, 'No way, this must be a book,' and I am glad she did because it became an incredible experience. I have now written six books. 30 MIAMI LIVING nvelope pushing photographer, Tyler Shields —best known for this provocative ML: Where did this come from? TS: My mind! It was something I wanted to do and there is technology in the book that will be used in the future, which I have never even heard of anyone mentioning in anything. Also, everything in the book is all real; you can use all the helpful facts. They all work. You can really superglue people back together. ML: I think the book has a Quentin Tarantino feel to it with its sex and violence— do you think it's accurate to make that comparison? TS: I can see that comparison. It's a very exciting story and it never stops. You are being entertained the entire time. ML: How long did it take to write? TS: 20 hours. ML: Was this straight? Did you go back and revise? Or was this a steady stream? TS: I did two hours a night between the hours of 4-6 am —it was the only free time I had open at that time. ML: What can readers expect? TS: It's a crazy ride, never a dull moment. If you let yourself get into it you will not be disappointed. ML: Can you explain the book cover? TS: I got a human brain for the cover and since Emma was the one who got me to write the book, I wanted her on the cover! ML: What's next? TS: More books to come, and now I am looking at turning them into movies. ML: Is there a sequel to this one or are the upcoming books separate from Smartest Man? TS: There is a prequel that is finished and then one of the people in the prequel has a spin off for that series. There are six completed books total. ML: Your photos are amazing —when can we expect you to release a photo book? TS: I am working on the Dirty Side of Glamour —it seems to be the never-ending book but I feel like I will know the exact moment when it is meant to be done! Smartest Man is available electronically through Amazon.com. ML