Davis, Jill A. 1966-

PERSONAL:

Born 1966; married; children: one daughter. Hobbies and other interests: Books, museums, art, writing, photography, music.

ADDRESSES:

Home—New York, NY. Agent—David McCormick, McCormick & Williams, 37 W. 20th St., Ste. 606, New York, NY 10011. E-mail—[email protected]; [email protected].

CAREER:

Writer for Late Show with David Letterman, New York, NY.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Five Emmy nominations for writing for Late Show with David Letterman.

WRITINGS:

Girls' Poker Night (novel), Random House (New York, NY), 2002.

Ask Again Later (novel), Ecco (New York, NY), 2007.

Author screenplays, television pilots, and short stories.

SIDELIGHTS:

Jill A. Davis wrote for Late Show with David Letterman, for which she received five Emmy nominations. Also the author of screenplays, television pilots, and stories, she became a novelist with the publication of her Girls' Poker Night. Set in New York, it has similarities to the popular television series Sex and the City. Ruby Capote heads for New York to write a lifestyle column, leaving her boyfriend, Doug, and Boston behind. She organizes a weekly poker game with a group of old college friends, and during these evenings, they reveal details of their personal lives, which become fodder for Ruby's column. Danielle is a divorcee who is making up for lost opportunities, and Meg is thinking about leaving her husband. Jenn, who works for an overly demanding boss, has no time to find romance. Lily has yet to learn what sex is all about, and Skorka, a beautiful model who drinks tequila straight from the bottle, is the most direct, even though she speaks broken English. Ruby, the host, tends to say very little. Library Journal reviewer Amanda Glasbrenner felt that it is the humor in these columns that "carries the novel." Glasbrenner called the debut "a fun read."

Ruby has intimacy issues, as pointed out by Michael, her editor, to whom she becomes attracted. She lost her father, first to divorce, then in an automobile accident, which some say was an act of suicide. Ella is the therapist to whom she turns to try to figure it all out. In reviewing Girls' Poker Night for Bookreporter.com, Eileen Zimmerman Nicol noted: "The vignettes are off-the-wall, subtle, funny and bittersweet."

Booklist contributor Kristine Huntley noted that Emily Rhode, the protagonist of Ask Again Later, like Ruby, rejects commitment, hides her feelings with her banter, and has issues with her father, who has just reappeared in her life after leaving her and her mother when Emily was five. Her mother has recently been diagnosed with breast cancer, and Emily is uncertain about being a lawyer. She quits her job, thereby distancing herself from Sam, with whom she has the commitment issues. She moves in with her mother to help her, becomes a receptionist at her father's law firm, and soon finds herself understanding herself in a way she hadn't before, as well as getting to really know her parents. Mom takes treatment well, and her father turns out to be a nice guy after all, taking the pressure off of Emily, picking her up in a cab each morning, and treating her to martini lunches on Fridays. Other characters include her friend Perry, her psychiatrist Paul, her grandmother, and her sister Marjorie.

A Publishers Weekly critic commented that Davis "loads the narrative with one-liner asides and funny riffs."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, January 1, 2007, Kristine Huntley, review of Ask Again Later, p. 50.

Entertainment Weekly, February 23, 2007, Jessica Shaw, review of Ask Again Later, p. 105.

Library Journal, January 1, 2002, Amanda Glasbrenner, review of Girls' Poker Night, p. 150.

Publishers Weekly, December 4, 2006, review of Ask Again Later, p. 35.

Tribune Books, February 23, 2003, review of Girls' Poker Night, p. 6.

ONLINE

Blogcritics,http://www.blogcritics.org/ (March 21, 2007), Katie McNeill, review of Ask Again Later; (April 8, 2007), Katie McNeill, review of Girls' Poker Night.

Bookreporter.com,http://www.bookreporter.com/ (August 13, 2007), Eileen Zimmerman Nicol, review of Girls' Poker Night, Bronwyn Miller, review of Ask Again Later.

Jill A. Davis Home Page,http://www.jilldavis.com (August 13, 2007).

Jill A. Davis MySpace Page,http://www.myspace.com/jilladavis (August 13, 2007).

Mostly Fiction Book Reviews,http://www.mostlyfiction.com/ (February 22, 2002), Judi Clark, review of Girls' Poker Night.