Journalist tries hand at her own 'chick lit'

NEW YORK — International atrocities were all in a day's work for Jessica Jiji, a news writer at the United Nations. Foreign policy, election results and body counts were, and still are, her bread and butter.

When she came home, Jiji needed to decompress. Fashion magazines were just the thing to relax her brain. And soon, she turned to reading chick lit, a light, easily absorbed genre of books akin to romance novels.

But the 40-year-old with a master's degree in international relations was quickly frustrated by chick lit. She found it simple and at times poorly written. Instead of complaining about it, a friend suggested that she write her own.

At first she scoffed, but soon Jiji found herself writing. In the grand tradition of writing what you know, Jiji did just that. Her chick lit book, "Diamonds Take Forever," follows the basic formula for the genre: heartbreak, the struggle to get over it and the quest for a new man.

However, Jiji's book has a twist. Between the tales of woe and the encouragement from the ubiquitous gay friend are Arabic phrases and references to arranged marriages within an Arab and Jewish family.

"I hope to convey in the novel some of the admirable qualities in Arabic culture like generosity, warmth, hospitality and loyalty," the lithe Jiji says over plates of hummus and vegetables at a cafe near her midtown Manhattan home.

"These are all values that my father passed on to me and is very proud of. He attributes them to his upbringing in Iraq. When you ask Americans about Iraq, I don't think the first things that comes to mind are the ones I just named. But they are for me," says Jiji, a small woman with long, straight dark hair and deep, dark eyes. Her exotic, mysterious looks are in sharp contrast with her friendly and outgoing personality. She is happy as she speaks, even when recalling the frustrations of getting her manuscript out to agents while raising a newborn.

"Diamonds Take Forever" is the story of Michelle Benamou, a twentysomething who lives in Queens with her ex-marine boyfriend named Joe. Joe breaks up with her, leaving Michelle not only heartbroken, but without an apartment, a fate that can be worse than death in New York City. As Michelle tries to find an apartment, she samples some new suitors and gets on with life.