Remember those much simpler times when you could turn to E! and not be assaulted by the grinning visage of Ryan Seacrest but instead by the soothing lilt of Jules Asner’s voice? I do and my colleague here, Brian Jacks, certainly does because when I just brought her name up I think I literally saw him swoon. And short of actresses who appeared on “Babylon 5” he hardly swoons for anyone.

It’s been a while since we heard from lovely Jules. For a time she was the face of E!, hosting every conceivable show there including the probing interview series “Revealed” and the seminal “Wild On…”. Then something really bizarre happened and she started popping up on the arm of Steven Soderbergh. This wasn’t Giuliana DePandi marrying an “Apprentice” winner. This was a staple of FHM’s hottest lists marrying the director of “Traffic” and “Schizopolis.” It was almost too much for my brain to handle. And so perhaps it’s for the best that Jules left the spotlight for a while.

But now like a phoenix rising the ashes, so too does Jules come back to us. And her new career is another shocker. Novelist?!? That’s right, earlier this month Jules joined the ranks of Mailer, Hemmingway, and Shatner (”TekWar,” anyone?) with “Whacked,” a 304-page debut that “Publisher’s Weekly” called “a dishy mix of Tinsletown hackdom, chick lit and, surprisingly, a chilling plot.”

You’d know chilling too if you worked in close proximity for a time to A.J. Benza. So Jules is back! Let us all rejoice! Now if only Steve Kmetko would make a comeback all would be right in the world.