Lauren Conrad writing teen novels

NEW YORK, Sept. 11 (UPI) -- HarperCollins Publishers announced Thursday it has acquired the world rights to a young adult fiction series written by U.S. reality TV star Lauren Conrad.

The "L.A. Candy" series of teen novels is loosely based on Conrad's "transformation from an ordinary teen to reality TV darling," HarperCollins said.

The 22-year-old, aspiring fashion designer stars on the MTV series "The Hills."

Under her three-book deal with HarperCollins, her first novel is to be published next summer.

"I've never seen a new project generate noise like the instant buzz that swept through our offices around this deal," Elise Howard, senior vice president/associate publisher of Fiction for HarperCollins Children's Books, said in a statement. "'The Hills' and Lauren Conrad are household names among our staff and their popularity is even higher among the teens who are our readers. We're bracing ourselves for a blockbuster publication."

"I've always loved books that I could lose myself in, ones that would transport me to another place, but had characters I could relate to," said Conrad. "I'm so excited to have this opportunity to write books like that for other readers."