Scott, Sophfronia 1966(?)-

views updated

SCOTT, Sophfronia 1966(?)-

PERSONAL: Born c. 1966, in Lorain, OH; married; husband's name, Darryl. Education: Harvard University, B.A. (English), 1988. Hobbies and other interests: Yoga, gardening.

ADDRESSES: Agent—c/o St. Martin's Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Author, editor, journalist, and career and personal development coach. Time magazine, 1988-95; People magazine, writer, Style Watch editor, and Teen People senior entertainment editor, 1995-2003; Creative Coaching Plans, founder and coach, 2003—. Board member, Praxis Theatre Project; advisory board member, World in One Arts Collaborative.

WRITINGS:

All I Need to Get By (novel), St. Martin's Griffin (New York, NY), 2004.

WORK IN PROGRESS: A Family of Widows.

SIDELIGHTS: Sophfronia Scott was raised in Lorain, Ohio, the third of seven children of a Mississippi-born, steelworker father who never learned to read, and a stay-at-home mother who kept the house filled with books. Scott attended Harvard University, intending to go into medicine, but switched her major to English when one of her writing teachers indicated Scott had talent.

In 1990, as a writer with Time, Scott and coworker David Gross conceived of and wrote a cover story on the twenty-something generation, dubbed Generation X. They were the magazine's youngest cover story writers to date. Scott went on to work for People, writing about such celebrities as Gwyneth Paltrow, George Clooney, and John F. Kennedy, Jr., and later served as senior entertainment editor for Teen People. She left the magazine business in 2005 to start her own career and personal development coaching firm, Creative Coaching Plans.

Scott's novel, All I Need to Get By, tells the story of a modern African-American family where the adult professional children return home to their working-class roots when their father becomes ill. Crita, the eldest daughter, is a successful tax accountant who finds herself face to face with the men from her past: her brother Linc, who has a serious drug problem; her father; and Tree, the man who loves her.

Reviewers praised Scott's debut effort. For instance, Nola Theiss, in a review for Kliatt, stated that "Scott has written a thoughtful book about family, independence and knowing when to let go." Booklist contributor Lillian Lewis wrote that "Scott will most assuredly be recognized for her superb storytelling." And a reviewer for Kirkus Reviews remarked upon the "somber, controlled prose" and called the novel "a polished and promising debut."