This past year has been one of transition for actress/singer Hilary Duff. In 2010, she got married to hockey player Mike Comrie, and she became a first-time author with the publication of her critically acclaimed, best-selling novel “Elixir.” There was a time when Duff (who became famous as the star of Disney Channel’s “Lizzie McGuire” series) seemed to be everywhere. But as she has grown into adulthood, Duff has chosen to do low-budget independent movies and guest appearances on TV that have an edge that the projects she used to do as a teen did not have.

Duff has also signed on a celebrity spokesperson for SoBe beverages, which has launched a new “Try Everything” promotional campaign. I caught up with Duff by phone for this exclusive one-on-one interview in which she opened up about adjusting to married life, the truth behind false rumors that she was dropped from the movie “The Story of Bonnie Clyde,” and what fans can expect from the next books in her “Elixir” trilogy.

What were some of your personal highlights of the SoBe “Try Everything” event that you attended in New York City on May 25, 2011?

It’s an event that can bring out fans that want to be there because they’re fans … The energy felt really good, because they wanted to be there. I think that was a highlight: getting to meet some of those fans. It was a fun day.

The whole [SoBe] campaign is “Try Everything.” I really like that. You could apply it to life but also the new drinks that they have. Everyone could taste them and they had fun activities going on. It was a light-hearted day in the park.

What are some of the things that fans were saying to you at the event?

I did a bowling game. Jessica Szohr and Kate Upton were there. They tried to model the games after your favorite SoBe drink. Mine was SoBe Mango Melon, so I was bowling with a melon. It was fun. A lot of the fans there were like, “Come on, knock those [bowling] pins down!” They were cheering me on and wanted me to be competitive.

How was your bowling game overall that day?

I did well, but I cheated a little bit, because my last round just knocked down two pins, so I just knocked down everything myself.

What are some of the new things that you want to try in your everyday life?

I like to cook … Trying a new look is really important to me. I try to do new things like surf or go scuba diving or some new activity. It really applies to everything in life.

Your first novel, “Elixir,” was published in 20110. Can you talk about your book “Devoted,” which is the first sequel to “Elixir”?

It’s coming out in October [2011]. The main characters go on a trip across the globe. Sage, the main character [Clea’s] love interest, is connected to her through lifetimes. And there are these groups of people who are out there for the wrong reasons. [Sage has been kidnapped], and Clea has to make sure he gets in the right hands. It’s about traveling through dimensions and love. It’s a continuation of the first story.

What were some of the things that you learned in writing “Elixir” that helped you in writing “Devoted”?

The second one ["Devoted"] was much easier. A lot of technicalities of the story line got hashed out in the first one. It was toughest process for me on anything I worked on. It was really scary at times, but I had a good idea …

I hired a writer, and we sat down and started writing together. I said, “This is my story. This is exactly how I see the characters.” And we started writing every single day, eight hours a day.

You’ve said that you conceived “Elixir” to be the first book in a trilogy. Where are you at, in terms of writing the third book in the trilogy?

I haven’t started writing the third, but I think about halfway through the second book, I got to complete in my mind what the story is.

And how will the third book be compared to the first two books?

It’s probably going to have less action and be more about trust. Obviously, there will be a lot more answers for Clea.

Your one-year wedding anniversary is going to be on August 14, 2011. A lot of people who’ve been married for a long time say that the first year of marriage is one of the hardest. What’s surprised you the most, in terms of your first year of marriage?

That’s a good question. Most people are like, “What does it feel like to be married?” We spent more time at home in our first year [of marriage] together. That was a little unusual, because he plays hockey for the Pittsburgh Penguins, and I was in L.A. I flew to Pittsburgh about 15 times last year.

So we spent a lot of time together, but not every waking moment. Now we have more time to see each other, but it’s still hard to live that way, to spend a lot of time away from each other. My mom said that the first two years [of marriage] are hard, because you’re adjusting to a different life. You just learn by experience, I guess.

What can you say about any of your other upcoming projects?

I’ve been guest-designing with DKNY Jeans, but fashion is not really the direction I want to go right now. I like working on smaller movies. I had a movie called “Bloodworth” that came out [in May 2011]. It’s a very small, independent movie. I just hope to continue to do things that show me in a different light.

I have a movie called “She Wants Me” that’s coming out. I play a movie-star go-getter. The release isn’t completely set in stone yet, but it might be September [2011] in New York. And I’m going to start working on a record.

What do you think your next album is going to sound like?

I don’t know yet. I think a lot of that happens when I start sit down with different writers. I have an idea that’s in my head. I clearly like to do pop music with catchy hooks and which makes you feel good.

Can you clear up any rumors about the “The Story of Bonnie and Clyde” movie, in which you’ve been cast as Bonnie?

It sucks, that whole situation with the [false] rumors, because the first time I sat down to meet with the director [Tonya Holly] of the movie was two years ago. I said, “I would die to do [that role]. That sounds amazing.” And she wrote it, and it’s like her baby. She worked on it a really long time and the financing is there.

I supposedly got fired from it, and I called her and said, “Do you want to tell me something?” And she said, “Of course you’re still Bonnie.” We don’t have a start date yet. It’s unfortunate that people find out what everyone’s doing and what they’re working on, because [a movie project] could never happen or it could happen five years after you hear about it.

You mentioned earlier that you like to cook. If you could choose one of your favorite dishes that you cook to bring with you on a deserted island, which would it be?

That’s really hard. I make a really good roast chicken, so maybe I would choose that.