14

SATURDAY

Beautiful people don’t know from good sex—their vanity won’t let them submit to a down-and-dirty gruntfest. They’re too busy hitting the gym to squeeze in nooners and too preoccupied with “being seen” at hot clubs to sneak off and grab their ankles in a coat closet. If you buy that theory, it would make sense that author Zane, who has been providing African-Americans with her lusty literature for nine books now, would be a regular-looking lady. Cute, but regular looking. Like Zorro, the writer favors both a zippy moniker and a mask of sorts—she’s never shown her face in public. But to promote her ninth novel, Afterburn, Zane is giving us a glimpse of her mug—and it turns out that the bane of bourgie book clubs looks like a pretty working mom. Maybe Zane’s reveal is disappointing for some, but her unveiling is a victory for women who don’t flaunt their freakiness. She proves that you can be demure-looking and still have a dirty mind. Check her out for yourself at 2 p.m. at Borders, 931-A Capital Centre Blvd., Largo. Free. (301) 499-2173. (Sarah Godfrey)