• Last week all three kids were in Florida with my parents, and they flew home by themselves last Saturday. They were real troupers despite long delays. I won't bore you with the details, but they boarded the plane in Florida at 2:30 and we didn't get home until almost 10 pm.

• Most of the week was spent catching up on stuff like dentist appointments, doctor appointments and school supply shopping, but we also got to see BandSlam. The kids loved it like crazy. Too bad it didn't do that well. I blame it on poor marketing, and not the film itself, which was so great for teens and tweens. Lisa Kudrow, who plays the mom, really got to show her chops in one scene in particular. If it's playing near you, rush out to take the kids. I promise they'll love it.

• Mike and I got to see Inglourious Basterds last week. I thought it was absolutely astounding. He tried to argue that Kill Bill was better, but I think he's completely lost his mind on this one. Anyway, click here to read my favorite review of this movie.

• Finished reading Elizabeth Strout's Pulitzer Prize winning OLIVE KITTERIDGE and I loved it, though I'll only recommend to people who love literary fiction, as it doesn't have a strong enough through-story for people who like page-turners. Just read Philip Roth's GOODBYE, COLUMBUS, which I apparently never read before. Wanted to like it more than I did. I suppose the frankness of the sexuality and observations of Jewish nouveau riche culture made it groundbreaking in its day, but it's not quite enough to create a classic. My favorite scenes were the ones with Aunt Gladys. Hilarious, pitch perfect dialogue there.

• I'm recommending Ron Currie's EVERYTHING MATTERS! to everyone. Seriously. You have to read this astounding book. I promise you won't be able to put it down.

• Special mid-week treat: my old pal and former boss, John Skelly, blew through town and stopped in to say hello with his brother, Joe. John's got a cool website you should check out, Downtown Charlotte.

• Thanks to my friend Myfanwy Collins, I downloaded a really cool free program called Dropbox, that lets you save files on one computer and access them on another. Very easy to use. Give it a try: Dropbox

• I'm pretty thrilled with the early praise my forthcoming book is getting. Check it out on my Publishers Marketplace page.

• I think I'm seeing the light at the end of the tunnel with this proposal I'm working on. I'm re-re-re-re-editing the first 70 pages and then will take another stab at the outline. I have about two-thirds of the broad strokes worked out in my notes. Still lots of questions, but I can actually envision coming up with answers, so that's progress.

Have a great weekend ...

It's been a relaxing week, with the kids in Florida and no one here but us grown-ups. I do miss them (seriously!) but we managed to have a bit of fun.

• On Saturday we went to see Julie and Julia. I have two words: Meryl Streep. And two more: Holy crap. Doesn't seem humanly possible to deliver that kind of performance.

• On Sunday we braved the traffic and went to Tobay Beach. (Whose idea was it to close down three lanes of traffic on a Sunday in August on the only road leading to the beach? Someone needs to be punched in the throat.) Still, it was glorious.

• On Monday I went into Manhattan to have lunch with my Putnam editor, Rachel Kahan. It was about a million degrees, but I'm so glad I went. I learned a ton and man, does she have some interesting stories!

• On my way out of the Penguin Putnam building I met Jill Zarin (one of the Real Housewives of New York City) and Lisa Wexler (host of Live! With Lisa Radio), two Jewish sisters who are writing a book together. It was kind of ironic because I happen to be working on a novel about two Jewish cousins who might write a book together. Anyway, they were very friendly and it was a delight to meet them.

• On Monday night, my smartypants brother, Stephen Meister, explained the coming financial tsunami in commercial real estate on Neil Cavuto's show on Fox Business News. Click here to view.


• On Tuesday Mike and I took the ferry to Shelter Island and had dinner at Sunset Beach, a lovely restaurant on the water. It felt like we had been away on vacation. The picture to the left was taken from my cellphone between courses. Crazy, but it was the first time either of us had been to Shelter Island. What a place!

• On Wednesday I met up with Saralee Rosenberg and we celebrated with another Long Island writer pal, Brenda Janowitz, as she and her husband Doug welcomed baby Benjamin into the world with the holy ritual of a Bris. Congrats to the beautiful family!

• Shoot. Fell asleep before The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson last night and missed my cousin Lisa Kudrow's appearance. Would love to see a clip if anyone can find one.

• Did manage to stay up to see Renee Zellweger on David Letterman. Her face stayed so still while she talked it looked like she was wearing a mask. I like her and this makes me sad.

• Yesterday I worked like a dog on the project I mentioned above, The Cousins' Club. I managed to edit all 70 pages, working in new ideas and layers. This morning, just as I was finishing, I got yet another idea for changing something that would add a dimension and be a big improvement. Dear Subconscious: I appreciate that you're working round the clock to come up with these gems, but next time would mind making the delivery before I've written and polished 17,000 words?

• I now have a Publishers Marketplace page. Check it out: http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/ellenmeister/

Here's what's happening ...

• Just found out The Smart One is featured in Woman's Day online as a summer pick. Click here and then scroll through. I'm right after Rita Rudner.

• On Monday, I did a really special outdoor event on Long Island. It was the Summer Gazebo Reading Series run by Tony Iovino. My pal Debbi Honorof moderated, and did a great job of keeping it lively as she introduced Brenda Janowitz, Saralee Rosenberg, Carol Hoenig and yours truly. To read more about it, check out Saralee's blog.

• After the reading a few of us went out for a bite at the worst diner on Long Island. Good company made up for the bad food.

• Better food? Cheesecake Factory! The family went on Tuesday to celebrate my husband's birthday. What a pig out!

• My two younger kids started day camp this week and I don't think I've ever seen them happier. They go to a camp that specializes in fine and performing arts, and it's a magical place.

• I discovered that the good thing about planting your flowers in June instead of May when you're supposed to is that everything is on sale. And now it's all done, finally ... the garden will look nice in a few weeks.

• Best wishes for a safe, happy Fourth of July!

A bit of progress to report ...

• Yesterday I emailed my agents about 50+ pages of my work-in-progress, The Cousins' Club. I haven't told them a single thing about the story, so I have no idea what their reaction will be. Fingers crossed ...

• Still waiting to hear on a pub date and final title for my third novel. I'm more anxious about the pub date. There was a chance it would wind up on the spring 2010 schedule, but that didn't happen. So now I wait for a date on the summer calendar, which goes from May to August, and pray I don't get August again. I know a lot of people think that's a good month for books, but I disagree. I think the reason bookstore sales are high in August is because college stores are included in the mix. August is bad for me. No one is around. Promotion is nearly impossible. I can't get arrested in August. I rest my case. (Except for one thing ... if my book gets pushed off until fall I will slit my wrists.)

I'm visualizing May. May May May.

• Last Sunday was the first ever BOOKS NJ festival. Saralee Rosenberg was our designated driver for the day, taking Brenda Janowitz and me to Paramus. While waiting for my chariot I turned on the radio and heard that the George Washington Bridge was closed all morning for a walkathon. As if that wasn't bad enough, there was a massive accident on the Cross Bronx and all lanes were closed. Wait, there's more. Sunday was the Puerto Rican Day Parade, which meant that 5th Avenue in Manhattan was closed, making through-traffic impossible. Think it can't get any worse? There was a Yankees game.

Can someone please remind me why I don't live in Wyoming or something?

Anyway, as the pictures below attest, we did actually make it. (Went north to the Tappan Zee Bridge.) So glad we did, because the festival was extraordinary. It was so well-organized it's hard to believe this was their maiden voyage. Way to go, New Jersey! Kudos to Arlene Sahraie and the rest of the gang for pulling off the impossible. Special thanks, too, to Mary Riskind, Director of the Bergenfield Public Library, for doing such a great job moderating our panel.





With Mary Riskind, our trusty moderator

Hard to figure out what to say for a week that seemed to go by in five minutes. I did a lot of writing on this new project, The Cousins' Club. I'm still at sea in terms of how the story is going to play out, but have been getting lots of exciting ideas and I might actually show my agent something soon. I just feel like I need some feedback around now.

Meanwhile, I've been going to the gym. Not just running on the treadmill, but pumping iron using a routine my husband mapped out for me. And I'm actually seeing results. You know that obnoxious thing guys do when they flex their arms in front of the mirror? I did that today and guess what I saw? Something resembling bicep muscles.

You probably think that shouldn't shock me, but understand that I'm not genetically prone to muscle definition. We are a soft people. (I guess survival of the fittest in the remote shtels of the Ukraine depended more on layering on fat than any athleticism. "Yacov, how will we get through the winter? There is no food." "No food? Why, just last month when the goat died I emptied the contents of its stomach and got almost a whole bowl of half-digested grass! My shana Mindel, you can make enough schav for the whole village!")

That's about it, but if you're anywhere near Paramus, New Jersey, please set Sunday aside for the first ever NEW JERSEY BOOK FESTIVAL. It's going to be huge, with tons of authors, readings and panels. I'll be presenting at 3:00 pm, with Saralee Rosenberg, Carol Hoenig and Brenda Janowitz. Our panel is called "Women are Characters: Exploring Heroines Who Matter." Click here for more info.

It's 12:02 am, so this doesn't exactly qualify as a Friday update. But oh well ...

Ever have a week where you felt like you spent every hour of the day running in place? This was one of those. Not much to report ...

• Excited to receive my new little Samsung NC-10 netbook, but I can't get it access my wireless internet at home. Spent an hour on the phone with D-Link tech support yesterday to no avail. I'll probably spend another hour today. Do I have time for this nonsense? No!

• Today I addressed a big, smart group of retired professionals from the Molloy Institute of Life Long Learning in Rockville Centre, Long Island. My favorite part of these appearances is the question and answer period at end, and this group was especially dynamic. Big shout-out to Marie and Sal Barry for inviting me to speak.

• Got one sick kid today, sorry to say. Feel better, Ethan!

• Getting more and more excited about this new book idea I'm working on. I'm practically feeling hypergraphic over it. Wish I could carve out more time to work.

• Went to my daugther's 5th grade concert this week. Kudos to the band, the orchestra and the chorus. You kids were awesome! And of course, a standing O for the incredible music teachers in our district.

• Attention New Yorkers: tomorrow night there's a special event sponsored by the folks who published the six-word memior book, NOT QUITE WHAT I WAS PLANNING. I'll be among the writers reading their six words. Hope you can join us! Click here for more info.