Spears' parenting book off after teen pregnancy

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A Christian publisher said on Wednesday it has called off a parenting book written by Lynne Spears -- the mother of troubled pop star Britney Spears and her pregnant 16-year-old sister, Jamie Lynn.

"We have postponed the book indefinitely," said Lindsey Nobles, spokeswoman for Tennessee-based Thomas Nelson.

Nobles did not give a reason for the decision, which followed news on Tuesday that Jamie Lynn Spears was three months pregnant.

Jamie Lynn Spears is the star of the Nickelodeon show "Zoey 101," which is popular with preteens.

In an interview with OK! Magazine, the actress said she was "shocked and scared," but planned to keep the baby, which was fathered by her longtime boyfriend, Casey Aldridge, 19.

Spears said she met Aldridge, the son of a Tennessee papermill worker, at church.

News of the pregnancy came after a disastrous year for Britney Spears and dominated U.S. talk shows on Wednesday. The OK! Magazine Web site (www.ok-magazine.com) crashed under the volume of traffic.

Lynne Spears said in the article she was shocked when her younger daughter told her she was pregnant, saying Jamie Lynn was "always conscientious" and never violated curfew.

The working title for the book was "Pop Culture Mom: A Real Story of Fame and Family in a Tabloid World." Described by the publisher as "a parenting book that's going to have faith elements to it," it had been set for publication on Mother's Day in May 2008.

"We understand that Lynne needs to spend time with her family now," Nobles said.

It was unclear whether OK! paid Jamie Lynn or her mother for the pregnancy exclusive. The magazine did not return calls for comment, but celebrity Web site TMZ.com said the teenage mom would get $1 million from OK! for a photo shoot when her baby is born.

Britney Spears, 26, now undergoing parenting training and random drug and alcohol testing as part of a bitter custody dispute over her own two young sons, was asked by paparazzi to comment late on Tuesday.

"My sister's not pregnant," she replied curtly.

Nickelodeon said "Zoey 101" had already wrapped up production on its fourth and final season. The cable network said, "We respect Jamie Lynn's decision to take responsibility in this sensitive and personal situation."

(Editing by Xavier Briand)