Glenn Plaskin's Reflections

G R A T I T U D E: The Prayer Of The Enlightened

2010-06-09T23:53:00.073-04:00

A few days ago, at an all-day media coaching conference at Hachette Book Group USA, a group of four authors with upcoming books--myself included--had the rare opportunity of being coached for our upcoming radio and T.V. appearances.

Leading the way were brilliant media experts Joel and Heidi Roberts, Joel a veteran talk radio host-turned-corporate media coach, and his business partner and perspicacious wife Heidi, a longtime TV producer, both indispensable in their astute observations of the day. They were also joined by well-known TV producer, publicist, and media coach, Tom Martin.

And as the long 8-hour day unfolded, with each of us receiving critiques of our presentations and being drilled over and over again to hone our message concisely for a national audience--I found myself filled with the one thing that often eludes me--Gratitude.

Why was this the case? Well, there I was surrounded by my Hachette family--the group of people I've grown to know so well, each of them expertly helping to launch my book, KATIE UP AND DOWN THE HALL, including the great publicity director Shanon Stowe, Internet geniuses Kelly Leonard, Valerie Russo, and Anna Balasi, Hachette's marketing guru, Martha Otis, not to mention Editorial Director, Harry Helm, my brilliant editor and book's greatest champion.

Everyone this day was drawing together, supporting one common mission, making each of our book launches successful.

In the end, this wasn't just about ego or making money. It was about pulling together as a TEAM. And when I left the day beyind--I carried with me something just as valuable as the lessons of the media training--i.e., a profound feeling of thankfulness.

In an article I wrote about gratitude for Family Circle, I remember one wise interview subject telling me that the glass isn't just half-full; it's always full. Opportunity doesn't knock just once, it's always knocking.

Yet, racing through a daily marathon of household chores, obligations at work, and

short-term goals, how many of us take our good fortune for granted, focused solely on what we don’t have?

Perhaps money, time or love may seem to be in short supply. Maybe we don’t have the body we’d like, or the right car or house. Even worse, a crisis of some kind may be intruding upon us. So narrowly fixed on these perceived lacks and problems are we that our days are saturated with panic, irritation, worry, and a sense of deprivation: the tendency to compare and despair steadily depleting us at every turn.

This thankless attitude--or ‘stinkin’ thinkin’, a phrase humorously coined by 12-step recovery groups--can lead to chronic backaches, ulcers, headaches, depression, and multiple addictions, say medical experts who chart the connection between body and mind.

Today, many health-care specialists, therapists, and spiritual counselors believe that the solution to such a commonplace dilemma is a simple, yet profound one: putting gratitude into your attitude--”waking up” from an ungrateful mind, and allowing ourselves to appreciate the so-called ‘little things’ in life, that aren’t little at all.

How often do we disregard a bright moon, the taste of an apple, a child’s laughter, or the welcome wag of our dog’s tail? In a perpetual rush, we may ignore the smell of freshly-mown grass, a friend’s concern, the feel of sand in our toes, or the miracles of technology--not to mention how well our arms and legs work, and how terrific it is to breathe and experience our senses.

What, then, is true gratitude? And how can we cultivate it? I just start by counting my blessings--and find that I have a very very long list. So will you!

THE TWO ELIZABETHS

2010-06-03T08:50:00.028-04:00

Famed columnist LIZ SMITH devotes her entire column today to mega-star ELIZABETH TAYLOR, discussing FURIOUS LOVE, a provocative new book that traces the tumultuous, passionate, unpredictable, and unforgettable relationship between Taylor and Richard Burton, whom she famously married twice.

There's no journalist alive who has had better access to Taylor--and countless other stars--than Liz Smith. She knows everybody and has one advantage over anyone else in the celebrity pool--stars trust her.

She knows her subjects from the inside out--and in this case, she traveled with Taylor and Burton extensively, covering them numerous times in magazines and newspapers.

I'm always amazed by the authoritative perspective Liz offers on any of her subjects--blending humor, wit, and compassion, though never sparing an objective, critical eye as well. In just a few words, she captures the essence of what we want to know. As she writes today:

Richard was an alcoholic. Elizabeth was an alcoholic (if, at first, to a lesser degree and not as obviously disabled by drink). Richard wanted to be famous, just not as famous as his association with Elizabeth had made him. Who knew what that first hot tryst during the filming of "Cleopatra" would spawn? In time he felt trapped, suffocated and embarrassed. World attention did not salve his insecurities or the realities of his upbringing – he grew up a poor boy in Wales.

Elizabeth? Fame was all she’d known. True, the intensity of it had grown exponentially as she matured from child star to princess-y ingénue to powerful leading lady, grieving widow and then, finally, a woman for whom a new shade of scarlet had to be invented.

But it was all the same to her; the fuss, the crowds, the intrusions. She barely noticed. It was the perks that fame brought her that she truly adored. And as much as she loved Richard, she could never really understand where he came from. Her life had always been one of privilege and pampering. There had been trauma – her father’s beatings, her mother living through her, vicariously – but no struggle to success. She would admit to me once, when I interviewed her in London in 1973: "Richard worries more about money than I do. He was raised in extreme poverty, while I grew up luxuriously."

I have had the pleasure of interviewing Elizabeth Taylor five times over a period of 23 years, most memorably about Taylor's unforgettable crusade to fight AIDS and raise public awareness about the deadly disease (which killed an astounding 2 million people a year ago.) The cover, pictured here, was one of our favorites interviews together, but the one I'll never forget first appeared in my column at the Daily News and later in my book: Turning Point: Pivotal Moments In The Lives Of America's Celebrities.

As always, Taylor was feisty and furious over people's homophobia and ignorance about how AIDS is transmitted.

Here's what she had to say, remembering her dear friend Rock Hudson's tragic demise from AIDS: "I've never seen a more painful, cruel, degrading death," she told me, close to tears. "When I saw Rock the day before he died, he didn't know me--he had no idea where he was. So lonely. The brain, mercifully, seems to totally disintegrate."
And there was little peace for Taylor after that: "I'm goddamned sick and tired of people blaming gay men for AIDS. It was an accident that the disease was picked up by gay men. It could just as easily have been spread by some horny rich babe from Miami!"

"Aids," Elizabeth shouted, violet eyes flashing, "is not a sin, it's a disease--and the insanity of homophobia has go to stop. I'm wiped out every time I hear about people who still think you can get the AIDS visus through the air--through sweat glands or tears. The government has cold scientific knowledge, but I don't think it's heard about AIDS from an emotional heterosexual woman like me. I'm not an endangered species--although I've had blood transfusions, so maybe I am. We're all potential victims, for Christ's sake."

That day, Taylor left me with this message: "What ever happened to compassion? And to caring?> How dare so-called religious people say it was God's idea, His wrath to kill the homosexuals. We're all God's children."

Indeed. And here's the photo taken the day of our interview, one I'll always treasure. I'm sending my love today to both Liz's--my dear friend, Liz Smith, who is kindly hosting my KATIE UP AND DOWN THE HALL book signing this fall at Barnes & Noble--and to her dear friend, a true survivor and a woman of incredible substance, Elizabeth Taylor.

Lucy Makes Her Photo Shoot Debut

2010-05-22T20:53:00.001-04:00

Today, thanks to the kindness of the great photographers Sheila Williams and Brandon Williams, my new puppy, Lucy, made her Twitter and Facebook and Katiebook.com debut. She’s only 11 weeks old, but already poised and ready for the camera. See what you think…and next week, read my longer blog on the incredibly talented Williams team.

An Unbeatable Technique For Losing Weight: Get A Puppy!

2010-05-19T10:55:00.003-04:00

Although the adventure with my new puppy started ten days ago, today is the first time I've written about Lucy, named after one of my all-time favorites, Lucille Ball.

Why has it taken me so long? Because I was so overwhelmed, and at times panicked, by Lucy's homecoming and the challenges of taking care of a 10-week-old cocker spaniel puppy--that I admit to seriously contemplating returning her! (Whew, but I didn't.)

For me, the transition really shook up my world. I guess it's because I haven't had a dog for eight years, not since Katie--the star of my upcoming book, KATIE UP AND DOWN THE HALL. So I was out of shape, but no longer. The dining room has been completely given over to her large play pen and kennel and the house is littered with every kind of chewy and plush toy you can imagine.

After just a few days, Lucy's puppiness--her contagious energy, those big brown eyes, her astute intelligence, and that puppy smell--completely won me over. She is the most outgoing, confident dog I've known, completely comfortable with anyone. You can hang her upside down and she's happy, extroverted and ready to play with adults, kids, and most importantly, other dogs.

The other night there she was, weighing in at six pounds, wrestling assertively with a 92-pound bushy-haired giant (I don't even know the breed) who loves puppies. Eating them? I wasn't sure. But Lucy didn't have a care in the world. She grabbed onto his bushy tail and went for a ride--never letting go until she was left with a mouthful of fur. Then she put her entire head into his mouth before biting his ear and chasing him around the lobby of our apartment building.

She also has a Wheaten terrier friend named Norma and a Dachshund named Stanley, both regular play dates.

She also loves kids, and over the weekend, she met a little boy in Greenwich Village, pictured below, his smile telling you the entire story about the joy that a puppy can give, to anybody, anywhere, at anytime.

Lucy is making her debut on May 26th at Book Expo America, where I'll be signing autographs for KATIE UP AND DOWN THE HALL.

I hope you'll drop by at 1 pm to say hello. You can ignore me--but you'll never get away from the Hachette Book Group USA'S booth without getting a lick from Lucy.

And for the first 100 people who come by, there will be special dark chocolate treats shaped into dog bones--bad for dogs, good for people. See you there!

The Jolt Of That First Book Review

2010-05-12T11:48:00.003-04:00

After an author finishes a manuscript, there's always an interminable lag time between the last edit, creating an advertising, marketing, and publicity campaign, and, at long last, seeing the book actually hit the stores and on-line sites. It's a drawn out process not much different than shooting a movie, then waiting for it to hit the theaters.

In advance of my upcoming book, KATIE UP AND DOWN THE HALL being published September 14th, one of the most important elements to it being noticed by booksellers is the advance review seen in PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents.

Published continuously for the past 138 years, the main emphasis here is on book reviews. And yesterday, out of the blue, unexpectedly, I received from the publisher this all-important review--placed as the lead non-fiction item in the current issue of the magazine.

You can imagine how an author feels opening to a review, wondering what the reception will be from an impartial observer. You never really know. Did I strike the right tone? Was the story compelling to anyone--but my Mom?!

Well, here's what I read, I'm grateful for it, and wanted to share it with you.

Katie Up and Down the Hall: The True Story of How One Dog Turned Five Neighbors into a Family
Glenn Plaskin, Hachette/Center Street, $19.99 (272p) ISBN 978-1-599-95254-3
Plaskin (Horowitz), journalist and lower Manhattan resident, shares the delightful story of how his precocious cocker spaniel, Katie, brought him closer to his neighbors and turned an apartment building of strangers into an urban family. Katie charms everyone she comes in contact with: elderly Pearl and Arthur, dog-phobic Ramon, resident macaw Mojo, and Ryan, a motherless two-year old whom Katie befriends, breaking her "no kids" rule. Katie rubs elbows with the rich and famous--Alan King, Leona Helmsley, Peter Jennings, Katharine Hepburn--as she accompanies the author, a former journalist with CNN, on his interviews. She commandeers the television remote control, steals spaghetti, receives a Christmas gift from Ivana Trump, stars as Toto in a play production of The Wizard of Oz, and is the subject of a Page Six item in the New York Post. Aside from her antics and brushes with fame, Katie proves to be a source of comfort after September 11 and when a member of their makeshift family dies. Plaskin’s engaging narration and Katie’s ability to make community will endear this book to readers. (Sept.)

The Huffington Post And Big Book Publicity

2010-05-05T16:41:00.011-04:00

Today, on a visit to the Huffington Post, I was startled when I saw an article about big book publicity claiming I was doing the right things vis a vis my book. I always feel that I'm not doing enough, or not doing it right, so it felt especially good to see this.
Fate, of course, always takes its hand no matter what we humans do. So as I've learned, Take the action, and let the results go.

Every author should be like Glenn Plaskin. Over a year before his book Katie: Up and Down The Hall would hit stores, Plaskin created an award-worthy book trailer, started working his celebrity contacts for endorsements, and hired a freelance book publicist. More than six months before his book would see the light of day, he started blogging almost every day, created a fan page for his book on Facebook, and debuted his active Twitter stream. And today, with his pub date still far on the horizon, he's taking meetings with major corporations to explore sponsorship opportunities.

Plaskin is a client of Goldberg McDuffie Communications, so we're especially aware of his work. But authors are coming to our freelance book publicity firm ever earlier in the publishing process, recognizing that now more than ever they need expert guidance on building their brand and positioning their book in the best possible light. While the rest of the publishing world is wrestling with difficult decisions like eReader formats and rights issues, we feel we're working in a bright spot. Authors will always need public relations and marketing specialists to help connect them to their audiences. It's just that the way we achieve this is changing rapidly.

Even just a decade ago, a full-page review in the New York Times would have been enough to catapult a book onto the bestseller list and keep it there. While still important, few traditional media outlets can achieve that sort of bounce for a book today as consumers change who they trust as tastemakers--it might be a "mommy blogger" instead of Ladies Home Journal. Communication is no longer a three-person process with the media playing the role of middleman. Because of this, a mix of coverage through mainstream general media, targeted niche media, online outlets, and the work of the author connecting with consumers one-on-one is necessary to give a book a life of its own and the sales numbers it deserves.

The work publicists and marketers do--whether in-house at a publisher or at an agency like ours--is increasingly important as the number of media outlets multiplies online, and new social networking sites and tools debut on a regular basis. Should one Tweet? Get on Ning? Start a blog? A big part of our role is to help authors assess the vast array of options before them, think strategically about what will get their book the most attention, and prioritize this work so that their efforts (and time) are not wasted.

We have also found it critical to become involved with an author and their work as early in the publishing process as possible. What good is advising someone to start a blog if their first post hits the day the book is on-sale? The point of reaching out to your "tribe" isn't just to sell books, though that will hopefully be a side effect. It's to begin an authentic conversation with people interested in your topic and your thinking. This can help sell books to consumers, and if done right, can help sell one's book to a publisher in the first place.

The publishing world is evolving in myriad ways, as anyone following industry news the last few months well knows. With imprints, editors, and publishing missions changing, authors like the idea of having some constants in their lives. By working with authors over the course of their careers, with the ebb and flow of creativity and publication schedules, we're able to give them perspective, advice, and insight. We're excited about the future of publishing and the many new ways of bringing writers and readers together. And we're looking forward to working with our colleagues in the industry to achieve this together.

KAPOW! Singer Marilyn Maye Knocks One Out Of The Park At Symphony Space

2010-05-04T00:58:00.020-04:00

Yesterday afternoon, at the acoustically-perfect Symphony Space, legendary cabaret singer MARILYN MAYE delivered a 90-minute tour de force, a masterful set of classic songs performed effortlessly, no less at age 82!

But you'd never know it. This woman moves with the grace of a dancer, kicking up her legs, belting out song after song, her voice a buttery blend of perfectly delivered purrs, taunts and teases, shading her delivery with a maturity and level of musicianship you'll rarely hear anywhere. Ella Fitzgerald once dubbed her "the great white female singer in the world,"and it's got to be true.

Indeed, she can belt out a song with the best of them and she does it all with the physical stamina and vocal mastery of someone decades younger. You simply can't believe this woman.

For example, her virtuoso rendition of "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe," chugged down the tracks, leaving steam behind and bringing the audience to its feet. And I can't even begin to describe her extraordinary peformance of "One for My Baby (and One More for the Road), haunting and brave in holding back the darkness.

With seemingly inexhaustible stamina, supported by her fantastic trio, she "swings hard" as the New York Times noted in a review of her act at Feinstein's earlier this year.

Outfitted in a sequined jacket, black pants with silver beads down the sides, and glittery silver shoes, she was a picture of grace and glamour as she offered a program including a tribute to the songs of Johnny Mercer, Steve Allen, Cole Porter, and more. For all this, I must thank my friend Mario Buatta, a great Marilyn Maye fan and friend, for inviting me as his guest to this afternoon delight.

For those who don't know, Marilyn was born in Wichita, Kansas and began her career as a child competing in amateur contest in Topeka, where her father owned a drugstore. By 15, she had her own own radio show; and it wasn't long before she came to the attention of Steve Allen, who invited her to appear on his show. Her RCA record contract soon followed, the younger singer delivering seven albums and 34 singles. She appeared on the Tonight Show a record 76 times. Nowadays, she receives award and award, "and I hope all these lifetime achievement awards aren't trying to tell me something," she jokes yesterday, "because I'm not done, not even close."

You said it.

A Most Relaxing Conversation At The End Of The Day, With A Perfect Neighbor

2010-05-02T15:31:00.007-04:00

Last evening, the balmiest, most perfect spring night imaginable, after a long day of working, and then a social engagement with friends, I came home to Battery Park City with my 'battery' completely drained.

There wasn't much energy left in me, not really. And as I got out of the taxi and entered the cherry blossomed-perfection of our waterside community, I felt relieved, as I often do, just by being back in my own neighborhood.

Unlike most of Manhattan, there was no traffic noise, nothing except the rippling sound of the water and people chatting while walking around at a much more relaxed pace than most of city life in this crazily busy metropolis.

As I strolled home, I just happen to run into a great neighbor friend of mine, a fellow dog lover, BEN, as above in the photo, who was walking his two dogs, Miko and Sammy.

What happened next was an example of a truly great neighborhood phenomena. Ben and I hung out on the street for at least a half hour, talking about anything and everything--including the antics of his two dogs, diet and exercise, my upcoming high school reunion, the process of aging, the secrets of centenarians, the benefits of getting two dogs instead of one, my new dog coming next week, how to handle stress with competitive colleagues and unruly friends, dating---you name it.

In short, as we often do when we accidentally meet in the morning--me on my bike and Ben walking his dogs--we chatted and laughed about life in general. I can't tell you how refreshing it was to have this spontaneous conversation--THAT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH WORK--or ambition.

It was just a normal, fun, casual talk and I left Ben feeling energized rather than drained. There was no tension. It was a "clean" transaction, devoid of any negative emotions--enervating feelings that are so destructive. Ben is a fantastic guy with a happy optimistic personality, a calm temperament, someone you WANT to be with, someone who is not in emotional pain.

In short, he is the perfect neighbor. He's also a contempoary, around my age, so we understand the process of how we feel and why. Because we're both settled in certain aspects of our life--it's actually healing to be with him.

Once, months earlier, when I told him that I was stressed--and that my back hurt--he was kind enough to give me a great book about YOGA. This was typical of his kind nature--being giving, open, friendly, not intrusive, and generous-hearted.

Now THERE's somebody you want to meet and spend time with.

Thanks Ben for a great gift, and the perfect end to the night.

A New Side Of Joan Rivers Revealed At The Tribeca Film Festival

2010-04-30T11:30:00.014-04:00

If you want to know something truly personal and revealing about the Joan Rivers nobody knows, go see the gripping film I saw last night at the Tribeca Film Festival titled Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work.

You can read into that title many things, as Joan--a longtime friend, interview subject (and fellow dog lover)--is wildly irreverent, controversial, hilarious, even offensive to the delicate sensibilities of some--but at the very least, she's the hardest-working woman in show business. Her work ethic is without peer.

The back-breaking schedule detailed in this year-at-a-glance documentary would exhaust anyone half her age, so she's fortunate to have such an astute and warm-hearted support team--including her longtime assistants Graham and Jocelyn, her housekeepers, fantastic agent, Larry Thompson, and a circle of close friends.

Still, wouldn't she like to just relax by the pool? You must be kidding. At almost age 76, she jets across the country, jamming in nightclub appearances, TV shows, book signings, QVC jewelry spots, all of it non-stop though she could afford to retire and "live carefully," she says in the film. Retreating from the stage of life, though, is anathama to her and she wants to beat the record set by George Burns, who was still entertaining crowds well into his 90's.

Compared to that, who wants to golf or play bridge? Joan wants to travel the world, entertaining people, her mission and life purpose being that of an actress "playing a comedienne," for Joan's abilities as an actress, though underestimated by some, are formidable. When she takes the stage, nobody commands it better. And off-stage, chic in her signature jewelry and glittery costumes, she's a youthful wonder--the real secret of it not being plastic surgery, but rather the compulsive energy that feeds her ambition to stay current and active.

In fact, in the film, she admits that her greatest fear is having an empty calendar, joking that when she looks at a blank page of it, she has to wear sunglasses to shield herself from the painful glare.

How ironic that, even with her formidable accomplishments, she's still proving herself, still vulnerable to rejection.

At times, it's painful, in this film, to watch the triumphant winner of CELEBRITY APPRENTICE struggling to pin down nightclub dates, public appearances, and product endorsements, while trying out an autobiographical play that she ultimately did not bring to the Broadway stage.

During tryouts in London, the lackluster reviews were painful to her. But criticism is nothing new to Joan. She's faced rejection at key points in life, most notably in the l980's when she left Johnny Carson to host her own late-night talk show on Fox, a move that resulted in Carson blacklisting her from late-night NBC talk shows. It's their loss.

The movie also captures hilarious vignettes of Joan in live performance--but most of the film is rather serious and emotional, capturing Joan in private moments. On a poignant note, there's one very personal off-stage scene that tells you everything you need to know about the real Joan Rivers. There she is, sitting in the back seat of her limousine with her adorable grandson, Cooper, both on their way to deliver food on Thanksgiving, part of Rivers' work for

God's Love We Deliver, a cause she's championed for years.

In the car, Joan gently takes Cooper's left hand in hers and tells him affectionately: "I love your hands," turning them over in hers. And then the boy rests his head on his grandmother's shoulder as they snuggle, a tender part of Joan I'll never forget.

Her love for that boy, and for her daughter, Melissa, reminds you that beyond showbusiness, here's a woman with a vibrant heart and caring spirit.

Unexpectedly, this small moment in the film brought me to tears. Maybe it was because I was remembering the close bond I felt with my own grandmother, Essie, who like Joan, was unusually modern, a remarkably strong woman who even had her own line of cookies at Bloomingdales! There she is with me in the picture to the right, at one of my book autograph sessions.

Anyway, Cooper is a very lucky boy to have a grandmother like Joan.

The L-Factor: LIKEABILITY--The True Key To Success

2010-04-29T10:56:00.004-04:00

Throughout my life, there are times when I've erred on the side of being too directive and exacting, wanting desperately for something to work out exactly as I imagined it.

This--more often than not--is a mistake, for people don't respond to being pushed or overly controlled. That's for sure. Whereas, the ability to take an action and let the results go is the greatest relief in the world. It not only relieves stress but it also makes you a lot more likeable which is one of the greatest secrets to success.

Whether it's Oprah Winfrey or your favorite neighbor down the block--the thing that makes you want to "tune in" to someone is their overall likeability.

Have you ever noticed that when two people are up for the same job, more often than not, it's the person who is the most LIKEABLE who gets the job? regardless of their particular qualifications. The ability to establish rapport is essential in life, I've discovered, and there are specific ways you can do it.

“Your success and happiness in life is a total by-product of how likeable you happen to be,” exclaims leadership coach Tim Sanders, best-selling author of The Likeability Factor: How To Boost Your L-Factor & Achieve Your Life’s Dreams a how-to guide to making yourself more popular in life.

"Your L-factor permeates virtually all aspects of your life,” he says. Likeable people land better jobs, earn more money, make friends more easily, and have lower divorce rates, lower blood pressure, and better relationships with their children. They also get better service in restaurants and more attention from their doctors!”

So what exactly is this powerful ingredient that promises such a charmed, happy life and how can we get more of it?

Like-ability,” as Sanders defines it, “is what it sounds like--an to produce positive attitudes in others by delivering emotional and physical benefits.” These include comedic relief, empathy, insight, comfort, entertainment, and offering your expertise. “Someone who is likeable gives you a sense of joy, happiness, relaxation, and rejuvenation,” states Sanders. “He or she can bring you relief from depression, anxiety, or boredom.”

Better than Prozac and quicker than therapy, Sanders refers to likeable people as emotional angels---people who sees the world from an optimistic point of view and make you feel better about yourself. They build you UP! I call it the Dr. Feelgood factor. They’re typically positive, good-natured, and agreeable--bringing out the very best in others.

"Good for you!" is their hallmark," he observes "and they never rain on someone else's parade. They listen more than they talk, make direct eye contact, and they're generous with their emotions--more likely to laugh, cry, or confide their vulnerability than the average person."

Likeable people are typically thankful, grateful people with good math skills when it comes to counting their blessings. Their thankfulness results in making room for someone else to feel the same way.

This produces what Sanders calls a “positive feedback loop,” in which the warm feelings you invoke in others are reciprocated and returned to you, creating constant encouragement and an antidote to the strains of daily life.

One key component of likeability is FRIENDLINESS--the ability to be agreeable, neighborly and open, to roll out a red carpet of welcome that communicates your receptivity to someone.

You must convey warmth, comfort and safety in order to be likeable and have people open up to you,” says Sanders. "We’re all like broadcast towers--sending out signals that are decoded by others in order to determine whether we’re a friend or foe. So remember to smile, because it kicks off a chain reaction of smiles in everyone you meet. Studies have proven that smiling faces are perceived as more attractive than non-smiling faces--that a smile is a leading indicator of popularity.

The other key component to likeability is EMPATHY---the ability to recognize, acknowledge, and experience other people’s feelings. “It’s about being a really good listener,” says Sanders, “genuinely interested in someone’s feelings and responsive to them. It makes the other person feel like they’re being hugged psychologically.”

TIPS FOR GETTING PEOPLE TO LIKE YOU!

Everyone,” Sanders believes, is born likeable. The average five-year-old is sympathetic, friendly, and real--possessing natural likeability in spades! But by the time we’re twenty-five and feeling the pressure of producing results in life, we start cutting corners. We get sharp around the edges and become less likeable, the means often justifying the end.”

The secret to reversing this trend, he believes, is consciously boosting our L-factor: “If we’re able to raise it by even just one or two points, life will feel better.” Here’s how to cultivate an easy-going, likeable personality:

(1) Pinpoint your two most likeable traits and use them every day. Is it your smile, sense of humor, generosity, perceptiveness, talent, efficiency?

(2) Go on a strict non-unfriendliness diet. Eliminate unfriendliness from your behavior and adopt a policy of zero tolerance for being unfriendly.

(3)Spot warning signs before you commit unfriendliness: These include feeling angry, having an ache in your head, a pain in the pit of the stomach, or the sensation of blood rushing to your face. Delay anger gratification.

(4)Show friendly signs:
Make eye contact; use your eyebrows (the more animated they are, the more outgoing and friendly you’ll seem); widen your eyes to show emotion; smile--but don’t force it. Cultivate a friendly tone of voice--and don’t match tones with people who are unfriendly, upset, or angry. Remain calm. Speak in a confident tone.

(5)Demonstrate good manners Don’t interrupt people, apologize when you need to, and go out of your way to do favors for others. Don’t be aggressive; be nice.

(6) Make yourself emotionally attractive to people at work and at home Add value by easing their suffering, anxiety, or fear in any way you can.

(7)Avoid the prima donna syndrome: Don’t always be a star. Blend in and become part of the team.

(8)Observe your behavior as if you were someone else totally unattached to your ego. Ask yourself: how do I make other people feel?

(9) Allow people to feel the way they do. Don’t try to fix other people’s feelings. If they’re sad, be sad with them. If they're happy, let their joy be your happiness.

(10) Keep It Real
Believe every word of every song you sing. Be factual and admit your mistakes.

Inner Harmony: A Lesson From The G R E A T Shirley MacLaine

2010-04-27T10:25:00.007-04:00

One of my all-time favorite interview subjects is legendary actress, bestselling author (and fellow dog lover) Shirley MacLaine, a luminously wise soul who brings her intuition and truth to everything she does.

Having done one interview with Shirley, together with Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Collins, and Debby Reynolds, for the TV film"These Old Broads," we spoke again, in a subsequent interview, about the secrets of Inner Harmony, an especially useful topic to anyone who experiences the vagaries of worry, stress, and fear.

Over lunch one spring day in Central Park, Shirley confided that whenever she feels angry, discouraged, or stressed out, she always does exactly the same thing:

"I go into a quiet room, close my eyes, and say, 'Thank you.'"

"Thank you for being stressed out," I joked?

"Yes, that's exactly right. I have learned to say thank you for whatever it is I'm feeling angry or upset about because what I'm feeling is based on something that's unresolved in me," she observes.

"I'm thanking someone for making me clearly look at something and understand what brought up my anger. It turns out that the person or event that caused me to feel upset is really a teacher. When I probe the reasons behind it, the anger disappears. So what we're really talking about is a change in attitude toward everything that happens to you. I find that going inward through meditation is a panacea for healing depression, worry, fear--you name it. Reducing stress is really all about calming the spirit."

It's been proven, also, that having a dog also reduces stress, lowers blood pressure, calms the spirit, and shifts the focus from the self to the unique needs of our canine companion. In return, guaranteed is an endless wellspring of love.

Shirley touched on these spiritual gifts in her book Out On A Leash, all about her relationship with her dog Terry and how effectively her terrier communicates, sensing her feelings in the unique way that dogs always do.

I can tell you that in my upcoming book, Katie Up And Down The Hall, there are countless examples of times when I was sick or depressed or worried or anxious--and no matter what the problem I faced, the mere presence of my dog--and MEDITATION--were both healing balms, better than Prozac, therapy, or a piece of chocolate cake.

Meditation, Shirley says, "requires faith in yourself, faith in your capacity to hear your higher power."

When she finishes her spiritual routine each day, she has attained a state of inner harmony: "I don't ever feel depressed, and I don't ever feel ecstatic. I'm right in the middle--in a calm place. Maybe we have to redefine words likes 'happiness.' It isn't over-the-moon joy, necessarily. It's a humming feeling of real contentment."

In parting, Shirley shared with me her Daily Survival Kit, "necessary objects," she says "that you can keep in your purse or pocket--or in your imagnation--serving as reminders of spiritual principles." Thinking of them this way, as below, reduces stress every single time. Try it!

The Toothpick: is to remind you to pick out the good qualities in others.
The Rubber Band: is to remind you to be flexible; things may not always go the way you want but they always work out.
The Band Aid: is to remind you to heal hurt feelings, yours or someone else’s.
The Pencil: is to remind you to list your blessings every day.
The Eraser: is to remind you that everyone makes mistakes, and it’s okay.
The Glue: is to remind you to stick with it; if you do, you can accomplish anything.
The Mint: is to remind you that you are worth a mint.
The Candy Kiss: is to remind you that everyone needs a kiss or a hug every day, especially children.
The Tea Bag: is to remind you to relax and take some time for yourself; you’ve earned it.

A Puppy On The Move

2010-04-26T09:48:00.008-04:00

   Years ago, when I got my first dog, Katie--the star of my upcoming book Katie Up and Down the Hall--I never actually saw her until she was three months old.

She appeared one day, as I describe in the book, fresh from the farm in New Jersey, and though she seemed rather shy and ungainly at first, almost pitiful in appearance, I loved her immediately and the rest was history.

Here she is, to the right, in her Disneyland Minnie Mouse T-Shirt, at about 2 years old.

But now, in the age of puppy photos and videos transmitted electronically, there's little need for suspense, new images appearing each week on the computer screen or the i phone long before you meet.

So in advance of meeting my new dog, Lucy, her growth has been faithfully documented week to week by Dolores, the wonderful cocker spaniel breeder in upstate New York.

At first, Lucy looked like a furry blonde kualoa bear, easily fitting into the palm of your hand. But seven weeks later, her transformation is astounding.

Take a look for yourself....

Week #1

Week #2

Week #3

Week #4

Week #5

Week #6

Week #7
Week #8

THE PERFECT BAKED POTATO: THE MAGNIFICENT KATHARINE HEPBURN

2010-04-23T12:04:00.009-04:00

People often ask me: 'Who was your all-time favorite interview subject?'

Over a period of thirty years, having met or interviewed hundreds of celebrities--legends including Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn, Meryl Streep, Jacqueline Onassis, Calvin Klein, Nancy Reagan, Oprah Winfrey, Barbara Walters--all of them unforgettable--one radiant personality stands out in my mind as most magnificent--and intimidating!

And that would be the great KATHARINE HEPBURN, who as a child, I first saw in the movie "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner?"

Growing up in Buffalo, New York, I never could have guessed that, decades later, I'd be the one invited to dinner at the Miss Hepburn's East 49th Street Turtle Bay townhouse, discussing, as we did, my biography of the legendary Vladimir Horowitz, which she kindly read, the catalyst for our first meeting.

We instantly clicked and over a period of years, we subsequently did a number of magazine and newspaper interviews, including one titled "I'm Bored With The Great Katharine Hepburn!" for Family Circle; an 80th birthday magazine story about 'Madame' for the Daily News Sunday Magazine; another cover piece for the publication of her autobiography titled ME; and an interview for a TV movie she made with Ryan O'Neal called The Man Upstairs.

Through it all, in making my appointments to see her, I always got the same phone treatment: "Ham and cheese, 12:30," Click!

In one interview she compared herself to a baked potato: "A baked potato is fundamental, basic, nothing fancy, rough in a way." Actually, she was a baked potato upside down, I joked: "Yes, I like standing on my head. I go right up and I'll stay up for the count of four minutes." What's it good for, I inquired?

"My self-respect," case closed!

"Spencer," she added, " was a real baked potato...a great actor. Simpe. Never overdone. Unguarded. He could make you laugh. He could make you cry." So could she.

And although the wonderful Katie is no longer with us, I'm so happy to say that she appears in my upcoming book, Katie Up and Down The Hall, in a fun chapter titled: Prancing With The Stars, all about how my dog, Katie, interacted with some of those I'd interviewed, including Leona Helmsley, Farrah Fawcett, Peter Jennings, Bette Midler, Ivana Trump--and yes, even Miss Hepburn. I won't give away what happened--until September.

However, I would like to tell you my Kate Hepburn "pan story," one that illustrated the strong-minded character of another great figure in my life--the tart heroine of my book, Pearl, the octogenarian down the hall who gave me and my dog a home, a warm harbor, sixteen years of wonderful meals, a sympathetic ear, and a lifetime of companionship that I will never forget.

One day, when I was going over to Miss Hepburn's house for lunch, "Granny," as we nicknamed Pearl, baked up one of her apricot pear tarts. "She'll like this," Pearl confidently surmised, "so give it to her, but remember, bring back my pan. It was my mother's."

At lunch, Miss Hepburn did indeed love the tart, and gobbled it up. I left the lunch, returned home and told Pearl what a hit the tart had been.

"Where's my pan?" she inquired. Uh oh.

"I forgot to get it back," I told her, "but I'll buy you a new one."

"No!" Pearl exclaimed. "I need the pan back."

I called Miss Hepburn on the phone the next day and reminded her of the tart--"Oh yes, fascinating, thank you"--and told her that I needed the pan back for my friend.

"You're calling me for a pan?" her quavery voice challenged.

"Oh, yes, sorry Miss Hepburn. I'm afraid I need it back."

"You can come over right now and I'll GIVE it to you!" And off I went to her house. She practically threw the pan at me--but then invited me in for some freshly home-made borscht.

Pearl got her pan--and all was well.

A few years later, on what turned out to be my last visit with Miss Hepburn, I can never forget what happened as I was leaving her townhouse after lunch, illustrating the chin-in-the-air charm and playfulness of the great Kate. As she walked me outside, ignoring a number of curious onlookers who stole a glimpse at this legendary actress, she looked up at me, seeming to study my face, and then said: "You know, you look better than you used to."

"Miss Hepburn!" I laughed. "Is that a compliment?"

"You can take it any way you want."

And off she went. And that was the last time I ever saw Miss Hepburn.

She eventually moved to her family home in Connecticut, gave fewer interviews, stopped appearing in movies, and, sadly, her health failed. But I will never forget this legend who had meant so much to me--and, of course, her first name had a special significance, as I named Katie after her.

How About A New Holiday called "SISTER'S DAY?!"

2010-04-21T14:18:00.004-04:00

Although I frequently write about my famous interview subjects and celebrity friends, I never mention the one star in my life who shines greater than any other--someone I speak to virtually every day, a person of impeccable values who I trust and can count on no matter what.

She's a best friend, advisor, and confidante all rolled into one. You won't find a better listener, someone who has mastered the art of shining the spotlight on others.

She's my SISTER--Debby, and there ought to be a holiday invented for sisters (and brothers). She's especially on my mind as she's visiting here today in Battery Park City, taking a break from her quieter life in upstate New York.

As a little girl, Debby was so adorable with those huge brown eyes and plump cheeks. I carted her around, showered her with hugs and kisses, and we laughed (and sang) hilariously about anything and everything. Five years younger than me, she was nicknamed 'the baby' by my Mom, the most good-natured, accommodating, easy to get along with person you've ever met. (I was admittedly a bit more difficult as was my older sister Joanne).

Even as a child, Debby had a special talent--caring for others. For example, as a little girl of eight she was already baby-sitting kids in the neighborhood, with a string of toddlers up and down the block vying for her attention.

Our grandfather, whom we nicknamed Papa, adored her and I once found him placidly sitting in a chair while Debby plastered down his hair, putting it into ringlets. Debby was just as close to our grandmother, Nana, and they were soul mates to the end of her long life. Likewise, both my mother and father rely on her greatly and she's the most devoted daughter imaginable.

Through my life, through so many ups and down, she's always been there. And I can say that I now truly understand the expression about blood being thicker than water, because the kind of unconditional love you can experience from a sister or brother, or parent, or grandparent, or family member is unlike any other relationship. Few friends or romantic partners can be that loyal or understanding. And fewer still last a half century.

I can tell you that my dog, Katie, felt the same way about Debby as I do. She'd crawl into her arms and fall soundly asleep, blissfully content. Debby would sometimes dress her up in a red coat and green hat and take her outside in winter; and in the summer, she'd throw Katie's blue ball down our long red-carpeted hallway, and Katie would scoop it up in her mouth and throw it back at Debby, ready for another round.

As I think of both Debby and Katie--I realize that both have been my best and most loyal friends and companions--so on this sunny spring day, maybe you'll think of your brother and sister and pick out a special card or gift that expresses the preciousness of a gift we call family.

IVANA TRUMP AND HER GREAT MOM: AN UNBEATABLE TEAM

2010-04-20T11:12:00.011-04:00

The effervescent high-energy IVANA TRUMP, who makes a guest appearance in my upcoming book, Katie Up and Down the Hall, is known for her sparkling charm, athletic prowess, and bubbly sense of humor. In the chapter of the book titled "Prancing With The Stars," Ivana, a passionate dog lover, befriends my dog Katie and marches her right into a board meeting at the Plaza Hotel!

Super-disciplined and always on the move, Ivana, a former Olympic skier and model, remains timelessly glamorous whether seen racing down a ski slope in Switzerland or hosting a charity benefit at her pristine town house in Manhattan's Upper East Side.

A seasoned businesswoman with her own perfume, cosmetics, and jewelry, Ivana is resilient and strong-minded, a survivor of many of life's ups and downs, some of which she wrote about in her book of a few years ago titled The Best Is Yet To Come: Coping With Divorce And Enjoying Life.

As Ivana told me in a Family Circle interview, one of the secrets to surviving any challenge is the strength and comfort derived from her wide circle of friends, though her best friend of all, she confided, is her mother, Maria Zelnicek, who lives in the Czech Republic.

The distance between them hardly keep them apart: "No matter where I travel," says Ivana, "we spend about nine months together a year. My Mom is very loving and caring. And she's a strong woman. Her priorities are her grandchildren, (Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric) and me. That's what she lives for."

"Ivana is my only child, so she's my jewel," says her Mom. "She's hardworking and gives so much. But sometimes people take advantage of her and that hurts me too. Ivana has a good heart."

And though some may not know it, the jet-setting Ivana has a more introverted, private side as well: "People think I'm out to a party every night. But I'm actually a loner. Sometimes for three or four days, I don't call anyone. I'm just with my mom. I trust my close friends, but there are certain things I discuss only with my mother. She knows everything about my life."

While her divorces have been painful, it was Ivana's mother who provided the greatest solace: "I don't think I could have gotten through it without her.We were always close, but adversity has forced us to help and protect each other. My mother is like an angel looking over me, making sure everything is O.K."

Also a great source of joy is a newer member of the family, Ivana's toy Yorkie Tiger. He's as energetic as Ivana! "He is a love of my life, and all mine, until my Mom arrives!" she laughs. As for my dog, "KATIE reminded me of the many dogs I've had over the years, and how they bring a family and friends and total strangers together in a warm, harmonious way."

Indeed, when Ivana read my KATIE book, her comment on it reflected one of the book's main messages, about the power of friendship and the ability to be open to people, even in a city of nine million.

As she observed: "Whenever anyone says New York is a city of strangers, I strongly disagree. After reading KATIE I know why we're a city which loves our pets. Katie is a great neighbor and the true definition of a New Yorker--intelligent, adventurous, assertive, protective, warm, loving, kind, generous--and a joy to know."

Katie would be very flattered with this compliment, coming from a fellow blonde!

THE HAPPIEST WOMAN IN HOLLYWOOD: The Indomitable Betty White

2010-04-19T07:58:00.162-04:00

How many 88-year-old actresses experience a resounding renaissance in their careers decades after they've mastered the entertainment business from A to Z?

There's only one.

It's the supersonic bubbly-spirited BETTY WHITE, defying all odds with her spectacular run of recent triumphs.

Let's see, there was her brilliantly funny turn as Ryan Reynolds' kooky grandmother in The Proposal, the 2009 film also starring Oscar winner Sandra Bullock; the hilarious Super Bowl Snickers commerical that had her tackled and thrown into the mud, watched by the largest television audience ever; not to mention the Golden Globe Lifetime Achievement award, which she accepted with the grace and wit that have become her trademark. Bullock joked that she finds White annoying, to which White shot back: "Isn't it heartening to see how far a girl as plain as she can go?"

And now, with a new fan base following her every move, Betty, a longtime Californian, is heading east to host Saturday Night live on May 8th, after being the subject of a super-charged Facebook campaign to get her the gig. In short, she's hotter than ever.

In between all this, as a passionate animal advocate and dog lover, Betty actively champions the fantastic Morris Animal Foundation, acting as its President Ermeritus, while also tending to her beloved five-year-old Golden Retriever Pontiac, who has an active career himself as a Guide Dog.

Where is Betty finding the energy for all this? I can tell you that the former Golden Girl and Mary Tyler Moore alumnus is startlingly youthful in appearance, her demeanor and energy disarming. "I have lots more things to do!" she booms happily, posing on the red carpet for photographers.

What's her secret? In a classic Family Circle magazine interview with me, she shared it: "My animals definitely help keep me young," she says. "I just don't have time to get older! Between the show business side of my life and the animal side, there isn't a lot of time for sitting around and atrophying. Pontiac is set for 6:00 A.M. "Hey, Mom," he says, "It's another day, let's go!"

"It's been scientifically proven that having pets--stroking a dog, for instance, lower your blood pressure and reduces your stress level. I find animals fascinating, and I didn't know how I would exist without them. When I feel stressed, I put my dog in the car and drive up to my house in Carmel and sit and look at the ocean for three days--and my priorities fall into place again.

"Also, I'm blessed with good health, and that's the bottom line. I don't think I felt this good at 25! It's embarrassing, but I'm deeply grateful. My mother, Tess, passed away at 88 , my dad, Horace at age 64, and the secret of their longevity was their sense of humor and genuine love for one another. So the energy I feel is genetic--it's not false energy.

"Plastic surgery? I'm just chicken and have a very low pain threshold. It's not for me. I've seen so many women with their skin pulled tight over the skull, and they all look alike. If you suddenly look gorgeous, you've lost an essence that was you before. You've worked a long time to get all those lines!

"My mother taught me at her knee that age is so unimportant. I get so furious with people who say, "My God, I'm 30...soon I'm going to be 40! They waste a whole decade. We're so age-conscious in this country, it's ridiculous! Life isn't over at 22. There are many rewards to aging. You get automatic respect. You don't have the same physiological demands on you that younger women have, such as menstruation and pregnancy. Granted, in the entertainment business, people say it's harder to get a job as you get older, but if you hang in there and roll with the punches and don't mind playing grandmothers, you get work. For me, remaining busy is the key to staying young.

"But physically, you do see the horizon of your limitations. And a lot of people might say you're approaching death. But that doesn't bother me at all...that's the next adventure. I always loved Mom's idea about death. She called it the "big secret." We're all going to find it out one day. In the meantime, as long as life is this much fun, I'm going to stick around!"

A Great Novelist And A Passionate Dog Lover: BARBARA TAYLOR BRADFORD

2010-04-16T13:21:00.022-04:00

For any writer, one of the most enjoyable parts of creating a book--is FINISHING one! No doubt about that. Then, once the book is done, it's time to hope that people who read the manuscript in advance will actually like it--giving it a literary thumb's up, which is certainly the best feeling in the world.

Anyone who has written a book knows, of course, that completing a book is just the start of the work, as mapping out the marketing and advertising campaign is essential to any book's ultimate success. And one of the necessities of book promotion is procuring advance testimonials from prominent people with the idea that their quotes appear on the back of the book, enticing readers to take a second look and buy it.

With this goal in mind, for the last two months, I've been collecting such quotes and have been very lucky that celebrities I've interviewed in the past have kindly offered to read KATIE UP AND DOWN THE HALL and provide their viewpoint on it.

One of my all-time favorite interview subjects is the great novelist BARBARA TAYLOR BRADFORD, the master storyteller who knows a good plot when she creates one, a true woman of substance.

Her latest novel, BREAKING THE RULES, is breaking bestseller records, as her novels always do, and it features a mysterious new heroine, along with some of the familiar faces from the dramatic Harte series. But never one to rest on her laurels, Barbara is also hard at work on PLAYING THE GAME, a novel to be published in October of this year.

A few weeks ago, after many years of not seeing her, I ran into Barbara at a sparkling reception in her honor hosted by LIZ SMITH, a party at Michael's that was a benefit for Liz's great charity, Literacy Partners, of which Barbara and her husband, film producer Bob Bradford, are both champions and generous contributors. That night, I asked Barbara if she would read my new book and offer a quote. And since she's on deadline for the new novel before departing for a summer trip to Europe, I would have completely understood if she didn't have the time to do it.

So you can imagine my pleasure about two weeks later when I came home from dinner and heard this message on my machine: "Hello Glenn, it's Barbara Taylor Bradford! I just wanted to tell you how much I really loved your book Katie. It was very touching--and I couldn't put it down. I'd be very happy to give you a quote. Please call me."

Subsequent to this, we had a long talk about our mutual love of dogs, and the recent sad loss of one of Barbara's beloved Bijon Frises's. We shared the depth of sadness that happens when one of our "children" leaves us. It's a very empty feeling that only a fellow dog lover completely understand.

After finishing talking to Barbara, inspired by what she said, I went back to the interview we did for my book, Turning Point: Pivotal Moments In The Lives Of America's Celebrities, and it was fascinating to see that the seeds of greatness in Barbara were planted so early.

As she told me: "I sold my first story about Sally and her little pony at age eleven to a magazine for seven-pounds-six. And my destiny was sealed," she laughed.

She brazenly quite high school at sixteen, bought a trench coat, and joined the typing pool at the Yorkshire Evening Post. Over the years she wrote for magazines and newspapers, dreaming of one day fulfilling her childhood dream of becoming a novelist. Finally, in l976, she hatched the idea about a woman of substance. Within a few hours she had the whole sixty-four year history of Emma Harte's story in her head. "The whole world loves a survivor, someone who uses adversity to make herself stronger. I put emotion on paper well."
   Did she ever. A WOMAN OF SUBSTANCE was an overnight bestseller, spawning Harte sequels and TV miniseries for each successive book.

"I tell a good story," she merrily shrugs.

Indeed she does.

And I can't thank Barbara enough for what she generously wrote about my story: "I picked up this book to glance through it and suddenly found myself unable to put it down. This warm, touching, tender and loving memoir is probably the best book I've ever read about a dog. Glenn pulls you into this moving story instantly. Even people who are not crazy about dogs will love this tale."

New York Legend, Global Phenomena: The Unbeatable Donald Trump

2010-04-15T10:42:00.012-04:00

   Mega Achiever DONALD TRUMP, who I've known for twenty years, doesn't need much sleep--and he doesn't get much, overseeing a multi-billion dollar empire that includes vast real estate holdings, his NBC hit reality series, The Apprentice, and countless other business ventures--including the Miss Universe Organization, Trump University,Trump Entertainment Resorts, even menswear and bottled water!--all if it keeping him busy from dusk to dawn.

The most meticulously organized person I've ever known, Trump also, more privately, devotes himself to his family--to his exquisitely beautiful (and very nice) wife, Melania (debuting later this month on QVC with a costume jewelry line), their four-year-old son, Barron, and of course to his older children, Donald, Jr., Ivanka, Eric, and Tiffany.

One of the amazing things about the multi-tasking Donald, I discovered when I first met him, is that his mind misses nothing, and that he's eerily calm as he goes about his day, accomplishing more in a 24-hour period than most people could manage in a month.

I first met Donald during my Daily News years, for a cover story titled "Man Of A Thousand Deals." As I write in my upcoming book, Katie Up and Down The Hall: Tall, and intimidating at first, he turned warm and witty once relaxed behind his desk at Trump Tower for what turned out to be a series of long talk, first to the News, then a multisession marathon interview for Playboy. This Playboy interview drew headlines due to his comments on Leona Helmsley and feelings about women and marriage.

Trump also expressed his very human, more reflective side when expressing grief for the death of his executives in 1989 helicopter crash: "I lost not only brilliant, key players in my company but true friends--and I couldn't believe it. At first, I was shocked, called their wives, just kept functioning...My own sense of optimism and life was greatly diminished. I never realized how deaths outside the family could have such a profound effect on me."

Donald, one of the most resilient figures in American culture, has, of course, also survived the ups and down of the economy and his own fluctuating fortunes, now at their zenith, though he always bounced back bigger and better, unbeatable, and most importantly, an example of what can happen with discipline, imagination, and a vision that knows no limits.

He's also tough: As he told me: "I study people and in every negotiation, I weigh how tough I should appear. I can be a killer and a nice guy. You have to be everything. You have to be strong. You have to be sweet. You have to be ruthless. And I don't think any of it can be learned. Either you have it or you don't."

The answer is clear.

The Indomitable Mary Higgins Clark Does It Again

2010-04-14T10:46:00.014-04:00

Last night at celebrity hot spot Elaine's, in came the Queen of Suspense, the great MARY HIGGINS CLARK, looking radiant in a fur-trimmed evening wrap at the publication party for her latest thriller, a fantastic book titled The Shadow Of Your Smile. It's all about a deceased nun who's a candidate for sainthood and 31-year-old Manhattan pediatrician who becomes the target of those who don't want her to inherit a fortune, the taut story featuring many of Mary's trademark twists and turns.

As always, it's a guaranteed hit that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The indomitable Mary is like a boxer who never loses a match, for each of her 42 books have become instant bestsellers, with more than 80 million copies sold in the United States alone. Paid $64 million for a four-book contract in 2000, she's hardly resting on her laurels, continuing to be just as productive and hard-working as ever.

It must run in the family because also appearing last night was another incredible mystery writer, Mary's daughter, Carol Higgins Clark, with a great new book of her own debuting yesterday titled Wrecked (A Reagan Reilly Mystery) that will also hit the bestseller list, as her books always do, the apple definitely not falling far from the tree.

Yesterday morning, Mary's assistant, Nadine, kindly wrote me a note, inviting me to the party. And chatting with Mary about her technique for creating those intricate plot lines and colorful characters, I was struck by her youthfulness and bright outlook, her buoyant energy filling the room.

Seeing her again reminded me of our first interview a number of years ago, which appeared in my book, Turning Point: Pivotal Moments In The Lives Of America's Celebrities. In it, she describes her incredible rise to fame as a 26-year-old New Jersey housewife of modest means, busily tending to her home and five kids with the dream of one day becoming a successful writer.

"Honey," her husband Warren remarked, watching her bent over the Formica kitchen table, "think of it just as a hobby." She agreed until l964 when Warren, who smoked three packs a day, suffered a third heart attack and died.

Then, at just age 36, with five children to raise, she was left with a $13,000 mortgage and a few small insurance policies. "I had to work. I began writing radio scripts, twenty dollars a script."

Then one day, looking over at her bookcase at the mysteries she loved reading, she had hunch that she would write what she loved to read. The result: the l975 bestseller Where Are the Children? a terrifying tale of a childnapper.

"I knew that anytime a child is missing, the whole world cares." It sure did, and the rest was history.

Saying good-bye last night, Mary was kind enough to tell me that she was in the midst of reading my upcoming book, Katie Up And Down The Hall, not a mystery, for sure, but a story that will hopefully touch her heart. I was so flattered as I headed home to get under the covers to read HER book, which kept me up until 2 a.m.

The Mystery Of The Phone: You Never Know Who's Calling (if you don't look at caller ID)

2010-04-13T09:50:00.001-04:00

A few nights ago, at 9 p.m., the phone rang and, when I absently picked it up, there, to my utter surprise and delight, was the unmistakable voice of the great MARLO THOMAS, my frequent interview subject and friend, still known to millions as THAT GIRL, the spunky, upbeat, always-independent heroine who won the heart of a nation.

Unforgettable in that role and many others since, Marlo is also a philanthropic powerhouse, working tirelessly for her father's great charity, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, the top children's cancer center in the nation. As the National Outreach Director for St. Jude, Marlo also hosts A Place Of Hope, an hour-long television special that documents the lifesaving work of St. Jude, which provides free medical services to desperately ill children while also devoting itself to research and new treatments.
   Marlo was kindly calling up to congratulate me on the upcoming publication of my new book, Katie Up and Down The Hall--while also mentioning her upcoming book, also being published in September, titled Growing Up Laughing, (Hyperion), a brilliant memoir about her childhood and the star entertainer friends of her father, comedian Danny Thomas. It will feature childhood memories from Jerry Seinfeld, Jon Stewart and other contemporary comedians and it will be a must read.

Marlo, a great comedienne, says her own experiences made her want to learn how the seeds of humor got planted for other entertainers as well.

And speaking of great entertainers, I thought back to one of our classic interviews together that appeared in my book Turning Point: Pivotal Moments In the Lives Of America's Celebrities which centered around her loving and supportive Dad, the legendary Danny Thomas.
   In the book, she reminisced about the time she was an eighteen-year-old fledgling actress appearing in a production of Gigi when some audacious interviewer asked her if she'd ever be as good as her Dad.
   "That was stupid and insensitive and I felt terribly upset by it," she told me. "Daddy said, 'Don't let them do that to you. I raised you to be a thoroughbred--and thoroughbreds run their own races...they just put on their blinders and run!'
   "Long ago," she said, "on that opening night of Gigi, Daddy sent me a box with old horse blinders in it. His note said: "RUN YOUR OWN RACE, BABY!"
     And so she has, and brilliantly so. Toward the end of our recent phone talk, I invited Marlo and her husband, the great PHIL DONAHUE (who I had the pleasure of once interviewing for a Family Circle profile), to come to the KATIE launch party in September, to be hosted by Joan Rivers and Mario Buatta, a benefit for Guide Dogs For The Blind.
   Marlo said she'd love to come--and I can't wait to see her and Phil, two icons in American television, both indelible in our collective memories, and most personally, in mine.

Flash Back: The Most Magical Introduction Ever: How I Met The Great CALVIN KLEIN

2010-04-12T10:58:00.020-04:00

   Picture This: A 31-year-old writer with one book under his wing gets a letter from the former First Lady of the United States, admiring his biography of Vladimir Horowitz and inviting him to meet with her to discuss his next book project. After a few phone conversations, together, they decide to invite the king of American fashion to lunch to discuss the possibility of working with him on his autobiography.

Fact or fiction? I'm happy to report that I made the lunch reservation! And I'm thinking of it just today for reasons I'll soon explain.

Back in the summer of 1984, JACQUELINE KENNEDY ONASSIS, indisputably the most famous and glamorous woman in the world (and also a book editor at Doubleday), wanted to meet the legendary CALVIN KLEIN, the undisputed master of American couture and the hottest designer of his time. He was also the genius behind a billion dollar empire that included jeans, underwear and perfume, all of it advertised in daringly-trailblazing billboard and TV ad campaigns that to this day are classics, the most emulated, artistic, sensuous, and erotic ever created.

On a hot early summer day that year, more than a few forks dropped when my new friends "Jackie" and "Calvin" walked into a Park Avenue bistro named Rafael. Jackie, with no make-up or jewelry, looked radiant, dressed down in a simple blue summer shift. And Calvin, dashingly handsome in a blazer and a green-striped rep tie, was as warm and down to earth as I ever could have imagined him to be. In fact, despite their mind-boggling fame, I was taken aback by their warmth and high spirits and genuine interest in me. "Glenn, can I share?"Jackie asked girlishly, dipping her spoon into my chocolate mousse at dessert. Here was the woman who had seduced heads of state with her beguiling smile, a fashion icon who had transformed the White House. She'd conquered France on her first state visit there. And, of course, she'd forever won over the hearts of Americans with her bravery and dignity after the President's assassination.

But on this day, the conversation was light and sparkling--skipping from fashion to real estate, to the news of the day and Hollywood, but always circling back to the idea of a possible Calvin Klein autobiography. In the end, however, Calvin, at age 41, was just too young to do it--as his life story was still being written. So although Jackie was disappointed that Calvin decided to forego such a book--something wonderful came out of it anyway.

He decided to accept my invitation to do a PLAYBOY Interview, one that was conduced over a six-week period, with hours of conversation taped, the final result published the following year, the most extended interview Calvin has ever given, before or since. It was recently re-printed in a special Playboy hardcover book titled Movers and Shakers, a collection of the magazine's favorite thirteen profiles, which also includes my interviews with Leona Helmsley and Donald Trump.

The Playboy Interview captured Calvin at his candid best: "What's bad about sex?" he laughed when I challenged him about his racy TV commercials. "I'm more offended when someone's killed on television than when there's something that's sensuous or sexual or amusing, or when there's a double-entendre. So what?" To read the entire interview, just pick up the the Playboy book.

I can tell you that that interview cemented my friendship with Calvin for a lifetime and it was followed by our Today Show interview a few years later--and by so many acts of generosity by Calvin over the years. For example, he introduced me to both Nancy Reagan and to Diana Ross, putting a good word in and helping me secure those exclusives. He kindly introduced me to the great fashion editor, John Fairchild, and I wound up working at that company for a number of years. And not least meaningful to me, on one occasion, Calvin came on the phone to talk my grandmother, Essie, who loved Calvin's clothes. This small act of kindness was just the kind of thing he did all the time, and I'll never forget it.

Most recently, I sent Calvin a copy of my upcoming book, Katie Up and Down the Hall, and I was so touched by the testimonial quote that he sent back to me. It says as much about him and his values as it does about the theme of the book.

"Glenn's book is engaging, open-hearted, and very warm. His story proves that the true and small pleasures in life--friendship, loyalty, and trust--are the ones that matter most."

Indeed they do. And that's why the photograph to the right, of Calvin and me, is my all-time favorite.

Better Than Prozac--A Foolproof Way To Vanquish Any 'Down' Mood--EXERCISE

2010-04-09T11:14:00.010-04:00
Ever wake up feeling anxious, worried, down, or depressed?  Hello!

Approximately 20 million Americans are taking anti-depressants--and that number doesn't include anti-anxiety medications and sleeping pills.

As for the cause of our collective angst, just about anything can trigger it--financial worries, stress about work, health problems, an accident of fate, phantoms from the past, relationship "issues,"or even rainy weather. And very often, there's no reason at all, for moods are unpredictable, fluctuating for reasons even a forensic psychiatrist may never explain.

But like the weather, our emotional storm clouds do come--and then go. But rather than being a slave to our moods, and reactive to them, there is, I've discovered, a reliable and FAST way to turn a dark mood into a bright one. It's a remedy that's better than Prozac, and something I do every day that lifts me up when I'm down.

I learned this technique from my great friend TONY ROBBINS--the master of peak performance who teaches how anyone can create a resourceful, powerful energy state that can propel you forward toward your greatest potential rather than remaining fixated on problems, worries, and limitations.

I can't tell you how many mornings I've awakened with a down mood or a sense of unexplainable dread or worry--and Tony's three-part solution to negative moods ALWAYS works, so I thought I'd share it with you today.

It's really simple: Change THREE things--physiology, focus, and language--AND CHANGE YOUR LIFE.

For me, first and foremost, the secret to lifting me up is changing my body state, i.e. physiology. So the first thing I do every morning is: stretching, sit-ups, push-ups, twenty minutes on the treadmill, then twenty laps in the pool and a few minutes in the 103-degree whirlpool. I often follow this with biking outside on the Esplanade at home here in Battery Park City. Trust me--after I've been running, biking, and swimming, and felt the breeze of the day against me when I'm outside--those negative moods are swept away. And it's a lot faster than Prozac! This ALWAYS works. Hydrating is also key, as most of us don't drink enough water. Then after the physical exercise, I always have a smoothie--apples, pineapple, raspberries, and blueberries, with a white-egg omelette or whole grain cereal. I mention all this because each of these things I'm doing is dramatically changing my body state, my physiology. And inevitably, I always feel energized and ready to tackle the day.

On another day, I'll explain in more detail about focus and language, but in a nutshell, what we focus on is what we feel. Your focus equals your reality. Two people can experience the exact same challenge. One feels amused, one is enraged. The only difference between the two people is what they focus on, what they imagined in their heads. And both experience immediate feelings of strength or weakness in their bodies.

If I focus on all my problems, I'M a problem! So I try to focus my attention on the positive actions I can take to turn my life in the direction I want it to go. When I'm outside, I focus on the beauty of the environment here--the Hudson River, the parade of dogs and interesting people, the sailboats, the trees and flowers, the Statue of Liberty, you name it. Once I'm focused on something positive outside the space of my own head, I feel MUCH better, and again, this you can't get in a pill.

Finally, the language we use inside our heads--how we talk to ourselves--has everything to do with how we feel. It's been said that we all have about 65,000 thoughts each day--but the problem is that we tend to have the SAME 65,000 thoughts today as we had yesterday. Like a tape that loops endlessly over and over again, we need to change our thoughts, direct them, and use words that will help us create new futures, rather than self-defeating statements that keep us focused on the past. As the great WAYNE DYER has often told me: "The most important thing a person can do to erase fear and access power is repeating these five key words: I WANT TO FEEL GOOD! This is the same thing as saying: I want to feel spirit, I want to be in harmony with the source of well-being."

So just for today, that's where I leave you....I want to feel good, and I hope you do too.

A Birthday Dinner On The Hudson With A Perspicacious Friend

2010-04-08T12:19:00.012-04:00

Last night was a magically-breezy evening in Battery Park City, (pictured below at sunset), the perfect temperature for dinner outside on the Hudson, the occasion being a 31st birthday party for my great friend Jason VanOra, a psychology professor at Kingsborough Community College. Over guacamole and chips, chicken quesadillas, and a chocolate brownie sundae, Jason, who looks about 22, made me feel a bit old, as I have a belt older than him! But I was very happy to celebrate, together with our close friends Peg and Beth.

Occasionally in life, you come upon someone who not only has great intelligence and charm, but also a warmly empathetic nature too. There's an instant "click." And that person, with whom you have great chemistry, gradually joins the category of "best friend."

Well, that's Jason! My perspicacious, always sunny-and-buoyant friend is a once-in-a life-time find. I met him five years ago at a get together in Greenwich Village and ever since, we've been having dinner almost every Friday night.

I can't tell you how many evenings we've spent strolling around the Village talking about anything and everything, laughing hilariously, people-watching, and musing on life's ups and downs. And like any best friend, Jason lifts my spirits, expressing his caring unconditionally, with no judgement. This is rare--and to be greatly valued.

In fact, last night's party for Jason got me thinking about friendship in general. After all, the entire theme of my book, Katie Up and Down the Hall, is about creating the journey from friendship to family, our core group being my astutely-intelligent dog, Katie, my octogenarian friend Pearl, her husband Arthur, a little boy named Ryan, who had no Mom, his Dad, John, and me. And as I say in the book trailer: "That's the amazing thing about family. It's anything you want it to be."

I can't tell you how therapeutic it was for me to be part of such a fantastic group, one made even closer as we all lived along the same 120-foot hallway. Apartment doors were swinging open all day long--with my dog racing up and down the hall, chasing tennis balls and Ryan, running circles around Pearl, all of us sharing dinner together and long walks along the Hudson. It was the best of times. And to have close friends surround you, in a family circle, gives you the support and sustenance you need, getting you through every twist and turn of life. As Wayne Dyer recently told me, "God can appear in many disguises--even as a dog!" and I might add, even as a friend as well!

And beyond emotional support, I remember reading a great article last year in the New York Times about the health benefits of having friends--which include reducing heart disease, obesity, stress, lowering blood pressure, and creating all-important feel-good endorphins. People with friends feel more relaxed and at peace, so that the ultimate health benefit of friendship is living a longer, healthier life.

I can tell you that Jason makes my life more fun and interesting, and easier to handle. At the end of a long week, spending time with a close friend like him is as good as any therapy session. (Our next adventure is driving upstate in a few weeks with my book editor, Harry Helm, to pick up my new puppy). In fact, surprisingly, even spending time with an intimate partner doesn't always provide the same health benefits as friendship, for good friends offer a different kind of support than lovers, siblings, parents, or children.

P.S. As all you dog lovers know, man's BEST friend, of course, is his D O G! It's been proven that dog owners live longer, easily stave off loneliness and isolation, have lower blood pressure and cholesterol, a brightened mood, and, of course, reap the benefits of lots of exercise with all those walks.

I once figured out that I walked my curiously-energetic dog, Katie, more than 20,000 times over the course of nearly 15 years. How many miles is that? And who needs the gym?!

Marrrrrrrrrrrrrio On-The-Go-Buatta, Great Designer, Great Friend

2010-04-07T11:01:00.015-04:00

   I recently spent two incredible evenings with the legendary interior designer MARIO BUATTA, a longtime friend and frequent interview subject who appears in my upcoming book, Katie Up and Down The Hall. Mario stars in an especially fun chapter titled "Prancing With The Stars," all about my dog's tete-a-tetes with a host of celebrities, one of her favorite being Mario, the nation's "Prince of Chintz," the acknowledged master of the English Country style, his work often featured on the cover of Architectural Digest.

Mario is also a passionate lover of theater, comedy, cabaret, and any good performance in town. One recent night, he kindly ushered me backstage to greet Joan Rivers after one her hilarious performances at the West Bank Cafe, the proceeds of which go to her two favorite charities, Guide Dogs For The Blind and God's Love We Deliver.

And then a few weeks later, Mario invited me to a great cocktail reception at Michael's, a benefit for Literacy Partners, hosted by two of its champions, Liz Smith and Barbara Taylor Bradford. This was followed by a quick dinner at Orso, then a fantastic Monday night showcase at Birdland Jazz Club, where we saw the indomitable Marilyn Maye, still an energetic wonder in her 80's, her voice untouched by time.

Through it all, Mario has the best sense of humor in town. Irreverent--despite such illustrious past clients as Barbara Walters, the Forbeses, Barbara Bush, Blair House (the President's guest house), and Mariah Carey, Buatta is a notorious prankster. He once showed up at a Peggy Lee concert with a monkey on his lap, strolled through Central Park in an all-blue chintz suit, and arrived at a masked ball wearing a lampshade on his head.

The first time I met Mario for a cover story interview for the Daily News, he was rather tame in a blue suit, but just as funny as expected. "My Mom once told me, 'maybe you'd like to be a psychiatrist or an actor or a lawyer,' but I combined all three and became an interior decorator!"

Indeed. Months later, after we had become friends, Mario came over to my apartment one evening, bringing along as a present one of his signature dog pillows with a painted spaniel curled up on it. This was a gift for me, though my cocker spaniel Katie started ripping away the tissue paper as I took it from Mario's hand.

"This isn't for you!" Mario lectured Katie, who scrammed away, as she was never comfortable around tall people. (Mario is over six feet tall). But this didn't stop Katie from requisitioning that pillow. When I wasn't looking, she knocked if off the couch and I found her napping on the carpet with it under her head!

That night, I discovered my dog was doing a little re-decorating of her own. She had pushed the pillow into her kennel and arranged it carefully with her paws. She napped on it nearly every afternoon thereafter. As Mario later remarked to her: "Now you're English!"

You'll soon be able to read more of "Prancing With The Stars," a chapter which includes Katie's adventures with other stars such as Katharine Hepburn, Peter Jennings, Bette Midler, Ivana Trump, Leona Helmsley, and Farrah Fawcett.

And speaking of stars, you'll see many more of them at the KATIE book launch party in September, an event to be co-hosted by the inimitable Mario and by Joan Rivers, the evening to benefit Guide Dogs For The Blind.

And on that evening, what might the irrepressible Mario and Joan do to liven up the festivities? We'll just have to wait and see.



A LESSON FROM THE FANTASTIC VALERIE HARPER: FROM FRIENDSHIP TO FAMILY

2010-04-05T23:32:00.050-04:00

   This past Saturday night I had a real treat, sitting second row center at the Lyceum Theater, seeing the great VALERIE HARPER in her Broadway tour de force as Tallulah Bankhead in LOOPED, a riveting one-woman (and two man) production with Harper "nailing every last laugh with a professionalism that the real Bankhead would surely admire," wrote the New York Times.

Sitting with my best friend (and lawyer), Michael Gordon, I was amazed by Valerie's virtuoso performance, gut-wrenching and compelling from start to finish. Although backstage afterward with Michael and me, she confided that she was fighting a cold and that an onstage coughing spell was not in the script, you'd never know anything was wrong, as she marshaled her forces with hilarious "dahlings" sprinkled over countless jokes. Supporting her in every possible way is her fantastic manager-producer-husband Tony Cacciotti, who hospitably welcomed us backstage after the performance. Valerie was dressed down in slacks and a baseball hat as she greeted her fans outside the theater.

Onstage, Valerie was magnificent, capturing fully the hilarity of the outrageous Bankhead, while mining her deep pathos and addiction to sex, drugs, alcohol, and nicotine, all of it creating chaos and pain toward the end of the actress's life.

The emotional bullet of this show isn't just Bankhead's hilarity and built-in tragedy, but the friendship that develops, especially in the second act of the play, between Bankhead and the recording sound editor, Danny, played brilliantly by Brian Hutchison. These two lonely and tortured souls trade life stories and become true friends, Bankhead telling him that life is too short to stand back and let it pass by.
The end of the play is touching when these two hearts unite.

All this reminded me of a magazine interview Valerie and I did a few years ago for Family Circle, the subject being the vital importance of friendship in our lives. On and off stage, Valerie has always been a great friend, an all-American classic, first introduced to American TV audiences as the hilarious Rhoda Morgenstern on the "Mary Tyler Moore Show," then graduating to her own situation comedy as the inimitable "Rhoda." A true-blue friend as a TV heroine, she is also a devoted friend in real life, as I found out during our interview.

She depends heavily on what she terms her "quartet"of four best friends for support. As she told me: "I think there's always been a profoundly natural bond between women, a sisterhood from the cave days when we picked berries together, to the quilting bees of today. My four best friends and I have been through decades of boyfriends, engagements, marriages, divorces, babies, cramps and hot flashes!-- you name it. They are my family of choice."
   And that's exactly the point and theme of my upcoming book, KATIE UP AND DOWN THE HALL. It's all about how a group of strangers transform from neighbors to friends to family, the five of us becoming just as close as any biological family could be. While we shared some tough times, the thing that kept us together, more than anything, was the playfulness of our relationships--and our ability to see the humor and irony in everything.
   Like our own little family, Valerie agrees that laughter is key: "What first drew me to all of them was the fact that we could laugh together. I mean peals of hysterical, shrieking laughter. We can also be serious. But when you've known a friend 40-plus years, you can talk in shorthand. As for getting and looking older, we all grumble and laugh about it. The fact is that our bodies are going south, but our spirit doesn't fade--it only expands." So true, for the heroine of my book, Pearl, nicknamed Granny, even at 90, was still expanding, and laughing. In the book, as you'll see, she models a Disneyland Donald Duck hat at age 91, and does it laughingly with style.
   Valerie's sage advice: "For people who want friends, look at how you can contribute to people. I don't mean money. I mean your attention, your listening, your laughter. When you see a quality in a person that delights you, tell them about it. All of this swirls around and creates friendships."
   Is sure did for me.
   "It's a real wind in your sail to have best friends," she smiles.


ACCIDENTAL FRIENDSHIP, THE VERY BEST KIND

2010-04-05T11:06:00.011-04:00
   Last night, with balmy spring temperatures soaring to nearly 80 degrees, I had to take advantage of the sunset on the Hudson, pictured below, by having dinner outdoors.
   And I happily took in the water views (and grilled salmon) with my close friend and confidante, PEG WALLIS, the brilliant life coach who travels around the country giving workshops to large corporate audiences, skillfully teaching how we can become better team players, think "bigger" and out of the box, and push beyond perceived limitations to the boundless possibilities within.
   As for me, I'm just lucky to have Peg as a friend. And like many of the best things in life, my friendship with her was sheerly accidental. For years, I'd only heard about the exuberant Peg, who is my sister Debby's closest friend, both of whom lived in Albany. (They're pictured below at a New Year's Eve dinner).
   But who would have guessed that Peg would eventually take on more than one sibling in the family?
   About five years ago, tired of Albany and ready for a change, Peg moved to New York and only wound up in my building because I recommended it, telling her, as I tell everyone, that living in Battery Park City is the most scenic place in New York--and the quietest.
   Peg took my advice and moved right in. Just five floors above me, she became my new buddy and I became her New York guide, introducing her to the ins and outs of neighborhood--and to all my friends. She quickly turned out to be one of my closest friends, which only proves that proximity is the messenger of fate, a concept I wrote about a few blogs ago.
   How many of your closest friends were also fortuitous accidents, products of not just chemistry and rapport--but geographic proximity as well?
   As you'll read in my upcoming book, Katie Up and Down the Hall, accidental friendships are the driving force behind the entire book. I just accidentally met the octogenarian heroine of the book, Pearl, through a friend in the building. That first knock on the door led to a sixteen year relationship that utterly changed my life. I later just accidentally ran into a little boy named Ryan (who had no Mom), and his Dad, John, at a Community Center in New York. And we all just accidentally wound up fatefully living on the same floor of our Manhattan high-rise. Together with Pearl and her husband, Arthur, something miraculous happened. Living in such close proximity, with my dog leading the way, we all transformed from unrelated strangers to neighbors to close friends, to family.
   And sure enough, "Pegsy," as I sometime call her, has accidentally become a key part of my current day family. She is a uniquely kind person, a superb listener (as every therapist and coach should be), who typically puts the focus on giving rather than getting, offering her perspective and wisdom gently, but always getting her point across. As I say in the final chapter of the book, "with her soothing voice and buoyant spirit, Peg has that rare ability to put everything into perspective no matter what the day has thrown at me."
   I must say that during the many ups and down of the last five years--when I was elated and optimistic or anxious and worried--Peg was always there no matter what, a great lunch and dinner partner, helping me strategize the best solutions to a variety of challenges. And as I never seem to have a pen or paper handy, she always comes armed with her trusty mini-pad in a steel case with matching pen. I can't tell you how many paper place mats or table cloths we've also written on, figuring things out, making lists, sharing our professional goals, you name it.
   And not least important to me, with the absence of the heroine of my book, Pearl, Peg has, in a way, filled in the void I've felt, the loneliness of losing a friend eased by the joy of finding another. And on a very fun note, Peg has also taken over as my prime event and party planner!
   We've orchestrated some daunting events here, including a sit-down dinner for 30 for local politicians, birthday parties for many a friend, and most recently, a book launch party for Suzan Colon, the author of Cherries in Winter. Through it all, Peg arrives glamorously attired, her easy smile relaxing everyone, a great hostess. And as I'm hopeless at making coffee, and since she's a coffee fanatic, she brings along her sublimely rousing brews.
   All in all, she's just a great gal, a magnificent friend, and I consider myself fortunate to know her.
   Who's your favorite friend and why?

A Natural Blonde: The New Puppy At Four Weeks Old

2010-04-04T16:34:00.000-04:00

Isn't there always a LINE in New York?!

2010-04-03T11:02:00.004-04:00

A Spring Lunch With A Legend--Reminding me of that first lucky break

2010-04-02T11:36:00.020-04:00

Yesterday,on one of the first sunny and warm days of spring, I had lunch with one of my all-time favorite people, the incomparable OWEN LASTER, a great friend and my former literary agent at the William Morris Agency. Owen, who retired in 2006 after an illustrious 45-year career, came down to Battery Park City to enjoy the 70 degree temperatures and an afternoon lunch at Southwest, a Mexican restaurant located on the Marina.
   With cherry blossoms in bloom and sailboats passing us by, Owen and I caught up on any and everything. I used to always joke to him (and it wasn't really a joke!) that I was his most unimportant client. Indeed, Owen, who was head of international literary operations at William Morris and a key player in numerous Hollywood deals, has worked with countless legends, including such heavy hitters as James Michener, Gore Vidal, Dominick Dunne, Susan Isaacs, Judy Blume, William Diehl, Robert Penn Warren, and the estate of Margaret Mitchell – to name just a few.
   Most recently, Owen was kind enough to read the finished manuscript of my upcoming book, Katie Up and Down the Hall, and I was touched by his kind words and positive reaction to it and by his kindly introducing me to Lynn Goldberg, the premier book publicist in New York, fantastic in her strategic devotion to KATIE.
   As Owen and I joked, who ever thought I'd be writing about a dog?! Indeed, our association began thirty one years ago on quite a different note, so to speak. Back then, I had been an aspiring concert pianist and had just moved to New York after graduate work at the Peabody Conservatory of Music. After a combined eighteen years of study (including nine years of college) I had finally QUIT the piano for good--tired of it all and convinced I wasn't good enough.
   What was I going to do? My parents were appalled that I was quitting with no other prospects in hand. But I hatched the idea of writing the first biography of the legendary Vladimir Horowitz--a crazy notion since I had never written anything, much less had something published--not even a poem.
   Nevertheless, I started calling publishers on my own, fourteen of them in all, including Jacqueline Onassis at Doubleday, essentially lying to them (or you might say, trying a fantasy on for size), by telling them definitively that I WAS writing a biography of Horowitz, who was, of course, the most famous pianist of his time, appearing in l979 live at the White House and in concerts all over the world. To my amazement, nearly every editor I approached was interested. Knowing I needed an agent, I somehow got the name of Owen Laster--and gave him a call. I never thought he'd agree to meet me, but he did.
   "Here was this rather pushy young man with no experience with an idea for a book," Owen later said jokingly, "and I thought to myself: Who knows? Maybe he can do it." At our first meeting I gave Owen all NO's to his questions: Had I ever written anything? Did I have Horowitz's cooperation? Did I have a proposal ready?
   That didn't stop me. I went to the Lincoln Center Library, took out the "clip file" on Horowitz, and scoured it until I found something in it I could use for a sample chapter. A few weeks later, I returned to Owen's office with a complete proposal in hand. To this day, I'll never know how I did it. And cementing my reputation as being too pushy, I told Owen that I wanted no less than a $50,000 advance for the book. Back in l979, this was probably equivalent to about $150,000 in today's currency. "Oh, I don't know about that," he told me. "You have no experience and Horowitz isn't cooperating."
   But Owen did it!! On my birthday, May 15th, l979, Owen sold the book to William Morrow for exaclty $50,000 (and to my disappointment Jacqueline Onassis didn't bid on the book, as she felt I didn't have enough experience to write it.) Even better, Owen also sold the book to an English publisher. Wow! From January when I was a penniless piano student to May, I had come a long way--all thanks to Owen.
   It took me three years to write the book, but when HOROWITZ was published, my author photo to the right here, it received more attention than I ever expected. Afterward, Owen also did a wonderful thing--encouraging me to do interviews for magazines, introducing me to Playboy (my first interview was with Calvin Klein) and to Family Circle, all of which led to my specialty, interviewing celebrities.
   I can never forget Owen's open heart in meeting a 24-year-old with absolutely no credentials, armed with only the dream of starting something new. And I always tell young writers that if I could do what I did with absolutely no experience--anybody can.
   As an aside, when I came back from my book tour in March l983, sitting on my desk was a pale blue envelope. I opened it up and found this: "Dear Mr. Plaskin, Your copy of Horowitz just arrived. I know you devoted so much of your time and effort to this project and I trust that seeing the finished book has given you a great sense of accomplishment. I am sure it will be as successful as your expectations. Thank you so much for thinking of me. I would very much like to talk with you about any future ideas you may have. Sincerely, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis."
   None of this would have happened without Owen.

"KATIE THE WONDER DOG"--Makes Its Debut On YouTube Today!

2010-04-01T11:19:00.011-04:00

Ever had a long conversation with your dog? Better than any therapist, and often more sympathetic than a mate, KATIE, the star of my upcoming book, was always ready to listen, her huge brown eyes flecked with gold, focused and alert. Over a period of fifteen years, I confided pretty much all my feelings to her, all the ups and downs of life.

     But our communication wasn't only in one direction, for Katie was an empathetic, curious dog, socially outgoing and astutely intelligent.
   Right from the start, I got into the habit of having conversations with her, eye to eye, and I could tell that she clearly understood the gist of what I said:
   "Now, listen up, child," I told her when she was young. "You're a good little dog, you are, but you have to learn your manners. No biting, no scratching your nails on the furniture, no getting up on the white couch, and no accidents. And if you're good, you'll get a cookie or a nice piece of chicken." Her ears immediately pricked up at these key words.
   No, she didn't understand every word, but she did intuit the meaning of them from my tone, inflection, volume, and repetition of key phrases. Her vocabulary of more than sixty words included good, bad, no, eat, hungry, go out, go ahead (meaning to do her business), stay, sit, come, down, and beat it.
   If I asked:"What are you doing?" her head anxiously cocked right up, as she stopped the offense. She also was well-acquainted with cookie, spaghetti, toast, corn, cracker, treat, cake, coat, ball, keys, sock, and bone, to mention just a few of her favorite things to munch or chew on.
   And when she heard the phrase "get in your house," she always hightailed it back into her crate, happy to recline on her blue blanket while keeping a watchful eye on the action.
   With a large arsensal of words at her command, and her ability to comprehend my meaning, Katie was fully communicative and bossy too, quite definite about what she wanted and when.
   For example, when I was trapped in bed during a two-week period with a back injury, she'd retrieve a sock and jump up onto the bed and throw it at me, ready for tug of war. "You hit me in the face with it!" I objected. She just stared at me obstinately, determined to play.
   You either complied or she would rip the sock to shreds on her own.

   One day, she grabbed the TV's remote control and started playfully pushing her paw down on the buttons, watching the screen as the channels changed. It wasn't long before she understood the connection between her action and the picture and she often grabbed the remote away from me, turning it into a game, pushing down on it to change channels until she found one she liked, usually cartoons. The red chair she's sitting in above was her favorite TV-watching perch.

   One day she observed me typing at my desk, and later on, she jumped up onto the desk chair, planted her paws on the keyboard, and mimicked me, "typing" away as she watched the characters on the monitor change. This she began to do all the time--and we called her the typing dog.

   In wintertime, after she came in from a walk, she liked having her paws washed off with warm paper toweling, something I'd done since she was a puppy to get rid of the street salt. She'd either trot into the bathroom and sit there, waiting, or grab a roll of toweling from the bathroom with her mouth and bring it to me, dropping it for me on the bed.
   Talk about smart.

   What can your dog do? Write me an E Mail and tell me, and we'll include it on the Community page of my upcoming new web site, Katiebook.com. But for now, please visit my main web site, AND watch the Katie Book Trailer, which makes its debut on YouTube today. Please send the link to your friends and family and all the dog lovers you know. It's a really emotional, touching video that captures the essence of Katie's personality and of our story. And in the video, you'll see what fashionable dogs are wearing this season--and much more.

   Hope some of the pictures of Katie gave you a laugh. After all, it's April Fool's Day. But: I didn't fool you with any of this, for everything I've told you about Katie is quite true. And much more of it's in the book.

The Queen Of Dog Rescue--The Indomitable Wendy Diamond

2010-03-31T11:15:00.006-04:00

   At lunch yesterday at Manhattan's Bricco on West 56th Street, I was lucky enough to meet the ebullient WENDY DIAMOND, the founder and editorial director of Animal Fair, the lifestyle magazine passionately devoted to saving animal lives by focusing on animal rescue. Wendy is also the author of many fantastic books, currently the indispensable It's a Dog's World: The Savvy Guide to Four-Legged Living, which will head up the bestseller list during Wendy's upcoming 15-city book tour.

   The latest issue of Animal Fair has Charlize Theron on its cover, pictured on the beach with her soulful rescue dog, Tucker. Previous cover interviews at Animal Fair include everyone from Beyonce and Halle Berry to Serena Williams and Kim Cattrall, all of whom support Wendy's lifelong mission to save the lives of animals.

   Wendy's determination is fueled by shocking statistics: 6-8 million cats and dogs enter shelters each year, while only 3-4 million of them are adopted, many of the rest euthanized. This is tragic beyond words and each of us must step up and help these incredible animals in whatever way we can.

   Over lunch, the first thing you notice about Wendy is her down to earth warmth, boundless energy, and those hugely expressive blue eyes. A native of Cleveland (she laughs about this almost apologetically), her rise to becoming one of the most influential media personalities in New York was a quick one. Her philanthropic calling began with her work for the Coalition for the Homeless, during which time she realized how profoundly important homeless animals were as confidants to homeless people. She sprang into action, writing two cookbooks which raised over two hundred thousand dollars for homeless charities. It wasn't long before she adopted her Russian Blue cat Pasha from The Animal Care and Control facility in New York, and later her Maltese Lucky. Soon after that, she conceived Animal Fair.

   Wendy is a great example of turning a passion into a mission, and her driving force is pure contribution--helping people and animals to live a happier life. Isn't that what it's all about?

   And if you want to help or contribute, just find the nearest animal shelter. There's nothing more poignantly disturbing than visiting one of these overcrowded shelters and seeing dogs and cats in "jail," staring at you through kennels, pleading with their eyes to be adopted.

   I can tell you that the star of my upcoming book, KATIE, was unwanted and left behind by her more attractive litter mates. With long skinny legs and huge ears, her body proportions were all off--and she'd been nicknamed "Twiggy" due to her scroungy appearance. I was told that she would never be a show dog. But who cares?! Take a look at her now! (She always dressed up for birthdays. is that a face you could love?)

   That first day when "Twiggy," aka "Katie," curled into my arms and looked up at me with those big brown eyes, that was pretty much it. After she licked me on the face, it was love at first sight. If only human love worked so easily and quickly, right?! Katie was so warm, trusting, and sweet. I had found my dog, the one I'd been waiting for, and I felt it with total conviction.

There's a dog or cat out there, right now, just waiting for you.

The Verdict On Judge Judy: Funny & Fierce, She Reigns Supreme

2010-03-30T11:12:00.014-04:00

Even in the company of the great Katharine Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, Nancy Reagan, and Carol Burnett, one of my favorite interview subjects of all time is the incomparable JUDGE JUDY,the charismatic powerhouse who reigns over the highest-rated court session on TV, with more than ten million viewers tuning in daily.

Amazingly, she's been #1 for the last 700 weeks! Beyond ratings, nobody can surpass Judy’s astute judgments, spicy humor, supersonic mind, and no-nonsense attitude.

And best of all, fear is not in her vocabulary—as she says the things we all want to.

“LOOK at me, Madam!” shouts the Queen of small-screen Justice to an evasive witness.

“Does it say ‘stupid,’ here?” she inquires, pointing briskly to her forehead.

“They don’t pay me because I’m beautiful,” she mugs sweetly to the cameras. “I’m real SMART, so watch it!”

You said it. When I first met Judy years ago for breakfast at her favorite bagel shop in Manhattan’s Upper East Side, she directed me to get her a sesame bagel with cream cheese before our interview began. You can be sure I did it.

Regularly beating Oprah in the afternoon ratings, I asked her about the secret to her phenomenal popularity. “I cut through the bull, I go behind the veil, and get to what’s REAL,” exclaims the mother of five and grandmother of eleven.

Recently when a witness interrupted her, she boomed: "Do you see my mouth moving? You're irritating me," she snapped. "I'm the boss, applesauce."

To a woman bringing a lawsuit over a crushed hat, she advises: "You'd better get a life, Madam."

The petite star, who wears a size 2, $400 silk robe on the Bench, is charming and warm in person, suntanned and relaxed after a recent vacation in Florida with her husband Jerry. Much of the summer this year will be spent at Judy's stupendous new 24,000-square foot home in Connecticut, the multi-million dollar family compound she rightfully earned as the nation’s top TV judge.

I was thinking today that a decade before Judy hit the national stage, we had our own judge and jury in Battery Park City and her name was PEARL, the octogenarian heroine of my new book, Katie Up and Down the Hall. Like the best of matriarchs, Pearl, like Judy, also had strong opinions and high ethics on any and all issues, and wasn't shy about expressing them.

“Why do all these girls walk around naked in the middle of the fall?” was one of her frequent questions, referring to the army of joggers outside on the Esplanade. “In my day, even hookers had more clothes on. What happened to good manners?”

“Beats me,” I laughed.

"Oprah gets it right every time," she pronounced, "but Geraldo should retire!"

“The President,” she observed one day, “is suddenly a hero—but I still think he’s a zero,” and that was just before breakfrast.

Like Judy, Pearl could be feisty one moment, and girlish the next.

She gave the thumbs up or down on my friends and dates; she refused to be taken advantage of, had a wry sense of irony, and could see the ridiculous in things. She could also be tough and abrupt. In fact, I loved in Pearl what I love in Judy. She wasn’t a phony. What you saw was what you got.

Although modern in her thinking, she wasn’t necessarily interested in adopting technology foreign to her, so she had no cell phone and drew the line on computers as well.

“What do I need it for? I keep all my recipes in this index box, and when I want to talk to somebody I use the phone or write a letter.” Case closed.

She was, however, much more interested in a before-dinner drink: “I love beer,” she told us, swigging one back, “which is why I bought lots of Anheuser-Busch stock. It’s always a good bet and I’m never going to lose on it.”

The true make of confidence, Pearl could even make fun of herself.

One night I pulled out a Donald Duck hat I’d purchased for her at Disney and she happily put on the hat, looking absolutely ridiculous in it as she nonchalantly chatted away with a group of friends before breaking into giggles. My dog Katie looked up quizzically, wondering about that odd thing on Granny’s head.

“I’ve seen worse hats, though I’ve looked better in them,” Pearl said, mugging for the camera as I snapped away.

Even into her 90’s, she never lost her game spirit or her wit. On her worst day she was more fun than many people were on their best.

One evening, she was visiting with a friend of mine who had a constant battle with the bulge: “You look thinner,” she told him.

When I came into the room, he joyfully turned to me, and said: “Pearl says I look thin.”

Pearl shot him a look, and retorted: “I didn’t say that. I said you look thinner.”

That was Pearl!

Like Pearl, Judy is a great dog lover--and adores her adorable Shitzu, Lulu. I hope both of them will come to our launch party in September, which will be hosted by the incomparable Joan Rivers and"The Prince of Chintz," interior designer Mario Buatta.

THE YOUNGEST WOMAN I KNOW: THE RESPLENDENT LIZ SMITH

2010-03-29T12:01:00.016-04:00

     Just a few weeks ago, at the celebrity Manhattan hot spot Michael’s, there she was, the unstoppable LIZ SMITH, ebullient as ever as she hosted a reception for her championed charity, Literary Partners. This is a fantastic not-for-profit devoted to bringing the gift of reading to thousands of adults who need a helping hand. Also there was the great novelist, Barbara Taylor Bradford, one of the charity’s most devoted supporters, a 'woman of substance' with a generous giving spirit.


That night, as I observed Liz Smith, I couldn’t help but notice how absolutely young she is--in her thinking, appearance, and energy level. While she jokingly refers to herself as “the 2000-year-old gossip columnist,” she's a mere 87, though she looks decades younger.

And while many her age are physically ailing, marooned in retirement homes, or at best golfing or playing cards, this peripatetic wonder remains fully engaged, not missing a cultural event or party in NY while reigning over her syndicated newspaper column and penning her daily wowowow.com column too.

    Watching her in action that night led me to think about the heroine of my upcoming book, my dear friend, Pearl, the octogenarian down the hall who became a lifelong friend and companion to me and my dog, Katie. I wrote all about Pearl's profound influence on my life in Family Circle's Granny Down The Hall, which described the journey from friendship to family.


Pearl, of course, never achieved the glamorous and accomplished life of Liz Smith—though I realized that they both had a few things in common: Physical vitality, a caring heart, tons of friends, curiosity, humor, mental acuity, a modern no-nonsense attitude, and more than anything, great interest in life, refusing to yield to our culture’s ideal that retirement from work and life is something to be desired.

    “I would never retire,” Liz told me a few years ago when I interviewed her for a magazine piece titled “Young At Heart—The Secrets of a Happy Life,” which also featured Sophia Loren and Betty White. “Retirement is ridiculous. I’d have to be too sick not to work. I hope I just keep working until the day I die.”


As she observed, age has its advantages: “Being older means knowing who you are; having the confidence to say what you think. It’s a big relief not to have so many ambitions and yearnings. I've been lucky, very healthy. My mother lived to be 95. I honestly don’t dwell on death. If there’s an afterlife, O.K.; if not, O.K. I think the way to stay young is to stay interested and to keep working. I'm essentially a pretty disciplined person. My deadlines are what keep my going. You must feel as if you have your whole future ahead of you--I do!"

Hearing her say this reminded me of an article I wrote a few years ago titled The Secrets Of The Centenarians, which described the keys to living to 100, a mindset that combines positive thinking and a fighting spirit. That's Liz!

"I try not to get into a rut, or think in a rut. I can't imagine being bored when there are all those books out there and movies and TV. If an older person is depressed, rescue a pet, help your local charity, work at your church or a soup kitchen."

And in parting, "I’m sure Mother Teresa never had any qualms about her self-worth—she was too busy!”



Proximity--The Messenger of Fate-- A Brilliant Lesson From Tony Robbins

2010-03-26T13:45:00.022-04:00
   I sometimes wonder why things unfold in life exactly as they do. Can what happens to us be controlled and planned, or is much of it mere accident, fate, destiny--or perhaps another greater force at work as well?


The brilliant peak performance coach and bestselling author Tony Robbins, who has worked with three million people in 80 countries (including heads of state, professional athletes, and corporate executives)--has much to say on our collective Date With Destiny, the title of one of his most captivating seminars, offered a few times each year in exotic locales such as this April in Bali.

In my own life, especially with Katie Up and Down The Hall being soon published, I often reflect on why I became so intensely close to my neighbors down the hall.
What power was there in that red-carpeted 120-foot hallway that took me to places I never imagined, much like a magic carpet.

Do you ever play this game: "If I hadn't just accidentally found myself in that elevator (or in that classroom, gym class, subway car, or party) at that exact moment in time, how would my entire life have been different? Maybe I never would have met my mate, or a key business connection, or a lifelong friend. Right!

Here's an example: Last week, I was dripping wet in our building's elevator, having just finished swimming laps, when I "accidentally" ran into one of my neighbors, a movie producer named Russ Terlecki of Wideyefilms . Earlier that morning, in the New York Times, I had read an article about Wendy Diamond, the author of the indispensable It's A Dog's World: The Saavy Guide to Four-Legged Living.

Wendy is also the editor of the fantastic Animal Fair Magazine. I made a note to myself that I wanted to one day meet Wendy, an incredibly creative dog-loving entrepreneur. So there I was in the elevator, and I just happened to mention my new "dog" book to Russ, who then told me: "There's somebody you really have to meet, Wendy Diamond--one of my best friends!"

"You've got to be kidding," I told him. I just couldn't believe the coincidence. Sure this seemed accidental--but as I've learned from Tony Robbins, what happens to us is greatly a product of what he has insightfully described as THE POWER OF PROXIMITY.

Simply put, it's so often the people in our physical orbits--those in closest proximity--who will become the people most important to us. When you're around someone in your environment, day after day, you notice their insight, humor, and unique talents--and the needs in them that call out to you for fulfillment. When we look to each other for companionship, love, and connection--we often get what we need.

   That's one key reason why my dog Katie and I became so close to our octogenarian friend, Pearl, and her husband Arthur, and the little boy Ryan, and his Dad, John. Katie and I needed connection--and we so fortuitously found it--just down the hall.

So as Tony often says to seminar participants: "Who, in your environment is nearby? Who's literally in your field of vision? Who do you keep bumping into, over and over again?"

In this way, as he wisely concludes: "For most of us, proximity is the messenger of fate."

I can tell you that it's this principle that changed my life, and the life of my dog forever--and I bet it's changing yours as well.


"God Can Appear In Many Disguises--Even As A Dog," says the brilliant Wayne Dyer

2010-03-25T13:34:00.004-04:00

   My great friend Wayne Dyer is a wise and generous spirit, residing peacefully in Hawaii listening to the rhythm of the waves as he writes his brilliant New York Times bestsellers, the latest being "The Shift," also a movie starring Portia de Rossi.
     It's an illuminating expose on moving "from ambition to meaning," away from ego, he says, and into "the afternoon of life where everything is influenced by purpose."
   Instead of constantly pursuing "more stuff--more accomplishments, status, and money," we shift in the opposite direction toward feeling more meaning and purpose in our lives.

   When I asked Wayne to read my upcoming book, Katie Up and Down The Hall, I couldn't imagine what this charismatic sage might say about it.
   After all, why would he be interested in my perspicacious dog and her enterprising spirit?
   In the book, there she is, racing from one apartment to another in our Battery Park City high rise, herding five neighbors into one big family. The main characters include an adorable little boy who had no Mom and a feisty-spirited octogenarian who had no children. Together with the boy's Dad, and me, all of us set off on a series of unforgettable adventures with Katie leading the way.
   Given Wayne's philosophical and spiritual outlook, one that has brought such comfort to so many, I wondered how he would see all this?

   I found out yesterday when a sheet of typing paper chugged through my fax machine at 9 a.m. (Keeping his life more peaceful than most of us, Wayne doesn't use E-mail or computers). There it was, a personal note from Wayne with a testimonial for the book, a generous and kind thing to do considering the demands on his time.
   And printed on that page was a searing thought that captured the essence of the story--and my attention: "God," he wrote, "can appear in many disguises--even as a dog, bringing people together in a spirit of Love."

   This touched me because it's so true that my dog--as all dogs--was an embodiment of God. I know in my heart that the spirit of Katie epitomized the real meaning of God--pure love, generosity, loyalty, and forgiveness.
   After reading what Wayne wrote--I felt SO GOOD! It's wasn't just an ego thing--it was the thought behind his true intention.
   And then my mind turned to something Wayne told me in our Family Circle interview of a few years ago. I asked him: How can we counteract feeling anxious, insecure, worried, angry or resentful?--all variations on fear.
   And his answer? "The most profound and imporant thing a person can do to erase fear is repeating five key words: I want to feel good! This is the same thing as saying: I want to feel spirit, I want to be in harmony with the source of well-bring. This is your intention to be tranqil and stress free--and connecting to spirit."

   When I jokingly asked Wayne if he knew anyone who had mastered this, he answered: "Just watch babies! They're in a constant state of love."

   And so are DOGS! I believe that our canine companions can teach us a profound lesson about not just love and loyalty--but about the sheer pleasure in having FUN--and feeling good. Isn't that what it's all about?

   So imagine how good I felt when Wayne's parting words on the fax were: "All I can say is that I felt 'really good' after reading your book."

   What more can any writer want?





Funny Gorgeous AND A Dog Lover, Can't Miss With Joan Rivers

2010-03-24T07:29:00.013-04:00

Last night was the funniest, most enjoyable evening I've had in months thanks to the inimitable JOAN RIVERS, who performs periodically at Manhattan's West Bank Cafe, trying out new material while also raising money for her two favorite charities--Guide Dogs For The Blind and God's Love We Deliver.

You must not miss her at West Bank. My dog-loving book guru, HARRY HELM, brilliant editorial director at Hachette Book Group, and his trusty assistant, Adlai Yeomans, were at my table, along with Broadway actor Brandon Williams and his wife, Sheila, a portrait photographer, the fantastic life coach Peg Wallis, the adorably congenial real estate rep Taylor Yunis, accessory designer David Cohen, and my "youngest"friend, octogenarian Bud Klauber, energetic and stunningly dressed as always.

But nobody can glitter or glam it up better than Joan Rivers--sleek as a runway model and stunningly dressed in red-sequined Donna Karen, Chanel shoes, and glittery black jewels. I can tell you that while her contemporaries are sitting on the golf course or planning a cruise, the winner of last year's CELEBRITY APPRENTICE never stops, delivering her act with the energy of a teenager, her bawdy irreverence doubling me over.

One of my favorite moments was her take on airport bathrooms, as she loves to snare one of the handicapped ones (me too!) which are just about as big as studio apartments in New York City. "I hold that bar in the stall and do Pilates!" she joked, pantomiming it all as she lifted her legs, blithely ignoring knocks on the stall door as others attempt to get in. Fantastic. There were also hilarious hits on Angelina Jolie, Cher's sex-changing daughter, Chaz, Ann Frank, Tiger Woods, and Helen Keller. You have to hear it all to believe it. All new and fresh.

Led backstage afterward by her congenial assistant, Graham, I found Joan quietly warm and funny as we exchanged a hug. She was one of the first celebrities I ever interviewed, back in the 80's, and in the 90's, she was was one of my subjects in the TURNING POINT book, where she spoke so poignantly about the death of her husband, Edgar. Ever since she's been a model of independence, demonstrating the kind of resilience and adaption to change that inspires. And let's not forget her devotion to DOGS--she loves them and works tirelessly to support Guide Dogs For The Blind.

Later on, I'll tell you more about a special book launch for KATIE: UP AND DOWN THE HALL, a benefit for Guide Dogs For The Blind. You might even see Joan there, together with the famed interior designer Mario Buatta, known as the Prince of Chintz. Both Joan and Mario are featured in the book, Joan in a hilarious vignette about Joan Collins, and Mario in a chapter of the book titled: Prancing With The Stars. Nobody can prance or deliver a punch line better than Joan Rivers.
   An incredible night--Thanks to Joan!

Before & After: A New Life In Spring

2010-03-23T13:01:00.000-04:00
As you can see, aside from the trees and flowers that bloom in spring--there are some miraculous things happening to newborn puppies too!

That little ball of fur on the right is my new puppy at one week old, while the fully formed puppy below her is from last year's litter, from the same Mom and Dad. Amazing what can happen in 8 weeks!

As I told you a few days ago, the new puppy is arriving on May 1 and I hope you'll help me give HER a name.
Any ideas? Whoever wins the contest will receive (5) copies of my new book and an invitation to really a really fun celebrity book party--so get your entries in.

Meanwhile, thanks to my expert advisor, Lisa The Dog Trainer, preparation are underway here to welcome the newest resident of Battery Park City. And the new pup will hardly be lonely, for there are literally hundreds of dogs here of every shape and size in Battery Park City, many of their devoted Moms and Dads card-holding members of our active Battery Park City Dog Association.

   Go ahead and ASK ME what breeds are living here? Ok: Majestic Great Danes rub noses with pint-sized pugs and Shih Tsu’s.
     Golden Retrievers and Labs race by the river, pulling their owners along, or trailing behind bikes, or ahead of Baby Jogger strollers.
     German Shepherds, Labradoodles, Westies, beagles, and puggles all parade along the water, sniffing under trees and reveling in the sun.
     At the nearby dog run, boxers, Yorkies, poodles, Boston Terriers, Wheatens, and bulldogs chase balls and one other, or splash in the dunking pool.
      It’s a circus and a dog show rolled up in one. And it’s perfect employment for the neighborhood’s dog walkers, exercising their troops from dawn to dusk.
      But to say that the neighborhood is dog-friendly would be an understatement.
      At Halloween, canine residents compete in the neighborhood’s annual costume contest and dog parade.
      Contestants have included a Batman whippet, a Wizard Of Oz cowardly lion Bernese mountain dog, a Cinderella Chihuahua, a Minnie Mouse pug, and a Madonna Lhasa Apso, all strutting their stuff.
       They competed against creatively attired Rhodesian Ridgebacks, Australian Shepherds, Dalmatians, Havaneses, Border Collies, Scottish Terriers, and, of course, an army of mutts. (One year, the champion was Santiago, a one-year-old pit bull “biker”—in a leather jacket, leather cap, white T-shirt, and blue jeans).
   In short, it's a dog eat dog world here on the Hudson, in the best sense of the word, and I hope you'll bring your dog down here one day soon for a visit. Tomorrow I'll take you back to the beginning and tell you about how and why I decided to write this book in the first place.

Spring Is On The Way

2010-03-22T12:24:00.006-04:00

On this slightly dreary rainy day, as
I'm looking from my office window, I'm remembering what the view usually looks like in spring, as in the picture taken in spring 2009.
As the weather warms up, though, the grand English oaks, river birches, and weeping willows are going to make their entrance. As I bike through the pathways, I’m going to be shaded by a lush umbrella of trees, an ideal backdrop for lunchtime strollers. In the evening, the purple lanterns set close to the water glow as residents and visitors dine at candlelit tables.

   And the main attraction in spring and summer is our magnificent tree-lined Esplanade, a 1.2 mile promenade winding its way around the entire length of the Battery. Dogs love it! I know that Katie always did--the smells and the birds.
   Indeed, cherry blossoms and silver lindens perfume the air with their heady sweetness. Eighty species of birds flutter amidst the lion’s tails, roses, azaleas, anemones, toad lilies, and lavender hydrangeas. And hopeful fisherman cast their lines into the Hudson for local specialities like bluefish, white perch, winter flounder, and tomcod.
     But best of all, the Hudson is overflowing with sailboats, private yachts, tour boats, jet skis, and kayaks—plus barges, water taxis, and commuter ferries—a blur of nautical movement creating a wild dance across the water.
     Most dramatic are the mammoth cruise ships that glide southward to the ocean as people stand on shore and wave. I think the only thing I haven’t seen on the Hudson is somebody floating by in a bathtub.
   Tomorrow, I'll tell you more about the variety of DOGS, not birds, that you'll find here in Battery Park City--and hope you'll all visit here over the next months to take a look for yourselves.

The First Day Of Spring And A Puppy On The Way

2010-03-20T12:06:00.003-04:00

Looking outside the window today on this balmy first day of spring, I'm transfixed by the glittery surface of the Hudson River and the procession of boats up and down it. As I see all the dogs promenading up and down the tree-lined Esplanade, my mind is drifting back in time to all the fun my dog, Katie, and I had here, in Battery Park City, a little town built on water.

For those who don't know it, our neighborhood is tucked away at the southernmost tip of Manhattan, built on the land fill created when the World Trade Center was first constructed. The charm of the place is that it's so hidden away, though impossible to leave once you've discovered it. Here there are playgrounds decorated with fanciful sculptures, playing fields brimming with Little Leaguers, expansive lawns for sunbathing, and plazas for outdoor concerts. I write all about it in the introduction of Katie Up and Down the Hall--in a section titled: Welcome to Battery Park City.

My new puppy, as yet unnamed (any suggestions?!), is arriving on May 1, and what she's going to discover here is a waterside world filled with winding trails, parks, and gardens with flowers of every kind. There are 80 species of birds. There are duck ponds with waterfalls and restaurants perched along the water. And the backbone of it all is that magnificent tree-lined Esplanade with grand English oaks and river birches.

And that's not to mention the dogs!--hundreds of them in every shape and size here, more than 400 in my 35-story building alone.

The new puppy will never get lonely, that's for sure. I know that Katie never did. She made friends with fellow dogs, seniors, kids, and even a mounted police horse named Walter--who is featured in the book. Katie loved Walter and would whack him on the face with her paw, then kiss his muzzle, while he licked her back in return. I'll have to introduce Walter to the new puppy.

So, today, on this first day of spring, I'm sitting outside on Katie's favorite park bench, directly opposite the Statue Of Liberty. I can see her trotting along the river's edge, racing for tennis balls in the park, chasing squirrels, snoozing under a willow tree, stealing nacho chips at our local Mexican restaurant, taking sunset cruises on a local sailboat, greedily licking m pistachio ice-cream cone on a hot summer night, and like all dogs, searching for the best smells and tastiest treats available to her.

All Katie's adventures up and down the hall--and up and down the Hudson--are coming in fall, but just for today, I'm savoring the memory of it all. I hope all you dog owners and lovers are having a long happy walk with your canine buddies--for our time with them is all too short. That I know for sure.

"Some Of The Best Things That Happen In Life Are Purely Accidental...

2010-03-19T11:38:00.012-04:00

An intuition or spontaneous decision can take you almost anywhere, including to a profoundly close friendship that develops when you least expect it.

That’s what happened to me. One day, with a brand-new puppy in my arms, I impulsively knocked on my next-door neighbor’s door, anxious for advice about how to train her. Whether it was serendipity, luck, chemistry, or sheer proximity--that brief encounter, and the events that followed it, would change my life (and my dog’s) forever."

Having written books, magazine and newspaper articles--finally--I'm enterting the blogosphere, inspired by my new Internet mentor. This will be a great chance for me to share the upcoming events in my life, which include getting a brand-new puppy in May (a cocker spaniel), and launching a new book, KATIE UP AND DOWN THE HALL, which is being published in fall.

It's a subject close to my heart, about how my dog helped me form a brand-new family in my Battery Park City apartment building.

As each day passes, I look forward to sharing with you all of this and more!