One of the all-time, hands-down pleasures of being a publ...

One of the all-time, hands-down pleasures of being a published author is being able to take my friends and family along for the ride. Whenever I get to go on book tour, give a reading, tape a talk show or walk a red carpet, I try to have as many relatives as possible around me. It keeps me calm and keeps them amused.

So last week, when I went to New York City to tape "The Rachael Ray Show," (it'll air in July), I invited my mother Fran to tag along.

On Tuesday afternoon, we pulled into the gar...