'Amber's Guide For Girls'

When you think of Amber Mariano you probably think of "Survivor" or "The Amazing Race."

But Amber has added "author" to her resume, with the publication of her first book, "Amber's Guide For Girls — Advice On Fame, Family, Fashion And More."

Amber sat down with The Early Show co-anchor Rene Syler to talk about her book, which takes a fun approach to offering advice to young girls.

It has been five years since Amber's first appearance on "Survivor."

"Ever since then, I've received so many letters, mainly from young girls ages 9 to 13 or so, or their parents saying, 'Thank you so much for being such a great role model for my daughter, and 'you set such a good example,'" Amber said.

"I took at as a huge compliment. I thought it would be fun to give something to them."

Amber says she wants girls to know that she had fears and insecurities, just as they do.

"I think a lot of girls look at celebrities … and think, 'Oh, gosh, they never went through this,'" she told Syler. "I had pimples, too, and had my heart broken, too."

The book deals with some serious topics, which she discussed with Syler.

Peer Pressure
"Listen to your gut and it's going to tell you what to do," Amber said. "If you are being pressured by your friends, then your friends will understand if you don't want to do something they are doing.

"If they don't understand, then maybe they shouldn't be your friends."

Relationships
Amber points out that relationships are a huge part of our lives. We have relationships with our parents, siblings, friends, teachers, and boyfriends or girlfriends.

"I think it's important to learn from your relationships because it helps you grow as an individual," she said.

Family
Amber's advice is for girls to remember that their parents love them and only want them to succeed in life.

"I think the older and older you get, the more and more you do appreciate your family," she said.

She points out that children sometimes resist their parents' advice, but might feel comfortable with hers.

"I think they feel I'm a little younger and they can relate to me better," she said.

Goals
The book stresses that it is very important to have goals in life. Goals help guide people and keep them focused.

"Of course, when I was that age I wanted to be a dolphin trainer, or something like that," she confessed to Syler. "And that didn't work out. But that's OK — as long as you set goals and motivate yourself, you will get somewhere in your life."

The public first met Amber when she spent 33 days on "Survivor: The Australian Outback," before being voted off with only nine days remaining in the competition. She returned for the first installment of "Survivor: All Stars" in 2003.

Not only did she win the $1 million prize, she got the guy. That's where she met and developed a relationship with her husband, Rob Mariano (also known as "Boston Rob" from "Survivor: Marquesas"). During the 39 days in the jungles of Panama, the two formed an alliance — and by the end, they were the final two survivors.

Amber and Rob got engaged on national television during the final live show of the All Star series. It was there that she wore the notorious yellow shirt that read "I Love Rob." It was also on that show that she was crowned the sole survivor and the winner of the $1 million prize.

The two married in May 2004 in the Bahamas, and their wedding was featured in a two-hour CBS special. The couple then was featured as one of the teams in "The Amazing Race," where they finished a close second.

Rob and Amber now live in Pensacola, Fla.

To read an excerpt of "Amber's Guide for Girls — Advice on Fame, Family, Fashion and More," click here.