A week ago today, debut author Diana Peterfreund and I were trolling the streets of Soho, looking for body jewelry shops (you’ll have to read my books to fully understand why!), great restaurants, and chatting about our new books–the good, the bad, and the exciting about being new authors.

Highlights of the trip included:

• Seeing Diana’s new book in her hands–which will be released July 18
• Eating at a fabulous upscale diner called Schiller’s, recommended by Diana’s editor
• Learning how to pronounce the drink “cocotini” (it’s co-co-tini, as in a coconut martini…not cock-a-tini)
• Learning that drinking three cocotinis doesn’t leave one with a hangover, even if they’ve been preceded by three glasses of Pinot Grigio
• Having lunch with my editor, and dinner with my agent, and having my career and my books being the sole topics of conversation at both meals
• Having drinks in the Library Bar at the hotel we stayed at, and being joined by an old friend of mine from college (he’s a cryptologist who does stuff for the US government that he won’t tell me about)

Lowlights of the trip:

• Seeing Tarzan on Broadway (the only good part was Terk, who is a guy in this version, and Tarzan, and the fact that they showed off very nice bare chests during the whole production) (I’m a chest gal)
• Drizzle and rain and 50-degree weather on the second day, and nearly not making it to the theater in time for the show because of traffic
• My flight back from NYC being delayed for two hours, due to said weather problems

Weirdness of the trip:

• Being in a hotel right next to the Scientology building. It kind of creeped me out. I kept expecting to see Tom Cruise or John Travolta lurking about, looking for recruits they could snatch off the street and drag into their lair….