Hi girls! I'm Tia Williams, author of the juicy teen series, IT CHICKS (Hyperion/Disney). You've been waiting so patiently all year, and finally, the second novel in the series is here! SIXTEEN CANDLES hits bookstores on May 6th, and I think you'll love it! I can't give the entire plot away, but here are a few hints: This time around, the lives of Tangie, Izzy, CJ, and the rest of the Louis Armstrong Performing Arts School crew heat up when Skye gets her own “My Super Sweet 16” episode! Meanwhile, when everyone least expects it, Tangie’s love life takes a deliciously unexpected turn (so juicy, you won't believe it!). Will Skye implode with jealousy? Can CJ keep his scandalous secret? Read SIXTEEN CANDLES to find out!
If you can't wait, check out a juicy excerpt on TeenReads.com! Get ready to be seriously obsessed, girls...
I've also written a bestselling chick-lit novel, THE ACCIDENTAL DIVA, as well as supermodel Iman's beauty book, THE BEAUTY OF COLOR. And for eight years, I was a beauty editor at magazines like YM, Elle, Glamour, Lucky and Teen People. You might also have seen me on my national Olay commercial, or covering celebrity news on VH1, BET, or MSNBC. To find out more about me, IT CHICKS, or SIXTEEN CANDLES—and to learn all about the hottest new beauty products—check out my award-winning blog "Shake Your Beauty" (www.tiawilliams.net/blog).
LITERARY AGENT: Mary Ann Naples, The Creative Culture
TIA'S EMAIL: beauty@tiawilliams.net
WEBSITE: www.tiawilliams.net
About IT CHICKS, BOOK #1
What they want is fame. All they have is drama.
Every high school has its share of scandal—but at New York City's Louis B. Armstrong Academy of Performing Arts, the stakes are oh-so-much higher! IT CHICKS tells the hilariously juicy story of hip-hop dancer Tangie's cut-throat, romantic—and sometimes heart-breaking—first year at a school full of divas-in-training. From Skye, a spotlight-hungry wannabe movie star, to CJ, a bad-boy grafitti artist with an irresistible smile, scroll down to meet the hottest cast in town!
About IT CHICKS, BOOK #2: SIXTEEN CANDLES
First-day-of-school buzz? So over!
It's the end of September, and the spotlight-loving It-chick's lives are getting juicier by the second. With Skye getting ready for her very own "Sixteen Candles" episode on MVN, she's finally back in the center of attention--and she and Tangie are back to BFF status. Meanwhile, when Tangie least expects it, her secret fling with senior stud Trey Stevens takes a turn that leaves everyone wondering if true players really can have a change of heart. Will Skye's jealousy get the best of her when Tangie's love life takes center stage? And how long can CJ keep the secret that'll change Tangie's life forever? This time around, Tangie's friendship drama takes a backseat to her romance. Can the It-chicks handle the heat?
TANGIE
About me: I'm a sophomore hip-hop dancer, and I'm crazy exited because this year I finally got accepted into Armstrong with my BFF's, Skye and CJ! So far, I'm loving it, except for I'm, like, the only Armstrong dancer with booty and boobs (CJ calls them "The Olsen Twins"). But whatever—J. Lo's got mad badonk and she started out as a dancer, right? Anyway, my dream is to dance backup for Ciara after graduation, and nothing's gonna stand in my way. Now, if I could only get a certain adorable grafitti artist to drop his slutty jump-offs and realize what's standing in front of him, my life would be perfect.
Interests: dancing, watching dance movies, gymnastics
Favorite Store: Forever 21
Music: Ciara, Chris Brown, Omarion-I love singers with dance skills
Movies: Fame, Rize, Stomp the Yard, Sweet Charity, Honey
TV: So You Think You Can Dance, Ugly Betty, Run's House (Diggy!)
Books: Gossip Girl by Cecily von Ziegesar
I'd Like to Meet: Carrie Ann Inaba from Dancing With the Stars. Folks don't know this, but she's a sick choreographer! Also, I'd like to meet Celestina from DanceLife, remember her? She's curvy, like me!
SKYE
About me: Hey Bitches!! I'm an aspiring movie star, and folks always say I look like Beyonce or Tyra (even though I'm, like, so much skinnier than them). Let's see ... if I'm being honest, I'll say that I'm cute, popular, and rich (my mom is Alexa Carmichael, major diva-bitch and 80's TV star, and my dad is Junior Carmichael, the Tony-award winning Broadway producer). And I believe in living your life like a reality camera is following you around—the more drama you create, the more screen time you get!
Interests: shopping, throwing parties, makeup, gossiping
Favorite Store: BCBG
Music: Rhianna, Fergie, Justin Timberlake
Movies: Mean Girls, Clueless, Bring it On
TV: The Hills, America's Next Top Model, Kimora's Life in the Fab Lane
Book: The Truth About Diamonds by Nicole Ritchie
I'd Like to Meet: Lauren Conrad, because I know what it's like for girls to hate on you 'cause you're fabulous.
IZZY
About me: I'm a freshman Fine Arts major, my government name is Aziza, and my MC name is "Izzy Duz It." I'm Ethiopian but I grew up all over. You probably know me as the "freaky girl with the effed-up past." Folks say I used to deal with Fiddy, or that I was a starving Ethiopian baby on one of those "feed the world" commercials, or that I robbed a 7-11—but, whatever. I don't trip off the gossip, 'cause the truth is way more bonkers than anything these bratty showbiz kids can make up. But I'll never tell ...
Interests: art, underground hip-hop, writing rhymes, being naked
Favorite Store: Urban Outfitters
Music: Lupe Fiasco, Lupe Fiasco, Lupe Fiasco
Movies: Thirteen, Dave Chappelle's Block Party, Kids
Books: The Coldest Winter Ever by Sista Soulja
TV: MTV's True Life, The Wire
I'd Like to Meet: George Bush, so I can kick him in the nuts.
CJ
About me: I grew up in Brooklyn's Marcy Projects, and no, I never met HOVA. Ever since I was a kid, I been into drawing, sketching, painting, anything artistic, knowhatimean? And not to sound cocky, but when it comes to tagging, your boy's a problem. I did a mural in Tower Records, where I work part-time, and it won the store some design award. I'm dealing with a couple floosies, but the only girl I ever really tripped over is ... whatever, you'll find out. And if you're in the market for some street pharmeceuticals, holla at me during lunch.
Interests: grafitti, sneakers, mixtapes, grafitti, hustling, basketball, grafitti
Favorite store: A-Life for the exclusive kicks
Music: Kanye, Jay Z, Lil Wayne
Movies: Wild Style, New Jack City, Beat Street
Book: Where'd You Get Those? New York City's Sneaker Culture 1960-1987 by Bobbito Garcia
TV:Rap City, ESPN all day long
I'd Like to Meet: Basquiat, the king of street art. And Megan Good.
EDEN
About me: Yes, I was "Kendra," the kid sister from the '90s sitcom, Family Chatter—but now I'm the queen of Armstrong drama! I guess I have a privileged lifestyle (my little sister Skye says we're Hollywood Royalty, even though we're from Manhattan), but I'm not a bitch, or folks wouldn't have voted me Prom Princess. After I dumped Trey, I vowed to only deal with guys that could do big things for my career ... so I'm talking to a platinum-selling rapper/actor. It's on the low, though, since he's practically married to a certain R&B diva. Shhh!
Interests: acting, high fashion, shopping, sleeping pills
Store: Prada
Music: Beyonce, Alicia Keys, Gwen Stefani
Movies: Walk the Line, Monster's Ball (cause the lead actresses won Oscars!)
Book: Hollywood Wives by Jackie Collins
TV: Sex & the City reruns, Project Runway
I'd Like to Meet: Scarlett Johansson's agent
REGINA
About me: I want to be the first half-black, half-Filipino filmmaker to win at Sundance! And I'm constantly taking notes on everything that happens to me and my friends—especially Skye—because I want to film a docu-drama about showbiz kids before graduation. Let's see ... I've never had a boyfriend, I'm pretty low-key, and though most people think Skye's mean to me, or that I'm, like, her sidekick, I'm happiest when I hang out with her. When you get to know the real Skye, you realize she's, like, perfect.
Interests: filmmaking, photography, watching indie movies
Favorite Store: Abercrombie
Music: Missy Elliot, Nelly Fertado
Movies: Hustle & Flow, Do the Right Thing, Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2
Books: Down and Dirty Pictures: Miramax, Sundance and the Rise of Independent Cinema by Peter Biskind
TV: Heros, 24, The L Word
I'd Like to Meet: Quentin Tarantino, my favorite filmmaker
TREY
About me: What it do, people? My name's Trey, I'm a senior, and I'm the craziest dancer at Armstrong. Eff what you heard. I got in mad trouble last summer 'cause I got caught dancing in a Missy video (professional gigs are against Armstrong rules), so my punishment is taking a sophomore hip-hop dance class. It's wack, but whatever—ain't nobody at this school can see me. You got a dude who can beat out two hundred professionals for a spot in a Missy video? Send him to me. I'll pop-and-lock on his damn grave.
Interests: flossing, loving the ladies, b-boying
Favorite Store: Phat Farm
Music: T.I., DJ Khaled, T-Pain
Movies: You Got Served
Books: Reading is wack
TV: BET's American Gangsta, cause those old-school thugs keep it RIZEEAL
I'd Like to Meet: Three words: "Chris Brown" and "dance-off." Hold up, is that four words?
ILLUSTRATIONS BY KIBWE CHASE MARSHALL
