Late Friday Update

Pretty damned late to be posting a Friday update, especially on a holiday weekend. (I can already hear this blog entry echoing through the empty chambers of cyberspace.) But my morning was jammed with a meeting at the high school and my annual mammo (clear for another year! yay!), so this is the first moment I've had. Here goes ...

• Last Saturday I drove out to East Hampton to hear a terrific group of authors on a panel, and shlepped my daughter along with me. Got to hear Andrew Gross, Susan Isaacs, Hope McIntyre, Vincent Lardo and Elizabeth Zevlin. What a stellar lineup! That's me with Andrew Gross in the picture. And yes, he's really that cute. Thanks to Emma for snapping the pic.

• Speaking of Andrew Gross, I bought his new book, DON'T LOOK TWICE, and just started reading it today. This is my first introduction to his work and wow, am I impressed. The story is a heart-thumping page turner, which I expected. What took me by surprise is the quality of the writing. Woosh! This guy knows how to get it done. I'm highly recommending this one.

• Had a great time on Wednesday traveling into Manhattan with my homey, Saralee Rosenberg, to hear an Elinor Lipman reading. It's no secret that I'm a huge Elinor fan, but even if I wasn't, it would be a treat to hear her read. She's so entertaining! Couple weeks ago I raved her new book, THE FAMILY MAN. Brilliant and funny. Read it!

• Two important birthdays in the family last week--my dad (80!) and my sis. Happy birthday, you two! If you have a few minutes and want to read a wonderful little piece of history at AmericanHeritage.com, click here and scroll down to see "MY VJ DAY" by Gerard Meister.

• Had a great little epiphany on the new novel this week. Still very far from having a proposal (in case my agent is reading this), but it's starting to heat up.

• Stay tuned for more news on the title of my book that's in production. Today I came up with an idea I love, but I can't let the cat out of the bag as I haven't even pitched it to my peripatetic editor yet.

• Had a blast doing an interview over at Brenda Janowitz's blog this week. If you haven't clicked in yet, I hope you'll check out it now. And if you leave a comment, you'll be entered in a drawing for a signed copy of THE SMART ONE.

• Barbecue on the agenda for Sunday. Pray for good weather ...

Enjoy your holiday weekend!