Nashville and Dallas Book Signings

Last week I was in Nashville and Dallas for book signings. I was so excited to visit Nashville, where I spent some of the best and most formative years of my life, and Dallas, where some of my best friends live and where I can see myself quite happily moving with my husband and children.

All I have to say is, I wish I could have stayed longer! One day in Nashville was far, far too little. I longed to go pay a visit to the Davis Kidd store in Green Hills (where my mother bought me all my Sweet Valley High books...) and go on a run in Percy Warner park. Next time, I'll book at least two days in my hometown. And I didn't have nearly enough time to hang out with my dear friend and fellow author Sarahbeth Purcell.

As for Dallas. Wow! I had such a fun time (and did some life-long damage to my liver, I'm afraid). Thanks to Frederic Fekkai for making sure my hair looked amazing and to all of the ladies at the North Park Oscar de la Renta store. The dress the folks at Oscar lent me for the occasion was so beautiful, I can't tell you how depressed I am to have to return it. Even my husband who usually doesn't have opinions on these matters remarked how gorgeous it was.

I have a party next week at the Calypso store in New York and another couple of events in Washington, D.C. and Chicago...so there's more to come but in the meantime, please keep writing me. I love getting all the great feedback. And stay tuned for news about my next book, Hedge Fund Wives, which will be out next spring.

L.A. Book Party

The morning after my big New York party (and debut on Bloomberg News) I boarded a plane for L.A. with my friend Bagsnob.com's Tina Craig. Tina is as fun and fabulous as they come. She runs a super powerful fashion and accessories blog, is a shining light on the Dallas social scene and a mommy who makes pasta sauce from scratch. I love this girl. On our plane to L.A. we spotted Jessica Alba with her adorable baby and super cute husband. Jessica looked like any other mom on an early flight with a fussy baby. In other words, she looked bone tired and grumpy. Of course I had to tell her about my book. I hope she emails me so I can send her a copy. (I know...like that's going to happen, but I had to say hello.)

In L.A. Tina and I met up with our friend Gigi Howard, the amazing publicist behind the luxury Spanish skincare brand Natura Bisse, who happens to also be a tall, gorgeous blonde drink of water and who makes me smile on a daily basis. After a quick pit stop at our hotel we took a car to the Diane Von Furstenberg store for my L.A. book signing.

The girls at DVF couldn't have been nicer and although they gifted me the gorgeous red dress I wore (every woman should have a knock-em-dead red dress like that in their closet) I couldn't resist buying another black dress for my book party in Miami next week. The turnout was incredible. We had over a hundred guests, and lots of producers who inquired into the film and tv rights for the book, which was very cool. Also best-selling author and my personal diet guru (she's Oprah's and Ellen DeGenerous's too...) Kathy Freston came, and Sex In the City producer Darren Starr.

The next morning I hopped on a plane back home to New York and my beautiful family. As fun as my overnight in L.A. was, I was happy to get back to my children and husband and spend some time relaxing before the madness starts again tomorrow.

Book Party

My book officially came out on Tuesday!!!

The following night I celebrated Gilding Lily's book launch at the Tahari store on West Broadway. I had my hair and makeup done at the John Barrett salon in Bergdorf Goodman (because I'm useless with a curling iron and wouldn't dream of trying to attach my own fake lashes) and then headed downtown to the party with my sister who had the good forethought to apply extra powder on her face (I didn't and ended up looking like a grease monkey in all the pictures).

Oh welll...at Tahari I saw my lovely editor, Lucia Macro, publicist, Aurora Hughes, and publisher, Liate Stehlik, and of course my wonderful husband, and then started saying hello to all of my friends and hosts, including the gorgeous Emmy Rossum (seriously, the most beautiful woman on the planet) and the world's first super-socialite Tinsley Mortimer, Christie's auctioneer Lydia Fenet, Gilt Groupe's Christian Leone, actress Annie Churchill, AOL exec Tatiana Platt, art consultant Blair Voltz Clarke, New York Times editor Trip Gabriel, former Fox News anchor Laurie Dhue, Bergdorf buyer Elizabeth Hui, publicist Carol Bell and many, many more. I'm still in shock Tom Florio, publisher of Vogue, came, or Anne Dexter-Jones (Sam Ronson's mom) and that the event was as fun as it was.

Sex, Sense and Sensibility

Last week I went on Candace Bushnell's Sirius radio show to promote GILDING LILY. She told me that I didn't seem quite like myself and I divulged that I was more than a little nervous about the book launch. Her advice: Don't expect it to change your life, and try to enjoy it. When someone like Candace says that, it means something. So I listened.

She also praised my sex scenes (OMG!) and divulged that they are the last part of her books that she writes and that she doesn't particularly enjoy doing them. (I do! shhhh!)