Tayari's Blog: Six Degrees of Denene Milner
Posted by TayariJones on September 26, 2009 07:32 PM
Filed under
Travels & Rambles
This is a little bit of randomness, but here goes: I was watching The Real Housewives of Atlanta yesterday. (Consider it research; after all, my book are all set in the A.) Anyway, if you follow the show you will know that Nene has written a book with the help of a ghost writer, Denene Milner. (My favorite moment in the last episode was when Nene's friends consoled her by saying "Don't worry about them, girl. You're writing a book!")
Ms. Milner, it seems, is the hardest working woman in the business! I first heard her name years ago when she along with her husband, Nick Chiles, wrote a book called What Brothers Think, What Sistahs Know About Sex. And then remember when her husband wrote that famous anti-street-lit article, "Their Eyes Were Reading Smut."
And what about The Sistah's Rules-- it was supposed to be that black woman's guide to catching a man. I didn't read it but if I recall the message was that playing hard-to-get was a luxury sisters cannot afford. (Remember that drama surrounding that?)
She also wrote the book based on the movie, "Dreamgirls"? It's tricky, but Milner's book is not to be confused with Mary Wilson's book Dreamgirl (no 's') on which the Broadway show was based.
And here is her biggest title: the Steve Harvey mega-hit Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man.
It seems that Denene Milner is the writing equivalent of a character actor. You may not remember her name, but you have seen her work.
(Look at all the listings she has on amazon.)
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There are 2 comments on "Six Degrees of Denene Milner". If you'd like to leave a comment, click here to jump down to the comments entry form.
Comment #1, by Jackie ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.tayarijones.com/blog/nav-commenters.gif)
Thanks for that. I've seen her work, but I don't think I am the intended audience. I bought The Vow because it was innovatively packaged, but ultimately unreadable (for me). I used the library for the NeNe book, but lost interest about 15 pages in and returned it early so someone else could have at it. The other books I have seen on the shelves at the bookstore, but based on the covers alone, passed on.
It is encouraging, however, to see that ghostwriting can be lucrative.
September 27, 2009 06:37 AM
Comment #2, by carla
My dream job is to be a ghostwriter of autobiographies of B- and C-list celebrities. Sigh. I'd much rather do that than be the professor I am now, but how does one get that gig?
September 29, 2009 09:12 PM