Cynthia Heimel, whose first book, Sex Tips for Girls, "established her in the early 1980s as a fearlessly funny writer about men, feminism, female friendships, flirting, birth control and lingerie," died February 25, the New York Times reported. She was 70. Heimel later adapted Sex Tips and But Enough About You, a 1986 collection, into the play A Girl's Guide to Chaos, which opened later that year off Broadway at the American Place Theater.
"I used to say about Cynthia's writing, and her being, that she had the soul of Janis Joplin in the voice of Hedda Hopper," said novelist and comedy writer Emily Prager. "She was a voice for liberation with manners, freedom without regret and the blues with a grain of salt."
Heimel published several more collections, including If You Can't Live Without Me, Why Aren't You Dead Yet? (1991), Get Your Tongue Out of My Mouth, I'm Kissing You Goodbye! (1993) and If You Leave Me, Can I Come Too? (1995).