Nicole Avant will release her memoir, “Think You’ll Be Happy: Moving Through Grief With Grit, Grace, and Gratitude,” in October, PvNew can exclusively reveal.
In the book, the philanthropist, filmmaker and diplomat writes candidly about coming to terms with the tragic death of her mother, Jacqueline, who was fatally shot during a robbery at her Beverly Hills home in 2021.
“Getting out there and being creative helps me a lot,” Avant says. “I am grieving and I am crying and I am angry and I’m furious at what has happened — there is no denying that. But I’m going to put one foot forward because the greatest thing I can do for my mom is live my life. The greatest way to honor her soul is to live my life to the fullest.”
Avant certainly has a full life. She grew up in Los Angeles among some of Hollywood biggest stars because her father, Clarence Avant, is among the music industry’s most influential music executives and producers. Nicole is now a philanthropist, a filmmaker (she produced her dad’s bio-doc “The Black Godfather,” “Trees of Peace” and Tyler Perry’s upcoming historical drama “Six Triple Eight”) and former diplomat, having served as the U.S. ambassador to the Bahamas under Pres. Barack Obama. She currently lives in the Los Angeles with her husband of 14 years, Netflix boss Ted Sarandos.
Avant began writing the memoir in 2020 but says “nothing was landing, nothing was making sense – it was a little bit all over the place. But then after my mom passed, I actually put on her tombstone, ‘Grit, Grace and Gratitude.”
“I realized, ‘Oh, wait a minute, hold on, we have a different book. I know what you do now. I’m gonna put my mom’s life story and how her grit, grace and gratitude shaped me and then do a little memoir, like a teaser,'” she says. “I’m gonna do a big one, hopefully, but this was enough to be able to get a little bit of me. I always looked to people – all of my heroes, including my parents — and they all have this recipe of grit, grace and gratitude.”
The book, from Harper One, will be released Oct. 17.
Some of Avant’s mother’s keepsakes were always by her side when she was writing, including her high school yearbook and reading glasses.
“Then there’s one picture that I have of her where she’s doing a beautiful yoga pose,” she says. “It’s one of my favorites because that’s who she was —calm, serene and focused.”
