She left the "New York Daily News" and wrote her first book, "Sex Tips for Girls". Published in 1983, it was a semi-satirical take on "Cosmopolitan" (and other "women's" magazines) and their "how to please your man" approach to feminism based on her weekly Village Voice Columns alternating "Dear Problem Lady" and "Tongue in Chic." Though she gives actual sex tips, Heimel's main focus was sexual self-confidence for women and the idea that women actually enjoy sex, as well as the rigors of dating. In 2008, "New York Magazine" noted that "Much of the gospel about dating and sex is still achingly current". By 2002, it had never been out of print. Heimel later regretted the perception of her after writing the book, "as if I was an expert on sex".