A popular American author, she is best known for Waiting to Exhale (1992) and How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998), both of which were adapted into films. Her other works include Disappearing Acts (2000) and A Day Late and a Dollar Short (2002). She became interested in a career in literature when she worked at a local library during her teens. She later received a degree in journalism from the University of California, Berkeley.
