After what feels like 847 hours in the car driving around Massachusetts (if you asked my kids, they'd tell you it felt like years), the first events for Off the Record are over. Back on the campus of Smith College, I spoke to a room full of undergraduates about the publishing industry, prefacing my talk with a word about how I feared they'd bombard me with questions that required defending myself and my choice of writing. Well, the first woman who raised her hand asked me how I justified writing chick lit, and asked how I reconciled that with feminist thought - or something along those lines. In her defense, she was sweet. I basically said I didn't have to defend my writing, I just had to write what people would enjoy reading - or something along those lines. Anyway, I had a great time there, ate in the same dining room I ate in my freshman year, dished with the head of the English department (after telling her I had to take belly dancing to make up for the literature class I dropped my senior year). Really enjoyed myself.

Yesterday's signing downtown was also fun, some sweet friends of mine came, including author Marianne Mancusi . I also met Hank Phillipe Ryan, an investigative reporter for channel 7, and, apparently, a local celebrity. Hank has written a mystery and we've e-mailed each other, but I had no idea Hank was so famous. My friend Debbie actually told Hank that her dad loves watching her reports. But, discovering Hank's celebrity status definitely explained why she also looks drop dead gorgeous and totally put together, whereas I looked like I should be schlepping her lunch around.

Debbie's reaction to Hank kind of reminded me of the times I've been introduced to strangers by friends and all of a sudden the person realizes who I am and says: "You're Jennifer O'Connell? The Jennifer O'Connell? The world famous author? Oh my god, I love you!"

Okay, so that never really happens, but you get the idea.