Billie Montgomery Cook is a graduate of Spelman College and served as Academic Advancement Advisor at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. She is author of The Real Deal: A Spiritual Guide for Black Teen Girls. Cook is also a local history researcher, writer, and dramaturg.

Churches across the country are using The Real Deal as resource material for Bible studies for singles groups, rites of passage programs for youth, women's retreats, prison ministries and vacation Bible school programming. Additionally, the book is used as the foundation for Billie Cook's "REAL DEAL" workshops and presentations to women and youth groups.