April 19, 2004
Word? Diva-licious
. Set in New York City in 1999, Williams's sparkling debut in the overcrowded and almost bitched-out chick-lit genre stars Billie Burke, a young African-American beauty editor who hasn't had sex in five years and is "wound tighter than 400-thread count sheets." Billie, along with close pals Renee, a hip book editor, and Vida, a hotshot publicist (with a rapper boyfriend named Git TaSteppin), inject a black Sex and the City
vibe while invoking cultural clashes with caustic glee: "She no longer tried to understand the particular brand of white girl who felt compelled to use late-eighties 'homegirl' slang.... As if she might feel disoriented and at a cultural loss without a 'you go girl' in every exchange." Burke lives for her glam job with Du Jour
, a top women's magazine with a predominantly white staff, when her uptown world is dizzily disrupted by downtown Jay Lane, an up-and-coming writer/performance artist and former street hustler. Lane's impoverished, complicated Fort Greene past collides with Burke's happy family history as they try to build a lasting relationship. Williams's gift for sexy if sometimes purple prose ("They were ravenous love junkies") and insider ear (" 'Moment' and 'situation' were industry speak for what was happening at that very second") save this energetic romance from being just another uptown girl meets downtown boy tale and signals the arrival of a sharp new talent. Agent, Mary Ann Naples at Creative Culture Inc. (May 24)
Forecast:
Williams, the beauty director at
Teen People magazine, appears regularly on MTV, CNN and Fox. Aimed at young black women, the book should also appeal to white readers who won't mind a black heroine who's a bit critical of her white sistahs.