Best selling author Carl Hiaasen has made a living shamelessly stealing outrageous stories from the headlines of Florida's newspapers. He rips them from the headlines because their real flavor lends a sense of realism to his satire. Hiaasen's latest novel, "Star Island," is no exception.

He says his experience over the years as a newspaper columnist at the Miami Herald kept him informed about the most absurd stories to bubble up in his home state. The new book doesn't just take aim at Florida, though: It takes shots at our uniquely American obsession with celebrity culture and the media.