New York�Good Morning, America
I can�t believe how stupid I am! I miss the perfect opportunity to talk about my characters. What do I do instead? Talk about how hard it was to write this book. Who cares? I forget everything I meant to say about the love affair at the center of the book, about the intensity of the friendship between Caitlin and Vix. I can see the look on the publicist�s face when I�m done. I don�t blame her. And...my pretty green jacket comes out looking gray!

On the positive side. I smiled a lot. That has to be good for something. Someone once told me no one remembers what you say on the tube anyway. They just remember they saw you. Oh, god...it�s so hard to go from the solitary world of writing to this public world of media and hype. Help!!!

Have to catch a plane to Miami in an hour. Weather isn�t good. Gray and possible thunderstorms. My phobia about thunderstorms kicks in. Which is worse...to fly through a thunderstorm or miss your chance to say something that will make people want to read your book on Good Morning, Am???

Miami�The Author Escort meets Vicki and me at the airport. I tell stories about hotel wakeup calls that never happen (knowing I have a 6:30 am pickup the next morning) and she pulls two small elegantly wrapped gift boxes out of her console. We open them to find traveling alarm clocks! �Now you won�t have to worry,� she says.

Books and Books, a fine, independent bookstore has arranged a talk and signing at a synogogue that night, sure that the small space in the store won�t hold the expected crowd. I almost faint when I see the space in the sanctuary. There are seats for over 1,000.

At 8 pm, when I am scheduled to begin, there are maybe thirty people and eight of them are friends and relatives. The owner of the bookstore is embarrassed and I am ready to flee! But the show must go on so we ask everyone to sit up front. They turn out to be such a warm and friendly group we make the best of it and have an intimate and lively Q and A. Philip Volkman�s parents Barry and Felicia are in the audience. I introduce them and explain that the character of Nathan in Summer Sisters, is based on Philip, as he was when I met him at a book signing in Yonkers, New York, years ago. I only hope they think I did a good job with Nathan.

Later I learn a radio station has been announcing the event for the following evening and I wonder if they�ll get an overflow crowd at Friday night services.