Every work of fabulous fiction needs an auteur. An ink slinger. A creative hand gently guiding a cast of characters—who have stories and minds of their own, dahling—to their ultimate destiny. Modelland's Tookie De La Créme ended up in one such scribe's rather dry, cracked, unmanicured, chipped-nail-lacquered hands: those of Ms. Tyra Banks, who was a mere fifteen years old when she started modeling, the same age as Tookie. Coincidence? I think not.

After establishing an Intoxibella (you call them supermodels) career that involved her sporting lace petticoats and lacier panties on boats, she upped and runway-walked away from it all to pursue her dream of becoming America's next top television producer. She created—what else—America's Next Top Model, which is observed, obsessed over, and fixated on in over 170 countries. And how could we overlook her two-time Emmy Award-winning talk show, The Tyra Show? Ms. Banks is known to have done some interesting things on the telly, such as telling the world to pucker up to her gluteus maximus and interviewing quite a few world leaders. Tyra became the first woman seen on both prime time and daytime TV shows. You may call that ambitious—I call that a work-a-how-in-the-hell-aholic. Soon TyTy became the super businesswoman she always wanted to be—less is never more, dahling. She even attends the ivy-covered Harvard Business School to hone her pork chops. And we mustn't forget her revolutionary World Wide Webby fashion and beauty site: typeF. Try saying "World Wide Webby" fast, three times. I dare you.

Now that you're here, keep your smize and ears open. If you're looking for a leading voice that empowers women, a female who, like a good waxing, rips open the definition of beauty, and a literary experience like none other, why, my dear, dahling reader, you're home.

Tyra has spent five years conceiving, writing, and enticing Modelland, her primero book of fiction, and you'll feel her lifelong-legged love of reading and storytelling deeply embedded in every captivating, catwalking page. Tyra has a secret vacation home in Modelland, where she is feverishly working on the next Modelland novel. But don't try to find out where it is, dahling. If you do, you may catch the Pilgrim Plague...

INDIA.ARIE: "WINGS OF FORGIVENESS"
My main character, Tookie, has been done so wrong by her mother, but even after all that Tookie has gone through, her heart is still big, and she is willing to see past all the pain her mother has caused.

DES'REE: "I'M KISSING YOU"
The sadness of this melody reminds me of how Tookie. I wrote a lot of chapters Modelland to this song.

CASSANDRA WILSON: "TIME AFTER TIME"
Cyndi Lauper will always be the queen of this song but I gotta say, Cassandra's version takes me on a wonderful journey. This song makes me think of Tookie and Lizzie's strong relationship.

ALANA DAVIS: "32 FLAVORS"
I can picture Tookie performing this song to an audience of one person: Zarpessa.

MAXWELL: "WHENEVER WHEREVER WHATEVER"
If Bravo (Tookie's love interest) could sing, he would sing this song to Tookie to show his love and appreciation.

CHUBB ROCK: "TREAT 'EM RIGHT"
I can picture the girls runway running to this song in a Run-a-Way Intensive class.

"TOO BEAUTIFUL FOR WORDS" from the Broadway musical The Color Purple
I imagine Ci~L saying the lyrics of this song to Tookie as words of encouragement.

TRENT REZNOR & ATTICUS CROSS: "HAND COVERS BRUISE,"
from the movie The Social Network
On the Day of Discovery there is tons of chaos around Tookie, but there is such a calmness as Ci~L reaches for Tookie's hand to take her to Modelland. This song represents the calm within the storm.