Gloss

by Jennifer Oko

It's a new day, U.S.A.! And possibly a whole new world.

It was a harmless human-interest story for breakfast who would've thought it would land her in jail? New York producer Annabelle Kapner's report on a beauty-industry job-creation plan for refugee women in the Middle East earns her kudos from the viewers, her bosses, even the network suits. But several threatening phone calls and tightlipped, edgy executives suggest the cosmetics program is covering up more than just uneven skin.

All this intrigue is seriously hampering Annabelle's romance with handsome, sexy and funny speechwriter Mark Thurber (Washington's Most Eligible Bachelor). Being with him is just getting Annabelle used to A-list treatment at Manhattan's hottest nightspots when journalistic idealism earns her a spot on cell block six.

It'll take more than a few thousand "Free Annabelle" T-shirts to clear her name and win back her beau. Especially when she discovers just how high up the scandal reaches–and how far the players will go to keep their secret…

336 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 28, 2014

About the author

Jennifer Oko is a writer, journalist, and filmmaker. Her memoir Lying Together: My Russian Affair was twice named an Editor’s Choice in the New York Times Book Review, which called it “simply riveting.” Her novel Gloss, a satire of morning television news, also received ample praise, with Marie Claire magazine comparing it to Carl Hiaasen’s Lucky You and The Chicago Tribune saying it was “a rare treat.” Gloss was optioned by eOne Entertainment to be developed as a television series. Her novel Head Case is a comic mystery about psycho-pharmaceutical trafficking, which she swears is not autobiographical in any way.

Her latest novel, Just Emilia, is a dark, time-traveling comedy about three women who are trapped in an elevator and forced to grapple with a shared unresolved trauma. Just Emilia will be published by Regal House in the summer of 2025.

In addition to her creative writing, Jennifer has spent more than two decades producing television news features, documentaries, and other video content. After many years working for the big TV networks, she co-founded a boutique video production company, Because.Media, which specializes in creating documentary-style content for outlets ranging from PBS and The New York Times to The MacArthur Foundation, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and American University.

Jennifer received a master's degree from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. Her undergraduate degrees include a BFA in Studio Arts and a BA in Russian Language and Literature. She lives in Washington, DC, with her husband, two teenagers, a young dog, and a very old cat.