Alexandria Karlsen is used to the fast track. She grew up in Mesa, Arizona and started reading before she was four. At the age of 11 Lexie would devour a Stephen King novel in one sitting. At 15 she edited her school's newspaper and wrote columns for three local papers, and at 18 she earned a licens
...e to deal in mutual funds (that's her on the trading floor). She also found time to show off the other side of her beauty-and-brains equation, by sending her photos to Playboy. Clearly, her stock is on the rise.
Q: You've pursued a variety of career options in your 20 years. A: I know [laughs]. I get bored easily, so I do a lot of different things. That's been for the best, though I have had some weird experiences.
Q: Such as? A: I was stalked when I was 15, by total strangers. I once had a psycho boyfriend who chased me with a knife and got arrested. I moved out of my parents' house when I was 15 and dropped out of high school in my senior year. I was already taking college courses, so I knew I'd be able to get into college.
Q: In other words, you had a turbulent adolescence.
A: Yeah, totally. I've had to work to keep my sense of humor, but now I can look back and laugh. Because I had so much craziness growing up, I like being mellow. I have my dog and a good boyfriend, and we have a normal life.
Q: So what's next? Modeling, writing, finance?
A: They're all options. I'm writing a lot of poetry and working on a novel. It's hard to write when you're traveling as much as I am. I need a laptop.
Q: That would probably suit you better than an office job.
A: Definitely. I want to go back to school to study finance, and I'd like to start trading over the Internet. That way I could both do my work and have a home life.
